Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'worth' holds great significance in expressing the value or importance of something or someone. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of life, including literature, finance, and philosophy. For instance, Shakespeare famously used the phrase 'worth five shillings' in his play, Timon of Athens, highlighting its relevance in Elizabethan England.
Understanding the translation of 'worth' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation. For example, in Spanish, 'worth' translates to 'dignidad' or 'valor', while in German, it is 'Wert'. In French, 'dignité' and 'valeur' also convey the meaning of 'worth'. These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also provide insights into how different languages and cultures perceive value and importance.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a global citizen, or a business professional dealing with international clients, knowing the translation of 'worth' in various languages can be quite beneficial. Let's explore some of these translations and delve deeper into the cultural nuances they convey.
Afrikaans | werd | ||
The Afrikaans word "werd" is also used to mean "value" or "esteem". | |||
Amharic | ዋጋ ያለው | ||
The noun "ዋጋ" also means "price," and the verb "ዋጋ" means "to weigh" or "to value." | |||
Hausa | daraja | ||
The word "daraja" also means "step" or "grade" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | kwesịrị | ||
The Igbo word "kwesịrị" has a related meaning of "befitting" or "appropriate". | |||
Malagasy | manan-danja | ||
Although most commonly translated as "worth", "manan-danja" literally translates to "weighty" or "heavy". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ofunika | ||
The word "ofunika" (worth) in Nyanja can also mean "value," "importance," or "significance." | |||
Shona | kukosha | ||
The word 'kukosha' also means to 'make something happen or come about'. | |||
Somali | mudan | ||
"Mudan" can also refer to the traditional Somali game of strategy and skill. | |||
Sesotho | bohlokoa | ||
The word 'bohlokoa' can also be used to mean 'to be able to' or 'to have the capacity to'. | |||
Swahili | thamani | ||
The word 'thamani' (worth) in Swahili comes from the Arabic word 'thaman', meaning 'price' or 'value'. | |||
Xhosa | ixabiso | ||
"Ixabiso" can also mean "honor" or "status" in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | tọ | ||
"Tọ" can also be used as a verb meaning "to hold something against one's will". | |||
Zulu | kuwufanele | ||
"Kuwufanele" can also mean responsibility, obligation or duty in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | nafa | ||
Ewe | xɔ asi | ||
Kinyarwanda | agaciro | ||
Lingala | ntina | ||
Luganda | omuwendo | ||
Sepedi | theko | ||
Twi (Akan) | som bo | ||
Arabic | يستحق | ||
The word "يستحق" (worth) in Arabic can also mean "to deserve" or "to be entitled to" something. | |||
Hebrew | שִׁוּוּי | ||
The Hebrew word "שִׁוּוּי" (worth) also means "equality" or "sameness", indicating a conceptual link between worth and equivalence in Hebrew thought. | |||
Pashto | ارزښت لري | ||
ارزښت لري in Pashto is also used to express the idea of being valuable or having significance. | |||
Arabic | يستحق | ||
The word "يستحق" (worth) in Arabic can also mean "to deserve" or "to be entitled to" something. |
Albanian | me vlerë | ||
In Albanian, 'me vlerë' can also mean 'of value', 'of worth', 'valuable', 'worthy', or 'esteemed'. | |||
Basque | merezi du | ||
The word "merezi du" in Basque can also mean "to be worth it" or "to deserve". | |||
Catalan | val la pena | ||
The Catalan phrase "val la pena" has a double meaning related to the verb "valer" (to be worth) and the substantive "pena" (pain, discomfort, or trouble), suggesting that something is worthwhile despite any potential discomfort or effort involved. | |||
Croatian | vrijedan | ||
The word 'vrijedan' (worth) is also used to describe something that is 'good' or 'valuable'. | |||
Danish | værdi | ||
"Værdi" is related to the Old High German "werdan," "to become," and the Old Norse "verða." | |||
Dutch | waard | ||
The Dutch word "waard" can also refer to an innkeeper or the value of something. | |||
English | worth | ||
The word "worth" derives from the Proto-Germanic word *werþaz, meaning "price" or "value". | |||
French | vaut | ||
A wordplay on vauter or sauter, to bounce, as in, « ça vaut pas cher » (lit. it doesn't bounce much), meaning « it's not worth much ». | |||
Frisian | wearde | ||
In Frisian, the word "wearde" has an alternate meaning of "respect" or "honor". | |||
Galician | paga a pena | ||
In Galician, "paga a pena" comes from the noun "pena" (suffering, pain), indicating something that's worth the potential negative consequences. | |||
German | wert | ||
The German word "wert" derives from the Middle Low German "werth", meaning "price" or "value," and is related to the English word "worth." | |||
Icelandic | virði | ||
The word "virði" also means "honor" or "esteem" in Icelandic, derived from the Old Norse word "virðingr". | |||
Irish | fiú | ||
The Irish word "fiú" can also mean "value," "merit," or "esteem." | |||
Italian | di valore | ||
The Italian phrase | |||
Luxembourgish | wäert | ||
Maltese | jiswa | ||
The word "jiswa" in Maltese originates from the Arabic word "juswa". | |||
Norwegian | verdi | ||
In Norwegian, "verdi" also means "security" or "stock" when used in a financial context. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | que vale a pena | ||
"Que vale a pena" also means "worthwhile" in both Portugal and Brazil. | |||
Scots Gaelic | luach | ||
In addition to meaning "worth" in Scots Gaelic, "luach" also means "value" or "value of property". | |||
Spanish | valor | ||
"Valor" also means bravery or courage, like the English word "valor". | |||
Swedish | värde | ||
The word "värde" comes from the Proto-Germanic "*werþuz," meaning both "worth" and "price". | |||
Welsh | werth | ||
In Welsh, "werth" can also mean "value" or "esteem". |
Belarusian | варта | ||
Варта also refers to the traditional system of night patrols in some Belarusian villages. | |||
Bosnian | vrijedi | ||
Bulgarian | заслужава си | ||
The verb 'заслужава' comes from the Old Church Slavonic word 'zasluga', meaning 'service' or 'merit', and retains this meaning in modern Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | hodnota | ||
The word "hodnota" in Czech can also mean "value", "importance", or "quality." | |||
Estonian | väärt | ||
The Estonian word "väärt" derives from the Proto-Finnic "*warta", meaning "value" or "merit". | |||
Finnish | arvoinen | ||
The word "arvoinen" in Finnish has several other meanings, including "esteemed" and "worthy." | |||
Hungarian | érdemes | ||
Érdemes may also refer to the Hungarian poet Sándor Weöres or to Érd, a city in Hungary. | |||
Latvian | vērts | ||
"vērts" also means worthy, deserving, capable, and appropriate. | |||
Lithuanian | verta | ||
The word "verta" in Lithuanian also has the archaic meaning of "value" or "price." | |||
Macedonian | вреден | ||
"Вреден" also means "harmful" and shares its etymology with Greek "βλάπτω". | |||
Polish | wartość | ||
The Polish word "wartość" derives from the Proto-Slavic root *wьrtъ, meaning "value, price, worthiness", which is linked to the concept of "turning, revolving". | |||
Romanian | in valoare de | ||
Russian | стоимость | ||
The word "стоимость" (worth in English) is derived from the Old Slavic word "стояти", meaning "to stand". It also refers to the monetary price of a good | |||
Serbian | вреди | ||
The word "вреди" can also mean "to harm" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | stojí za to | ||
The Slovak phrase "stojí za to" can also mean "it's worth (doing something)" or "it's worthwhile to" in English. | |||
Slovenian | vredno | ||
The Slovenian word 'vredno' derives from 'vred', meaning 'worthy' or 'valuable'. It can also refer to something being important, significant, or worthy of attention. | |||
Ukrainian | вартий | ||
"Вартий" can also mean "worthy" or "deserving" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | মূল্য | ||
The word "মূল্য" can also mean "root" or "origin". | |||
Gujarati | વર્થ | ||
The Gujarati word "વર્થ" (worth) is derived from the Sanskrit word "वृद्धि" (increase or growth), and also means "increase" or "growth" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | लायक | ||
The term 'लायक' (layak) originates from the Arabic 'la-yiqo', meaning 'not suitable', but in Hindi has taken on the opposite meaning of 'worthy'. | |||
Kannada | ಮೌಲ್ಯದ | ||
ಮೌಲ್ಯದ (maulyada) may also refer to "a value" or "an estimation" in the Kannada language. | |||
Malayalam | വിലമതിക്കുന്നു | ||
Marathi | किमतीची | ||
The Marathi word "किमतीची" not only refers to "worth" but also to "valuable" and "precious." | |||
Nepali | लायक | ||
The word 'लायक' ('worth' in Nepali) comes from the Arabic word 'लायक' ('fitting'), which is the feminine form of 'लायक' ('fit') which has the same root as 'लाइक' in English. | |||
Punjabi | ਮੁੱਲ | ||
The word "ਮੁੱਲ" (worth) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूल्य" (value, price), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mewl-" (to measure). | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වටිනා | ||
The Sinhala word 'වටිනා' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vattinati,' which also means 'to wind around' or 'to encompass' | |||
Tamil | மதிப்பு | ||
மதிப்பு (worth) comes from a root word meaning 'to think' | |||
Telugu | విలువ | ||
Though primarily indicating worth, విలువ also refers to a type of musical composition or an instrument that makes such compositions. | |||
Urdu | قابل | ||
The word "قابل" in Urdu can have alternate meanings such as "capable" or "acceptable". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 价值 | ||
The word "价值" can also mean "ethics" or "quality". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 價值 | ||
The word 價值 (worth) in Chinese shares its etymology with the word 貴 (noble, expensive), indicating that something's worth was determined by its scarcity. | |||
Japanese | 価値 | ||
The kanji for 価値 (worth) is also used in the word 価値観 (values), indicating that what we deem valuable shapes our worldview. | |||
Korean | 가치 | ||
가치 is a borrowing of the Japanese word かち ( | |||
Mongolian | үнэ цэнэтэй | ||
The Mongolian word | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တန်ဖိုးရှိ | ||
Indonesian | bernilai | ||
The word "bernilai" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*balay", meaning "price" or "value." | |||
Javanese | regane | ||
The word "regane" in Javanese also means "value" or "price". | |||
Khmer | មានតម្លៃ | ||
The word មានតម្លៃ can also be used to refer to the price of something or to its value in a figurative sense, such as the value of a friendship or the value of an experience. | |||
Lao | ຄຸ້ມຄ່າ | ||
Malay | bernilai | ||
The root 'nilai' in 'bernilai' is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *ñila 'price' or 'value'. | |||
Thai | คุ้ม | ||
The Thai word "คุ้ม" (pronounced "khum") not only means "worth" but also refers to a type of traditional Thai house or to a specific administrative division | |||
Vietnamese | đáng giá | ||
The word "đáng giá" also means "valuable" or "deserving" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagkakahalaga | ||
Azerbaijani | dəyər | ||
In Azerbaijani, | |||
Kazakh | құнды | ||
Құнды in Kazakh, related to "құн" ("price") and in a broader sense to "honor" and "glory"", originates from the verb "ұстау" ("to hold") or "ұтысу" ("to get caught"). | |||
Kyrgyz | баалуу | ||
Tajik | арзанда | ||
In Persian, "arzish" means "honor" or "value". However, in Tajik, "arzanda" has also taken on the meaning of "material possessions". | |||
Turkmen | gymmaty | ||
Uzbek | arziydi | ||
"Arziydi" also means "value" and "validity" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ئەرزىيدۇ | ||
Hawaiian | waiwai | ||
The Hawaiian word 'waiwai' can also mean 'abundant' or 'plenty'. | |||
Maori | utu | ||
Utu in Maori can also refer to a reciprocal gift or payment, or to justice or retribution. | |||
Samoan | aoga | ||
The word "aoga" also has the alternate meaning of "to pay for" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | nagkakahalaga | ||
The root word of "nagkakahalaga" is "halaga," which can also mean "amount," "value," or "significance." |
Aymara | chani | ||
Guarani | ovaléva | ||
Esperanto | valoras | ||
The Esperanto word "valoras" is related to the Latin word "valere", both of which mean "be strong" or "have value". | |||
Latin | dignitas | ||
In the Roman Republic, dignitas was a combination of influence, reputation, and respect granted to an individual based on their social status. |
Greek | αξία | ||
The word "αξία" in Greek can also mean "value", "merit", or "esteem", and is derived from the word "ἄγειν" (agein), meaning "to lead" or "to bring". | |||
Hmong | tsim nyog | ||
The Hmong word "tsim nyog" can also mean "value" or "importance". | |||
Kurdish | giranbiha | ||
The word "giranbiha" in Kurdish can also refer to the price or value of something, as well as its importance or significance. | |||
Turkish | değer | ||
The Turkish word "değer" shares the same etymological root as the Persian word "dīgar" meaning "other," and can also mean "value," "importance," or "esteem." | |||
Xhosa | ixabiso | ||
"Ixabiso" can also mean "honor" or "status" in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | ווערט | ||
The Yiddish word "ווערט" can also mean "dignity" or "honor". | |||
Zulu | kuwufanele | ||
"Kuwufanele" can also mean responsibility, obligation or duty in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | মূল্য | ||
Aymara | chani | ||
Bhojpuri | लायक | ||
Dhivehi | އަގުހުރި | ||
Dogri | उकात | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagkakahalaga | ||
Guarani | ovaléva | ||
Ilocano | pateg | ||
Krio | valyu | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | شایستە | ||
Maithili | महत्व | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯜ ꯂꯩꯕ | ||
Mizo | hlutna | ||
Oromo | gatii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମୂଲ୍ୟ | ||
Quechua | chaniyuq | ||
Sanskrit | मूल्यम् | ||
Tatar | кыйммәт | ||
Tigrinya | ዋጋ | ||
Tsonga | ntikelo | ||