Which currency takes its name from the Portuguese word for “royal”?

The Brazilian real takes its name from the Portuguese word “real,” meaning “royal.”

Brazil introduced the current real on 1 July 1994 as part of the Plano Real, an economic stabilization program designed to control severe inflation. One real is divided into 100 centavos, and the currency’s ISO 4217 code is BRL.

The word real was used for several Portuguese and Brazilian monetary units before the modern currency. Brazil’s earlier currency, the cruzeiro real, was replaced when the present real was launched. The modern currency’s plural is “reais,” while “real” is singular.

The Brazilian real is not the same as Spain’s former real or the currencies called rial and riyal. Those names share historical links to words meaning “royal,” but they belong to different monetary traditions and countries.