Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'spending' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it relates to the allocation of resources and managing finances. Understanding the cultural importance of spending can provide insights into various societies and their values. For instance, in some cultures, spending is seen as a sign of prosperity, while in others, it's viewed as wasteful.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'spending' in different languages can be beneficial for travelers, businesspeople, and language enthusiasts alike. It can facilitate communication, foster cultural understanding, and even help establish connections with people from diverse backgrounds.
For example, in Spanish, 'spending' translates to 'gastar', while in French, it's 'dépenses'. In German, the word is 'Ausgaben', and in Japanese, it's '支出 (shiharai)'.
Discovering the nuances of this word in various languages can be an exciting journey, opening up a world of opportunities for cross-cultural exploration. Keep reading to uncover more translations of 'spending' and deepen your understanding of this universal concept.
Afrikaans | besteding | ||
The word "besteding" in Afrikaans can also refer to a specific item of expenditure. | |||
Amharic | ወጪ ማውጣት | ||
The word 'ወጪ ማውጣት' in Amharic can also refer to the act of budgeting or financial planning. | |||
Hausa | ciyarwa | ||
In Hausa, 'ciyarwa' also refers to the consumption of food, especially at a celebratory gathering. | |||
Igbo | emefu | ||
The term is also used figuratively to represent other actions, such as sacrificing for a good cause | |||
Malagasy | fandaniana | ||
The Malagasy word "fandaniana" is related to the Malay word "belanja", which also means "spending". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwononga | ||
Kuwononga also means 'to make something disappear' | |||
Shona | kushandisa | ||
The word "kushandisa" originates from "kusha" meaning "to spread out" suggesting that spending is the act of distributing resources | |||
Somali | kharash garaynta | ||
The Somali word 'kharash garaynta' has an alternate meaning of 'wasting' or 'squandering'. | |||
Sesotho | ho sebedisa | ||
Sesotho word 'ho sebedisa' refers to the spending of resources, but also to the act of consuming a resource | |||
Swahili | matumizi | ||
"Matumizi," meaning "spending," also refers to the usage of language or the utilization of resources in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | inkcitho | ||
The word 'inkcitho' can also refer to an amount of money that was used in a particular way. | |||
Yoruba | inawo | ||
"Inawo" can also mean "the act of giving" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | imali | ||
The word 'imali' in Zulu also means 'wealth' or 'property'. | |||
Bambara | musaka kɛcogo | ||
Ewe | gazazã | ||
Kinyarwanda | gukoresha | ||
Lingala | kobimisa mbongo | ||
Luganda | okusaasaanya ssente | ||
Sepedi | tšhomišo ya tšhelete | ||
Twi (Akan) | sika a wɔsɛe no | ||
Arabic | الإنفاق | ||
In Classical Arabic, "الإنفاق" also conveyed the connotation of "exhaustion" (e.g., of resources). | |||
Hebrew | הוצאות | ||
"הוצאות" can also refer to expenses, charges, or costs. | |||
Pashto | مصرف کول | ||
The word "مصرف کول" can also refer to the act of consuming or using up something. | |||
Arabic | الإنفاق | ||
In Classical Arabic, "الإنفاق" also conveyed the connotation of "exhaustion" (e.g., of resources). |
Albanian | shpenzimet | ||
The word "shpenzimet" comes from the Latin word "expendere", meaning "to spend, pay out, or lay out". | |||
Basque | gastua | ||
Derived from Proto-Basque *gast-, meaning "to lose". | |||
Catalan | despesa | ||
La palabra «despesa» proviene del latín «dispĕnsa» que significaba «distribución». | |||
Croatian | trošenje | ||
The word "trošenje" originally meant "waste" or "squandering" in Croatian, but its meaning has since evolved to encompass "spending" more broadly. | |||
Danish | udgifter | ||
"Udgifter" is the Danish word stemming from the Old Norse word "útgift" signifying "that which flows out", such as water from a spring - metaphorically relating to money "flowing out" as spent. | |||
Dutch | uitgaven | ||
In addition to its meaning as 'spending', 'uitgaven' can also refer to 'publications'. | |||
English | spending | ||
'Spend' comes from the Old English word 'spendan' meaning to give, distribute, or give up. | |||
French | dépenses | ||
In the 14th century, "dépense" designated the storeroom for food and supplies of a noble residence. | |||
Frisian | útjaan | ||
"Útjaan" in Frisian also refers to the act of emptying out, or emptying something out. | |||
Galician | gasto | ||
"Gasto" also refers to the waste produced by the human body. | |||
German | ausgaben | ||
The German word "Ausgaben" also refers to editions of books or magazines | |||
Icelandic | eyða | ||
"Eyða" in Icelandic also means "to destroy" or "to waste". | |||
Irish | caiteachas | ||
The Irish word 'caiteachas' is also a term used for 'consumption' and 'wastefulness', reflecting the negative connotations spending can have. | |||
Italian | spesa | ||
"Sp" in Italian, comes from the Latin root *spectare*, which refers to observing something intently and can also have the meaning of looking out for something. | |||
Luxembourgish | ausgaben | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Ausgaben" originally derives from the German "Ausgaben" and, in addition to "spending", can also mean "edition" or "output." | |||
Maltese | infiq | ||
The word "infiq" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "infāq" meaning "expenditure" or "disbursement." | |||
Norwegian | utgifter | ||
The term "utgifter" in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word "útganga", meaning "a going out or expenditure | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | gastando | ||
In Portuguese, the word "gastando" can also mean "wasting" or "losing" something. | |||
Scots Gaelic | caitheamh | ||
"Caitheamh" has been used in Scots Gaelic since the 12th century to refer to consumption, expenditure, and other aspects of spending. | |||
Spanish | gasto | ||
The word «gasto» comes from the Latin word «vastare», which means «to lay waste». | |||
Swedish | utgifter | ||
In Swedish, "utgifter" can also refer to "expenses" or "costs" in addition to "spending." | |||
Welsh | gwariant | ||
The word 'gwariant' also refers to a ritual involving the pouring of water on the dead. |
Belarusian | выдаткі | ||
The word "выдаткі" is also used in Belarusian to refer to the costs associated with a particular undertaking, as well as to monetary payments that are expected to be received in the future. | |||
Bosnian | trošenje | ||
"Trošenje" is also a term for the Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve meal and its leftovers. | |||
Bulgarian | харчене | ||
"Харчене" is derived from the Old Bulgarian word "харчī", meaning "food", "provisions", or "expenses". | |||
Czech | utrácení | ||
In Czech, the word "utrácení" also means euthanasia. | |||
Estonian | kulutusi | ||
The word "kulutusi" can also refer to "expenses" or "consumption" in Estonian. | |||
Finnish | menoja | ||
The word "menoja" originally meant "departure" or "travel expenses" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | költekezés | ||
"Költekezés" is also used in Hungarian to describe the act of buying or spending money on something. | |||
Latvian | izdevumiem | ||
The Latvian word "izdevumiem" also means "expenses" and comes from the verb "izdot", meaning "to give out" or "to spend." | |||
Lithuanian | išlaidų | ||
The word "išlaidų" is derived from the verb "išleisti," which means "to spend," and the suffix "-ų," which indicates a noun of action or result. | |||
Macedonian | трошење | ||
As well as its primary meaning of "spending", трошење (trošenje) can sometimes also carry the additional nuance of "wasting money", potentially stemming from the connotations of its original root verb трошити (trošiti) or its cognate nouns расход (rashhod) and растројство (rastrojstvo) that emphasize notions of "expenditure" and "dissipation" respectively. | |||
Polish | wydatki | ||
The word "wydatki" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "vy-dati", meaning "to give out". | |||
Romanian | cheltuire | ||
The word cheltuire in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "calcata" (trampling) and has also been used figuratively to refer to destruction or ruin. | |||
Russian | траты | ||
The Russian word "траты" (spending) derives from the verb "тратить" (to spend), which in turn originated from the Proto-Slavic root "*tertъ", meaning "to rub", "to wipe", or "to consume". | |||
Serbian | трошење | ||
The word 'трошење' can also refer to the process of grinding or crushing something, such as grain. | |||
Slovak | výdavky | ||
The word "výdavky" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic verb "vydati" (to give), which also gave rise to the words "výdaj" (expense) and "výdej" (output). | |||
Slovenian | porabe | ||
In Slovenian, 'porabe' not only refers to spending money, but also to using resources, such as time or energy. | |||
Ukrainian | витрат | ||
The word "витрат" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vitrъ", which also means "expenditure" and "expense". |
Bengali | ব্যয় | ||
"ব্যয়" (spending) is a Sanskrit loanword, and its cognates in Hindi and Nepali also mean "expenditure." | |||
Gujarati | ખર્ચ | ||
The term "ખર્ચ" derives from the root "ખર," which signifies "worth" or "cost". | |||
Hindi | खर्च | ||
"खर्च" can also mean "expense" or "expenditure" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಖರ್ಚು | ||
The word "ಖರ್ಚು" can also mean "expense" or "expenditure" in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | ചെലവ് | ||
The Malayalam word "ചെലവ്" not only refers to "spending" but also carries meanings such as "consumption" and "depletion". | |||
Marathi | खर्च करणे | ||
The verb "खर्च करणे" in Marathi is also used to describe the act of expending, exhausting, or using up something (e.g. money, time, resources). | |||
Nepali | खर्च | ||
In Nepali, "खर्च" (kharch) has additional meanings including "expenditure", "loss" and even "waste". | |||
Punjabi | ਖਰਚ | ||
The word "ਖਰਚ" is also used figuratively to mean "waste" or "loss" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වියදම් | ||
"expenditure" in Sinhala has an alternate meaning: "cost of production" | |||
Tamil | செலவு | ||
The word "செலவு" (spending) in Tamil also means "cost", "expense", and "outlay". | |||
Telugu | ఖర్చు | ||
The word "ఖర్చు" (spending) is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣara" (loss), and can also refer to destruction or waste. | |||
Urdu | خرچ کرنا | ||
The Urdu word "خرچ کرنا" is derived from the Persian word "خرج کردن" with the same meaning, but also carries a connotation of extravagant expenditure. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 开支 | ||
In addition to its common meaning of "spending", "开支" also refers to "deductions" in accounting jargon and "a branch shop" in Cantonese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 開支 | ||
開支 also refers to the cost of operating a business or government, and is often written with the characters 費用. | |||
Japanese | 支出 | ||
"支出" (expenditure) is composed of the characters "支" (branch, support) and "出" (to go out, to expend). | |||
Korean | 지출 | ||
The word "지출" derives from the Chinese word "支出", which literally means "outflow of money". | |||
Mongolian | зарцуулалт | ||
The word "зарцуулалт" is also used to refer to the act of making a purchase. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အသုံးစရိတ် | ||
Indonesian | pengeluaran | ||
"Pengeluaran" can also refer to the process of discharging someone from employment. | |||
Javanese | mbuwang | ||
The Javanese word "mbuwang" also means "to throw away" or "to discard". | |||
Khmer | ការចំណាយ | ||
The word ការចំណាយ, originally referring to expenditure on a large scale, can now apply to the expenses of one person such as daily food shopping. | |||
Lao | ການໃຊ້ຈ່າຍ | ||
Malay | perbelanjaan | ||
The Malay word "perbelanjaan" can also refer to a commercial building or shopping center. | |||
Thai | การใช้จ่าย | ||
การใช้จ่าย derives from the word การใช้ ('using') and has additional meanings including 'consumption' and 'expenditure'. | |||
Vietnamese | chi tiêu | ||
"Chi tiêu" also means "expenses", "expenditures" or "charges". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paggastos | ||
Azerbaijani | xərcləmə | ||
The word "xərcləmə" in Azerbaijani also refers to "expenditure" and "expense". | |||
Kazakh | шығындар | ||
In accounting, "шығындар" can refer to both expenditure and expenses, whereas in economics, it mainly signifies expenses. | |||
Kyrgyz | сарптоо | ||
The word "сарптоо" can also refer to the process of selling or exchanging goods. | |||
Tajik | хароҷот | ||
The word "хароҷот" originally meant "expenditure on war" and is also a slang term meaning "money". | |||
Turkmen | harçlamak | ||
Uzbek | sarflash | ||
The word "sarflash" can also mean "expenditure", "expense", or "outlay". | |||
Uyghur | چىقىم | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻolilo kālā | ||
Maori | whakapau moni | ||
Whakapau moni is a compound word made up of ‘whaka’ (to make) and ‘moni’ (money). | |||
Samoan | tupe faʻaalu | ||
The Samoan word "tupe fa'aalu" is synonymous with the phrase "tupe alu e le fa'aalo" which literally translates to "money that runs away quickly". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | paggastos | ||
"Paggastos" is also a colloquial term for someone who spends money without thinking. |
Aymara | gasto luraña | ||
Guarani | gasto rehegua | ||
Esperanto | elspezado | ||
Elspezado was originally intended to mean "to spend", but the Esperanto community settled on "elspezi" for spending and "elspezado" for the act of spending. | |||
Latin | impendio | ||
In Medieval Latin, "impendio" also meant "expense" or "cost." |
Greek | δαπάνες | ||
Δαπάνες shares an etymological root with "δαπανώ," which means "to waste" or "to squander," suggesting a negative connotation towards spending. | |||
Hmong | kev siv nyiaj | ||
The Hmong term "kev siv nyiaj" can also refer to the action of giving to a cause or making a charitable donation. | |||
Kurdish | xerckirin | ||
The Kurdish word "xerckirin" can also mean "expenses" or "expenditure". | |||
Turkish | harcama | ||
The word "harcama" in Turkish also means "consumption" or "expense". | |||
Xhosa | inkcitho | ||
The word 'inkcitho' can also refer to an amount of money that was used in a particular way. | |||
Yiddish | ספּענדינג | ||
The Yiddish word ספּענדינג comes from the German word "spenden", which means "to donate" or "to give alms". | |||
Zulu | imali | ||
The word 'imali' in Zulu also means 'wealth' or 'property'. | |||
Assamese | খৰচ কৰা | ||
Aymara | gasto luraña | ||
Bhojpuri | खर्चा कइल जाला | ||
Dhivehi | ޚަރަދު ކުރުމެވެ | ||
Dogri | खर्चा करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paggastos | ||
Guarani | gasto rehegua | ||
Ilocano | panaggasto | ||
Krio | fɔ spɛnd mɔni | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | خەرجکردن | ||
Maithili | खर्च करब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯗꯤꯡ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | sum hman dan | ||
Oromo | baasii baasuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଖର୍ଚ୍ଚ | ||
Quechua | gasto ruway | ||
Sanskrit | व्ययम् | ||
Tatar | чыгымнары | ||
Tigrinya | ወጻኢታት ምግባር | ||
Tsonga | ku tirhisa mali | ||