Christmas in Different Languages
Discover 'Christmas' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Christmas
Afrikaans kersfees | ||
Albanian krishtlindje | ||
Amharic የገና በአል | ||
Arabic عيد الميلاد | ||
Armenian սուրբ ծնունդ | ||
Assamese খ্ৰীষ্টমাছ | ||
Aymara navidad urunxa | ||
Azerbaijani milad | ||
Bambara noɛli | ||
Basque gabonak | ||
Belarusian каляды | ||
Bengali বড়দিন | ||
Bhojpuri क्रिसमस के दिन बा | ||
Bosnian božić | ||
Bulgarian коледа | ||
Catalan nadal | ||
Cebuano pasko | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 圣诞 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 聖誕 | ||
Corsican natale | ||
Croatian božić | ||
Czech vánoce | ||
Danish jul | ||
Dhivehi ކްރިސްމަސް ދުވަހު | ||
Dogri क्रिसमस | ||
Dutch kerstmis- | ||
English christmas | ||
Esperanto kristnasko | ||
Estonian jõulud | ||
Ewe kristmas ƒe kristmas | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pasko | ||
Finnish joulu | ||
French noël | ||
Frisian kryst | ||
Galician nadal | ||
Georgian შობა | ||
German weihnachten | ||
Greek χριστούγεννα | ||
Guarani navidad rehegua | ||
Gujarati ક્રિસમસ | ||
Haitian Creole nwèl | ||
Hausa kirsimeti | ||
Hawaiian kalikimaka | ||
Hebrew חַג הַמוֹלָד | ||
Hindi क्रिसमस | ||
Hmong christmas | ||
Hungarian karácsony | ||
Icelandic jól | ||
Igbo ekeresimesi | ||
Ilocano krismas | ||
Indonesian hari natal | ||
Irish nollag | ||
Italian natale | ||
Japanese クリスマス | ||
Javanese natal | ||
Kannada ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಮಸ್ | ||
Kazakh рождество | ||
Khmer បុណ្យណូអែល | ||
Kinyarwanda noheri | ||
Konkani नाताळाचो नाताळ | ||
Korean 크리스마스 | ||
Krio krismas | ||
Kurdish noel | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) جەژنی کریسمس | ||
Kyrgyz нартууган | ||
Lao ວັນຄຣິດສະມາດ | ||
Latin nativitatis | ||
Latvian ziemassvētki | ||
Lingala noele ya noele | ||
Lithuanian kalėdas | ||
Luganda ssekukkulu | ||
Luxembourgish chrëschtdag | ||
Macedonian божиќ | ||
Maithili क्रिसमस | ||
Malagasy noely | ||
Malay krismas | ||
Malayalam ക്രിസ്മസ് | ||
Maltese milied | ||
Maori kirihimete | ||
Marathi ख्रिसमस | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀ꯭ꯔꯤꯁꯃꯁꯀꯤ ꯊꯧꯔꯝ꯫ | ||
Mizo krismas neih a ni | ||
Mongolian зул сарын баяр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ခရစ်စမတ် | ||
Nepali क्रिसमस | ||
Norwegian jul | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) khirisimasi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଖ୍ରୀଷ୍ଟମାସ | ||
Oromo ayyaana qillee | ||
Pashto کریمیس | ||
Persian کریسمس | ||
Polish boże narodzenie | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) natal | ||
Punjabi ਕ੍ਰਿਸਮਸ | ||
Quechua navidad | ||
Romanian crăciun | ||
Russian рождество | ||
Samoan kerisimasi | ||
Sanskrit क्रिसमस | ||
Scots Gaelic nollaig | ||
Sepedi keresemose ya keresemose | ||
Serbian божић | ||
Sesotho keresemese | ||
Shona kisimusi | ||
Sindhi ڪرسمس | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නත්තල් | ||
Slovak vianoce | ||
Slovenian božič | ||
Somali kirismaska | ||
Spanish navidad | ||
Sundanese natal | ||
Swahili krismasi | ||
Swedish jul | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pasko | ||
Tajik мавлуди исо | ||
Tamil கிறிஸ்துமஸ் | ||
Tatar раштуа | ||
Telugu క్రిస్మస్ | ||
Thai คริสต์มาส | ||
Tigrinya በዓል ልደት | ||
Tsonga khisimusi | ||
Turkish noel | ||
Turkmen ro christmasdestwo | ||
Twi (Akan) buronya | ||
Ukrainian різдво | ||
Urdu کرسمس | ||
Uyghur روژدېستۋو بايرىمى | ||
Uzbek rojdestvo | ||
Vietnamese giáng sinh | ||
Welsh nadolig | ||
Xhosa krisimesi | ||
Yiddish ניטל | ||
Yoruba keresimesi | ||
Zulu ukhisimusi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "Kersfees" is derived from the Dutch word "Kerstmis," which in turn comes from the Old English phrase "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Christ's Mass." |
| Albanian | The word "Krishtlindje" is derived from the Latin "Christi nativitas", meaning "birth of Christ". |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "የገና በአል" can also mean "the birth of the Savior" or "the time of the birth of Jesus." |
| Arabic | عيد الميلاد literally means "the birth feast" in Arabic, and it is used to refer to religious festivals of several religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "Milad" in Azerbaijani has its roots in ancient Zoroastrianism and also refers to the birth of Prophet Muhammad in Persian culture. |
| Basque | Gabonak derives from the Basque word "gabe" (night), hence its meaning of "the nights" (plural), referring to the winter solstice. |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "Каляды" is also used to refer to a set of traditional songs, games, and dances performed during the winter solstice. |
| Bengali | "বড়দিন" refers to "large day" and is also used to describe a person of importance or an auspicious occasion in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The word "Božić" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "bogъ", meaning "god", and is related to the Old English word "God" and the German word "Gott". |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "Коледа" for "Christmas" originates from the Proto-Slavic "*kolęda" (ritual), but is etymologically related to "коло" (circle, wheel). |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "Nadal" is derived from the Latin "natalis" (birth), and is cognate with the English word "natal". |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "Pasko" has been derived from the Spanish word "Pascua" via the Nahuatl word "Pāsco". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 圣诞节最初源于拉丁文单词“Natalis”，意为诞生或诞辰。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聖誕, 'holy birth', the Chinese translation for 'Christmas', also means 'the birthday of a saint', 'a saint's day' or simply 'a festival' |
| Corsican | Corsican Natale derives from Latin “natalis”, “birth”, thus “birthday” |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "Božić" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "bogъ," meaning "god." |
| Czech | The word "Vánoce" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "veselьstvo", meaning "joy". It is also related to the Polish word "wigilia", meaning "vigil". |
| Danish | In addition to meaning "Christmas", "jul" also refers to the pre-Christian midwinter festival in Scandinavian countries. |
| Dutch | "Kerstmis" is a contraction of "Kerstmisse" which literally means "Christ's Mass". |
| Esperanto | "Kristnasko" is an Esperanto word that, like the English word "Yule," is a blend of Christian and Pre-Christian terms. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "Jõulud" comes from the pre-Christian winter solstice celebrations when bonfires were lit to "bring back the sun" from the Northern darkness in the middle of winter. |
| Finnish | The word "joulu" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*jehwla" and is cognate with the English "yule". |
| French | "Noël" derives from the Latin "natalis," meaning "birth," and is cognate with "nativity" and "Natal Day." |
| Frisian | The word "Kryst" can also mean "manger" or "crib" in Frisian. |
| Galician | The word "Nadal" in Galician, meaning "Christmas", may also refer to the time of the year after harvest when cattle are left to graze on crop leftovers in open fields. |
| Georgian | The word "შობა" originated from the Proto-Kartvelian word "*ćoćeba", meaning "birth." |
| German | The German word for "Christmas," "Weihnachten" (pronounced "vy-nahkh-ten"), comes from the Middle High German term for the "consecrated nights," "Wîhe nahten." |
| Greek | Χριστούγεννα is the Greek word for Christmas, derived from the phrase "Χριστός γεννάται," which means "Christ is born." |
| Gujarati | The word "Christmas" is derived from the Old English word "Cristes Maesse", meaning "Christ's Mass". |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, the word "Nwèl" originated from the French word "Noël" and also means "new" or "rebirth". |
| Hausa | In Hausa, the word "Kirismeti" comes from the Portuguese "Christmas" and also means "holiday". |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word 'Kalikimaka' derives from the English phrase 'Merry Christmas,' likely brought to the islands by missionaries in the 19th century. |
| Hebrew | חַג הַמוֹלָד originated as a translation of the term "Nativity" in the 19th century, and later came to mean "Christmas" itself. |
| Hindi | "Christmas" derives from the Old English "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Mass of Christ." |
| Hmong | Christmas (Kistimas) is derived from the Old English word "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Christ's Mass." |
| Hungarian | "Karácsony" is a Hungarian word derived from Old Turkic word "qara kün", which means "winter solstice". |
| Icelandic | Jól, the Icelandic word for Christmas, is derived from the Old Norse word for 'midwinter feast'. |
| Igbo | Igbo has several cognate versions of the word that derives from Portuguese "Natal". |
| Indonesian | The word "hari Natal" in Indonesian is derived from the Portuguese word "natal," which in turn comes from the Latin word "natalis," meaning "birthday." |
| Irish | In Irish, the term 'Nollag' for Christmas also means 'new' or 'fresh,' reflecting the belief that the holiday marks a new beginning and the birth of a new life. |
| Italian | "Natale" in Italian is likely derived from the Latin "dies natalis," which in turn refers to "birth day" or "birthday." |
| Japanese | "クリスマス" (Christmas) is a Japanese word derived from the Portuguese "Natal," meaning "birth." |
| Javanese | In Javanese, 'Natal' not only means 'Christmas' but also refers to the annual dry season in Java and Madura. |
| Kannada | The word "ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಮಸ್" comes from the Old English "Cristes messe," meaning "Christ's Mass." |
| Kazakh | Рождество is a derivative of the Old Church Slavonic word 'раждати' meaning 'to be born'. In Kazakh, it refers to the Nativity of Jesus Christ and is celebrated on January 7th. |
| Korean | 크리스마스(Christmas)는 영어에서 '그리스도의 미사(Christ's Mass)'를 뜻하는 말에서 유래했다. |
| Kurdish | The word "Noel" is derived from the Latin phrase "natalis dies", meaning "birthday" and is also associated with the Kurdish phrase "Newel", which means "good news" or "joyful tidings." |
| Kyrgyz | The word "Нартууган" in Kyrgyz is derived from the words "нар" (new) and "тууган" (generation), referring to the birth of a new generation, namely the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| Latin | The Latin "nativitas" means both "nativity" and "birthday". |
| Latvian | Ziemassvētki derives from “ziema” (“winter”) and “svētki” (“holidays”), which refer to the winter solstice and the subsequent holidays. |
| Lithuanian | "Kalėdos" is a borrowing from Old Prussian "Kalutis, |
| Macedonian | While the word "Божиќ" is etymologically related to the Old English word "geohhol", it carries a different cultural and religious significance in Macedonia, emphasizing the birth of Jesus Christ rather than winter solstice celebrations. |
| Malagasy | In Malagasy, the word "Noely" can also refer to the Christmas season or the Christmas tree. |
| Malay | In Malay, 'Krismas' is derived from Portuguese 'cristãos', meaning Christians. |
| Malayalam | "ക്രിസ്മസ്" means either "Christmas" or "cream", depending on the context in which the word is used. |
| Maltese | The word "Milied" is derived from the Latin word "Natalis" and originally meant "birthday" in Maltese. |
| Maori | "Kirihimete" is a Maori word derived from the English "Christmas"; it can also mean "a feast day" or "ceremony." |
| Marathi | The word "ख्रिसमस" is derived from the Greek word "Χριστός" (Christos), which translates to "the anointed one". |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "Зул сарын баяр" literally translates to "festival of the end of the moon" and is also the name for the holiday known as "New Year" in the West. |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "क्रिसमस" is not a loanword from the English word "Christmas"} |
| Norwegian | In Old Norse, "jul" referred to a midwinter celebration involving sacrifices and feasting. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'Khirisimasi' is derived from the Greek word 'Christos' meaning 'anointed' and the Coptic word 'mas' meaning 'birth'. |
| Pashto | The word "کریمیس" comes from the Portuguese word "Christmas". |
| Polish | Boże Narodzenie, the Polish word for "Christmas," is a compound of Bóg ("God") and Narodzenie ("birth"). |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Natal's Portuguese origin, "dies natalis solis invicti," refers to the "birth of the invincible sun." |
| Romanian | Crăciun also means "the cross" and "the one crowned" in Romanian, which are references to Jesus Christ. |
| Russian | The word "Рождество" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "раждати" meaning "to be born". |
| Samoan | The word 'Kerisimasi' is derived from the English word 'Christmas' and entered the Samoan language during the colonial period. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Nollaig" can also be used to mean "a surprise", or "any very good thing". |
| Serbian | In Serbian, "Божић" (Christmas) also refers to the Yule log, a traditional Christmas symbol of hearth and home. |
| Sesotho | The term "Keresemese" derives from the Dutch word "Kerstmis," meaning "Christ's Mass." |
| Shona | The word "Kisimusi" in Shona derives from the Portuguese word "Natal," and also shares a root with the English word "nativity." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ڪرسمس" ultimately derives from the Old English word "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Christ's Mass." |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In Sinhala, "නත්තල්" not only means "Christmas", but also refers to the birth of any deity. |
| Slovak | "vianoce" comes from "vyhnat" (to kick out), referring to the kicking out of Adam and Eve from Paradise on this day. |
| Slovenian | In Slavic languages the word 'Božič' comes from 'Bog' (God), with '-ič' being a diminutive suffix, thus it was originally 'Little God' |
| Somali | The word "Kirismaska" is derived from the Somali "kiri", meaning "holy", and "maska", meaning "day", thus translating to "holy day". |
| Spanish | The word "Navidad" likely comes from the Latin "nativitas," or "birth." However, as a noun, "navidad" also means "holiday season" in Spanish, including New Year's Day and Epiphany on January 6th. |
| Sundanese | Selain berarti hari natal, 'natal' juga berarti hari ulang tahun. |
| Swahili | The word "Krismasi" in Swahili is derived from the Portuguese word "Natal", meaning "birth" or "nativity". |
| Swedish | The word "Jul" is closely related to the Old Norse word " jól" and to the name of the Norse god Odin, known as "Jólnir". The word also means "wheel" and is related to the winter solstice, the "time when the sun turns". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "Pasko" is a loanword from Spanish and is originally derived from the Greek word "Pascha" or Easter. |
| Tajik | Мавлуди Исо means both "Christmas" and "the birth of Jesus". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'கிறிஸ்துமஸ்' is derived from the Portuguese word 'Cristo' meaning 'Christ', and 'Natal' meaning 'birth'. |
| Telugu | The word "క్రిస్మస్" is derived from the Old English word "Cristes Maesse", meaning "Christ's Mass". |
| Thai | แม้ว่าคำว่า "คริสต์มาส" จะมีความหมายตรงตัวว่า "มวลของพระคริสต์" แต่ก็มีความหมายแฝงอีกอย่างว่า "วันเกิดของพระเยซู" |
| Turkish | Turkish "Noel" originates from the Latin phrase "natalis dies" meaning "birthday" and "Noel" is also the name of a popular French Christmas song and a type of brandy. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word “Різдво” derives from Old East Slavic and originally meant “the winter solstice”. |
| Urdu | "كرسمس" is Urdu for Christmas and derives from Old English through Portuguese. |
| Uzbek | Rojdestvo is also the name given to a popular Christmas dish consisting of boiled wheat porridge with rice, meat, and raisins. |
| Vietnamese | The word "Giáng sinh" comes from the Portuguese word "Natal", which means "birth".} |
| Welsh | "Nadolig" also meant "natal day, anniversary of birth, birthday" in earlier Welsh. |
| Xhosa | The word 'Krisimesi' is derived from the English word 'Christmas' and is used to refer to Christmas celebrations in Xhosa culture. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "ניטל" (Nitl) has been theorized to derive from the German "Nacht" (night). |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, the word "Keresimesi" can also mean "day of great gathering" or "a time of renewal and rebirth." |
| Zulu | The Zulu word 'UKhisimusi' is derived from the English word 'Christmas' and is used to refer to the Christian festival celebrated on December 25th. |
| English | The word "Christmas" originates from the Old English phrase "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Mass of Christ." |