Salary in Different Languages
Discover 'Salary' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Salary, a simple word that carries great significance in our lives. It's not just a monthly paycheck, but a symbol of our hard work, dedication, and achievements. The amount of salary one earns can greatly impact their lifestyle, financial security, and career choices. But have you ever wondered how the word 'salary' translates in different languages?
The word 'salary' has its roots in the Latin word 'salarium', which was a soldier's allowance for the purchase of salt, a valuable commodity in ancient times. Today, the word is used in various contexts and cultures, reflecting the diverse ways in which people are compensated for their work.
Understanding the translation of 'salary' in different languages can provide insight into cultural attitudes towards work, money, and social status. For instance, in German, 'salary' translates to 'Gehalt', which comes from the verb 'gelten' meaning 'to be worth'. Meanwhile, in Spanish, 'salary' is 'salario', which originates from the Latin 'salarium'.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'salary' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that underpin this universal concept.
Salary
Salary in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | salaris | ||
| "Salaris" is derived from the Latin word "salarium", which originally referred to a payment made to Roman soldiers in the form of salt. | |||
| Amharic | ደመወዝ | ||
| The word 'ደመወዝ' also means 'payment' or 'compensation' in Amharic, and has its roots in the ancient Ethiopian legal system. | |||
| Hausa | albashi | ||
| Hausa "albashi" may be derived from "albashari", meaning "a gift from God" or "albasheer", Arabic for "the harbinger of good news". | |||
| Igbo | ụgwọ | ||
| The Igbo word "ụgwọ" can also mean "payment" or "recompense". | |||
| Malagasy | karama | ||
| The word "karama" in Malagasy also means "reward" or "gift". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malipiro | ||
| In Nyanja, 'malipiro' comes from the verb '-lipi(ra)' which means to pay or compensate. | |||
| Shona | muhoro | ||
| The word "muhoro" is also used to refer to the monthly allowance given to a spouse or child. | |||
| Somali | mushahar | ||
| The Somali word "mushahar" is derived from the Arabic word "mushaharah", which means "remuneration" or "payment". | |||
| Sesotho | moputso | ||
| The word "moputso" in Sesotho, meaning "salary," derives from the verb "oputsa," which translates to "to ask for" or "to demand payment." | |||
| Swahili | mshahara | ||
| The Swahili word "mshahara" originates from the Arabic word "shahara", which means "to make known" or "to proclaim". | |||
| Xhosa | umvuzo | ||
| Xhosa term of Zulu origin which can also refer to the payment made to bridegrooms family. | |||
| Yoruba | ekunwo | ||
| The word "ekunwo" in Yoruba, meaning "salary," is derived from the verb "ekun," meaning "to gather," and "wo," meaning "to give." | |||
| Zulu | umholo | ||
| "Umholo" literally means "a bag or container" in Zulu, and refers to the customary practice of paying salaries in cash that was carried in a bag. | |||
| Bambara | sara | ||
| Ewe | fetu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umushahara | ||
| Lingala | lifuti | ||
| Luganda | omusaala | ||
| Sepedi | mogolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akatua | ||
Salary in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | راتب | ||
| In Medieval Arabic, "راتب" was used for a daily sustenance allowance, particularly for soldiers or pilgrims. | |||
| Hebrew | שכר | ||
| The Hebrew word "שכר" (salary) also denotes a "reward," "payment" or "compensation." | |||
| Pashto | معاش | ||
| معاش can also mean "living" or "sustenance" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | راتب | ||
| In Medieval Arabic, "راتب" was used for a daily sustenance allowance, particularly for soldiers or pilgrims. | |||
Salary in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rroga | ||
| The Albanian word 'rroga' is derived from the Latin word 'rogatio', meaning 'request' or 'petition'. | |||
| Basque | soldata | ||
| The origin of the term is still uncertain with some pointing its roots in "solidus", an ancient coin, whilst others indicate that it comes from "sol", Latin for "sun", which has connotations of prosperity and fortune. | |||
| Catalan | sou | ||
| The term "sou" can also denote, in addition to salary, financial compensation for other types of economic transactions in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | plaća | ||
| The word 'plaća' comes from the Latin word 'placere', meaning 'to please'. | |||
| Danish | løn | ||
| "Løn" ultimately derives from the Old Norse word "laun", meaning "reward", "payment" or "price". | |||
| Dutch | salaris | ||
| In Latin, "salaris" was originally a payment for legionaries, derived from "sal" (salt), as salt was part of their rations. | |||
| English | salary | ||
| "Salary" derives from Latin "salarium," an allowance for Roman soldiers to buy salt. | |||
| French | un salaire | ||
| The French word "un salaire" ultimately derives from the Latin word "salarium", which originally referred to a payment of salt. | |||
| Frisian | salaris | ||
| In Frisian, "salaris" can also refer to a fixed payment for work performed, such as a retainer or a stipend. | |||
| Galician | salario | ||
| In Galician, "salario" can also refer to a type of traditional song or poem. | |||
| German | gehalt | ||
| "Gehalt" derives from the medieval Low German word "holt," meaning "revenue, produce". | |||
| Icelandic | laun | ||
| In Old Norse, "laun" meant a "price" or a "reward". | |||
| Irish | tuarastal | ||
| The word 'tuarastal' has been used in Irish since at least the 14th century, but its exact etymology is uncertain. | |||
| Italian | stipendio | ||
| "Stipendio" ultimately derives from the Latin word "stipendium," which originally referred to a payment made to Roman soldiers and later came to mean "salary" more generally. | |||
| Luxembourgish | loun | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Loun" likely derives from the French word "loïer" or the Middle Latin word "locarium", both of which refer to payments or fees. | |||
| Maltese | salarju | ||
| The Maltese word "salarju" is derived from the Italian word "salario" which has the alternate meaning of "payment for services." | |||
| Norwegian | lønn | ||
| The word "lønn" is derived from the Old Norse word "laun", meaning "reward" or "payment". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | salário | ||
| "Salário" originates from the Latin word "salarium," which was an allowance given to Roman soldiers to purchase salt. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tuarastal | ||
| The word "tuarastal" in Scots Gaelic is derived from the Old Irish word "tuarastal," which meant "wages" or "payment for services." | |||
| Spanish | salario | ||
| The Spanish word "salario" derives from the Latin word "salarium", which originally referred to a payment in salt. | |||
| Swedish | lön | ||
| "Lön" is derived from the Old Norse word "laun", which meant "reward" or "payment". | |||
| Welsh | cyflog | ||
| The word 'cyflog' comes from the Proto-Celtic word 'kwelgos', meaning 'reward' or 'payment'. | |||
Salary in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | зарплата | ||
| The word "зарплата" is of Polish origin. | |||
| Bosnian | plata | ||
| The word 'plata' in Bosnian is also used to refer to the flat surface of a weapon, such as a sword. | |||
| Bulgarian | заплата | ||
| The word "заплата" may also refer to a "patch" or "bandage" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | plat | ||
| The word "plat" in Czech derives from the German word "Platt", meaning "flat" or "level", referring to the standardized or fixed amount of money paid as wages. | |||
| Estonian | palk | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "salary," "palk" has older meanings of "barter" and "payment." | |||
| Finnish | palkka | ||
| "Palkka" originally referred to the payment for using a horse, which could also be a share of the yield from farming work. | |||
| Hungarian | fizetés | ||
| The word "fizetés" derives from the verb "fizet", which means "to pay" or "to give" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | alga | ||
| In the Courland dialect of Latvian, " alga" also means "sorrow". | |||
| Lithuanian | atlyginimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "atlyginimas" derives from the verb "atlyginti" meaning "to recompense". | |||
| Macedonian | плата | ||
| The word "плата" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *plata, meaning "payment" or "reward." | |||
| Polish | wynagrodzenie | ||
| The word 'wynagrodzenie' is derived from the Old Polish verb 'wynosić', meaning 'to carry out' or 'to earn'. | |||
| Romanian | salariu | ||
| The Romanian word "salariu" ultimately derives from the Latin word "salarium", which originally referred to a payment of salt to Roman soldiers. | |||
| Russian | зарплата | ||
| The word "зарплата" is likely derived from the French word "solde". | |||
| Serbian | плата | ||
| The word "плата" is derived from an Old Church Slavonic word meaning "payment" or "reward". It can also refer to a monetary fine or penalty. | |||
| Slovak | plat | ||
| The word "plat" also means "flat", "shallow", or "flat". | |||
| Slovenian | plača | ||
| In some dialects, plača means "payment" or "debt". | |||
| Ukrainian | зарплата | ||
| "Зарплата" originally meant compensation for bread and salt, "за соль и за хлеб" | |||
Salary in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বেতন | ||
| The word "বেতন" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वेतन" (vetana), which means "payment" or "wages." | |||
| Gujarati | પગાર | ||
| In Gujarati, "પગાર" also denotes the wages of a farm laborer or the fees paid to a lawyer, but is not typically used to refer to other forms of compensation. | |||
| Hindi | वेतन | ||
| "वेतन" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वेतना", which means "wages" or "hire". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಬಳ | ||
| ಸಂಬಳ (salary) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sambala', meaning 'a gift for a good deed'. | |||
| Malayalam | ശമ്പളം | ||
| "ശമ്പളം" derives from the Sanskrit word "champala" meaning a round coin or money. | |||
| Marathi | पगार | ||
| "पगार" is derived from the Persian word "paikar", meaning "foot-measure", which originally referred to the amount of land granted as payment to soldiers. | |||
| Nepali | तलब | ||
| Nepali "तलब" ultimately derives from Arabic, possibly entering via Persian, with its original meanings being "request" and "demand" and only secondarily came to mean "pay" or "salary". | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਨਖਾਹ | ||
| The word 'ਤਨਖਾਹ' is derived from the Persian word 'تانخواه' which means 'money for body'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වැටුප | ||
| The word "වැටුප" derives from the root "වැට" meaning "to fall", and originally meant "payment given on account", with the implication of something falling from a source of wealth onto someone below. | |||
| Tamil | சம்பளம் | ||
| "சம்பளம்" (salary) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sambalam" meaning "gift" or "present". | |||
| Telugu | జీతం | ||
| The Telugu word జీతం ('jītham') originates from the Sanskrit words 'jee' ('to live') and 'tha' ('means'), indicating 'the means of earning a livelihood'. | |||
| Urdu | تنخواہ | ||
| The Urdu word "تنخواہ" can also refer to a payment made for services rendered. | |||
Salary in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 薪水 | ||
| 薪水 (xīnshuǐ) in Chinese literally means 'firewood and water' and was a historical form of payment given to soldiers in the form of necessities, which evolved into today's meaning of salary. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 薪水 | ||
| The term 薪水 (xīn shuǐ) means 'salary' in Mandarin, literally translating as 'firewood and water', as in ancient China, before salaries were paid in currency, officials were compensated with firewood and water. | |||
| Japanese | 給料 | ||
| 給料 derives from the word 糧給 (rations/payment), which in turn comes from the word 給う (to feed/to supply). | |||
| Korean | 봉급 | ||
| The word "봉급" originated from the Chinese phrase "俸給", which referred to the payment received by government officials for their services. | |||
| Mongolian | цалин | ||
| The Mongolian word "цалин" derives from the verb "цалх," meaning to separate or divide. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လစာ | ||
| The word "လစာ" (salary) in Myanmar is derived from the Pali word "lābha" (profit, gain). | |||
Salary in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gaji | ||
| Gaji originates from the Sanskrit word 'gaj' meaning 'elephant', likely due to elephants being valuable possessions formerly used for labor and in exchange for goods and services | |||
| Javanese | gaji | ||
| The word "gaji" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "gaji", which means "wages, salary, or payment". It also has a secondary meaning of "respect" or "esteem". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាក់ខែ | ||
| In Khmer, the word “ប្រាក់ខែ” also means “monthly payment”, such as for rent or debt. | |||
| Lao | ເງິນເດືອນ | ||
| Malay | gaji | ||
| "Gaji" comes from the Javanese word "gaji", which means "wages" or "pay". | |||
| Thai | เงินเดือน | ||
| 'เงินเดือน' literally translates to 'moon money', as in the past in Thailand it was customary to receive payment on the full moon. | |||
| Vietnamese | tiền lương | ||
| "Tiền lương" (salary) derives from the Chinese term "俸祿" or "俸禄" and originally signified the rice or millet given to low-level state employees during imperial times. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | suweldo | ||
Salary in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maaş | ||
| The word "maaş" is derived from the Persian word "maah" meaning "moon" and refers to the monthly payment of salaries. | |||
| Kazakh | жалақы | ||
| "Жақы" in Kazakh means "side" or "place", suggesting that the salary was given as a fixed portion of the employer's property. | |||
| Kyrgyz | эмгек акы | ||
| "Эмгек акы" literally means "payment to somebody who makes effort", "labor compensation". | |||
| Tajik | маош | ||
| The word "маош" ("salary") in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "مواجب" ("pay"), which itself is derived from the Arabic word "وجب" ("to be due"). | |||
| Turkmen | aýlyk | ||
| Uzbek | ish haqi | ||
| "Ish haqi" is a compound word that literally translates to "labor fee". | |||
| Uyghur | ئىش ھەققى | ||
Salary in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | uku | ||
| The word "uku" can also refer to a type of fish commonly known as "giant trevally" or "ulua" in English. | |||
| Maori | utu | ||
| The word "utu" in Maori has multiple meanings, including "payment for a grievance" and "a reciprocal gift or payment". | |||
| Samoan | totogi | ||
| The word "totogi" is derived from the verb "toto", meaning "to pay". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | suweldo | ||
| The Tagalog word 'suweldo' is derived from the Spanish word 'sueldo,' which also means 'salary' and can also refer to a soldier's pay. | |||
Salary in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | payllawi | ||
| Guarani | tembiaporepy | ||
Salary in International Languages
| Esperanto | salajro | ||
| "Salajro" likely came from the Slavic languages like Polish "solarz" or Russian "solari", which is ultimately derived from the Latin "solidus" meaning "coin". | |||
| Latin | salarium | ||
| "Salarium" in Latin refers to a monetary payment given to Roman soldiers to purchase salt, which was an essential commodity and a valuable preservative. | |||
Salary in Others Languages
| Greek | μισθός | ||
| "Μισθός" originates from the ancient Greek verb "μίσθω", meaning "to hire" or "to pay for services rendered." | |||
| Hmong | cov nyiaj hli | ||
| Cov nyiaj hli may also refer to income or other payments to employees in exchange for services. | |||
| Kurdish | meaş | ||
| The word "meaş" is ultimately derived from the Arabic word "ma'ash", which also means "salary" or "allowance". | |||
| Turkish | maaş | ||
| "Maaş" is derived from "ma'ash," an Arabic word meaning "pension," and is not related to "meas," the Turkish word for "oak." | |||
| Xhosa | umvuzo | ||
| Xhosa term of Zulu origin which can also refer to the payment made to bridegrooms family. | |||
| Yiddish | געצאָלט | ||
| The Yiddish word "געצאָלט" (salary) is derived from the German word "zahlen" (to pay), and also refers to a predetermined amount paid for a particular task or service. | |||
| Zulu | umholo | ||
| "Umholo" literally means "a bag or container" in Zulu, and refers to the customary practice of paying salaries in cash that was carried in a bag. | |||
| Assamese | দৰমহা | ||
| Aymara | payllawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | वेतन | ||
| Dhivehi | މުސާރަ | ||
| Dogri | तनखाह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | suweldo | ||
| Guarani | tembiaporepy | ||
| Ilocano | sueldo | ||
| Krio | pe | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مووچە | ||
| Maithili | वेतन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯂꯣꯞ | ||
| Mizo | hlawh | ||
| Oromo | mindaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦରମା | ||
| Quechua | salario | ||
| Sanskrit | वेतनं | ||
| Tatar | хезмәт хакы | ||
| Tigrinya | ደሞዝ | ||
| Tsonga | muholo | ||