What currency is Paraguay’s official money and is named after an Indigenous language?

The Paraguayan guaraní is Paraguay’s official currency and is named after an Indigenous language.

Paraguay introduced the guaraní in 1943, replacing the Paraguayan peso. The currency’s name refers to the Guaraní people and the Guaraní language, which remains one of Paraguay’s official languages alongside Spanish. This makes the currency an especially visible expression of the country’s cultural identity.

The guaraní has the ISO 4217 code PYG and is divided into 100 céntimos. Inflation and successive changes in the purchasing power of the currency have made céntimo denominations largely obsolete in modern daily use.

The guaraní should not be confused with a country name or a generic term for money. It is also unrelated to Brazil’s real, despite Paraguay’s geographic proximity and strong regional trade connections.