Purchase in Different Languages
Discover 'Purchase' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'purchase' holds great significance in our daily lives as it represents the act of acquiring a product or service in exchange for money. This concept is not only universal but also crucial to the global economy, making it a culturally important term. Understanding the translation of 'purchase' in different languages can open up new opportunities for international communication and business. For instance, the French translation of purchase is 'achat,' while in Spanish, it's 'compra.' In German, 'purchase' is translated to 'kauf,' and in Japanese, it's '購入 (kōnyū).'
Moreover, the history of purchasing is fascinating. Before currency was invented, people would barter goods and services, trading one item for another. The first known currency was created around 600 BC in Lydia, a region in modern-day Turkey. This historical context highlights the evolution of purchasing and its importance in human society.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a business owner looking to expand internationally, or simply curious, learning the translations of 'purchase' in different languages can be both fun and educational. Keep reading to discover more translations and fascinating facts about this common word.
Purchase
Purchase in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aankoop | ||
| The Afrikaans word "aankoop" is derived from the Dutch word "aankoop" and also means "acquisition" or "procurement". | |||
| Amharic | ግዢ | ||
| ግዢ (purchase) could also mean 'to obtain, acquire, get, gain, procure, or secure' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | saya | ||
| The word "saya" in Hausa can also mean "to buy back" or "to ransom". | |||
| Igbo | zuo | ||
| The Igbo word `zuo` refers primarily to a form of trade where an animal is given up before the agreed purchase price is settled, especially in livestock or agricultural produce markets. | |||
| Malagasy | levitra | ||
| Malagasy word "levitra" derives from French "lever" (raise), hence also has the alternate meaning of "obtain". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kugula | ||
| The word "kugula" is likely derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-gulu" meaning "to trade". | |||
| Shona | kutenga | ||
| The word "kutenga" can also mean "to acquire" or "to obtain" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | iibso | ||
| The Somali word "iibso" also means "to buy" and is derived from the common Proto-Cushitic root *kʷīp- "to buy or sell". | |||
| Sesotho | reka | ||
| The origin of "reka" is not certain, but the word may have been borrowed from isiZulu or another Nguni language. | |||
| Swahili | kununua | ||
| "Kununua" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *gùnù, meaning 'to buy' or 'to purchase'. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' in Xhosa also means 'to fetch' or 'to get', which highlights the connection between purchasing and acquiring something. | |||
| Yoruba | rira | ||
| Ríra can also mean 'to take as one's due,' as in a child 'taking' its inheritance from its parents. | |||
| Zulu | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' can also refer to 'to pick up' or 'to acquire' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka san | ||
| Ewe | ƒle | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kugura | ||
| Lingala | kosomba | ||
| Luganda | okugula | ||
| Sepedi | reka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tɔ | ||
Purchase in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عملية الشراء | ||
| In Arabic, "عملية الشراء" also refers to "the surgical operation" in medicine. | |||
| Hebrew | לִרְכּוֹשׁ | ||
| This word can also mean 'conquest' in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | پیرودل | ||
| The Pashto word پیرودل can also refer to the act of acquiring or obtaining something. | |||
| Arabic | عملية الشراء | ||
| In Arabic, "عملية الشراء" also refers to "the surgical operation" in medicine. | |||
Purchase in Western European Languages
| Albanian | blerja | ||
| In Albanian, the word "blerja" means "purchase", but can also refer to "buying" or "trading". | |||
| Basque | erosketa | ||
| Etymology: Basque "erosketak" (buying) + "erosi" (to get). | |||
| Catalan | compra | ||
| The Catalan word "compra" also means "action or manner of buying". | |||
| Croatian | kupiti | ||
| The word 'kupiti' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱewp-, meaning 'to seize' or 'to take'. | |||
| Danish | køb | ||
| The word "køb" in Danish is derived from the old Norse word "kaup", which also meant "bargain" or "sale". | |||
| Dutch | aankoop | ||
| The word "aankoop" in Dutch derives from the Middle Dutch "ancopen" and Old Dutch "ancop", meaning "to buy" or "to acquire". It is cognate with the Old English "ancopan" and the German "ankaufen". | |||
| English | purchase | ||
| The word "purchase" comes from Old French "purchas," meaning "procurement" or "acquisition." | |||
| French | achat | ||
| Achat, meaning purchase in French, originates from the Old French word achater, which derives from the Late Latin word accaptare, signifying "to take or seize." | |||
| Frisian | oankeap | ||
| The Frisian word "oankeap" is derived from the Old Saxon "kōp" meaning "market place" | |||
| Galician | compra | ||
| Galician "compra" derives from medieval Latin "compera" and is related to "com-parare" (to acquire). | |||
| German | kauf | ||
| In Low German, "Kauf" means "fight" or "strike". | |||
| Icelandic | kaup | ||
| Originally, "kaup" also meant "cattle" or "bargain" in Old Norse. | |||
| Irish | cheannach | ||
| The Irish word 'cheannach' can also refer to the act of bargaining or trading. | |||
| Italian | acquista | ||
| The word "acquista" in Italian is derived from the Latin word "adquirere," meaning "to acquire," and is also related to the English word "acquisition." | |||
| Luxembourgish | kafen | ||
| The word "kafen" in Luxembourgish also means "to grab" or "to seize". | |||
| Maltese | xiri | ||
| The Maltese word "xiri" derives from the Arabic "shara" which means "to purchase" or "to buy". | |||
| Norwegian | kjøp | ||
| The Old Norse word 'kaup' meant trade or buy. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | compra | ||
| The word "compra" also refers to food or items bought for cooking, like groceries. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceannach | ||
| Cea'nach is also a Scots Gaelic surname of Irish origin, meaning 'merchant' or 'trader'. | |||
| Spanish | compra | ||
| The word compra comes from Latin 'compra', referring to 'seizing', 'taking', or 'acquiring' something. | |||
| Swedish | inköp | ||
| Swedish "inköp" is formed from "in" (in) and "köp" (buy), also existing as verbs "inköpa"/"köpa" (buy). | |||
| Welsh | prynu | ||
| The Welsh word "prynu" is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *prena-, meaning "to buy, trade, or exchange". | |||
Purchase in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | купля | ||
| The word "купля" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *kupiti, meaning "to buy" or "to acquire". | |||
| Bosnian | kupovina | ||
| The Slavic root *kup- of kupovina also means "to gather, collect", which is the original meaning. | |||
| Bulgarian | покупка | ||
| The Bulgarian word "покупка" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *kupiti, which also gave rise to the Russian word "купить" and the Polish word "kupić". | |||
| Czech | nákup | ||
| "Nákup" can also mean a purchase in large amounts, especially groceries. | |||
| Estonian | ost | ||
| 'Ost' originates from Proto-Germanic *austaz ('acquisition, harvest') and is a cognate of Latin 'augeo' ('to increase'). | |||
| Finnish | ostaa | ||
| The word "ostaa" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "oste-", meaning "to buy" or "to get". | |||
| Hungarian | vásárlás | ||
| "Vásárlás" originates from the verb "vásárol", ultimately derived from the Slavic "kupiti", meaning "to buy". | |||
| Latvian | pirkt | ||
| The word “pirkt” has a possible origin in the Slavic word “pir”, meaning “feast”. | |||
| Lithuanian | pirkimas | ||
| The word "pirkimas" is cognate with the Old Prussian word "pirkan", meaning "to trade". | |||
| Macedonian | купување | ||
| The word "купување" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*kupiti", meaning "to gather" or "to collect". | |||
| Polish | zakup | ||
| Polish 'zakup' may have originated from German 'kaufen' (to buy), but it also shares a root with 'zakupy' (groceries). | |||
| Romanian | cumpărare | ||
| The word "cumpărare" is derived from the Latin word "comparare", meaning "to acquire" or "to compare". | |||
| Russian | покупка | ||
| The word "покупка" (purchase) originally meant "hit" or "punishment" in Proto-Slavic, and is related to the verb "купить" (to buy), which originally meant "to seize" or "to take by force". | |||
| Serbian | куповина | ||
| The word "куповина" can also refer to the act of buying or acquiring something. | |||
| Slovak | nákup | ||
| The word "nákup" in Slovak also means "shopping" and comes from the verb "kupovať" ("to buy"). | |||
| Slovenian | nakup | ||
| In Polish and Ukrainian, "nakup" means a "buying frenzy". | |||
| Ukrainian | придбання | ||
| The Ukrainian word "придбання" can also refer to an acquisition or gain. | |||
Purchase in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্রয় | ||
| The word "ক্রয়" (kray) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "krī" (to buy) and has the alternate meaning of "acquisition" | |||
| Gujarati | ખરીદી | ||
| The Gujarati word "ખરીદી" likely originates from Sanskrit, where it has multiple meanings such as "acceptance" or "taking to oneself". | |||
| Hindi | खरीद फरोख्त | ||
| In Hindi, the word ख़रीद फ़रोख़्त can also refer to an exchange or trade, as well as the purchase and sale of goods. | |||
| Kannada | ಖರೀದಿ | ||
| The word "ಖರೀದಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्रय" (kraya), meaning "to buy". | |||
| Malayalam | വാങ്ങൽ | ||
| The word "വാങ്ങൽ" is derived from the Sanskrit root "vah", meaning "to transport or carry". | |||
| Marathi | खरेदी | ||
| The word 'ಖರೀ' ('khari') in Marathi, meaning 'purchase', originates from the Sanskrit word 'क्री' ('kri') which means 'to buy'. | |||
| Nepali | खरीद | ||
| The word "खरीद" comes from the Sanskrit word "kraya," which also means "price." | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਰੀਦ | ||
| The word 'ਖਰੀਦ' (purchase) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'क्रीड़' (play) and also means 'play' in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මිලදී | ||
| The word "మిలది ది" is derived from the Sanskrit "kraya," which means "purchase" or "sale." | |||
| Tamil | கொள்முதல் | ||
| Telugu | కొనుగోలు | ||
| కొనుగోలు is the Telugu word for purchase, which can also refer to the act of obtaining goods or services in exchange for payment. | |||
| Urdu | خریداری | ||
| The Urdu word "خریداری" can also refer to a "shopper" or "customer." | |||
Purchase in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 采购 | ||
| 采购 in Simplified Chinese is literally “buy into,” referencing the concept of buying an individual into an agreement in ancient times. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 採購 | ||
| The second character in 採購 (purchase) is 購 which is the combination of the ideograms 貝 (money) and 取 (to take) and is the source of many words related to transaction and exchange in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 購入 | ||
| Although the word "購入" usually means "purchase" in Japanese, its kanji components suggest that it also means "enter" (「入」) and "goods" (「品」). | |||
| Korean | 매수 | ||
| 매수 can also mean "charm" or "alluringness", derived from the Chinese character "魅" meaning "to bewitch". | |||
| Mongolian | худалдан авах | ||
| The Mongolian word “худалдан авах” comes from the verb “худалдах,” which means “to trade” or “to barter.” | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝယ်ယူ | ||
Purchase in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | membeli | ||
| The Indonesian word "membeli" comes from the Old Malay word "mambli" which meant "to fetch". This is because, in the past, people would often have to travel long distances to purchase goods. | |||
| Javanese | tuku | ||
| The word "tuku" in Javanese can also mean | |||
| Khmer | ទិញ | ||
| The Khmer word "ទិញ" also means "to buy" or "to obtain". | |||
| Lao | ການຊື້ | ||
| Malay | membeli | ||
| The Malay word "membeli" evolved from the Sanskrit word "meli" and the Proto-Austronesian word "*beli" or "*bili", both meaning "to buy" or "to purchase". | |||
| Thai | ซื้อ | ||
| "ซื้อ" originates from a Khmer term, "cuy", and has the alternate meaning of "to use". | |||
| Vietnamese | mua, tựa vào, bám vào | ||
| In English, the word "purchase" can also refer to the act of acquiring something through effort or exertion rather than through monetary means. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagbili | ||
Purchase in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | alış | ||
| The word "Alış" in Azerbaijani also has the meaning of "habit" in some contexts. | |||
| Kazakh | сатып алу | ||
| The word "сатып алу" in Kazakh also means "to buy". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сатып алуу | ||
| "Сатып алуу" is also used to describe the process of purchasing something on credit and means "buying on credit" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | харид | ||
| Historically it also had the meaning of a "wedding ceremony", or the payment associated with one | |||
| Turkmen | satyn almak | ||
| Uzbek | sotib olish | ||
| The word "sotib olish" is derived from the Persian word "sorb" meaning "purchase, acquire, take". It also has the alternate meaning of "to become the owner of something". | |||
| Uyghur | سېتىۋېلىش | ||
Purchase in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻai | ||
| The word "kūʻai" can also mean "to obtain or receive something" | |||
| Maori | hoko | ||
| Hoko is a Maori word meaning 'purchase' and can also refer to a 'payment' or 'reward'. | |||
| Samoan | faʻatau | ||
| "Fa'atau" can mean "purchase" in Samoan, but it can also mean "trade" or "exchange". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagbili | ||
| The Tagalog word "pagbili" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*bili", meaning "to buy" or "to purchase." | |||
Purchase in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alaña | ||
| Guarani | jogua | ||
Purchase in International Languages
| Esperanto | aĉeto | ||
| Derived from aĈeti, the infinitive of the verb “to buy,” aĉeto refers specifically to the transaction itself, not the thing bought. | |||
| Latin | emptio | ||
| In Roman law, emptio could refer to either purchase, or a specific form of contract. | |||
Purchase in Others Languages
| Greek | αγορά | ||
| In Ancient Greek, 'αγορά' also referred to the town square where assemblies and trade occurred. | |||
| Hmong | kev yuav khoom | ||
| "Kev yuav khoom" comes from the verb "yuav" meaning "to buy", and the noun "khoom" meaning "goods, merchandise". | |||
| Kurdish | kirrîn | ||
| The root of the word "kirrîn" can also mean "to be sold or bought". | |||
| Turkish | satın alma | ||
| In Turkish, the word "satın alma" not only means "purchase," but it also refers to "conquest," originating from the verb "satmak" meaning "to sell" and the suffix "-ın/-in" indicating the act of doing something. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' in Xhosa also means 'to fetch' or 'to get', which highlights the connection between purchasing and acquiring something. | |||
| Yiddish | קויפן | ||
| The Yiddish word "קויפן" (koypn) also means "to buy," "to acquire," or "to procure." | |||
| Zulu | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' can also refer to 'to pick up' or 'to acquire' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ক্ৰয় কৰা | ||
| Aymara | alaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कीनल | ||
| Dhivehi | ގަތުން | ||
| Dogri | खरीद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagbili | ||
| Guarani | jogua | ||
| Ilocano | gumatang | ||
| Krio | bay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کڕین | ||
| Maithili | खरीद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯕ | ||
| Mizo | lei | ||
| Oromo | bituu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ରୟ | ||
| Quechua | rantiy | ||
| Sanskrit | संक्रयणम् | ||
| Tatar | сатып алу | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓድግ | ||
| Tsonga | xava | ||