Christian in Different Languages
Discover 'Christian' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word Christian holds immense significance in our world today, carrying a rich cultural importance that spans continents and centuries. Originating from the Greek word Christianos, meaning follower of Christ, this term has become synonymous with a major global religion, Christianity. Christians believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, as detailed in the Holy Bible, and strive to live by his values of love, compassion, and forgiveness.
With over 2.4 billion adherents worldwide, Christianity is the world's largest religion, and the word Christian is an essential part of our global cultural lexicon. From Europe to Africa, from the Americas to Asia, Christianity has left an indelible mark on history, art, literature, and philosophy.
Understanding the translation of Christian in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the cultural nuances and historical contexts of this word. For instance, in Spanish, a Christian is known as Cristiano, while in French, the term is Chrétien. In German, it's Christen, and in Russian, Христианин (Khristiyanin).
Join us as we explore the many translations of the word Christian, shedding light on the rich tapestry of language and culture that makes up our world.
Christian
Christian in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | christelik | ||
| Die etimologie van die Afrikaanse woord "Christelik" kom van die Middelnederlandse woord "kerstenlike", wat "Christelijk" en "kerkelijk" beteken het. | |||
| Amharic | ክርስቲያን | ||
| The word 'ክርስቲያን' is derived from the Greek 'Χριστιανός' and literally means 'follower of Christ'. | |||
| Hausa | kirista | ||
| The word "Kirista" also refers to followers of the indigenous Hausa religion, Bori, as well as to European and American Christians. | |||
| Igbo | christian | ||
| The Igbo word "Christian" can also mean "follower of Christ" or "believer in Christ." | |||
| Malagasy | christian | ||
| The word "Christian" in Malagasy can also refer to a person who is kind and compassionate. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mkhristu | ||
| "Mkhristu" in Nyanja also means "a believer in Christ" or "one who has accepted Christ." | |||
| Shona | mukristu | ||
| Mukristu means 'one who is anointed' in Shona and can also refer to a religious person other than a Christian. | |||
| Somali | christian | ||
| The word "Christian" ("Kiristaan") is derived from the name of Christ ("Kiraast") and ultimately comes from Greek. | |||
| Sesotho | mokreste | ||
| Mokreste originates from the Afrikaans word "Christen" and the Dutch word "Cristianus." | |||
| Swahili | mkristo | ||
| In Swahili, "Mkristo" is derived from the Arabic word "Masīhī" meaning "Christ-like" or "follower of Christ". | |||
| Xhosa | umkristu | ||
| 'UmKristu' is derived from the Greek word 'khristos', meaning 'anointed one', and was used to refer to Jesus Christ. | |||
| Yoruba | onigbagb | ||
| The word “Onigbagbo” is rooted in two Yoruba words, “oni” meaning “owner” and “igbagbo” meaning “faith.” | |||
| Zulu | umkristu | ||
| The name of the Zulu tribe, "amaZulu", is also a synonym for "UmKristu". | |||
| Bambara | kerecɛn | ||
| Ewe | kristotɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umukristo | ||
| Lingala | moklisto | ||
| Luganda | omukristaayo | ||
| Sepedi | mokriste | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kristoni | ||
Christian in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مسيحي | ||
| In Arabic, the word "مسيحي" not only refers to "Christian", but can also mean "related to the Messiah" or "anointed with oil." | |||
| Hebrew | נוצרי | ||
| The word "נוצרי" derives from the Aramaic word "נצרא" meaning "of Nazareth". | |||
| Pashto | مسیحي | ||
| The Pashto word "مسیحي" comes from the Arabic word "مسيحي", which itself derives from the Greek word "Χριστιανός" meaning "follower of Christ." | |||
| Arabic | مسيحي | ||
| In Arabic, the word "مسيحي" not only refers to "Christian", but can also mean "related to the Messiah" or "anointed with oil." | |||
Christian in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i krishterë | ||
| I krishterë means “he who keeps the promise” because Christianity is a fulfilled promise | |||
| Basque | kristaua | ||
| "Kristaua" is derived from the Latin word "christianus" and entered Basque around the 13th century. | |||
| Catalan | cristià | ||
| The word «cristià» in Catalan is derived from the Latin «christianus» and is also used to refer to people from Christian-majority cultures, regardless of whether they are practicing Christians. | |||
| Croatian | kršćanski | ||
| The word Kršćanski derives from the Greek word "khristianos", meaning "follower of Christ". | |||
| Danish | kristen | ||
| The word "kristen" derives from the Greek word "khristos," meaning "anointed one," as used in the New Testament. | |||
| Dutch | christen | ||
| The Dutch word "Christen" is derived from the Greek "Khristianos" and originally meant "follower of Christ" or "believer in Christ." | |||
| English | christian | ||
| "Christian" derives from Greek "Christos" meaning "anointed one," also referring to followers of Jesus Christ. | |||
| French | christian | ||
| In French, the word “Christian” can also mean “charitable” or “pious”. | |||
| Frisian | kristen | ||
| The word "kristen" in Frisian is also used to refer to someone who is kind and generous. | |||
| Galician | cristián | ||
| The Galician word "Cristián" derives from the ancient Greek word "Christianós", meaning "follower of Christ". | |||
| German | christian | ||
| In German, "Christ" refers exclusively to Jesus Christ and thus "Christian" only refers to those who follow his teachings. | |||
| Icelandic | kristinn | ||
| Kristinn can also refer to a follower of Norse paganism who was baptized, but has not yet become a full member of the Christian church. | |||
| Irish | críostaí | ||
| Italian | cristiano | ||
| The Italian word "cristiano" derives from the Latin "christianus," meaning "follower of Christ," and is also used in the sense of "pious" or "devout."} | |||
| Luxembourgish | chrëscht | ||
| Chrëscht derives from “Cristus,” Greek for “the anointed” and shares the same roots as “Christ,” “Christian,” and “Christianity.” | |||
| Maltese | nisrani | ||
| The word 'Nisrani' originates from the Arabic word 'nasrani' which also means 'Christian' and is derived from the Latin word 'Nazareni', meaning 'people of Nazareth'. | |||
| Norwegian | kristen | ||
| The word "Kristen" in Norwegian can also refer to someone who believes in ghosts or supernatural beings. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cristão | ||
| The Portuguese word "cristão" can also refer to a type of sweet bun. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | crìosdaidh | ||
| The name "Crìosdaidh" in Scots Gaelic is derived from the Greek "Khristos," meaning "anointed one." | |||
| Spanish | cristiano | ||
| "Cristiano" also refers to the Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo | |||
| Swedish | christian | ||
| In Swedish, the word "kristen" not only means "Christian," but also refers to a type of shirt worn by men. | |||
| Welsh | cristion | ||
| The word "Cristion" is a Welsh loanword from Latin and is cognate with English "Christian" and French "chrétien". | |||
Christian in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хрысціянскі | ||
| Bosnian | christian | ||
| У хришћанству, овај термин се користи за означавање особе која верује у Исуса Христа као Божијег Сина и Спаситеља. | |||
| Bulgarian | кристиян | ||
| The Bulgarian word "Кристиян" comes from Greek and ultimately derives from the Latin word "Christianus", meaning "follower of Christ." | |||
| Czech | křesťan | ||
| The word 'křesťan' in Czech comes from the Greek 'khristos,' meaning 'anointed one,' or from the Hebrew 'mashiach,' from which the word 'messiah' derives. | |||
| Estonian | kristlane | ||
| The Estonian word “kristlane” originally referred only to German merchants and later adopted the meaning “Christian.” | |||
| Finnish | kristillinen | ||
| "Kristillinen" also means "crystalline" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | keresztény | ||
| The word 'keresztény' derives from 'Khrestos' (Χρηστός), the Greek term for 'annointed', which referred to Jesus. | |||
| Latvian | kristietis | ||
| The word "kristietis" is derived from the Greek word "khristianos" which means "follower of Christ." | |||
| Lithuanian | krikščionis | ||
| The word derives from the Greek word "khristianos" meaning a follower of Christ. | |||
| Macedonian | кристијан | ||
| The original meaning of Христијан (Hristijan) was “a follower of Christ” | |||
| Polish | chrześcijanin | ||
| "Chrześcijanin" derives from "chrześcijański" and "CHRZEST" "baptism", coming from the Greek "Khristós" "Christ". | |||
| Romanian | creştin | ||
| Creştin comes from the Late Latin word christianus, derived from the Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianós), meaning “follower of Christ”. | |||
| Russian | христианин | ||
| The Russian word "Христианин" (Christian) derives from the Greek "Χριστιανός" (Christianos), which in turn derives from the Hebrew "משיח" (Messiah). | |||
| Serbian | хришћанин | ||
| У старосрпском језику, 'хришћанин' је значило 'човек' | |||
| Slovak | christian | ||
| "Kresťan" is a Slovak word that also means "Protestant" or "Evangelical" in some contexts. | |||
| Slovenian | christian | ||
| The Slovenian word "krščanski" is derived from the Latin word "christianus", which means "of Christ" or "belonging to Christ". | |||
| Ukrainian | християнський | ||
| The word "Християнський" comes from the Greek word "Χριστιανός", which means "follower of Christ" or "anointed one". | |||
Christian in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খ্রিস্টান | ||
| খ্রিস্টান শব্দটি গ্রিক শব্দ "খ্রিস্টোস" থেকে এসেছে, যার অর্থ "অভিষিক্ত"। | |||
| Gujarati | ખ્રિસ્તી | ||
| The Gujarati loanword "ખ્રિસ્તી" ("Christian") originally referred to the Portuguese and later came to mean "Christian" in general. | |||
| Hindi | ईसाई | ||
| ईसाई (Christian) शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति ग्रीक शब्द "ख्रिस्तियानोस" से हुई है, जिसका अर्थ है "मसीह का अनुयायी"। | |||
| Kannada | ಕ್ರಿಶ್ಚಿಯನ್ | ||
| Malayalam | ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ | ||
| The word "ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ" (Christian) in Malayalam can also refer to a traditional herbal medicine used in Ayurveda. | |||
| Marathi | ख्रिश्चन | ||
| In Marathi, "ख्रिश्चन" can also refer to a type of sweet potato bread. | |||
| Nepali | क्रिश्चियन | ||
| The word "क्रिश्चियन" can be traced back to the Greek word "khristianos", meaning "follower of Christ". | |||
| Punjabi | ਈਸਾਈ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਈਸਾਈ" (Īsā'ī) is derived from the Aramaic word "ܢܨܪܝܐ" (Nasraya), meaning "follower of Jesus (of Nazareth)". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ක්රිස්තියානි | ||
| Tamil | கிறிஸ்துவர் | ||
| Telugu | క్రిస్టియన్ | ||
| The word "క్రిస్టియన్" comes from the Greek word "Χριστιανός" (Christianós), meaning "follower of Christ" or "one who belongs to Christ". | |||
| Urdu | عیسائی | ||
| The Urdu word "عیسائی" derives from the Syriac word "īsayā" and also means "follower of Jesus" in Arabic. | |||
Christian in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 基督教 | ||
| "基督教"最早出现在明末清初，原指天主教，因传入者称自己信仰的是基督教，故被译为"基督教"。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 基督教 | ||
| 基督教一名來自希臘語" Χριστιανός "，意指"奉基督之名者"。 | |||
| Japanese | キリスト教徒 | ||
| The word "キリスト教徒" (Christian) in Japanese is derived from the Portuguese word "Cristão" and was originally used to refer to both Catholics and Protestants. | |||
| Korean | 신자 | ||
| The word "신자" in Korean can also mean "believer" or "follower" and is not limited to religious contexts. | |||
| Mongolian | христэд итгэгч | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခရစ်ယာန် | ||
| In Myanmar, "ခရစ်ယာန်" can also refer to Portuguese people or the Portuguese language, due to historical interactions and the influence of missionaries. | |||
Christian in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kristen | ||
| The word 'Kristen' in Indonesian also means believing in, adhering to, or venerating something. | |||
| Javanese | kristen | ||
| "Kristen", meaning "Christian" in Javanese, also denotes a non-native person of European or American background, especially an ethnic Chinese. | |||
| Khmer | គ្រីស្ទាន | ||
| The word "គ្រីស្ទាន" is derived from the Pali word "Kiriṭṭhāna", meaning "crown" or "diadem", and was used to refer to the followers of Prince Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism. | |||
| Lao | ຄົນຄຣິດສະຕຽນ | ||
| In English, a Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, but in Lao, the word is also used to describe followers of other monotheistic religions such as Judaism and Islam. | |||
| Malay | kristian | ||
| The term also means 'one who is grateful', as well as someone who is 'noble', 'dignified' or 'exalted' in Malay culture. | |||
| Thai | คริสเตียน | ||
| The word "คริสเตียน" means "Christian" in Thai, but it also has the alternate meaning of "good person". | |||
| Vietnamese | thiên chúa giáo | ||
| The word Thiên chúa giáo was coined by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century and is a calque of the Portuguese phrase "Deos Padre", meaning "God the Father"} | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kristiyano | ||
Christian in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xristian | ||
| 'Xristian' can also be used in Azerbaijani to refer to a type of ancient Turkish coin. | |||
| Kazakh | христиан | ||
| Христиан (Christian) is an uncommon name, used only among Russianized Kazakhs. Among Muslims, it is used to address Christians. It is sometimes spelled Християн to differentiate from the name for a Christian, which is Христианин. | |||
| Kyrgyz | христиан | ||
| The word “Христиан” can also be used to refer to a kind and merciful person, regardless of their religious affiliation. | |||
| Tajik | масеҳӣ | ||
| The word "Масеҳӣ" is derived from the Arabic word "مسيح" which means "anointed one". | |||
| Turkmen | hristian | ||
| Uzbek | nasroniy | ||
| "Nasroniy" comes from Syriac and refers to both Christians and Nazarenes. | |||
| Uyghur | خىرىستىيان | ||
Christian in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | karistiano | ||
| In Hawaiian, Karistiano also means 'Catholic', a word sharing similar origins from the Latin name 'Christus'. | |||
| Maori | karaitiana | ||
| The word "Karaitiana" in Maori is derived from the Greek word "Khristianos", which means "follower of Christ." | |||
| Samoan | kerisiano | ||
| The word "Kerisiano" is an adaptation of the English word "Christian" through the Tahitian language, where it is spelled "Kerisiano". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kristiyano | ||
| The Tagalog (Filipino) word "Kristiyano" comes from the Spanish word "Cristiano" which originally meant "follower of Christ". | |||
Christian in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | cristiano | ||
| Guarani | cristiano | ||
Christian in International Languages
| Esperanto | kristana | ||
| The word "Kristana" in Esperanto originally included the meaning of "Jew", but this meaning is now obsolete. | |||
| Latin | christiana | ||
| The Roman Emperor Diocletian gave the name Christiana to a concubine of Galerius in the early 4th century AD. | |||
Christian in Others Languages
| Greek | χριστιανός | ||
| The word 'Χριστιανός' (Christian) is derived from the word 'Χριστός' (Christ) and means 'follower of Christ'. | |||
| Hmong | cov ntseeg yexus | ||
| The Hmong word "Cov ntseeg Yexus" is a translation of the Greek word "Khristianos", which means "follower of Christ". | |||
| Kurdish | mesîhparêz | ||
| The word "mesîhparêz" is derived from the Persian word "mesih", meaning "the anointed one", and the Kurdish word "parêz", meaning "protection" or "defender". | |||
| Turkish | hıristiyan | ||
| In Turkish, "Hıristiyan" also means "follower of Christ" or "one who believes in Jesus." | |||
| Xhosa | umkristu | ||
| 'UmKristu' is derived from the Greek word 'khristos', meaning 'anointed one', and was used to refer to Jesus Christ. | |||
| Yiddish | קריסטלעך | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "קריסטלעך" can also mean "Gentile" or "non-Jew". | |||
| Zulu | umkristu | ||
| The name of the Zulu tribe, "amaZulu", is also a synonym for "UmKristu". | |||
| Assamese | খ্ৰীষ্টান | ||
| Aymara | cristiano | ||
| Bhojpuri | ईसाई के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | ކްރިސްޓިއަން އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | ईसाई | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kristiyano | ||
| Guarani | cristiano | ||
| Ilocano | cristiano | ||
| Krio | kristian | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەسیحی | ||
| Maithili | ईसाई | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈ꯭ꯔ꯭ꯏꯁ꯭ꯠꯌꯥꯟ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | kristian | ||
| Oromo | kiristaana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖ୍ରୀଷ୍ଟିଆନ | ||
| Quechua | cristiano | ||
| Sanskrit | क्रिश्चियन | ||
| Tatar | христиан | ||
| Tigrinya | ክርስትያን እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | mukreste | ||