ገንዘብ
gänzäb
The Tigrinya word for money is ገንዘብ (gänzäb).
ገንዘብ is a noun used to refer to currency.
Meaning: currency (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
gänzäb
Did you know?
- In traditional Eritrean and Ethiopian cultures, the concept of 'money' was historically tied to the trade of salt blocks, known as 'amole', which served as a physical currency before coins.
- Because of the influence of the Italian colonization of Eritrea, some older generations may mix ገንዘብ with Italian-derived terms when discussing banking or formal finance.
- The term ገንዘብ is recognizable to speakers of several other Semitic languages in the region, making it a useful 'bridge' word for travelers in East Africa.
Examples in context
- ገንዘብ እንተ ዚደልይ፡ ካባይ ምወሰደ።If he wants money, he'd take it from me.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the word ገንዘብ in a conditional context.Tatoeba #3305151 by oyd11, translation #3305154 by oyd11
Example conversation
Selam and Ephrem are discussing a purchase.
- ሰላም Selamእዚ ንክንዓቅቦ ክንደይ ገንዘብ የድልየና?Ezi kniknaqbo kindey genzeb yedilyena?How much money do we need to buy this?
- ኤፍሬም Efremሒል wieku ሺርየ ብር እዩ።Hil wiku shirye bir eyu.It is one thousand birr.
- ሰላም Selamገንዘብ የብለይን፡ ንዓኻ ክሕተትየ።Genzeb yebleyen, n'aka kihtetye.I don't have money, I will ask you.
- ኤፍሬም Efremክረኽበልኪ እየ።Kirekhbelki eye.I will get it for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries ገንዘብ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
