owó
The English word "money" is owó in Yoruba.
The term refers to currency in a general sense.
Meaning: currency (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
Etymologically, owó is derived from the Yoruba word for "hand".
How does it change in a sentence?
owó is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form in Yoruba.
Did you know?
- In Yoruba, the word for 'hand' can be spelled similarly to owó, but the tonal difference changes the meaning entirely from 'money' to a body part.
- In traditional Yoruba culture, cowrie shells served as the primary form of owó long before the introduction of colonial currencies.
- The word owó is used in the term owó orúkọ, which literally means 'name money' but refers to a naming ceremony gift.
Examples in context
- Owó rẹ̀ wà ní bánkì.His money is in the bank.This sentence shows how to use owó to describe the location of someone's money.Tatoeba #3154939 by ecorralest101, translation #3154937 by belvis
- Níbo ni owó mi wà?Where is my money?
- Mi ò ní owó rárá.I don't have any money at all.
Example conversation
Femi and Yejide are discussing a purchase at a market.
- FemiYejide, mo ní owó fún rẹ.Yejide, I have money for you.
- YejideẸ ṣeun, Femi.Thank you, Femi.
- FemiṢé owó yìí tó?Is this money enough?
- YejideBẹ́ẹ̀ ni, ó tó.Yes, it is enough.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
