Updated on March 6, 2024
Value is a powerful word that carries significant meaning across cultures. It represents the worth, importance, or usefulness of something or someone, often measured in terms of money, but also in terms of personal or cultural significance. The concept of value has been integral to human societies throughout history, shaping our decisions, relationships, and systems of exchange.
Understanding the translation of value in different languages can provide fascinating insights into the cultural nuances and priorities of speakers around the world. For example, in Spanish, value translates to 'valor', which also means 'courage', reflecting the importance of bravery and resilience in Hispanic cultures. In Japanese, the word for value is 'ouchi', which can also mean 'home' or 'family', highlighting the centrality of relationships and community in Japanese society.
Exploring the many translations of value can enrich our appreciation for the diversity and complexity of human cultures, as well as the shared values that unite us across borders.
Afrikaans | waarde | ||
Amharic | እሴት | ||
Hausa | darajar | ||
It also refers to a person's rank, social standing or worth. | |||
Igbo | uru | ||
In ancient Nri culture, | |||
Malagasy | zava-dehibe | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kufunika | ||
The word "kufunika" has an alternate meaning of "to cover". | |||
Shona | kukosha | ||
Somali | qiimaha | ||
The word "qiimaha" in Somali can also refer to the price or worth of something. | |||
Sesotho | boleng | ||
The word 'boleng' (value) is derived from the Proto-Bantu root word *bo-, which also means 'property' or 'goods' in other Bantu languages. | |||
Swahili | thamani | ||
The word "thamani" also means "worth" or "cost" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | ixabiso | ||
In Xhosa, "xhaiso" refers specifically to the value of a lobola (bride price), highlighting its cultural significance and traditional practices in Xhosa society. | |||
Yoruba | iye | ||
The Yoruba word "iye" also means "mother" or "origin", highlighting the intrinsic value and significance of both concepts in Yoruba culture. | |||
Zulu | inani | ||
The word "inani" in Zulu can also mean "the price or fee that a woman's family gives to a man's family when they get married." | |||
Bambara | nafama | ||
Ewe | asixᴐxᴐ | ||
Kinyarwanda | agaciro | ||
Lingala | motuya | ||
Luganda | omuwendo | ||
Sepedi | boleng | ||
Twi (Akan) | boɔ | ||
Arabic | القيمة | ||
In its original sense, القيمة denoted "amount of money" or "price." | |||
Hebrew | ערך | ||
In Hebrew, "ערך" may also refer to the numerical value assigned to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet. | |||
Pashto | ارزښت | ||
"ارزښت" can refer to both monetary value and personal worth or dignity. | |||
Arabic | القيمة | ||
In its original sense, القيمة denoted "amount of money" or "price." |
Albanian | vlera | ||
The Albanian word "vlera" also means "worth" and originates from the Latin word "valere" meaning "to be strong, to be worth". | |||
Basque | balioa | ||
In one of its oldest meanings, the word "balioa" referred to the quality of being fertile or productive, both in the physical and the intellectual sense. | |||
Catalan | valor | ||
In Catalan, "valor" derives from the Latin "valere" and shares a root with words like "valid" and "validity". | |||
Croatian | vrijednost | ||
The Croatian word 'vrijednost' is derived from the Proto-Slavic 'vьrdъ', meaning 'worth', 'price', or 'value'. | |||
Danish | værdi | ||
"Værdi" is a borrowing from Middle Low German "werte," meaning "price" or "worth." | |||
Dutch | waarde | ||
The Dutch word "waarde" also means "dignity" and derives from the Old Frankish word "werthan," meaning "to cost" or "to be worth." | |||
English | value | ||
The word derives from Old French, where it meant 'to be worth'. | |||
French | valeur | ||
"Valeur" shares a common etymology with "valere" ("to be worth, to have strength, to have courage"), and its meaning has expanded from physical to moral and intellectual domains. | |||
Frisian | wearde | ||
Frisian "wearde" can carry connotations of respect or regard when describing people. | |||
Galician | valor | ||
In Galician, the word "valor" can also refer to bravery, strength, and courage, which are all qualities associated with heroism. | |||
German | wert | ||
The German word "Wert" also means "worth" or "dignity" and is related to the English word "worth". | |||
Icelandic | gildi | ||
In Icelandic, the word "gildi" not only refers to monetary value but also to a numerical ranking or a person's worthiness. | |||
Irish | luach | ||
The word "luach" can also refer to a "payment" or "remuneration", and is cognate with the Welsh word "llwch" meaning "payment" or "hire". | |||
Italian | valore | ||
"Valore" also means "courage" in Italian, deriving from the Latin verb "valere," meaning "to be strong." | |||
Luxembourgish | wäert | ||
The word "Wäert" in Luxembourgish originated from the Old High German word "wert" meaning "price" but also has the connotation of "worth" or "merit". | |||
Maltese | valur | ||
The word "valur" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "qīmah" meaning "worth" or "price". | |||
Norwegian | verdi | ||
The words "verdi" and "värde" both mean "value" in Norwegian and Swedish respectively. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | valor | ||
In Portuguese, "valor" can also mean courage or bravery. | |||
Scots Gaelic | luach | ||
In Gaelic, "luach" also means "price" or "payment" | |||
Spanish | valor | ||
In Spanish, "valor" can also mean courage or bravery, and is the root of the word "valorar" (to assess or evaluate). | |||
Swedish | värde | ||
The Swedish word "värde" also means "dignity" or "worth", and is derived from the Old Norse word "verðr" meaning "price" or "worth". | |||
Welsh | gwerth | ||
The word "gwerth" also means "worth", "price" or "cost" in Welsh. |
Belarusian | значэнне | ||
Bosnian | vrijednost | ||
The word 'vrijednost' can also refer to 'dignity' or 'esteem'. | |||
Bulgarian | стойност | ||
The Bulgarian "стойност" comes from the Proto-Slavic "stoiti", itself a contraction of PIE stem *steh_2 meaning "to set up and to value". | |||
Czech | hodnota | ||
The word "hodnota" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*godъ", meaning "year" or "time", suggesting that its original meaning was "worth" or "importance" in the sense of its duration or significance over time. | |||
Estonian | väärtus | ||
The Estonian word "väärtus" can also mean "merit" or "virtue" in English. | |||
Finnish | arvo | ||
Arvo also refers to the afternoon and has cognates in the Finnic Estonian (väärtus), Karelian (arvo) and Veps (varv), as well as in Mordvinic and Mari languages | |||
Hungarian | érték | ||
The word "érték" also means "merit" or "worth" in Hungarian, highlighting its multifaceted nature. | |||
Latvian | vērtība | ||
The Latvian word "vērtība" is derived from the verb "vērtēt," meaning "to evaluate," and can also refer to a "grade," "assessment," or "merit." | |||
Lithuanian | vertė | ||
Lithuanian word "vertė" means "value" as well as "translation" and "flip" as in flipping pages. | |||
Macedonian | вредност | ||
The word "вредност" can also mean "harm" or "damage" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | wartość | ||
"Wartość" can also mean "amount" or "worth". | |||
Romanian | valoare | ||
The Romanian word "valoare" has multiple meanings including "bravery" and "currency". | |||
Russian | значение | ||
The Russian word "значение" can also mean "meaning" or "significance". | |||
Serbian | вредност | ||
The word "вредност" also means "harm" or "annoyance". | |||
Slovak | hodnotu | ||
The Slovak word "hodnotu" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *godъ, meaning "year", and thus originally meant "annual yield" or "harvest". | |||
Slovenian | vrednost | ||
The word 'vrednost' comes from the Old Slavic word 'vrědъ', which means 'worth' or 'esteem'. | |||
Ukrainian | значення | ||
"Значення" in Ukrainian is derived from the Slavic root "znaty" meaning "to know" and can also refer to "significance" or "meaning". |
Bengali | মান | ||
The word মান (maan) in Bengali can also refer to "pride" or "prestige." | |||
Gujarati | કિંમત | ||
The word “કિંમત” (kimat) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word “krī” (to buy), and is related to the word “ક્રેતૃ” (kretu), meaning “buyer”, both of which are derived from the same root as the Hindi word “कीमत” (keemat). | |||
Hindi | मूल्य | ||
The Hindi word "मूल्य" (value) is derived from its underlying root "मूल" ( मूल "root"), implying something fundamental and essential. | |||
Kannada | ಮೌಲ್ಯ | ||
"ಮೌಲ್ಯ" (value) originates from the root "ಮುಲ್" (price, cost), signifying its intrinsic worth and economic significance. | |||
Malayalam | മൂല്യം | ||
"മൂല്യം" is also the Malayalam word for "basis" or "foundation". | |||
Marathi | मूल्य | ||
The word "मूल्य" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूल" (root) and can also mean "worth" or "base" in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | मान | ||
This word in Nepali derives from Sanskrit and is related to honor, belief, measure, mind, purpose, pride, or thought. | |||
Punjabi | ਮੁੱਲ | ||
ਮੁੱਲ (value) derives from the Sanskrit मूल्य (mūlya), ultimately coming from the Proto-Indo-European root *mol- (worth) | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අගය | ||
The word "අගය" also means "front" or "edge" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | மதிப்பு | ||
The word "மதிப்பு" in Tamil can also refer to the price of a good or service. | |||
Telugu | విలువ | ||
విలువ' is also used figuratively in Telugu, for instance to refer to worthiness of a person. | |||
Urdu | قدر | ||
The word "قدر" (value) in Urdu also means "fate" or "destiny" in Arabic, and is often used in a religious context. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 值 | ||
"值" is derived from "值事", meaning "being in charge of", and also has the meaning of "a unit of measure" and "a person holding a certain official position". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 值 | ||
值 (zhí) is also an abbreviation for "special value" (特值 tèzhí). | |||
Japanese | 値 | ||
値 can also mean "worth" and has the kanji reading "あたい". | |||
Korean | 값 | ||
'값' originally referred to the monetary worth of an item, and only later acquired its more abstract meanings, such as 'principle' and 'worthwhile'. | |||
Mongolian | үнэ цэнэ | ||
The Mongolian word | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တန်ဖိုး | ||
Indonesian | nilai | ||
Nilai can also mean "grade" or "score" in an academic or competitive setting. | |||
Javanese | regane | ||
The word 'regane' is also used in the context of philosophy, where it refers to 'ultimate values'. | |||
Khmer | តម្លៃ | ||
តម្លៃ may also refer to the "value" of a Buddhist concept or a measure of value in arithmetic or economics. | |||
Lao | ມູນຄ່າ | ||
Malay | nilai | ||
**'Nilai'** has other meanings such as **'grade'** (academic), **'rating'**, and **'belief'**. | |||
Thai | มูลค่า | ||
The word "มูลค่า" can also mean "capital" or "worth". | |||
Vietnamese | giá trị | ||
"Giá trị" is likely a loanword adopted from the Chinese 值, but the word "giá" ("price") is of Old Mon-Khmer origin. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | halaga | ||
Azerbaijani | dəyər | ||
The word "dəyər" derives from the Persian word "deger", meaning "prize" or "payment". It also has a spiritual connotation, referring to the worth or quality of something. | |||
Kazakh | мәні | ||
The word "мәні" can also mean "price" or "amount" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | мааниси | ||
The word "мааниси" in Kyrgyz can also be used to denote significance or importance. | |||
Tajik | арзиш | ||
The word "арзиш" comes from the Persian word "arzesh" which also means "value". | |||
Turkmen | bahasy | ||
Uzbek | qiymat | ||
The Uzbek word "qiymat" is a cognate of the Persian word "ghimat" and the Arabic word "qيمة" (qīmah), all of which mean "value" or "price". | |||
Uyghur | قىممىتى | ||
Hawaiian | waiwai | ||
The Hawaiian word "waiwai" can also refer to "wealth," "property," or "possessions". | |||
Maori | uara | ||
The concept of uara can also refer to the significance or standing of a person or thing within the social structure.} | |||
Samoan | taua | ||
Taua, meaning 'value', is also the word for the traditional Samoan war party. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | halaga | ||
The word "halaga" is also used to express the value or worth of a person or thing in terms of its significance, importance, or quality. |
Aymara | walura | ||
Guarani | hepykue | ||
Esperanto | valoro | ||
"Valoro" is a loanword from Latin "valor", which also means courage. | |||
Latin | valorem | ||
The Latin word "valorem" can also refer to "worth" or "good reputation." |
Greek | αξία | ||
"Αξία" originates from the Greek verb "ἄγω" (ágo), meaning "to lead" or "to bring". | |||
Hmong | tus nqi | ||
The word "tus nqi" can also refer to the worth or importance of something in Hmong culture. | |||
Kurdish | giranî | ||
The word "giranî" in Kurdish also means "weight" or "importance". | |||
Turkish | değer | ||
The Turkish word "değer" originates from the Arabic word "değer" meaning "price, worth" and also bears the connotation of "esteem, regard" and "merchandise, goods". | |||
Xhosa | ixabiso | ||
In Xhosa, "xhaiso" refers specifically to the value of a lobola (bride price), highlighting its cultural significance and traditional practices in Xhosa society. | |||
Yiddish | ווערט | ||
The Yiddish word "ווערט" ('vert') also means "price" or "cost" but is unrelated to the English word "worth." | |||
Zulu | inani | ||
The word "inani" in Zulu can also mean "the price or fee that a woman's family gives to a man's family when they get married." | |||
Assamese | মান | ||
Aymara | walura | ||
Bhojpuri | कीमत | ||
Dhivehi | އަގު | ||
Dogri | मुल्ल | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | halaga | ||
Guarani | hepykue | ||
Ilocano | pateg | ||
Krio | valyu | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەها | ||
Maithili | मूल्य | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯝꯜ | ||
Mizo | hlutna | ||
Oromo | gatii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମୂଲ୍ୟ | ||
Quechua | chanin | ||
Sanskrit | मूल्यम् | ||
Tatar | кыйммәт | ||
Tigrinya | ዋጋ | ||
Tsonga | nkoka | ||