Catholic in Different Languages
Discover 'Catholic' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word Catholic holds immense significance in the realm of religion and culture, representing one of the oldest and largest branches of Christianity. With a rich history spanning over 2,000 years, Catholicism has left indelible marks on various societies, influencing art, architecture, literature, and social structures worldwide.
Understanding the translation of Catholic in different languages can open doors to exploring this global faith's diverse cultural expressions. For instance, in Spanish, Catholic is translated as 'católico,' while in French, it becomes 'catholique.' In German, it is 'katholisch,' and in Italian, 'cattolico.' These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also unveil the universality of Catholicism, as it transcends geographical boundaries and unites people under shared beliefs.
Moreover, learning the translation of Catholic in various languages can be particularly enriching for travelers, students, or those with personal connections to the faith. By knowing these terms, one can engage more meaningfully with local communities, appreciate unique religious practices, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
Catholic
Catholic in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | katoliek | ||
| The word "Katoliek" can also refer to a member of the Roman Catholic Church or to the Catholic faith itself. | |||
| Amharic | ካቶሊክ | ||
| The word "ካቶሊክ" ("Catholic") in Amharic translates to "universal" implying the all-embracing nature of the Catholic Church. | |||
| Hausa | katolika | ||
| The word "Katolika" in Hausa is derived from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "whole." | |||
| Igbo | katọlik | ||
| In Igbo, | |||
| Malagasy | fiangonana katolika | ||
| The word "fiangonana katolika" comes from an archaic word for "church" or "congregation." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | katolika | ||
| The word 'Katolika' in Nyanja is derived from the Greek word 'Katholikos', meaning 'universal' or 'general'. It can also refer to the Catholic Church as a whole, or to a specific diocese or parish within it. | |||
| Shona | katurike | ||
| The word 'Katurike' is derived from Portuguese 'Católico', which also means 'universal' in Greek. | |||
| Somali | kaatolig | ||
| The Somali word Kaatolig is ultimately derived from the Greek Katholikos via Latin, French and Italian. | |||
| Sesotho | k'hatholike | ||
| The word | |||
| Swahili | mkatoliki | ||
| The word 'Mkatoliki' also means 'general' or 'universal' in Swahili, reflecting the Catholic Church's global reach. | |||
| Xhosa | umkatolika | ||
| "UmKatolika" (Xhosa for "Catholic") derives from "Katolikos" (Greek for "universal") via Portuguese and Zulu, and also refers to the Catholic Church as an organization. | |||
| Yoruba | katoliki | ||
| Yoruba Katoliki means Catholic, which also means 'universal' in Greek | |||
| Zulu | umkatolika | ||
| The word 'UmKatolika' in Zulu is derived from the Greek word 'katholikos' meaning 'universal' or 'general' and was originally used to describe the Catholic Church as a universal church. | |||
| Bambara | katoliki diinɛ | ||
| Ewe | katolikotɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umugatolika | ||
| Lingala | lingomba ya katolike | ||
| Luganda | omukatoliki | ||
| Sepedi | mokatholika | ||
| Twi (Akan) | katolekfo na wɔyɛ | ||
Catholic in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كاثوليكي | ||
| The term 'كاثوليكي' in Arabic can also refer to 'universal' or 'general'. | |||
| Hebrew | קָתוֹלִי | ||
| In Hebrew, "קָתוֹלִי" (קָתוֹלִי) can also refer to "all-encompassing" or "universal." | |||
| Pashto | کاتولیک | ||
| Arabic | كاثوليكي | ||
| The term 'كاثوليكي' in Arabic can also refer to 'universal' or 'general'. | |||
Catholic in Western European Languages
| Albanian | katolik | ||
| The word "Katolik" in Albanian is derived from the Greek word "katholikos", meaning "universal" or "general". | |||
| Basque | katolikoa | ||
| In Basque, "Katolikoa" also means "universal" and refers to the Catholic Church's claim to be the one true church. | |||
| Catalan | catòlic | ||
| "Catòlic" is the Catalan word for "Catholic", but it also means "universal" or "general" and comes from the Greek "katholikos" meaning "according to the whole". | |||
| Croatian | katolik | ||
| In Croatian, "Katolik" shares the same etymology as the English word "Catholic," but also has the alternate meaning of "universal" or "all-encompassing." | |||
| Danish | katolsk | ||
| The word "katolsk" is derived from the Greek word "katholikos", meaning "universal". | |||
| Dutch | katholiek | ||
| In Dutch, "Katholiek" is derived from Greek "Katholikos" meaning "universal" but is also used to refer specifically to Roman Catholics | |||
| English | catholic | ||
| The word "catholic" derives from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "general." | |||
| French | catholique | ||
| The word "catholique" derives from the Greek "katholikos" meaning "universal" or "general". | |||
| Frisian | katolyk | ||
| The Frisian word "katolyk" is derived from the Greek word "katholikos", which means "universal". | |||
| Galician | católico | ||
| Católico is also the name of a village in the municipality of Carnota, in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. | |||
| German | katholisch | ||
| The German word "katholisch" is derived from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "general." | |||
| Icelandic | kaþólskur | ||
| The word "Kaþólskur" in Icelandic comes from the Greek word "katholikos", meaning "universal". It is also used to describe the Catholic Church and its members. | |||
| Irish | caitliceach | ||
| The Gaelic term 'Caitliceach' derives from the Late Latin 'catholicus', but it has traditionally also referred to members of the Church of Ireland during the Penal Era. | |||
| Italian | cattolico | ||
| The word "cattolico" derives from the Greek "katholikos" meaning "universal" or "general". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kathoulescher | ||
| The word "Kathoulescher" has also been used in Luxembourgish to refer to people from the German-speaking part of Luxembourg. | |||
| Maltese | kattolika | ||
| The word "Kattolika" comes from the Greek word "Katholikos" meaning "universal" or "general". | |||
| Norwegian | katolikk | ||
| Ordet "katolikk" har også vært brukt i norske tekster med betydningen "allmenn" eller "universel". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | católico | ||
| The Portuguese word "católico" (Catholic) is related to the Greek term "katholikos" (universal), as the Catholic Church is the largest Christian church, present in almost every country. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | caitligeach | ||
| The word 'Caitligeach' is derived from 'Cath', meaning 'war' or 'battle', and 'lig', meaning 'to lie down' or 'to prostrate oneself'. | |||
| Spanish | católico | ||
| "Católico" derives from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "general." | |||
| Swedish | katolik | ||
| The Swedish word "Katolik" also refers to the universal Church of Christ. | |||
| Welsh | catholig | ||
| The alternate Welsh spelling, Catolig, might originate from Breton and refer to Brittany, where early Celtic Christianity originated. | |||
Catholic in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | каталіцкая | ||
| Bosnian | katolik | ||
| The term "Katolik" is also used in Bosnian to describe non-Catholic Christians, such as Protestants. | |||
| Bulgarian | католик | ||
| Bulgarian "Католик" can also mean "a person who belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Church." | |||
| Czech | katolík | ||
| The word "katolík" in Czech derives from the Greek word "katholikos" meaning "universal". | |||
| Estonian | katoliiklane | ||
| The word „Katoliiklane” comes from the Old Greek word „katholikos”, meaning “universal”. | |||
| Finnish | katolinen | ||
| The word "katolinen" originates from the Greek word "katholikos", meaning "universal" or "general". | |||
| Hungarian | katolikus | ||
| A katolikus szónak a "mindenkihez tartozó" jelentése mellett létezik "átfogó", "általános" jelentése is. | |||
| Latvian | katoļu | ||
| The word “katoļu” in Latvian might derive from the name of the region Cappadocia in central Anatolia, where early priests were called “katolikos,” from which the term passed into Slavic and Germanic languages. | |||
| Lithuanian | katalikas | ||
| The word "Katalikas" in Lithuanian comes from the Greek word "Katholikos," which means "universal or general." | |||
| Macedonian | католик | ||
| The word "Католик" in Macedonian can also refer to a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in addition to its primary meaning of "Catholic". | |||
| Polish | katolicki | ||
| The name "katolicki" originally meant "universal" in Greek, and it began being used for the church at the end of the first century. | |||
| Romanian | catolic | ||
| The word "catolic" in Romanian derives from the Greek word "katholikos" (meaning "universal" or "general"), but it also has the alternate meaning of "Roman Catholic". | |||
| Russian | католик | ||
| The word "Katolik" (Католик) in Russian can also refer to the universal or general, as opposed to the particular or individual. | |||
| Serbian | католик | ||
| Slovak | katolícka | ||
| In Slovak, "Katolícka" also refers to the Catholic Church, or to the Christian faith in general. | |||
| Slovenian | katoliški | ||
| The word 'Katoliški' also means 'general' or 'universal' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | католицька | ||
Catholic in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্যাথলিক | ||
| The Bengali word "ক্যাথলিক" is also used to mean "universal". This meaning is derived from the Greek word "καθολικός", which means "universal". | |||
| Gujarati | કેથોલિક | ||
| The word "કેથોલિક" in Gujarati is borrowed from the Greek word "καθολικός" (katholikos), meaning "universal" or "whole". | |||
| Hindi | कैथोलिक | ||
| The term कैथोलिक in Sanskrit also refers to something that is universal, complete or general, not restricted to any particular religion, sect, philosophy or dogma. | |||
| Kannada | ಕ್ಯಾಥೊಲಿಕ್ | ||
| Malayalam | കത്തോലിക്കർ | ||
| Marathi | कॅथोलिक | ||
| Nepali | क्याथोलिक | ||
| The term "क्याथोलिक" ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek "καθολικός" meaning "general" or "universal". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੈਥੋਲਿਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කතෝලික | ||
| The Sinhala word "කතෝලික" (Catholic) also refers to a type of cloth used by monks. | |||
| Tamil | கத்தோலிக்கர் | ||
| The term "கத்தோலிக்கர்" (Catholic) literally means "universal" in Greek, referring to the universal or worldwide nature of the Christian church. | |||
| Telugu | కాథలిక్ | ||
| Urdu | کیتھولک | ||
Catholic in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 天主教徒 | ||
| 天主教徒源自希腊语，意为“普遍的”，指所有接受使徒教义的基督徒。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 天主教徒 | ||
| 天主教徒的"天主"源自拉丁文Domine Deus，意为"上帝"，与"基督教徒"的"基督"同源。 | |||
| Japanese | カトリック | ||
| カトリックは元々、全体を意味する「普遍的な」という意味のギリシャ語「カトリコス」に由来する。」} | |||
| Korean | 가톨릭 | ||
| "가톨릭"은 '전체'를 뜻하는 고대 그리스어 'καθολικός'에서 유래되었습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | католик | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကက်သလစ် | ||
| The term 'ကက်သလစ်' (Catholic) in Myanmar is derived from the Portuguese word 'católico' and was introduced to Myanmar by Portuguese missionaries during the 16th century. | |||
Catholic in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | katolik | ||
| "Katolik" berasal dari kata Yunani "katholikos" yang berarti "universal" atau "umum". | |||
| Javanese | katulik | ||
| "Katulik" also refers to "all things" and "complete" in Javanese, reflecting the Catholic Church's universal and inclusive nature. | |||
| Khmer | កាតូលិក | ||
| The term "Kាតូលិក(Catholic)" is derived from Ancient Greek and initially referred to the "whole" or "universal" nature of the Christian church before coming to be associated just with adherents to the Roman Catholic branch. | |||
| Lao | ກາໂຕລິກ | ||
| The name is borrowed from the Greek word “katholikos”, which means universal. | |||
| Malay | katolik | ||
| "Katolik" is derived from the Greek "Katholikos", meaning "universal" or "general." | |||
| Thai | คาทอลิก | ||
| In the Thai language, the word "คาทอลิก" (katholik) originates from the Greek word "καθολικός" (katholikos), meaning "universal". It is used to refer to the Catholic Church and its teachings. | |||
| Vietnamese | công giáo | ||
| Công giáo can also mean 'public worship' or 'community worship' depending on the context and can also refer to other religions besides Catholicism. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katoliko | ||
Catholic in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | katolik | ||
| The Azerbaijani word | |||
| Kazakh | католик | ||
| The Kazakh word "Католик" is a loanword, coming from Russian, where it ultimately derives from Ancient Greek. | |||
| Kyrgyz | католик | ||
| В кыргызском языке слово «Католик» означает представителя католической христианской конфессии и используется в религиозном контексте. | |||
| Tajik | католикӣ | ||
| Turkmen | katolik | ||
| Uzbek | katolik | ||
| Uyghur | كاتولىك | ||
Catholic in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kakolika | ||
| Hawaiian word "kakolika" originally meant "universal" or "pertaining to the whole world" and only later took on the meaning of "Catholic". | |||
| Maori | katorika | ||
| The word "Katorika" in Maori is an abbreviation of the earlier word "Karaitiana", derived from the Greek "Katholikos" meaning "universal". | |||
| Samoan | katoliko | ||
| Katoliko is also the term for a denomination of Christianity. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | katoliko | ||
| "Katipunan" is similar sounding to the Filipino word "katip" (partner). | |||
Catholic in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | católica ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | católico rehegua | ||
Catholic in International Languages
| Esperanto | katolika | ||
| Latin | catholico | ||
| The word "Catholico" originates from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "general." | |||
Catholic in Others Languages
| Greek | καθολικός | ||
| In Greek, 'καθολικός' ('Catholic') originally meant 'universal' or 'general,' and referred to the whole Christian church. | |||
| Hmong | catholic | ||
| “Catholic” is sometimes used to denote the Roman Catholic Church as well as all other Western churches, especially those of the Anglican communion | |||
| Kurdish | katolîk | ||
| The word "Katolîk" in Kurdish is derived from the Greek word "katholikos" meaning "universal" or "ecumenical". | |||
| Turkish | katolik | ||
| The word "Katolik" in Turkish comes from the same Greek word that "Catholic" derives from, and also means "universal". | |||
| Xhosa | umkatolika | ||
| "UmKatolika" (Xhosa for "Catholic") derives from "Katolikos" (Greek for "universal") via Portuguese and Zulu, and also refers to the Catholic Church as an organization. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַטהאָליק | ||
| The Yiddish word "קאַטהאָליק" (katholishe) can also mean "universal" or "general". | |||
| Zulu | umkatolika | ||
| The word 'UmKatolika' in Zulu is derived from the Greek word 'katholikos' meaning 'universal' or 'general' and was originally used to describe the Catholic Church as a universal church. | |||
| Assamese | কেথলিক | ||
| Aymara | católica ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | कैथोलिक के नाम से जानल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ކެތޮލިކް | ||
| Dogri | कैथोलिक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katoliko | ||
| Guarani | católico rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | katoliko | ||
| Krio | katolik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاسۆلیکی | ||
| Maithili | कैथोलिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯦꯊꯣꯂꯤꯛ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | catholic a ni | ||
| Oromo | kaatolikii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ୟାଥୋଲିକ୍ | | ||
| Quechua | católico nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | कैथोलिक | ||
| Tatar | католик | ||
| Tigrinya | ካቶሊካዊ | ||
| Tsonga | khatoliki | ||