| Name of Currency | Country | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Afghani | Afghanistan | derived from country name: “that belongs to or that is from Afghanistan” |
| Agora / Agorot | Israel (coins) | Old Hebrew: אגורה – Agora. The name was suggested by the Academy of the Hebrew Language and was borrowed from Torah “agorat kessef” meaning “a piece of silver”. >אגורות – Agorot is the plural form. |
| Akşa | Tuva (old) | In Tuvanian and in other Turkic languages: Akşa (pronounced as Aksha) means “Money”. It was the currency of the People’s Republic of Tuva from 1921 till 1944 when Tuva joined the USSR. |
| Angolar | Angola (old) | Portuguese: Angolar means “of Angola” |
| Anna | India, Burma, Pakistan (old coins) | Word is borrowed from Hindi word ānā which has the Sanskrit root aṇu – “small” |
| Ariary | Madagacar | 17th century currency unit consisting of 720 Variraiventy, a piece of silver equal to the weight of a rice grain. Ariary system is a nondecimal one which is divided into 5 Iraimbilaja |
| At | Laos (coins) | derived from Thai At, a former coin worth one-eighth of a Füang |
| Auksinas | Lithuania (old) | derived from Auksas: “gold” in Lithuanian (with special thanks to Audrius from Lithuania) |
| Aurar | Iceland (coins) | Plural of Eyrir from Old Norse “money”, probably from Latin Aurum “gold” |
| Austral | Argentina | Latin: “Australis” – coming from the South, Southern, “Auster” – the South wind |
| Avo | Macao (coins) | Portuguese shortened from Oitavo “eighth” from Latin Octvus “eighth” |
| Baht | Thailand | Thai: บาท – Baht is a weight unit of 15 grams – Upto 1940’s the currency of Thailand was Tical which was 15 grams of silver |
| Baiza | Oman (coins) | derived from the Hindi Paisa “a quarter” |
| Balboa | Panama | Vasco Nunez de Balboa – Spanish explorer who discovered the Pacific Ocean (1475-1519) |
| Ban / Bani | Romania (coins) | Ban means “money” in Romanian. Bani is the plural form |
| Birr | Ethiopia | In Amharic (language of Ethiopia) Birr means “to be white” |
| Bolivar | Venezuela | Simon Bolivar – Venezuelan statesman who revolted against Spanish rule, founded Bolivia in 1825 (1783-1830) |
| Boliviano | Bolivia | Meaning Bolivian in Spanish. The country Bolivia itself was named after Simon Bolivar. (With special thanks to Don Cleveland) |
| Cash | China (old) | Please see Wen |
| Cedi | Ghana | In Akan (a native language of Ghana) Cedi is a “small shell” |
| Cent, Centavo, Centime | Many countries | Latin: “centum” – a hundred, used in the meaning of “a hundredth” |
| Chon | Korea | Korean: 전 – Chon (also spelled as Jeon) means 1/10. 1 Won is divided into 10 Chon. |
| Colon | El Salvador, Costa Rica | Cristobal Colon is the Spanish name of Christopher Columbus, explorer who discovered America (1451-1506) |
| Cordoba | Nicaragua | Francisco Fernandez Cordoba – Spanish explorer who discovered Yucatan (1475-1526) |
| Cruzado | Brazil | from the Portuguese verb “Cruzar: to bear a cross” – early Portuguese gold or silver coins that beared a cross on reverse |
| Cruzeiro | Brazil | from Portuguese word: Cruz – “Cross” |
| Dalasi | Gambia | A Gambian native name |
| Denar | Macedonia | derived from Latin: “Denarius” – Silver Money |
| Dinar | Many countries | Dinar is derived from Latin: “Denarius” – Silver Money |
| Dinara Srebru | Serbia | Serbian: “Silver Dinar” |
| Dinara Zlatu | Serbia | Serbian: “Gold Dinar” |
| Dirham | Morocco, UAE | Arabic: درهم – Dirham is derived from the Old Greek word “Drakhme” which came to Latin as “Drachma” meaning “a handful” |
| Dobra | St.Thomas and Principe | Portuguese: Fold, folding |
| Dollar | USA and many other countries | from 16th century German: “Thaler” a short form of Joahimsthaler, coin made from metal mined in Joahimsthal, a town now in Czech Republic |
| Dong | Vietnam | Vietnamese: đồng – literally “copper” or “bronze”, in modern Vietnamese Dong means “currency”. 1 Dong is divided into 10 Hào. |
| Drachma | Greece | Old Greek: δραχμή – Drakhme meaning “a handful” derived from the verb δράττω – dratto “to grasp”. It is also an ancient unit of weight equal to 60 grains. |
| Dram | Armenia | Armenian: Դրամ – Dram means “money” which was derived from the Greek word “Drachma”. |
| Ducat | Austria, Germany, Holland and many other countries | Derived from Ducatus – the Latin word for Duchy, which is ultimately derived from Latin Ducis: Duke. |
| Emalangeni | Swaziland | In Swati language Langeni means money; Emalangeni is used as plural and Lilangeni is singular |
| Euro | European Union | derived from Europe. This name was the winning choice in a contest in 1996, and was invented by a group of scholars in Spain. (with special thanks to Roberto Cacciamani) |
| Escudo | Portugal, Cape Verde | Portuguese: Shield displaying coat of arms; from Latin: Scutum |
| Fen | China | Chinese: 分 – Fen means 1/100. 1 Yuan is divided into 100 Fen. (with special thanks to Kevin Au from Canada) |
| Fenniga | Bosnia and Herzegovina | derived from the German “Pfennig” |
| Filira | Croatia | Croatian cognate of the Hungarian Filler. |
| Filler | Hungary | In Hungarian Filler means “a very small amount of money” |
| Fils | Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Yemen (coins) | In Arabic the word Fals or Fils is derived from Latin word Follis meaning “piece of money” |
| Forint | Hungary | from Italian word “Fiorino” – Florin |
| Franc | France and other French speaking countries | 14th century French word derived from Latin phrase: Rex Francorum – King of the Franks, inscribed on 14th century francs. |
| Fun | Korea (old coins) | Korean: 분 – Fun is the cognate of Chinese Fen. 1 Whan, a silver Dollar, was divided into 500 Fun. (with special thanks to Kevin Au from Canada) |
| Gourde | Haiti | A tropical American evergreen that produces large round gourds |
| Gros | Czech Rep. (Former Bohemia) | Pronounced as grosh. Name of the coin equal to the one-thirtieth of a Thaler. The word is adopted from Latin (Denarius) Grossus: lit. “A thick coin” where grossus being “thick” |
| Groschen | Germany and Austria (coins) | Derived from the Czech Gros, ultimately from Latin Grossus |
| Grosz | Poland (coins) | Grosz was a 3.2 gr. silver coin equivalent of 12 Denarius in the 14th century in Poland. Derived from Latin Grossus |
| Guarani | Paraguay | Indigenous people living in Paraguay and Bolivia |
| Gulden | Holland, Surinam, Netherlands Antilles | Dutch: Golden |
| Haler | Czech Republic (coins) | derived from the German “Haller” |
| Halier | Slovakia (coins) | derived from the German “Haller” |
| Hào | Vietnam | Originally Hào is a unit of weight in Vietnam equal to 3.77 miligrams. In currency terms it is used as one tenth of a Dong. |
| Heller / Haller | Germany (coins) | from SchwäbischHall, town near Stuttgart where the coins were minted |
| Hryvnia | Ukraine | Hryvnia was the currency unit of the Kievian Rus in the 11th century. Originally the word meant “neck” and used for the valuable things worn around the neck. |
| Hwan | Korea (old) | Korean: 환 – Hwan derived from Chinese 元 Yuan, was the currency unit in South Korea from 1953 till 1962. |
| Inti | Peru | a regional word from Quechua, Peru meaning “Sun” the principal god of Inca culture (with special thanks to Massimo Accordi) |
| Iraimbilanja | Madagacar (coins) | Iriambilanja means “one iron weight” in Madagascar language which is one fifth of an Ariary |
| Jeon | Korea | Korean: 전 – Jeon (also spelled as Chon) means 1/10. 1 Won is divided into 10 Jeon. |
| Jiao | China | Chinese: 角 – Jiao means 1/10. 1 Yuan is divided into 10 Jiao. (with special thanks to Kevin Au from Canada) |
| Karbovanetz | Ukraine, Belarus | The name given to Ruble in Ukraine and Belarus derived from German word Kerbe: To carve, to cut; same as the meaning of the Ruble (with special thanks to Philippe Simon from France) |
| Khoums | Mauritania (coins) | from Arabic word Khoums “fifth”, 1 Ouguiya is divided into 5 Khoums |
| Kina | Papua New Guinea | Kina means “pearl shell” in Pidgin and Kuanua languages |
| Kip | Laos | In Lao language Kip means “ingot”, a mold in which metal is cast |
| Kobo | Nigeria (coins) | derived from the English “copper” penny |
| Kopeck / Kopek | Russia, Belarus, Ukraine (coins) | Kopeika is derived from “kopyo” meaning “spear”, from the image of a rider with a spear on the coins minted by Moscow after the capture of Novgorod in 1478 |
| Koruna | Czech Rep., Slovakia | Czech: Crown, head from Latin “Corona” |
| Kran / Qiran | Iran (old) | Persian قران – Kran was 1000 Dinar or one tenth of a Toman. The Rial replaced Kran in 1932. |
| Krone | Scandinavian currencies | Latin: Corona – “Crown” |
| Kroon | Estonia | Latin: Corona – “Crown” |
| Kuan / Guàn | China (old) | Chinese 贯 – Guàn literally means “string the cash coins together (old Chinese coins had a whole in center)”. Guàn is an old unit equal to 1000 coins. (with special thanks to Fung Nai Chuen – moneyissuer from Hong Kong) |
| Kuan Wen Sheng / Guàn Wen Sheng | China (old) | Chinese 贯文省 / 贯聞省 – Guàn Wen Sheng in Chinese literally means “string the cash coins together”. It is an old unit equal to 770 / 800 cash coins used between 1168 – 1279 AD. (with special thanks to Alex Fung – moneyissuer from Hong Kong) |
| Kuna | Croatia | Croatian : “Marten” – a small furred animal, as its fur was unit of exchange in medieval trading |
| Kurus | Turkey (coins) | Pronounced as Kurush, derived from the Austrian Groschen, ultimately from Latin Grossus |
| Kwacha | Malawi, Zambia | In Bemba (Zambian language): “Dawn” symbolizes the Zambian nationalist slogan “New dawn of freedom” |
| Kwanza | Angola | In Swahili the word literally means “the first fruits”, but the currency takes its name from Kwanza River in Angola |
| Kyat | Myanmar (formerly Burma) | Burmese: Kyat (pronounced as chat) literally means “round” and “flat”. Kyat has been used in the 19th century as unit of mass, approximately 16.33 grams. |
| Lari | Georgia | In old Georgian langauge ლარი – Lari means “hoard” or “property” |
| Lats | Latvia | Derives from “Latvija”: Latvia in Latvian language, Lati and Latu are plural forms (with special thanks to Audrius from Lithuania) |
| Lek | Albania | Named after 15th century Albanian feudal lord Lek Dukagjini |
| Lempira | Honduras | Lempira is an Indian Chief who opposed the Spanish |
| Leone | Sierre Leone | derived from country name |
| Lepton | Greece (coins) | Lepton (plural Lepta) means “small” or “thin” in Greek |
| Leu | Romania, Moldova | Romanian: “Lion” |
| Lev | Bulgaria | Bulgarian: “Lion”, the plural form is Leva |
| Leva Srebrni / Srebro | Bulgaria | Bulgarian: “Silver Leva” |
| Leva Zlatni / Zlato | Bulgaria | Bulgarian: “Gold Leva” |
| Lilangeni | Swaziland | In Swati language Langeni means money; li- is the singular prefix and ema- is the plural prefix |
| Lira | Italy, Turkey, Vatican, Malta, San Marino | Latin: “Libra” – “scales” or “pound” |
| Lirot | Israel | Hebrew לירות – Lirot is simply plural of לירה “Lira” |
| Lisente | Lesotho | Plural of Sente which is derived from “Cent” |
| Litas | Lithuania | Derives from “Lietuva”: Lithuania in Lithuanian language, Litai and Litu are plural forms (with special thanks to Audrius from Lithuania) |
| Loti | Lesotho | In Sesotho (language of Lesotho) Loti is the singular form of Maloti |
| Lumma | Armenia (coins) | derived from Armenian Lumay “small coin” which comes from Greek Noummos “current coin” |
| Maloti | Lesotho | Maloti is the name of a mountain chain where there is the highest peak in South Africa |
| Manat | Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan | derived from the Russian word for coins “manyeta” (spells as “moneta”) which comes from Latin Moneta, “mint, money” |
| Mark | Germany | Old English: “Marc” is a unit of weight of precious metals perhaps from the marks on metal bars. |
| Marka | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Konvertibilna Marka is derived from German “Mark”, established by Dayton Agreement in 1995 |
| Markkaa | Finland | Its etymology is the same as “Mark” |
| Mecidiye / Medjidie | Turkey (old coins) | Coins minted during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid or Sultan Mecid as more commonly called, which is pronounced as Medjid in Turkish |
| Metical | Mozambique | Derived from Arabic Mitqal: a weight measuring unit used for gold and other precious metals. Plural in Portuguese is Meticais. (with special thanks to H.E. Marc van den Reeck from Belgium) |
| Millimes | Tunusia (coins) | from French Millième “thousandth” which comes from Latin Millesimus “thousandth” |
| Mohru / Mohar | Nepal (old) | Originally the Nepalese word is मोहर् – Mohar derived from Persian Muhr “seal”. 1 Mohar (Mohru) was an 8 anna silver piece. Mohru was replaced by Rupee in 1932 at a rate of 2 Mohru equal to 1 Rupee. |
| Mongo | Mongolia (coins) | Mongolian: мөнгө pronounced as Möngö means “silver”. 1 Tugrik is divided into 100 Mongo. |
| Mun | Korea (old) | Korean: 文 – Mun was a cognate of the Chinese 文 – Wen meaning “cash” |
| Naira | Nigeria | Altered from the word “Nigeria” |
| Nakfa | Eritrea | Nak’fa is a town in Eritrea that became the symbol of Eritrean resistance |
| Ngultrum | Bhutan | Dzongkha: དངུལ་ཀྲམ – Pronounced as “Engultrum”. “Ngul” means “silver” and “trum” means “money” in Dzongkha, a Tibetan language. |
| Notgeld | Germany | German: Notgeld is “emergency money” issued in Germany and Austria during economic crises. Although it is neither a currency unit nor legal tender, notgeld is still a specialised category in bank note collecting. |
| øre / Öre | Sweden, Denmark, Norway (coins) | from Old Norse Eyrir “gold coin” which comes from Latin Aureus “gold coin” from Aurum “gold” |
| Ostmark | German controlled Eastern Europe | German: Ostmark is literally “East Mark”. The German Dahrlenskassen issued this currency in 1918 to be used in the German controlled Eastern Europe at that time. Later GDR Mark was colloqually called Ostmark. |
| Ouguiya | Mauritania | a native word in Mauritania, Ouguiya system is nondecimal which is divided into 5 Khoums |
| Pa’anga | Tonga | Tongan: “Bean shaped pieces” |
| Pahlavi | Iran | Belonging or related to the Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran |
| Paisa | India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh (coins) | derived from Sanskrit word Padamsah which means a “quarter” |
| Pang | China (antique) | Chinese 朋 – Pang is an antique unit equal to about 10 cypraea shells. Cypraea shells formed the base of the Chinese Moneraty System. (with special thanks to Fung Nai Chuen – moneyissuer from Hong Kong) |
| Papiermark | Germany | Literally “paper mark” in German. As a result of hyperinflation after WWI Mark became worthless and was called Papiermark. In 1923 Rentenmark was introduced at the exchange rate of 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) Marks. |
| Para | Turkey (old), Yugoslavia (old) | From Persian word Pare which means “a piece”. In Ottoman currency system 1 Kurus was composed of 40 Paras. In today’s Turkish Para means “Money”. |
| Pataca | Macao | Portuguese: “Paw” |
| Pence / Pennies | England | Plural of Penny |
| Pengő | Hungary (old) | Hungarian: Pengő – meaning “twang”. Probably derived from the sound of a coin when thrown. |
| Pennia | Finland (coins) | derived from the German “Pfennig” |
| Penny | England | In Old English it was Penig which was derived from Pfenning which means “coin” in Old High German |
| Perper | Montenegro | Derives from a 21 carat gold coin minted by the Byzantine Emperor Alexis I in 1092. The coin was called in Greek Hyperpyron meaning “Highly refined” whereas in Latin Perperum (with special thanks to Philippe Simon from France) |
| Peseta | Spain | diminutive of Peso |
| Pesewa | Ghana (coins) | In Akan (a native language of Ghana) Pésewabo is a seed of a plant, formerly used as the smallest gold weight |
| Peso | Many Spanish speaking countries | Spanish: “Weight” |
| Peso Oro | Dominican Republic, Paraguay | Spanish: “Gold Peso” |
| Pfennig / Pfennigs | Germany | derived from Pfenning which means “coin” in Old High German |
| Pfeniga | Bosnia and Herzegovina | derived from the German “Pfennig” |
| Piaster / Piastre | Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria | derived from Italian Piastra “thin metal plate” |
| Poisha | Bangladesh (coins) | In Bengali Poisha is a “quarter” which is derived from the Hindi “Paisa” |
| Pound Sterling | England and many other countries | Old English: “Pund” from Latin word: “Pondus” – Weight; Sterling is drived from old English word “Steorra” – Star, referring to a small star on early Norman pennies |
| Pruta / Prutah | Israel (coins) | Hebrew פרוטה – Pruta means a “coin of small value”. |
| Pul | Afghanistan (coins) | from Persian word Pul which means “money” |
| Pula | Botswana | In Setswana (the language of Botswana) Pula means “Rain” |
| Punt | Ireland | Irish Gaelic: Pound |
| Qepiq | Azerbaijan (coins) | Derived from Russian “Kopeika” |
| Qindarka | Albania (coins) | In Albanian Qint / Qind (pronounced as chint) is a hundred and Qindarka is “one hundredth” |
| Quetzal | Guatemala | Spanish: a kind of bird; zool: Pharomachrus mocinno |
| Rand | South Africa | Named after Witwatersrand a region of northeast South Africa where the richest gold-mining areas in the world are located |
| Real | Brazil | Portuguese: 1) Royal, 2)Actual, 3)Real |
| Reichsmark | Germany | German: Reich is literally “realm” or “empire”. Reichsmark was the official currrency of Germany from 1924 until 1948. |
| Renminbi Yuan | P.R. of China | Chinese: 人民幣 – “Renminbi” is the “People’s currency”; 元 or 圆 “Yuan” is literally “round object” |
| Rentenmark | Germany | Bank notes issued by the Rentenbank (Annuity Bank) were called Rentenmark. It was an interim currency introduced to stop the hyperinflation in 1923. In 1924 Reichsmark succeeded Rentenmark. |
| Rial | Iran, Oman | Persian ريال – Rial is a cognate of the Arabic “Riyal” which is derived from the Spanish word “Real” |
| Riel | Cambodia | In Khmer language Riel means “the one that shines, shinny” |
| Riffan | Riff Republic (present Morocco) | Derived from the name of the self-proclaimed state Riff Republic in 1921. The word originates from Arabic الريف – er-Rif meaning “countryside”. |
| Rigsdaler | Denmark (old) | Danish: Rigsdaler – “Thaler of the realm” The currrency of Denmark until 1873 which was divided into 96 Skilling. |
| Riksdaler | Sweden, Norway (old) | Norwegian/Swedish: Riksdaler – “Thaler of the realm”. The currrency of Sweden until 1873 which was divided into 48 Skillingar. Riksdaler courant in Norway was used until 1813 and was divided into 96 Skilling. |
| Ringgit | Malaysia, Brunei | In Malay Ringgit means “jagged” and was origianally used to refer to the serrated edges of the Spanish silver coins widely used in the area. |
| Riyal | Many Arabic speaking countries | derived from the from Spanish word “real” meaning “royal” |
| Rubel | Belarus | derived from the Russian “Ruble” |
| Ruble | Russia | Russian: Pубль – Rubl “silver bar” from the Russian verb “Rubit”- “to cut up” |
| Rufiyaa | Maldives | derived from “Rupee” |
| Rupee | India, Pakistan, Nepal and others | from Sanskrit word “Rupya” – Silver |
| Rupiah | Indonesia | derived from “Rupee” |
| Satang | Thailand (coins) | Thai สตางค์ – Satang is one hundredth of a Baht. |
| Scudo | Papal States, Malta (old) | Italian: Scudo, like Escudo, is also derived from Latin Scutum – “shield”. So called because the coins had a shield bearing a coat of arms. Scudo was the currency of the Papal States until 1866 and was divided into 100 Baiocchi. |
| Sen | Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, Cambodia | derived from “Cent” |
| Sene | Western Samoa | derived from “Cent” |
| Seniti | Tonga (coins) | derived from “Cent” |
| Senti | Estonia (coins) | derived from “Cent” |
| Shahi | Iran, Afghanistan, India (old) | In Persian, Shahi means that belongs to or related to the “Shah” – King. So the word may be interpreted as “Royal”. Also in ancient India and Afghanistan there were rulers called Shahi. |
| Shahiv | Ukraine | Ukrainian шагiв – Shahiv is the plural form of Shah which was originally a silver coin egual to 3 grosz in the Polish-Lithuanian Union in 17th-18th centuries. Shahiv money stamps were used in the Ukrainian People’s Republic. |
| Shekel / Sheqel | Israel | Hebrew: שקל – Shekel literally means “weight” and was used as a unit of weight of around 12 grams. Plural form is Sheqalim. |
| Shilling | UK (old), Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania etc | from the Old English and Old High German verb “Scilling” – “to divide” |
| Skilling | Sweden, Norway (old) | Swedish and Norwegian cognate of the Shilling |
| Sol | Peru | Sol stays for Sun, meaning the “God of Sun” the principal god for Inca culture (with special thanks to Massimo Accordi) |
| Soldo | Italy (old coins) | Derived from Latin Solidus. Plural form is Soldi. |
| Solidus | Ancient Rome | In Latin “nummus solidus” means “solid coin”. The coin was originally gold therefore it was “solid”. The English word “soldier” derives from this word as they were paid with such coins. |
| Som | Kyrghyzstan | Kyrghyz: “Pure” (gold) |
| Somoni | Tajikistan | named in the honour of Ismoil Somoni (849-907) – the founder of the first Samanid (Tajik) State |
| Sou / Sol until 1715 | France | Sou is a derivation of Sol which is derived from the Latin Solidus. Sou is a slang word for “money” in French today. |
| Speciedaler | Norway (old) | Speciedaler was the currency of Norway from 1816 till 1875. It was divided into 120 Skilling. Krona replaced Speciedaler when Norway joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union in 1875. |
| Srang | Tibet | Srang, pronounced as sung in Tibet language, is a unit of weight equal to Chinese Liang about 37.50 grams (with special thanks to Phub from Bhutan) |
| Stotinki | Bulgaria (coins) | derived from the Slavic word Sto a “hundred” meaning “hundredth” |
| Stotin | Slovenia (coins) | derived from the Slavic word Sto a “hundred” meaning “hundredth” |
| Sucre | Equador | Antonio Jose de Sucre – South American liberator who revolted against Spain, first president of Bolivia (1795-1830) |
| Sueldo | Spain (old coins) | Derived from Latin Solidus. Also means “salary” in today’s Spanish. |
| Sum / Som | Uzbekistan | pronounced as Som – Uzbek: “Pure” (gold) |
| Tael | China (old) | Chinese: 兩 – Liyang – a unit of weight equal to 40 grams (of silver). Today the unit is still used for weight measuring. In China it means 50 grams, whereas im Hong Kong 37.429 grams. The English word Tael originates from Malay tahil meaning “grain” which has its root in Arabic dahl – “grain”. |
| Taka | Bangladesh | Bengali word Taka comes from Sanskrit word Tankah. |
| Tala | Western Samoa | derived from English “Dollar” |
| Tallero | Eritrea (old) | Derived from German Thaler. It was the currency unit in Eritrea from 1890 till 1921. |
| Tam / Trum | Tibet | In Tibet language Tam / Trum means “money”. (with special thanks to Phub from Bhutan) |
| Tambala | Malawi (coins) | In Chewa (a Bantu language spoken in Malawi) Tambala is a “cockerel” |
| Tamlung | Thailand | in Thailand, Tamlung is a unit weight equal to 60 grams. |
| Tanga | Tajikistan (coins) | derived from the Uzbek Tenga |
| Tangka | Tibet | Derived from Sanskrit word Tankah. |
| Tankah | India (old coins) | Sanskrit word Tankah means a “stamped coin” which may be related to Mongolian Tamga “stamp, seal” or Turkic Tenge “balance” |
| Tenga | Uzbekistan (Buhara – old) | Uzbek (and also other Turkic languages): “balance, scales”, from Mongolian Tenkhe, from Chinese Tengse: “balance” |
| Tenge | Kazakhstan | Kazakh (and also other Turkic languages): “balance, scales”, from Mongolian Tenkhe, from Chinese Tengse: “balance” |
| Tenne | Turkmenistan (coins) | Turkmen (and also other Turkic languages): “balance, scales”, from Mongolian Tenkhe, from Chinese Tengse: “balance” |
| Tetri | Georgia (coins) | Georgian: “white”, due to the silver coins minted in ancient Georgia |
| Thaler | Germany (old), Ethiopia (old) | As the Dollar, from 16th century German: “Thaler” a short for of Joahimsthaler, coin made from metal mined in Joahimsthal, a town now in Czech Republic |
| Thebe | Botswana (coins) | In Setswana (the language of Botswana) Thebe means “shield” |
| Tical | Thailand, Burma (old) | Burmese: Tical is a small unit of weight roughly equal to 5 grams. |
| Toea | Papua New Guinea (coins) | Toea is a very valuable shell used for trading found in the depths of the ocean |
| Tolar | Slovenia | Derived from the German word “Thaler” as the “Dollar”. |
| Toman | Iran (old) | Persian: تومان – Toman: A gold coin formerly used in Persia worth 10,000 Dinars, the word comes from Turkish Tümen which ultimately comes from Mongolian Tümen meaning “a unit of ten thousand” |
| Tugrik | Mongolia | Mongolian: төгрөг pronounced as Tögrög – meaning “round” |
| Wen | China (old) | Chinese: 文 – Wen means “cash”. This unit is shown in the catalogs as Cash. The Wen notes are the first officially circulating banknotes in the world dating as back 960 A.D. In 1889 Yuan was introduced at the rate of 1000 Wen. |
| Whan | Korea (old) | Korean: 圜 – Whan was equal to 5 Yang later became Won. |
| Won | Korea | Korean: 원 or 전 – Won (pronounced like on) derived from Chinese 元 Yuan |
| Xu | Vietnam | Xu is derived from the French Sou |
| Yang | Korea (old) | Korean: 兩 – Yang is the cognate of Chinese 兩 – Liyang. Yang was the currency unit of Korea between 1892-1902. |
| Yen | Japan | Japanese: 円 – Yen – from Chinese 元 Yuan |
| Yuan | China | Chinese: 元 or 圆 – Yuan: literally “a round object” |
| Zaire | Congo Democratic Republic, Zaire | The word Zaire is derived from the Kikongo (an ethnic language in Congo) word nzere meaning “river”. It refers to Congo River where the country takes its name. Congo originally means a “hunter”. |
| Zloty | Poland | Polish: Golden |