qirsh

Qirsh is a monetary unit name historically used in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, and still encountered in some currencies today. The term derives from the Arabic قرش (qirsh), meaning a small coin or penny, and it has been borrowed into other languages, most notably Turkish, where the form kuruş became the modern subunit of the lira.

In the Ottoman Empire, qirsh coins circulated as a small denomination, typically minted in copper or copper-alloy, and used alongside larger units in everyday commerce. The exact value of a qirsh varied over time and place, but it commonly functioned as a minor unit within the broader monetary system.

Today, the word remains in active use in at least one country: in Egypt, 100 qirsh make up one Egyptian pound, and the term is widely employed in pricing and everyday transactions. In Turkey, the historical name has evolved into the subunit known today as the kuruş, which is one hundredth of a lira. Although the spelling and usage differ by country, the qirsh remains a recognizable link between older coinage and contemporary currency structures in the region.

Beyond Egypt and Turkey, variants of qirsh appeared in other Arab and former Ottoman regions as part of different monetary arrangements, often serving a role similar to a penny or cent in local systems. The term has also been encountered in translations and historical accounts alongside other small-denomination units such as the piastre.