Shopping in Different Languages
Discover 'Shopping' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Shopping is an integral part of our daily lives and cultures, a universal activity that transcends borders and languages. It is not only a means of acquiring goods but also a social experience, a way to connect with others, and a reflection of our personal tastes and values. From the bustling markets of Marrakech to the sleek malls of Tokyo, the act of shopping varies greatly around the world, yet its significance remains constant.
Did you know that the ancient Romans were some of the first shoppers in history? They would visit local markets, known as forums, to buy food, clothing, and other essentials. Or that in many African cultures, bargaining is not only expected but also seen as a sign of respect and friendship?
Understanding the translation of 'shopping' in different languages can enrich your cultural experiences, whether you're traveling abroad or simply curious about the world around you. Here are a few examples:
- French: achats
- Spanish: compras
- German: Einkaufen
- Mandarin: 购物 (gòuwù)
- Japanese: ショッピング (shoppingu)
Shopping
Shopping in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | inkopies | ||
| The Afrikaans word "inkopies" originates from the Dutch word "inkopen", meaning "to buy". | |||
| Amharic | ግብይት | ||
| The word "ግብይት" in Amharic also means "taxation or revenue". | |||
| Hausa | cin kasuwa | ||
| The term "cin kasuwa" can also be used metaphorically to describe any type of financial transaction. | |||
| Igbo | ịzụ ahịa | ||
| Malagasy | fiantsenana | ||
| The Malagasy word “fiantsenana” is a loan word from French “faire la sieste”, meaning “to take a siesta”. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kugula | ||
| Kugula also means "to hunt" in Chichewa. | |||
| Shona | kunotenga | ||
| The word 'kunotenga' in Shona is derived from the verb 'kutenga', which means 'to take' or 'to acquire'. | |||
| Somali | dukaamaysiga | ||
| Sesotho | mabenkeleng | ||
| The word 'mabenkeleng' in Sesotho shares its root with 'bengkela', meaning 'to fix' or 'to repair', suggesting a connection between shopping and the idea of acquiring or acquiring something functional. | |||
| Swahili | ununuzi | ||
| The word 'ununuzi' is derived from the Swahili verb 'kununua', which means 'to purchase' or 'to buy'. | |||
| Xhosa | ivenkile | ||
| The word 'ivenkile' also means 'a trading store' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ohun tio wa fun | ||
| The Yoruba word "ohun tio wa fun" literally means "things we carry on our heads". | |||
| Zulu | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' in Zulu can also mean 'to seek out' or 'to look for'. | |||
| Bambara | sanni | ||
| Ewe | nuƒeƒle | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guhaha | ||
| Lingala | kosomba | ||
| Luganda | okugula | ||
| Sepedi | go reka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dwadie | ||
Shopping in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | التسوق | ||
| The word "التسوق" (at-tasawwuq) in Arabic is derived from the verb "سوق" (sawwaqa), meaning "to drive" or "to lead animals to the market". | |||
| Hebrew | קניות | ||
| The word "קניות" is the plural form of the Hebrew word "קנייה" (purchase), which is derived from the verb "קנה" (to buy). | |||
| Pashto | خریداری کول | ||
| The word "خریداری کول" can also refer to the act of buying or obtaining something. | |||
| Arabic | التسوق | ||
| The word "التسوق" (at-tasawwuq) in Arabic is derived from the verb "سوق" (sawwaqa), meaning "to drive" or "to lead animals to the market". | |||
Shopping in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pazar | ||
| "Pazar" also means "market" or "bazaar" in Turkish and many other languages. | |||
| Basque | erosketak | ||
| The Basque word "erosketak" also means "things bought" or "purchases". | |||
| Catalan | compres | ||
| The Catalan word "compres" is derived from the Latin word "comperare", meaning "to buy" or "to purchase". | |||
| Croatian | kupovina | ||
| The word "kupovina" in Croatian originally meant "buying", but over time it has come to be used more broadly to refer to the act of shopping in general. | |||
| Danish | handle ind | ||
| 'Handle ind' literally means 'go in (for the purpose of shopping).' | |||
| Dutch | boodschappen doen | ||
| The word "boodschappen doen" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "bootschappen," meaning "messages" | |||
| English | shopping | ||
| Shop derives from an Old English word meaning "stall" or "shed". | |||
| French | achats | ||
| Achat also refers to a purchase made from a shop, but this sense is not the main one. | |||
| Frisian | winkelje | ||
| It is also a term for a type of small-scale grocery shop, similar to a convenience store. | |||
| Galician | mercar | ||
| Galician "mercar" is derived from Latin "mercatus", meaning "trade". | |||
| German | einkaufen | ||
| 'Einkaufen' is related to 'Ein Kauf,' meaning one purchase, as in, 'einen Apfel kaufen', which shows the transaction of buying a single thing. | |||
| Icelandic | versla | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "versla" derives from the Old Norse verb "versla", meaning "to throw down"} | |||
| Irish | siopadóireacht | ||
| Italian | shopping | ||
| The Italian word "shopping" derives from the English word "shop" and originally meant "the act of visiting shops" or "the goods bought in a shop". | |||
| Luxembourgish | akafen | ||
| The word 'akafen' is derived from the Proto-Germanic root *kaupaz, which also gives us the English word 'cheap'. | |||
| Maltese | ix-xiri | ||
| The Maltese word "ix-xiri" originates from the Arabic word "shara", meaning "to buy". | |||
| Norwegian | shopping | ||
| In Norwegian the word "shopping" also means "window shopping" or "browsing". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | compras | ||
| The Portuguese word "compras" originally meant "buying provisions" and is related to the word "comprei" (I bought). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceannach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "ceannach" can also mean a "bargain" or a "purchase". | |||
| Spanish | compras | ||
| The word "compras" comes from the Latin word "comparare", meaning "to compare" or "to buy". | |||
| Swedish | handla | ||
| The word 'handla' also means 'to act' or 'to behave' in Swedish, indicating that shopping can be seen as a type of behavior or action. | |||
| Welsh | siopa | ||
| The word "siopa" is derived from the Latin word "sub | |||
Shopping in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пакупкі | ||
| In the past, the word “пакупкі” (“shopping”) was also used in the sense of “buying something specifically for the holidays or a celebration”. | |||
| Bosnian | kupovina | ||
| In some dialects "kupovina" originally referred to what was bought and later became synonymous with the act of buying. | |||
| Bulgarian | пазаруване | ||
| The Bulgarian word "пазаруване" also means "haggling" or "bargaining", possibly derived from Persian "bazar" or Turkish "pazar" meaning "marketplace". | |||
| Czech | nakupování | ||
| Etymology: "kupovat" (to buy) + "na" (on or at). It can also refer to a purchase process, especially groceries. | |||
| Estonian | sisseoste tegema | ||
| The Estonian word "sisseoste tegema" literally means "to buy goods" or "to make purchases". | |||
| Finnish | ostoksia | ||
| In Finland, "ostoksia" can also refer to an "errand" or "procurement" that doesn't have to be a purchase. | |||
| Hungarian | bevásárlás | ||
| The word "bevásárlás" is derived from the Hungarian words "be", which means "into" or "in" and the word "vásár", which means "market". | |||
| Latvian | iepirkšanās | ||
| The word āpirkt in iepirkšanās is likely related to the word pirkt derived from Proto-Baltic ćperk- and Proto-Indo-European ͡perk-͡ and appears in a similar form in all modern Baltic languages | |||
| Lithuanian | apsipirkimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "apsipirkimas" is rooted in the Proto-Indo-European word "*perkw-", which means "to strike" or "to pierce". | |||
| Macedonian | шопинг | ||
| The word "шопинг" comes from the English word "shop" and was adopted into the Macedonian language to refer to the activity of buying goods. | |||
| Polish | zakupy | ||
| The word "zakupy" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kupiti", which means "to buy". | |||
| Romanian | cumpărături | ||
| The Romanian word "cumpărături" derives from the verb "a cumpăra" (to buy) and shares its etymology with the word "cumpărare" (purchase). | |||
| Russian | поход по магазинам | ||
| The Russian phrase "поход по магазинам" literally translates to "campaign to shops", with "поход" referring to military campaigns. | |||
| Serbian | шопинг | ||
| "Шоппинг" is borrowed into the Serbian language from English. While its dominant usage denotes "the process of buying things", its alternative meaning is "a place for shopping". | |||
| Slovak | nakupovanie | ||
| The word "nakupovanie" comes from the verb "nakupovať," which means "to trade" or "to buy goods." | |||
| Slovenian | nakupovanje | ||
| The word 'nakupovanje' is derived from the Slavic root 'kupiti', meaning 'to buy', and is related to the Russian word 'покупать'. | |||
| Ukrainian | покупки | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'покупки' is derived from the verb 'купувати', meaning 'to buy', and can also refer to purchases or acquisitions in general. | |||
Shopping in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কেনাকাটা | ||
| 'Kenakata' derives from 'kraya' (Skt.) and 'krit' (Pali) meaning 'to buy' and 'to do' respectively. | |||
| Gujarati | ખરીદી | ||
| The Gujarati word ''ખરીદી'' derives from the Old Gujarati verb ''खरिदी'', meaning ''to buy''. Alternatively, its other form ''ख़रीदी'' is also used in Hindi. | |||
| Hindi | खरीदारी | ||
| The word "खरीदारी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "క్రయోపసంగ్రహణ" (krayopasangrahaṇa), which means "the act of acquiring or purchasing something". | |||
| Kannada | ಶಾಪಿಂಗ್ | ||
| The word 'ಶಾಪಿಂಗ್' is derived from the Old English word 'sceoppan', meaning 'to shape or form', and originally referred to the process of creating or repairing objects. | |||
| Malayalam | ഷോപ്പിംഗ് | ||
| The word "ഷോപ്പിംഗ്" is derived from the 16th century German word "schopf" meaning "storehouse". | |||
| Marathi | खरेदी | ||
| The word 'खरेदी' (shopping) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'खरीद' (purchase), which also means 'to acquire' or 'to obtain'. | |||
| Nepali | किनमेल | ||
| The word "किनमेल" derives from the Sanskrit words "क्रय" (to buy) and "मेल" (to gather or collect). | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਰੀਦਦਾਰੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාප්පු යාම | ||
| "සාප්පු යාම" has roots in Sanskrit and Pali and refers to a visit to a marketplace or store to acquire goods or services. | |||
| Tamil | கடையில் பொருட்கள் வாங்குதல் | ||
| The word "shopping" comes from the Old English word "sceoppian", which means "to shape" or "to form." | |||
| Telugu | షాపింగ్ | ||
| The Telugu word "షాపింగ్" is derived from the Persian word "شاپينگ", which in turn comes from the Arabic word "شاپ", meaning "to buy". | |||
| Urdu | خریداری | ||
| The word "خریداری" in Urdu can also refer to the process of acquiring or obtaining something, or to the act of making a purchase. | |||
Shopping in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 购物 | ||
| "购物", formed by the Chinese characters "买" (mǎi) and "物" (wù), literally means "to buy things". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 購物 | ||
| 購物 is a popular term in Taiwan but in mainland China the more common word is 購買. | |||
| Japanese | ショッピング | ||
| The word 'ショッピング' (shopping) is a loanword from English, but it can also refer to 'stealing'. | |||
| Korean | 쇼핑 | ||
| The term '쇼핑' (shopping) in Korean is thought to have originated from the Chinese word '傷本' (shāngběn), which means 'to lose capital'. | |||
| Mongolian | дэлгүүр хэсэх | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စျေးဝယ် | ||
Shopping in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perbelanjaan | ||
| **Perbelanjaan** (Indonesian) is derived from the Sanskrit word **pra-bhandana**, which means 'store' or 'warehouse'. | |||
| Javanese | blanja | ||
| "Blanja" also means "spending" and originally referred to shopping for food only. | |||
| Khmer | ការដើរទិញឥវ៉ាន់ | ||
| Lao | ການຄ້າ | ||
| Malay | membeli-belah | ||
| "Membeli-belah" can also refer to a marketplace or a shopping district. | |||
| Thai | ช้อปปิ้ง | ||
| The word ช้อปปิ้ง (shopping) is derived from the Thai word ชอป (shop) which means 'warehouse' or 'emporium'. | |||
| Vietnamese | mua sắm | ||
| The word "mua sắm" can also refer to the act of buying and selling goods, or to a place where goods are bought and sold. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pamimili | ||
Shopping in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | alış-veriş | ||
| The term "alış-veriş" is used colloquially in Azerbaijani not just for the action of purchasing goods or services but also refers to the social aspect of it. | |||
| Kazakh | сауда | ||
| The Kazakh word "сауда" also has the alternate meanings of "trade", "sale", and "commerce". | |||
| Kyrgyz | соода | ||
| The word "соода" may also refer to a bargain or a discount. | |||
| Tajik | харид | ||
| In Tajik, the word харид has an alternate meaning of 'purchase'. | |||
| Turkmen | söwda | ||
| Uzbek | xarid qilish | ||
| The word "xarid qilish" in Uzbek originally meant "to take something" or "to obtain something" and has evolved to mean "to buy" or "to shop". | |||
| Uyghur | مال سېتىۋېلىش | ||
Shopping in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻai hele | ||
| Despite being pronounced the same, the words “kūʻai and “hele” have different meanings when combined to make “kūʻai hele.” | |||
| Maori | hokohoko | ||
| The word "hokohoko" in Maori also means "to trade" or "to barter". | |||
| Samoan | faʻatauga | ||
| Faʻatauga can also mean 'to trade', 'to exchange', or 'to barter'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | namimili | ||
| The Tagalog word 'namimili' may also refer to the act of selecting or collecting items. | |||
Shopping in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alaña | ||
| Guarani | jogua | ||
Shopping in International Languages
| Esperanto | butikumado | ||
| Latin | shopping | ||
| The word "shopping" comes from the Old English word "sceppan", meaning "to shape" or "to cut", and is related to the Dutch word "schoppen", meaning "to kick". | |||
Shopping in Others Languages
| Greek | ψώνια | ||
| The word 'ψώνια' derives from the verb 'ψωνίζω', which originally meant 'to feed', hence its modern sense of 'shopping'. | |||
| Hmong | kav khw | ||
| The term 'kav khw' means not only 'shopping' but also 'buying something for the first time or buying something for the first time in a certain place'. | |||
| Kurdish | kirînê | ||
| In Sorani, the word "kirînê" can also refer to a place where goods are bought and sold. | |||
| Turkish | alışveriş yapmak | ||
| The word "alışveriş yapmak" is derived from the Persian words "alış" (buying) and "veriş" (selling). | |||
| Xhosa | ivenkile | ||
| The word 'ivenkile' also means 'a trading store' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | שאַפּינג | ||
| The Yiddish word "שאַפּינג" can also refer to the act of walking around and browsing in stores, even if no purchases are made. | |||
| Zulu | ukuthenga | ||
| The word 'ukuthenga' in Zulu can also mean 'to seek out' or 'to look for'. | |||
| Assamese | বজাৰ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | alaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खरीदारी | ||
| Dhivehi | ވިޔަފާރިކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | खरीददारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pamimili | ||
| Guarani | jogua | ||
| Ilocano | panaggatang | ||
| Krio | de bay bay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بازاڕکردن | ||
| Maithili | खरीदारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯠ ꯂꯩꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thil lei | ||
| Oromo | bittaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସପିଂ | ||
| Quechua | rantiy | ||
| Sanskrit | विपणि | ||
| Tatar | кибет | ||
| Tigrinya | ምዕዳግ | ||
| Tsonga | ku xava | ||