Sell in Different Languages
Discover 'Sell' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sell' holds a significant place in our daily lives, as it represents the exchange of goods and services, a crucial aspect of any economy. This simple yet powerful term has been woven into various cultural contexts, including literature, music, and art. For instance, in English, we often use the phrase 'sell like hotcakes' to describe popular items, while in France, 'vendre comme des petits pains' carries a similar meaning.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'sell' in different languages can be a game-changer for international businesses and globe-trotting travelers. Imagine being able to negotiate prices in Spanish ('vender') or haggle like a local in Arabic ('بيع'). Not only does this broaden your communication skills, but it also showcases respect and cultural sensitivity.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'sell' in a variety of languages, from the familiar ('verkaufen' in German) to the exotic ('売る' in Japanese). Discover how this versatile word connects us all, and enhance your linguistic repertoire along the way!
Sell
Sell in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkoop | ||
| "Verkoop" is the Afrikaans word for "sell," derived from Middle Dutch "vercopen" (to sell). | |||
| Amharic | መሸጥ | ||
| The Amharic word "መሸጥ" can also mean to "lend for interest" or to "give away as a gift". | |||
| Hausa | sayar | ||
| The word "sayar" can also refer to a "salesman" or "seller" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ree | ||
| The Igbo word 'ree' can also refer to the process of transferring or exchanging something of value, not necessarily through a monetary transaction. | |||
| Malagasy | mivarotra | ||
| The word "mivarotra" in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*bawel" meaning "to trade". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gulitsa | ||
| Nyanja "gulitsa" may originate from "kulitsa," which means "to buy" or "to exchange" in Yao, or from "gūḍīsa" in Sukuma, signifying "a trade." It shares a semantic connection to the verb "kulya," denoting "to eat" in Nyanja, and the Bemba "ukula," referring to "consumption" or "usage." | |||
| Shona | tengesa | ||
| The word 'tengesa' is closely related to the Shona word 'tenga', meaning 'debt'. This suggests that trading in Shona society was once closely associated with the concept of debt. | |||
| Somali | iibin | ||
| Derived from Arabic 'bayyana', 'to make clear', 'to explain'. Also means 'to tell,' 'to inform,' and 'to announce'. | |||
| Sesotho | rekisa | ||
| The word "rekisa" is ultimately derived from the Bantu root "-kisa", meaning "to cut". This reflects the fact that in many African cultures, trade was often conducted through the exchange of goods, rather than through the use of money. | |||
| Swahili | kuuza | ||
| "Kuuza" derives from "kuuzaa" (to sell), which in turn arose from "uza" (sell). "Uza" might have come from the Proto-Bantu *gɔ̀za (to sell). | |||
| Xhosa | thengisa | ||
| The Xhosa word "thengisa" is also used figuratively to mean "to betray" or "to exploit". | |||
| Yoruba | ta | ||
| In Yoruba, "ta" also refers to the act of transferring or giving up something for another. | |||
| Zulu | thengisa | ||
| The word "thengisa" is derived from the Zulu word "thenga," meaning "to buy". | |||
| Bambara | ka feere | ||
| Ewe | dzra | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kugurisha | ||
| Lingala | koteka | ||
| Luganda | okutunda | ||
| Sepedi | rekiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tɔn | ||
Sell in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يبيع | ||
| The verb form of "يبيع" is often used to describe a transaction where the exchange of goods or services takes place for money. | |||
| Hebrew | מכירה | ||
| The word מכירה ('sell') is derived from the root כ-ר-ה meaning 'to declare' or 'to make known' and thus, in its original sense, meant 'to make an offer known'. | |||
| Pashto | وپلورئ | ||
| Although used almost exclusively to mean "to sell," the word "وپلورئ" can also mean to "spend" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | يبيع | ||
| The verb form of "يبيع" is often used to describe a transaction where the exchange of goods or services takes place for money. | |||
Sell in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shes | ||
| The word "shes" can also mean "to distribute" or "to give away". | |||
| Basque | saldu | ||
| In its archaic form, "saldu" also meant "give" instead of "sell." | |||
| Catalan | vendre | ||
| The Catalan word "vendre" originally meant "to give" but has since come to mean "to sell". | |||
| Croatian | prodavati | ||
| The Croatian word "prodavati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *prodati, meaning "to give away". | |||
| Danish | sælge | ||
| Sælge is derived from the Old Norse word "selja", which also means "to deliver" or "to give". | |||
| Dutch | verkopen | ||
| The Dutch verb 'verkopen' (sell) likely originated from a contraction of the phrase 'ver koop nemen,' which means 'to take over by purchase.' | |||
| English | sell | ||
| "Sell" derives from the Old English word "sellan," which means "to give." | |||
| French | vendre | ||
| Vendre is also the French verb for to avenge, deriving from the Latin vindere meaning to claim or reclaim. | |||
| Frisian | ferkeapje | ||
| Galician | vender | ||
| In Galician, "vender" can also refer to the act of "betraying" or "revealing a secret". | |||
| German | verkaufen | ||
| The word "verkaufen" is derived from the Middle High German word "verkǒufen," which means "to give up" or "to surrender." | |||
| Icelandic | selja | ||
| The word "selja" can also refer to a type of willow tree or even a fish pond. | |||
| Irish | dhíol | ||
| Italian | vendere | ||
| The word "vendere" is derived from the Latin word "venumdare," meaning "to give for sale" or "to expose for sale." | |||
| Luxembourgish | verkafen | ||
| The term 'Verkafen' shares a common root with 'verkaufen', the German word for 'to sell'. | |||
| Maltese | ibiegħu | ||
| The Maltese word "ibiegħu" ultimately derives from the Arabic "ba`a" (بيع) "to sell". | |||
| Norwegian | selge | ||
| 'Selge' also means 'to defeat' or 'to overcome' in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vender | ||
| Portuguese word "vender" has origin in Latin "vendere" with the same meaning, but also has the alternate meaning of "to avenge". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | reic | ||
| Its homograph "reiç," a noun, means "race," "course" or "running." | |||
| Spanish | vender | ||
| The word "vender" in Spanish can also refer to the action of bandaging or wrapping something up. | |||
| Swedish | sälja | ||
| The word "sälja" also means "seal" in Swedish, a marine mammal. | |||
| Welsh | gwerthu | ||
| The word "gwerthu" is derived from the Brythonic root "*gwert-", meaning "price" or "value". | |||
Sell in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прадаваць | ||
| The word “прадаваць” also means “to give out, distribute” in Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | prodati | ||
| The infinitive form of prodati (''prodati'' in Croatian or ''prodati'' in Serbian) is derived from the Latin ''prodo'', meaning ''to betray''. | |||
| Bulgarian | продавам | ||
| The Bulgarian word "продавам" also means to "auction" and to "betray". | |||
| Czech | prodat | ||
| In Proto-Slavic, "prodati" originally meant "to hand over, deliver, put before, propose something, suggest something" and also "to betray, sell" (in the last meaning it is preserved in the Czech verbs "prodit" and "prodat"). | |||
| Estonian | müüma | ||
| "Müüa" has a second meaning in Estonian, which is "to purr" for cats. | |||
| Finnish | myydä | ||
| Myydä's roots in the Proto-Uralic word "myy", meaning "give away", suggest its initial meaning may have been "give over". | |||
| Hungarian | elad | ||
| The verb 'elad' in Hungarian originates from the Proto-Uralic verb *Ela- meaning 'to give, to hand over'. | |||
| Latvian | pārdot | ||
| "Pārdot" derives from the word "pardot" in Old Prussian, meaning "to bring, to convey". | |||
| Lithuanian | parduoti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "parduoti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- "to give", which is also the origin of the Latin word "portare" "to carry" and the English word "ferry". | |||
| Macedonian | продаде | ||
| The word "продаде" comes from Proto-Slavic "prodati" and has cognates in most other Slavic languages | |||
| Polish | sprzedać | ||
| The word 'Sprzedać' in Polish can also mean 'to betray' or 'to give up'. | |||
| Romanian | vinde | ||
| The Romanian word "vinde" derives from a Slavic verb "vendere", meaning to hand over, and is related to "vindecare" (to heal). | |||
| Russian | продавать | ||
| The word "продавать" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "prodati", meaning "to pass" or "to transfer," and is related to words like "продажа" (sale), "продавец" (seller), and "продажный" (mercenary). | |||
| Serbian | продати | ||
| The verb 'продати' ('sell') in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic verb *prodati, which also meant 'betray'. | |||
| Slovak | predať | ||
| The Slovak word "predať" shares an etymology with "predajňa," meaning "shop," and can also refer to the legal transfer of property rights. | |||
| Slovenian | prodati | ||
| The word "prodati" in Slovenian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "prodati", which means "to betray". | |||
| Ukrainian | продати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "продати" is derived from a Proto-Slavic word meaning "to give or exchange goods or services." | |||
Sell in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিক্রয় | ||
| The term "বিক্রয়" derives from the Sanskrit word "vikrayah" meaning "distribution", emphasizing the act of giving rather than receiving. | |||
| Gujarati | વેચો | ||
| The Gujarati word "વેચો" can also mean "give away for free". | |||
| Hindi | बेचना | ||
| The word "बेचना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वि (vi)" meaning "apart" and "क्रय (kraya)" meaning "purchase", hence it literally means "to make apart from purchase". | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾರಾಟ | ||
| Malayalam | വിൽക്കുക | ||
| "Sell" in Malayalam comes from the Proto-Dravidian word "*vil-k-", which also means "to be obtained" or "to be acquired". | |||
| Marathi | विक्री | ||
| The Marathi word 'विक्री' derives from the Sanskrit verb 'vikraya', which also means 'separate' or 'divide'. | |||
| Nepali | बेच्नुहोस् | ||
| Bechnuhos, meaning “to sell,” comes from the Sanskrit word “vikray,” meaning “to give away,” and was borrowed into Nepali via Maithili. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੇਚੋ | ||
| The word "ਵੇਚੋ" can also mean "send" or "deliver" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විකුණන්න | ||
| The word "විකුණන්න" (sell) comes from the Sanskrit word "vikrayati", which means "to sell, offer for sale, or exchange for something else." | |||
| Tamil | விற்க | ||
| "விற்க" in Tamil can also mean "to be sold, to get sold". | |||
| Telugu | అమ్మకం | ||
| The word "అమ్మకం" can also refer to the act of selling or the price at which something is sold. | |||
| Urdu | فروخت | ||
| The word "فروخت" in Urdu originates from the Persian word "فروختن" meaning "to sell". | |||
Sell in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 卖 | ||
| The character 賣, which looks similar to 卖 when written by hand but has a slightly different form, specifically refers to "betraying" and is not used in the context of selling. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 賣 | ||
| In Cantonese, the word "賣" is also the first half of a common name that translates to "young lady." | |||
| Japanese | 売る | ||
| The word "売る" can also mean "betray" or "expose" someone. | |||
| Korean | 팔다 | ||
| The word '팔다' can also mean 'to spread' or 'to distribute' when used in the context of news or information. | |||
| Mongolian | зарах | ||
| The Mongolian word "зарах" also means "to trade" or "to exchange goods or services." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရောင်းသည် | ||
Sell in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menjual | ||
| The word "menjual" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root "*calay", meaning "to give" or "to exchange". | |||
| Javanese | adol | ||
| The word "adol" in Javanese can also mean to offer or to give. | |||
| Khmer | លក់ | ||
| "លក់" (sell) may also mean "to be put up for sale" or "to be marketed". | |||
| Lao | ຂາຍ | ||
| The word "ຂາຍ" can also mean "to pay" or "to give" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | menjual | ||
| In Javanese the word "menjual" also means "to pay". | |||
| Thai | ขาย | ||
| The Thai word "ขาย" (sell) also refers to the "shank" (of a blade) in the Thai martial art Krabi Krabong. | |||
| Vietnamese | bán | ||
| The word "bán" in Vietnamese can also refer to the act of distributing something or the fact of being available for purchase. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magbenta | ||
Sell in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | satmaq | ||
| In the ancient Oghuz language, the word | |||
| Kazakh | сату | ||
| The word "сату" in Kazakh can also mean "to sell out" or "to exchange". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сатуу | ||
| The word "сатуу" can also mean "for sale" or "on sale" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | фурӯхтан | ||
| The word "фурӯхтан" is derived from the Persian word "فروختن" and also means "to light", "to ignite", or "to burn". | |||
| Turkmen | sat | ||
| Uzbek | sotmoq | ||
| The word "sotmoq" also means "to trade" or "to exchange" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | سېتىش | ||
Sell in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻai aku | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kūʻai aku" originally meant "to give in exchange for payment". | |||
| Maori | hoko | ||
| The word "hoko" has different meanings and etymologies depending on the context in which it is used, and can also mean "to barter" or "to exchange". | |||
| Samoan | faatau atu | ||
| "Faatau atu" means both "sell" and "exchange" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ibenta | ||
Sell in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aljaña | ||
| Guarani | hepyme'ẽ | ||
Sell in International Languages
| Esperanto | vendi | ||
| The root "vendi" originated in Latin as it means "to offer or give something for sale". | |||
| Latin | 'vendunt | ||
| The word 'vendunt' also means 'to barter' or 'to exchange' in Latin. | |||
Sell in Others Languages
| Greek | πουλώ | ||
| Πουλώ is also commonly used in the sense of offering something for sale, not necessarily in exchange for money. | |||
| Hmong | muag | ||
| "Muag" in Hmong also means "to exchange" or "to trade". | |||
| Kurdish | firotin | ||
| The word "firotin" can also mean "to spend" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | satmak | ||
| Satmak (sell) comes from the Old Turkic word "sattıg" meaning "to trade". | |||
| Xhosa | thengisa | ||
| The Xhosa word "thengisa" is also used figuratively to mean "to betray" or "to exploit". | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרקויפן | ||
| "פֿאַרקויפן" (sell) comes from Middle High German "verkoufen," itself from Old High German "verchoufon" (literally, "give cattle for a price") | |||
| Zulu | thengisa | ||
| The word "thengisa" is derived from the Zulu word "thenga," meaning "to buy". | |||
| Assamese | বিক্ৰী কৰা | ||
| Aymara | aljaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेचल | ||
| Dhivehi | ވިއްކުން | ||
| Dogri | बेचना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magbenta | ||
| Guarani | hepyme'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | aglako | ||
| Krio | sɛl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فرۆشتن | ||
| Maithili | बेचनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯣꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hralh | ||
| Oromo | gurguruu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିକ୍ରୟ କର | | ||
| Quechua | rantikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | विक्रयिन् | ||
| Tatar | сату | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽጥ | ||
| Tsonga | xavisa | ||