Nuqad

Nuqad is the transliteration of the Arabic term نقد, which in Modern Standard Arabic is used to mean cash, hard currency, or ready money. The word denotes physical money as opposed to credit, bank deposits, or other forms of value. In plural form nuqud (نُقود), the term can refer to cash funds or coinage in economic and historical contexts. The concept is similarly expressed in Persian as naqd (نقد) with a related meaning, and the term appears in various transliterations in other languages.

In everyday use, naqd or nuqad appears in phrases such as paying “by cash” (في النقد or بالنقد) and in discussions of liquidity, payments, and pricing. The distinction between naqd and credit is common in retail, commerce, and financial law, where cash payments are contrasted with deferred or electronic settlements. Because of its overlap with other Arabic terms that share the same root, ناقد or نقد can also produce unrelated meanings, such as critique (naqd) in literary or scholarly contexts, making context important for interpretation.

Historically, naqd has referred to coins and bullion used as physical money in Islamic and Arab trading networks. The availability and weight of cash influenced prices, wages, and market practices, and coinage reforms or debasement episodes affected liquidity and monetary policy. In modern economies, the term remains a standard reference to cash in financial discussions, retail transactions, and regulations distinguishing physical money from non-cash payment methods.

See also: cash, currency, liquidity, Islamic finance.