Pound in Different Languages
Discover 'Pound' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The pound is a unit of weight and currency with a rich history and significance that extends across the globe. Originating in ancient times, the pound has been used as a measurement in various cultures, including the Roman libra, the British pound, and the American pound. Its cultural importance is evident in its continued use today, particularly in financial contexts such as currency exchange rates and commodity trading.
Given the pound's global reach and historical significance, it's no wonder that many people are interested in learning its translation in different languages. For example, the pound is known as 'livre' in French, 'Pfund' in German, and 'lira' in Italian. Understanding these translations can help deepen one's appreciation for the pound's cultural impact and facilitate cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the pound has played a fascinating role in historical events, such as serving as the basis for the gold standard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its translation into different languages reflects the diversity of cultures that have interacted with and been influenced by this powerful unit of measurement.
Pound
Pound in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | pond | ||
| In Afrikaans, "pond" (also spelled "pon") can also refer to a small body of water, similar to a pond in English. | |||
| Amharic | ፓውንድ | ||
| In Amharic, "ፓውንድ" can also mean a "large measure" or a "weight". | |||
| Hausa | fam | ||
| Hausa fam is borrowed from English 'pound', but not commonly used in that sense | |||
| Igbo | paụnd | ||
| The Igbo word 'paụnd' can also refer to the British currency of the same name, or to a large sum of money in general. | |||
| Malagasy | farantsanao | ||
| The Malagasy word "farantsanao" (pound) is derived from the French word "français" (French). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mapaundi | ||
| The word "mapaundi" in Nyanja is also used to refer to the British pound sterling currency. | |||
| Shona | pondo | ||
| The word 'pondo' is also used to mean 'weight', derived from the English 'pound' but now with extended meaning. | |||
| Somali | rodol | ||
| The word "rodol" in Somali is derived from the Spanish word "real," which also refers to a unit of currency. | |||
| Sesotho | ponto | ||
| The Sesotho word “ponto” can also mean “a lot” or “very much”. | |||
| Swahili | pauni | ||
| In Swahili, "pauni" also refers to a type of traditional drum or a unit of weight equal to 10 kilograms. | |||
| Xhosa | iponti | ||
| The word "iponti" can also refer to a weight used in traditional Xhosa measurement systems. | |||
| Yoruba | iwon | ||
| The Yoruba word "iwon" can also refer to a type of traditional drum or a measurement of weight equivalent to 12 pounds. | |||
| Zulu | iphawundi | ||
| The word "iphawundi" is a loanword from English and Afrikaans. | |||
| Bambara | ka susu | ||
| Ewe | pɔŋ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | pound | ||
| Lingala | livre | ||
| Luganda | okusekula | ||
| Sepedi | ponto | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɔn | ||
Pound in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جنيه | ||
| In Egyptian Arabic, "جنيه" (pound) also refers to the Egyptian currency, which was previously called "الجنيه المصري" (the Egyptian pound). | |||
| Hebrew | לִירָה | ||
| "לִירָה" (pound) is derived from the Latin "libra", meaning "scales", referring to the ancient practice of weighing currency. | |||
| Pashto | پونډ | ||
| The word "پونډ" can also refer to a unit of weight in Pashto, equal to approximately 1 kilogram. | |||
| Arabic | جنيه | ||
| In Egyptian Arabic, "جنيه" (pound) also refers to the Egyptian currency, which was previously called "الجنيه المصري" (the Egyptian pound). | |||
Pound in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kile | ||
| The word "kile" in Albanian is descended from the Ancient Greek "kilê" (κίλη) and is cognate with the English "kill". | |||
| Basque | kilo | ||
| The Basque word "kilo" is derived from the Latin word "libra", meaning "pound" or "balance". | |||
| Catalan | lliura | ||
| “Lliura” in Catalan originates from the Latin word “libra”, meaning to weigh or balance, and can also refer to a currency unit. | |||
| Croatian | funta | ||
| "Funta" is a Croatian word that can also mean "measure" or "weight", and is derived from the Latin word "pondus", meaning "weight". | |||
| Danish | pund | ||
| Danish pund "pond" derives from Latin "pondo", in reference to a monetary unit of value. | |||
| Dutch | pond | ||
| In Dutch, "pond" can also refer to a pound of weight, a lock in a canal, or a temporary pool of water | |||
| English | pound | ||
| In the context of currency, the word "pound" derives from the Latin "libra" and was originally a unit of weight. | |||
| French | livre | ||
| The word "livre" in French is derived from the Latin "libra," meaning "scales" or "weight." | |||
| Frisian | pûn | ||
| The Frisian word "pûn" can mean a pound or a marsh pasture and is possibly related to a word meaning "marsh island" in ancient Germanic. | |||
| Galician | libra | ||
| The Galician word "libra" comes from the Proto-West Germanic "pund", possibly related to Latin "pondus" meaning "weight." | |||
| German | pfund | ||
| In German, "Pfund" can refer to a weight unit (500 grams), a currency unit (no longer in use), or a pound of meat. | |||
| Icelandic | pund | ||
| The word "pund" is also used in Icelandic to refer to a specific weight of wool. | |||
| Irish | punt | ||
| Irish "punt" could mean a small boat, a unit of currency (replaced in 2002), or a kick in football | |||
| Italian | libbra | ||
| The Italian word "libbra" is a cognate of Latin "libra", which has the alternate meanings of "balance" and "constellation Libra". | |||
| Luxembourgish | pond | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Pond" can also refer to a fenced-in area for animals or a pond in the sense of a body of water. | |||
| Maltese | lira | ||
| The word 'lira' in Maltese derives from the Italian word 'lira' and also means 'song lyrics' in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | pund | ||
| In Norwegian, "pund" can also refer to a unit of pressure or a person's weight. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | libra | ||
| In Portuguese, “libra” also refers to the astrological sign Libra and to the Roman unit of weight and currency. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | punnd | ||
| The Gaelic word 'punnd' can also refer to a weight of one sixteenth of an ounce. | |||
| Spanish | libra | ||
| The word "libra" originally referred to the Roman unit of weight, the libra, which was equivalent to about 327 grams or 11.5 ounces. | |||
| Swedish | pund | ||
| In Swedish, pund can also refer to a unit of measure for weight or currency. | |||
| Welsh | punt | ||
| The word "punt" can also refer to a type of boat or a bet in gambling. | |||
Pound in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | фунт | ||
| The word "фунт" ("pound") can also refer to a unit of measurement for weight in Belarus, equal to approximately 0.5 kilograms. | |||
| Bosnian | funta | ||
| The word "funta" in Bosnian can also refer to a monetary unit, specifically the Bosnian marka. | |||
| Bulgarian | паунд | ||
| The word "паунд" in Bulgarian can also refer to a unit of mass (about 408.2 grams) used in the pharmaceutical industry, or a currency unit (about 0.61 lev) used in the United Kingdom. | |||
| Czech | libra | ||
| In Czech, "libra" derives from the Latin "libra", meaning "balance" or "weight scale". | |||
| Estonian | nael | ||
| Nael derives from the same Germanic root as the English word "nail", and its alternate meanings include "stake" and "spike". | |||
| Finnish | punta | ||
| In Finnish, "punta" also refers to the tip or point of something or a place where something ends or begins. | |||
| Hungarian | font | ||
| The Hungarian word "font" is derived from the same Proto-Indo-European root as "pound", but in Hungarian it only means "pound" in a non-monetary sense, e.g. "a pound of tomatoes". | |||
| Latvian | mārciņa | ||
| The word "mārciņa" originated from "mark", a medieval German currency, and is the root of "marka", the currency of Germany, Poland, and other countries. | |||
| Lithuanian | svaras | ||
| The term "svaras" derives from the Latin word "libra", signifying a weighing scale. | |||
| Macedonian | фунта | ||
| The word "фунта" (pound) in Macedonian can also refer to a monetary unit in the United Kingdom and other countries, and to a unit of force in the imperial system. | |||
| Polish | funt | ||
| In Polish, the word "funt" derives from the German "pfund", which originally referred to a specific weight unit. | |||
| Romanian | livră | ||
| The word "livră" comes from the French word "livre", which means "book" or "pound". | |||
| Russian | фунт | ||
| The Russian word "фунт" can also refer to the British currency, the pound sterling. | |||
| Serbian | фунта | ||
| The word "фунта" is derived from the Latin "pondus" ("weight") and also means "weight" or "mass" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | libra | ||
| In Slovak, "libra" can also refer to a medical scale or a unit of weight used in pharmacies. | |||
| Slovenian | funt | ||
| In Slovene, "funt" can also refer to a unit of weight equivalent to 568 grams | |||
| Ukrainian | фунт | ||
| The word "фунт" can also refer to a unit of currency, like the British pound sterling. | |||
Pound in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পাউন্ড | ||
| The word পাউন্ড (pound) can also refer to a unit of currency in the United Kingdom or an animal enclosure. | |||
| Gujarati | પાઉન્ડ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પાઉન્ડ" can also be used to refer to a weight of 12 ounces (340 grams) or a unit of currency in various countries, particularly the British pound. | |||
| Hindi | पौंड | ||
| The word "पौंड" can also refer to a weight unit of 12 ounces, or approximately 340 grams. | |||
| Kannada | ಪೌಂಡ್ | ||
| The term can also refer to a pound of flesh | |||
| Malayalam | പൗണ്ട് | ||
| പൗണ്ട് ( | |||
| Marathi | पौंड | ||
| The Marathi word "पौंड" can also refer to a British currency unit or a measure of weight, both derived from the English word "pound". | |||
| Nepali | पाउन्ड | ||
| The word "पाउन्ड" can also mean "a unit of currency" in English. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੌਂਡ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "ਪੌਂਡ" can also refer to a unit of weight used in traditional medicine, equivalent to 1/20th of a tola. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පවුම | ||
| පවුම is also used to refer to the weight of precious metals | |||
| Tamil | பவுண்டு | ||
| In Tamil, 'பவுண்டு' ('pound') can also refer to a unit of currency (British pound). | |||
| Telugu | పౌండ్ | ||
| The word "పౌండ్" comes from the Latin word "pondus", meaning "weight." In the United Kingdom, the pound is the unit of currency. In the United States, the pound is a unit of weight equal to 16 ounces. | |||
| Urdu | پونڈ | ||
| The word 'پونڈ' in Urdu can also refer to a type of measuring unit (a unit of mass) or a unit of currency in some countries. | |||
Pound in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 磅 | ||
| The Chinese character "磅" (páng) can also mean "to measure weight" or "unit of weight". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 磅 | ||
| "磅" (Traditional Chinese) can also mean "weigh" or "measurement" in some contexts. | |||
| Japanese | ポンド | ||
| 「ポンド」は重量や通貨を指しますが、元々はラテン語の「重み」を意味する「pondus」に由来します。 | |||
| Korean | 파운드 | ||
| 파운드라는 단어는 원래 '가축 울타리'를 뜻하는 영어 단어 'pund'에서 유래되었다. | |||
| Mongolian | фунт | ||
| The Mongolian word "фунт" also means "half", indicating a "half pound" of butter. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပေါင် | ||
| In Burmese, "ပေါင်" means "pound" and also refers to a unit of weight equal to 16 ticals or 3.6 kilograms. | |||
Pound in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pound | ||
| In Indonesian, "pound" can also refer to a currency used in the United Kingdom. | |||
| Javanese | pon | ||
| "Pon" in Javanese can also refer to a market day or a five-day week. | |||
| Khmer | ផោន | ||
| The word "ផោន" in Khmer can also refer to a unit of gunpowder or a unit of weight used to weigh gold. | |||
| Lao | ປອນ | ||
| The Lao word "ປອນ" (pɔːn) can also mean "money", "silver", "weight", and "currency". | |||
| Malay | pon | ||
| The word "pon" can also refer to a weight measurement of 300-350 grams in Malaysia and Singapore. | |||
| Thai | ปอนด์ | ||
| The Thai word ปอนด์ derives from the English word pound, specifically from a contraction of the phrase pound per weight to measure weight. | |||
| Vietnamese | pao | ||
| In addition to its meaning in currency, "pao" can also refer to a weight measurement approximately equal to 0.6 kg. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | libra | ||
Pound in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | funt | ||
| In some dialects of Azerbaijani, "funt" can also refer to a weight of 400 grams or 1000 grams. | |||
| Kazakh | фунт | ||
| The Kazakh word "фунт" (funt) is borrowed from the Russian language and originally comes from the Latin "libra", meaning "scales". | |||
| Kyrgyz | фунт | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "фунт" (pound) originated as a loanword from Russian and is also used to refer to a British pound sterling. | |||
| Tajik | фунт | ||
| The Tajik word "фунт" also refers to a monetary unit of Great Britain and other countries. | |||
| Turkmen | funt | ||
| Uzbek | funt | ||
| Funt, borrowed from Russian "фунт", is also used in Uzbek to measure the force of weight, with 1 funt being equal to 409.5 grams. | |||
| Uyghur | فوندستېرلىڭ | ||
Pound in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paona | ||
| Paona also means "to smash something" in Hawaiian, and it is most likely cognate with similar forms in other Polynesian languages. | |||
| Maori | pauna | ||
| In Maori, 'pauna' can also mean 'money' or 'a unit of currency'. | |||
| Samoan | pauna | ||
| The Proto-Polynesian word */pauna/ likely referred to the stone weights used for weighing pigs (hence the meaning 'pig') that were eventually used in the Samoan weighing system for coconut oil, which became known as the pauna. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pound | ||
| In Tagalog, 'pound' can refer to the weight measurement (libra) or to the currency of the United Kingdom and several other countries (pounds sterling). | |||
Pound in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | liwra | ||
| Guarani | libra | ||
Pound in International Languages
| Esperanto | funto | ||
| Esperanto's "funto" is likely a contraction of "funtaro", which itself derives from the French "quintar". | |||
| Latin | talentum | ||
| In ancient Rome, a "talentum" was also a measure of weight, equivalent to 6,000 denarii or 25 kilograms. | |||
Pound in Others Languages
| Greek | λίβρα | ||
| The Greek word "λίβρα" can also mean "scale" or "balance", likely due to its association with weighing objects. | |||
| Hmong | phaus | ||
| The Hmong word "phaus" can also refer to a type of money or currency. | |||
| Kurdish | tan | ||
| "Tan" also refers to "skin color" and "leather," with shared etymological roots with "sunburn" | |||
| Turkish | pound | ||
| The Turkish word "pound" can also refer to a unit of measurement for weight equivalent to 500 grams. | |||
| Xhosa | iponti | ||
| The word "iponti" can also refer to a weight used in traditional Xhosa measurement systems. | |||
| Yiddish | פונט | ||
| The Yiddish 'פונט' is derived from the Latin 'pondo' via the German 'pfund' and may also refer to a unit of weight (16 ounces), a coin, or a monetary unit. | |||
| Zulu | iphawundi | ||
| The word "iphawundi" is a loanword from English and Afrikaans. | |||
| Assamese | পাউণ্ড | ||
| Aymara | liwra | ||
| Bhojpuri | बाड़ा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕައުންޑް | ||
| Dogri | पौंड | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | libra | ||
| Guarani | libra | ||
| Ilocano | dekdeken | ||
| Krio | pawn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پاوند | ||
| Maithili | बंदी गृह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯨꯝꯕ ꯑꯣꯟꯕꯒꯤ ꯄꯊꯥꯞ ꯑꯃ | ||
| Mizo | her dip | ||
| Oromo | tumuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛେଚିବା | ||
| Quechua | libra | ||
| Sanskrit | निश्रेणिचिह्न | ||
| Tatar | фунт | ||
| Tigrinya | ፓውንድ | ||
| Tsonga | pondo | ||