Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| पैसा | paisā | /pɛː.sɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| मुद्रा | mudrā | /mʊd̪.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| धन | dhan | /d̪ʱən/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| माल | māl | /mɑːl/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
In Hindi, several words are used to express the concept of money depending on whether you are discussing physical cash, formal wealth or technical currency. पैसा is the general term for money, while धन refers to wealth or assets and मुद्रा is the technical term for a specific currency. The word माल is used colloquially to refer to goods or merchandise, but can also be used as slang for money or illicit substances.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the context: पैसा is the most common way to refer to money in daily conversation and often implies physical cash or coins. In contrast, धन refers to wealth, riches or a large sum of money and assets. For technical or official discussions regarding a country's legal tender, use मुद्रा. Finally, माल describes goods or 'stuff' in a colloquial sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the masculine noun पैसा in a sentence followed by a postposition (such as 'of' or 'to'), it changes from its base form to the oblique form पैसे.
How do you pronounce it?
paisā (IPA: /pɛː.sɑː/), two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word मुद्रा is used for technical currency but also describes symbolic or ritual hand gestures in Indian classical dance and yoga.
- Although it sounds nearly identical to the Spanish word 'peso', the Hindi word पैसा is actually a false cognate and has no historical connection to it.
- In Hindi, the word धन is not just about currency but is often associated with prosperity and divine abundance in religious contexts.
Examples in context
- बिटकॉइन निष्पक्ष पैसा है।Bitcoin is just money.This sentence uses पैसा to describe Bitcoin as a form of money.Tatoeba #11110493 by thevikas, translation #11110472 by thevikas
- एड्स से पीड़ित लोगों की सहायता हेतु धन जुटाने के लिए गायकों ने साथ में गाना गाया।The singers sang together in order to raise money to help people with AIDS.This sentence uses धन to describe raising funds or wealth for a cause.Tatoeba #12394380 by Saumya, translation #23917 by NoahAB
- उसने इस व्यापार में बहुत पैसा कमाया।He earned a lot of money in this business.This sentence uses पैसा to describe earning money through business.
- मुझे पैसे चाहिए।I need money.
- व्यापार के लिए धन की जरूरत होती है।Money is required for business.
- कितने रुपए खर्च किए?How much money did you spend?
- आपके पास पैसा है?Do you have money?
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Pooja are talking about buying a new phone.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या तुम्हारे पास नया फोन खरीदने के लिए पैसा है?Kya tumhare paas naya phone khareedne ke liye paisa hai?Do you have the money to buy a new phone?
- पूजा Poojaनहीं, मेरे पास अभी पैसा नहीं है।Nahin, mere paas abhi paisa nahin hai.No, I don't have the money right now.
- आदित्य Adityaतुम पैसे कैसे बचाओगी?Tum paise kaise bachaogi?How will you save money?
- पूजा Poojaमैं अपनी पॉकेट मनी से पैसा जमा करूँगी।Main apni pocket money se paisa jama karungi.I will save money from my pocket money.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries पैसा, मुद्रा, धन, माल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries धन, पैसा, माल, मुद्रा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
