Updated on March 6, 2024
The word valuable holds great significance in our daily lives, as it represents something that is of great worth or importance. This could be in the form of material possessions, relationships, experiences, or knowledge. The concept of valuing something is deeply ingrained in various cultures and societies, and has been a subject of interest throughout history.
For instance, in ancient Egypt, valuable objects such as gold and precious gems were often used as offerings to the gods, symbolizing the importance of these items in their society. Meanwhile, in modern-day Western culture, the value of hard work and determination is highly emphasized, with the idea that putting in the effort can lead to great rewards.
Understanding the translation of valuable in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures perceive and prioritize worth. Here are a few examples:
Afrikaans | waardevol | ||
Amharic | ዋጋ ያለው | ||
The word "ዋጋ ያለው" can also refer to something that is important or precious. | |||
Hausa | mai muhimmanci | ||
The Hausa word "mai muhimmanci" is derived from the Arabic word "muhim" meaning "important" or "essential." | |||
Igbo | bara uru | ||
The phrase "bara uru" can also mean "a big market, meeting, or gathering". | |||
Malagasy | manan-danja | ||
The Malagasy word "manan-danja" can also refer to a person or object that is considered sacred or worthy of respect. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ofunika | ||
The word "ofunika" is derived from the verb "funika" (to wrap), and it originally referred to something that was wrapped or bundled up and therefore valuable. | |||
Shona | inokosha | ||
Somali | qiimo leh | ||
"Qiimo leh" is a Somali expression derived from the Arabic word "qiymah," meaning "value" or "worth." | |||
Sesotho | bohlokoa | ||
The word "bohlokoa" is derived from the root "-hlōk-," meaning "to separate" or "to single out." | |||
Swahili | yenye thamani | ||
The Swahili word 'yenye thamani' derives from the Proto-Bantu root *-tamana-, meaning 'to be valuable or expensive'. | |||
Xhosa | exabisekileyo | ||
The word 'exabisekileyo' comes from the root 'xaba', which means 'to value', and the suffix '-isekileyo', which means 'worthy of being valued'. | |||
Yoruba | niyelori | ||
The word "niyelori" also means "treasure" or "something of great worth" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | okubalulekile | ||
"Okubalulekile" comes from "ubulunga" (length, abundance, importance, dignity, rank, grandeur), suggesting the idea of something being substantial in nature and not easily diminished. | |||
Bambara | nafaman | ||
Ewe | si xɔ asi | ||
Kinyarwanda | bifite agaciro | ||
Lingala | motuya | ||
Luganda | kya mugaso | ||
Sepedi | ya mohola | ||
Twi (Akan) | ɛsom bo | ||
Arabic | ذو قيمة | ||
The word "ذو قيمة" in Arabic is derived from the root "ق و م" which means "to weigh", implying the idea of something having inherent worthiness. | |||
Hebrew | בעל ערך | ||
The Hebrew word "בעל ערך" literally means "owner of value" and can also mean "having merit" or "estimable". | |||
Pashto | ارزښت لرونکی | ||
This word can be also used for "precious" in Pashto, not just "valuable". | |||
Arabic | ذو قيمة | ||
The word "ذو قيمة" in Arabic is derived from the root "ق و م" which means "to weigh", implying the idea of something having inherent worthiness. |
Albanian | e vlefshme | ||
Albanian "e vlefshme" ultimately derives from Ancient Greek "axia," with "vlefshme" also being cognate with English "axiology" and "axiom" | |||
Basque | baliotsua | ||
The word "baliotsua" in Basque comes from the Proto-Basque word "*baliotu", meaning "to estimate". | |||
Catalan | valuós | ||
The Catalan word "valuós" derives from the Latin "valens" meaning "strong" or "powerful" and retains those meanings in addition to "valuable". | |||
Croatian | vrijedan | ||
The Croatian word "vrijedan" derives from the Proto-Slavic "virъ", meaning "man" or "warrior", and its feminine form "vrijedna" means "wife" or "worthy of a man". | |||
Danish | værdifuld | ||
The Danish word værdifuld (meaning valuable) is derived from the same root word, værdi, meaning value, and is also related to the Norwegian word verdifull or the German wertvoll (both meaning "valuable"). | |||
Dutch | waardevol | ||
The word "waardevol" in Dutch is derived from the Old Dutch word "wardon," meaning "to guard" or "to protect," and originally referred to something that was worth guarding or protecting. | |||
English | valuable | ||
'Valuable' derives from the Latin valere, meaning to be healthy, strong, or to prevail; the concept of value originally being applied to livestock. | |||
French | de valeur | ||
"De valeur" can also refer to a security in French. | |||
Frisian | weardefol | ||
Frisian's 'weardefol' stems from an old Indo-European root, 'wer', meaning to protect or defend. | |||
Galician | valioso | ||
"Valioso", in Galician, can also mean "courageous". | |||
German | wertvoll | ||
The word "wertvoll" derives from the Old High German "wert," meaning "worth" or "price." | |||
Icelandic | dýrmætt | ||
The word "dýrmætt" can also mean "costly" or "expensive". | |||
Irish | luachmhar | ||
The alternate meaning of "luachmhar" is "glorious". | |||
Italian | prezioso | ||
Prezioso derives from the Latin word 'pretiosus', meaning 'of great price'. | |||
Luxembourgish | wäertvoll | ||
The word "wäertvoll" is derived from the Old High German word "wert", meaning "worth" or "value", and the suffix "-voll", meaning "full of". | |||
Maltese | siewja | ||
The word "siewja" derives from the Latin word "sequi" (to follow), and also means "worthy of attention" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | verdifull | ||
Verdi means “dignity”, but has in modern usage come to imply economic value. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | valioso | ||
The word "valioso" in Portuguese derives from the Latin word "valere", meaning "to be worth" or "to be strong", and also relates to the concept of "validity". | |||
Scots Gaelic | luachmhor | ||
"Luachmhor" derives from "luach" (value or worth) and its cognate in various Celtic languages means "dear", "precious", or "beloved." | |||
Spanish | valioso | ||
Valioso derives from the Latin 'valere' ('to be worth') and has the alternate meaning of 'brave' or 'valiant' in Spanish. | |||
Swedish | värdefulla | ||
"Värdefulla" originates from Old Norse "verð" meaning "worth" and "full" meaning "full". | |||
Welsh | gwerthfawr | ||
The Welsh word "gwerthfawr" can also mean "dear" or "priceless" in the sense of being highly esteemed or difficult to replace. |
Belarusian | каштоўны | ||
The word "каштоўны" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*kъstь", meaning "price" or "value". | |||
Bosnian | vrijedno | ||
"Vrijedno" is a word of Slavic origin that also means "time" in Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | ценна | ||
The word "ценна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*cěna", meaning "price" or "worth". | |||
Czech | cenný | ||
The word "cenný" in Czech can mean something valuable or something that makes you happy, as in "cenná chvíle" (a happy moment). | |||
Estonian | väärtuslik | ||
The word "väärtuslik" in Estonian can also mean "worthy" or "deserving". | |||
Finnish | arvokas | ||
Although the word 'arvokas' originally meant 'important', it has come to mean 'valuable' in modern Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | értékes | ||
While "értékes" primarily means "valuable," it can also mean "worthy of love or respect." | |||
Latvian | vērtīgs | ||
The Latvian word "vērtīgs" also means "worthy" or "deserving". | |||
Lithuanian | vertinga | ||
The word "vertinga" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wert-", meaning "to turn" or "to twist", and is related to the words "worth" and "value" in English. | |||
Macedonian | вреден | ||
The word "вреден" in Macedonian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vrĕdъ, which also means "harmful" or "dangerous". | |||
Polish | cenny | ||
Cenny in Polish can also mean "dear," from "cena," meaning "price." | |||
Romanian | valoros | ||
"Valoros" in Romanian also relates to "courageous" or "brave". | |||
Russian | ценный | ||
"Ценный" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "цена" (cena), meaning "price" or "worth". | |||
Serbian | вредан | ||
The word "вредан" in Serbian also means "harmful". Serbian is one of the few languages where the same word can mean both "valuable" and "harmful". | |||
Slovak | cenný | ||
The word "cenný" originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "цѣна" meaning "price" and thus originally meant "priced" or "costly". | |||
Slovenian | dragoceno | ||
The word "dragoceno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "dragъ", meaning "dear" or "precious". | |||
Ukrainian | цінний | ||
"Цінний" shares an origin with "ціна" (price) and, originally, meant "priced", which gradually took on the meaning of "valuable". |
Bengali | মূল্যবান | ||
The word "মূল্যবান" (mulyoban) likely comes from the Sanskrit word "मूल्य" (mula), meaning " मूल्य" (value or price), suggesting its original meaning was "having value". | |||
Gujarati | મૂલ્યવાન | ||
Hindi | मूल्यवान | ||
"मूल्यवान" can also mean "original" or "authentic" in Hindi, reflecting the idea that the value of something is often associated with its origins or authenticity. | |||
Kannada | ಬೆಲೆಬಾಳುವ | ||
Malayalam | വിലപ്പെട്ടതാണ് | ||
The term "വിലപ്പെട്ടതാണ്" can also refer to something that is desirable or precious, not just economically valuable. | |||
Marathi | मौल्यवान | ||
मौल्यवान (valuable) is derived from the root 'मूल' (base, origin), and its literal meaning is 'related to the origin' or 'fundamental'. | |||
Nepali | मूल्यवान | ||
The word "मूल्यवान" is derived from the root "मूल्य" which means "value" or "worth" in Sanskrit. | |||
Punjabi | ਕੀਮਤੀ | ||
The word "ਕੀਮਤੀ" also means "rare or precious" and derives from the Sanskrit word "kim" meaning "what". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වටිනා | ||
The word "වටිනා" derives from the Sanskrit word "विनति" (vinati) meaning "request, plea, humble entreaty" and has the same meaning in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | மதிப்புமிக்கது | ||
Telugu | విలువైనది | ||
Urdu | قیمتی | ||
"قیمتی" is a Persian loanword that can also refer to someone or something that is priceless, dear, precious, or beloved. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 有价值 | ||
"有价值" literally means "having value". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 有價值 | ||
有價值 can also mean "interesting" or "meaningful" in the context of a conversation, idea, or experience. | |||
Japanese | 貴重な | ||
貴重な can be written in kanji as 貴重 or 貴い, with the latter having an additional meaning as "noble." | |||
Korean | 가치 있는 | ||
The Korean word "가치 있는" (valuable) originates from the Chinese word "价值", meaning something that is worthy or important. | |||
Mongolian | үнэ цэнэтэй | ||
In Mongolian, the word "үнэ цэнэтэй" ("valuable") can also be used to describe something that is beautiful or precious. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တန်ဖိုးရှိသော | ||
Indonesian | berharga | ||
The word 'berharga' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'harga' meaning 'price', and can also refer to 'cost' or 'value'. | |||
Javanese | regane | ||
The word "regane" can also mean "precious" or "priceless" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | មានតម្លៃ | ||
Lao | ມີຄ່າ | ||
Malay | berharga | ||
'Berharga' in Malay comes from either Sanskrit (via Old Javanese) meaning 'costly' or Proto-Malay 'bərhə' meaning 'beautiful'. | |||
Thai | มีค่า | ||
มีค่า is also a phrase used to describe something as 'having a smell' | |||
Vietnamese | quý giá | ||
"Quý giá," a Vietnamese word for "precious," derives from two Chinese characters meaning "rare" or "precious" and "value" or "price." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mahalaga | ||
Azerbaijani | dəyərli | ||
The word "dəyərli" is also used in Azerbaijani to mean "esteemed" or "precious". | |||
Kazakh | құнды | ||
The word "құнды" in Kazakh can also mean "treasure" or "property". | |||
Kyrgyz | баалуу | ||
"Баалуу" also means "rare" and "exclusive" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | арзишманд | ||
The word “арзишманд” originates from the Arabic word “arīz” which means “respectable”. | |||
Turkmen | gymmatlydyr | ||
Uzbek | qimmatli | ||
The word "qimmatli" is derived from the Arabic word "qimat" meaning "worth" or "value". | |||
Uyghur | قىممەتلىك | ||
Hawaiian | waiwai | ||
The Hawaiian term 'waiwai', 'valuable', is cognate with the Tahitian 'vaivai', 'sacred'. | |||
Maori | tino | ||
The word "tino" can also refer to the heart, mind, or essence of something. | |||
Samoan | taua | ||
The word "taua" can also mean "to be rich" or "to have wealth" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mahalaga | ||
The word "mahalaga" is derived from the Sanskrit word "maharaja," meaning "great king," reflecting the cultural significance of value and status in Filipino society. |
Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
Guarani | hepýva | ||
Esperanto | valora | ||
The Esperanto word _valora_ is derived from the Spanish word _valer_, which also means "to be worth". | |||
Latin | valuable | ||
The Latin root of "valuable" is "valere," which also means "to be strong" or "to be healthy." |
Greek | πολύτιμος | ||
Hmong | muaj nuj nqis | ||
The Hmong word "muaj nuj nqis" can also refer to the concept of "dignity." | |||
Kurdish | giranbiha | ||
The word "giranbiha" also means "a person who is highly valued or regarded" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | değerli | ||
"Değerli" kelimesi, "değer" sözcüğünden türemiştir ve "kıymetli" veya "önemli" anlamlarına da gelir. | |||
Xhosa | exabisekileyo | ||
The word 'exabisekileyo' comes from the root 'xaba', which means 'to value', and the suffix '-isekileyo', which means 'worthy of being valued'. | |||
Yiddish | ווערטפול | ||
The Yiddish word 'ווערטפול' (valuable) derives from the German 'wertvoll', meaning 'having value or worth'. | |||
Zulu | okubalulekile | ||
"Okubalulekile" comes from "ubulunga" (length, abundance, importance, dignity, rank, grandeur), suggesting the idea of something being substantial in nature and not easily diminished. | |||
Assamese | মূল্যৱান | ||
Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
Bhojpuri | कीमती | ||
Dhivehi | އަގުހުރި | ||
Dogri | बेशकीमती | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mahalaga | ||
Guarani | hepýva | ||
Ilocano | maipateg | ||
Krio | valyu | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەهادار | ||
Maithili | कीमती | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯜ ꯂꯩꯕ | ||
Mizo | hlu | ||
Oromo | gati-qabeessa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମୂଲ୍ୟବାନ | ||
Quechua | chaniyuq | ||
Sanskrit | मूल्यवान | ||
Tatar | кыйммәтле | ||
Tigrinya | ዋጋ ዘለዎ | ||
Tsonga | xa nkoka | ||