rupee

rupee — noun

1. the currency that is the main form of payment in nations such as India, Pakistan

1.nounB1
Definition

the currency that is the main form of payment in nations such as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka

Example

Tariq paid five hundred rupees for a cotton shirt at the street market.

number + rupees for expressing price

Before her trip to Mumbai, Nila exchanged her euros for rupees at the airport bank.

exchange [currency] for rupees

Common collocations
  • Indian rupee
  • Pakistani rupee
  • rupee note
  • rupee coin
  • pay in rupees
  • rupee sign
Synonyms
  • currency

    much broader term covering any system of money used in a country; not specific to South Asia

  • money

    general term for any medium of exchange; rupee is a specific type of money

  • paisa

    a smaller unit of money equal to one hundredth of a rupee, not interchangeable in meaning

Grammar Patterns

number + rupees

in + rupees

Usage Note

Each country that uses the rupee has its own version with a different value and symbol. Specify the country when context is unclear: Indian rupee (₹), Pakistani rupee (₨).

Common Mistakes

I changed my dollars to rupee.
I changed my dollars to rupees.
The plural form 'rupees' is almost always used when referring to an amount or the currency in general.
The Indonesian rupee has lost value.
The Indonesian rupiah has lost value.
'Rupiah' is the currency of Indonesia, not 'rupee'.

Word family

  • rupees
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Rupee, currency, money, paisa, and rupiah are related but not interchangeable. 'Money' is the broadest term — anything accepted as payment. 'Currency' is more specific: the official system of money used in a particular country. A rupee is a type of currency used in India, Pakistan, and other South Asian nations. 'Paisa' is a subunit: one rupee equals 100 paise (or paisa), so it cannot replace 'rupee' when talking about larger amounts. 'Rupiah' sounds similar to 'rupee' but refers only to Indonesia's currency — a common confusion for learners. For example: 'The scarf cost five hundred rupees, not rupiah.'

currency ↗moneypaisa ↗rupiah

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Indian rupee (₹)
  • Pakistani rupee (₨)
  • Sri Lankan rupee
  • Nepalese rupee

Prepositions

  • in rupees
  • for [amount] rupees

Etymology

SanskritPrakritHindi-UrduEnglish

The word 'rupee' comes from the Sanskrit word 'rūpya' (रूप्य), meaning 'wrought silver' or 'a silver coin'. It travelled through the Prakrit and Hindi-Urdu languages as 'rupayā' (रुपया / روپیہ) before being adopted into English during the British colonial period in the 16th–17th centuries. The silver rupee coin was first issued by the Mughal Empire and later standardised by British India.