Church in Different Languages
Discover 'Church' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Church
Afrikaans kerk | ||
Albanian kisha | ||
Amharic ቤተክርስቲያን | ||
Arabic كنيسة | ||
Armenian եկեղեցի | ||
Assamese গীৰ্জা | ||
Aymara ilisya | ||
Azerbaijani kilsə | ||
Bambara egilisi | ||
Basque eliza | ||
Belarusian царква | ||
Bengali গির্জা | ||
Bhojpuri गिरजाघर | ||
Bosnian crkva | ||
Bulgarian църква | ||
Catalan església | ||
Cebuano simbahan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 教会 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 教會 | ||
Corsican chjesa | ||
Croatian crkva | ||
Czech kostel | ||
Danish kirke | ||
Dhivehi ޗަރޗް | ||
Dogri चर्च | ||
Dutch kerk | ||
English church | ||
Esperanto preĝejo | ||
Estonian kirik | ||
Ewe sɔleme | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) simbahan | ||
Finnish kirkko | ||
French église | ||
Frisian tsjerke | ||
Galician igrexa | ||
Georgian ეკლესია | ||
German kirche | ||
Greek εκκλησία | ||
Guarani tupão | ||
Gujarati ચર્ચ | ||
Haitian Creole legliz | ||
Hausa coci | ||
Hawaiian hale pule | ||
Hebrew כְּנֵסִיָה | ||
Hindi चर्च | ||
Hmong tsev teev ntuj | ||
Hungarian templom | ||
Icelandic kirkja | ||
Igbo ụka | ||
Ilocano simbaan | ||
Indonesian gereja | ||
Irish eaglais | ||
Italian chiesa | ||
Japanese 教会 | ||
Javanese greja | ||
Kannada ಚರ್ಚ್ | ||
Kazakh шіркеу | ||
Khmer ព្រះវិហារ | ||
Kinyarwanda itorero | ||
Konkani चर्च | ||
Korean 교회에 | ||
Krio chɔch | ||
Kurdish dêr | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کەنیسە | ||
Kyrgyz чиркөө | ||
Lao ໂບດ | ||
Latin ecclesia, | ||
Latvian baznīca | ||
Lingala ndako ya nzambe | ||
Lithuanian bažnyčia | ||
Luganda ekereziya | ||
Luxembourgish kierch | ||
Macedonian црква | ||
Maithili चर्च | ||
Malagasy fiangonana | ||
Malay gereja | ||
Malayalam ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ പള്ളി | ||
Maltese knisja | ||
Maori whare karakia | ||
Marathi चर्च | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯆꯔꯆ | ||
Mizo biakin | ||
Mongolian сүм | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဘုရားရှိခိုးကျောင်း | ||
Nepali चर्च | ||
Norwegian kirke | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mpingo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଚର୍ଚ୍ଚ | ||
Oromo waldaa kiristaanaa | ||
Pashto کلیسا | ||
Persian کلیسا | ||
Polish kościół | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) igreja | ||
Punjabi ਚਰਚ | ||
Quechua iglesia | ||
Romanian biserică | ||
Russian церковь | ||
Samoan falesa | ||
Sanskrit चर्च | ||
Scots Gaelic eaglais | ||
Sepedi kereke | ||
Serbian црква | ||
Sesotho kereke | ||
Shona chechi | ||
Sindhi چرچ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පල්ලිය | ||
Slovak kostol | ||
Slovenian cerkev | ||
Somali kaniisadda | ||
Spanish iglesia | ||
Sundanese garéja | ||
Swahili kanisa | ||
Swedish kyrka | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) simbahan | ||
Tajik калисо | ||
Tamil தேவாலயம் | ||
Tatar чиркәү | ||
Telugu చర్చి | ||
Thai คริสตจักร | ||
Tigrinya ቤተ ክርስትያን | ||
Tsonga kereke | ||
Turkish kilise | ||
Turkmen buthana | ||
Twi (Akan) asɔre | ||
Ukrainian церква | ||
Urdu چرچ | ||
Uyghur چېركاۋ | ||
Uzbek cherkov | ||
Vietnamese nhà thờ | ||
Welsh eglwys | ||
Xhosa ibandla | ||
Yiddish קלויסטער | ||
Yoruba ijo | ||
Zulu isonto |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "kerk" comes from the Dutch word "kerk", which in turn comes from the Greek word "kyriakē", meaning "the Lord's house". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "kisha" derives from the ancient Greek word "kyriakon", meaning "Lord"s house". |
| Amharic | The word 'bete kristian' (ቤተክርስቲያን) can also refer to a group of followers, rather than a physical building. |
| Arabic | The word "كنيسة" (church) is also used to refer to a group of people who share a common religious belief. |
| Armenian | The word “եկեղեցի” (“church”) in Armenian is derived from the Greek word “ἐκκλησία” (“ekklesia”), which originally meant “assembly”. |
| Azerbaijani | "Kilsə" is ultimately borrowed from Greek "ekklēsia", meaning "assembly" or "congregation". It may also refer to a Protestant church or a building used for religious purposes. |
| Basque | Eliza may derive from Latin "ecclesia" or possibly from Arabic "mezeta" via Castilian "mezquita." |
| Belarusian | Слово "царква" имеет древнеславянское происхождение от корня, обозначающего "дом", и может также употребляться в значении "храм" или "святыня". |
| Bengali | The term 'গির্জা' is not unique to the Christian context but can refer to both Hindu and Islamic congregational spaces, respectively known as "Shiva-Girija" and "Masjid-Girija". |
| Bosnian | In Slavic languages, "crkva" is derived from Proto-Slavic "crky", meaning "house, building, dwelling" |
| Bulgarian | The word църква (church) in Bulgarian comes from Greek κυριακή (kyriakē, "Lord's Day"), referring to Sunday, the day of Christ's resurrection, which became associated with the place of gathering for Christian worship. |
| Catalan | Etymology: From the Greek word "ekklēsia", meaning "assembly" or "congregation." |
| Cebuano | Simbahan may also refer to any place of worship. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 教会 is a translation of the Portuguese word "ecclesia", which means "assembly" and originally referred to any formal meeting of people. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 教會 in Chinese means both "church" and "teaching"} |
| Corsican | "Chjesa" also means "house of God" in Corsican. |
| Croatian | The word "crkva" derives from the Proto-Slavic "crьky", meaning "house", and can also refer to a monastery, temple, or synagogue. |
| Czech | "Kostel" derives from "kosti" (bones) and originally referred to churches built over graveyards. |
| Danish | Kirke originates from Old Norse word 'kirkja', which in turn originates from late Greek word 'kur(i)akon' meaning 'the Lord's House'. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "kerk" (church) may also refer to a market square, or to a building housing a market. |
| Esperanto | The word 'preĝejo' derives from the Slavic languages but is also related to the Proto-Indo-European word 'preg-' meaning 'to ask', and so could be literally translated as 'place of asking'. |
| Estonian | In the context of Estonian paganism, "kirik" also refers to sacred groves, stones, and other natural or man-made sites with religious significance. |
| Finnish | The word 'kirkko' derives from the Old Norse word 'kirkja', which originally meant a Christian house of worship or gathering of believers. |
| French | "Église" comes from the Greek "ekklesia," meaning "assembly," and the Latin "ecclesia," meaning "community of the faithful." |
| Frisian | The Dutch-Frisian word “tsjerke” is derived from Old Frisian “tsiurka” and “tsiurke”, which are loaned from Old Saxon “thiurkia” that derives from Late Latin “ecclesia”, meaning church; from Greek “ekklēsia”, meaning assembly. |
| Galician | The Galician word "igrexa" (church) likely comes from the Latin word "ecclesia," which can also mean "assembly" or "council." |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "ეკლესია" (church) is derived from the Greek word "εκκλησία", which originally meant "an assembly of citizens" or "a gathering of people called out from the world." |
| German | "Kirche" is a German word that can also refer to a diocese, parish, or congregation. |
| Greek | The Greek word "Εκκλησία" also means "assembly" or "congregation" and is the origin of the word "ecclesiology". |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "legliz" also means "religion" or "faith". |
| Hausa | The word "coci" is derived from the Hausa word "coce", which means a place of assembly or meeting. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word “hale pule” can be broken down into two parts: “hale”, meaning “house”, and “pule”, meaning “prayer”, together meaning “house of prayer”, a concept closely linked to the sacred space of the temple, and to the Christian idea of a church. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word כְּנֵסִיָה (knesiya) has the literal meaning of "gathering" and can refer to a religious assembly or a political body. |
| Hindi | The word "चर्च" means "assembly" or "congregation" in Greek and was likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kerk". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "tsev teev ntuj" literally translates to "house of the father of heaven." |
| Hungarian | The word "templom" comes from the Latin word "templum", which means "a consecrated place". It is related to the word "temple" in English, which has a similar meaning. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word for "church," kirkja, ultimately derives from Old High German "kirihhā", which meant both "house of the Lord" and a "pagan temple." |
| Igbo | The word ụka in Igbo is also used to refer to a sacred forest or grove. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "gereja" ("church") is derived from the Portuguese word "igreja", which in turn is derived from the Greek word "ekklesia", meaning "assembly" |
| Irish | The Irish word "eaglais" derives from Latin "Ecclesia," also meaning "assembly" or "congregation." |
| Italian | The word "Chiesa" derives from the Greek word "ekklesia," which originally referred to an assembly or gathering. |
| Japanese | The word "教会" in Japanese can also mean "teaching." It is derived from the Buddhist term "教化" (kyōke), which refers to the process of converting people to Buddhism. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "greja" can also refer to a temple or a place of worship. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word ಚರ್ಚ್ (church) derives from the Portuguese word 'igreja', referring to a Christian religious organization or building used for worship. |
| Kazakh | The word "шіркеу" also means "pagan temple" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | The word "ព្រះវិហារ" (preah vihear) in Khmer originally referred to a sacred mountain, but later came to mean "church" due to the influence of Buddhism. |
| Korean | 교회 ('church') originates from the Greek word 'Kyriakos' meaning 'belonging to the Lord'. |
| Kurdish | Dêr, which means "church" in Kurdish, also refers to a monastery, a place of religious seclusion, and a hermitage. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "чиркөө" also refers to a specific type of yurt used for rituals. |
| Lao | The word "ໂບດ" (church) in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "vihara", meaning "a monastery or temple". |
| Latin | The Ancient Greek word "ἐκκλησία" (ekklēsia) originally meant "assembly" or "gathering" of people in a public place, especially for political or religious purposes. |
| Latvian | The word "baznīca" is derived from the Old Prussian word "basnos", meaning "god-house". |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "bažnyčia" derives from the Proto-Slavic "bogyniča", meaning "place of prayer or worship." |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Kierch" (church) in Luxembourgish is derived from Old High German "kirihha" meaning "house of the Lord"} |
| Macedonian | The word "црква" (church) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "црькъвь" (tsrьkyvь), which originally meant "lord's house" or "palace". |
| Malagasy | According to one source, "fiangonana" is also the word for "assembly or crowd". |
| Malay | The Malay word "gereja" comes from the Portuguese word "igreja", which is the word for "church" in the Portuguese language. |
| Maltese | The word "knisja" is derived from the Arabic word "kanisa", which means "synagogue", and is ultimately derived from the Greek word "ekklesia", which means "assembly". |
| Maori | Whare karakia, or Maori churches, traditionally served as sacred spaces for religious rituals, community gatherings, and teachings. |
| Marathi | The word "चर्च" is also used to refer to a specific religious group, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "сүм" (church) originally meant "a revered or consecrated place," and could refer to monasteries, temples, or churches of any religion. |
| Nepali | In Nepali, the word 'चर्च' (church) is also used to refer to a group of people gathered for a religious purpose. |
| Norwegian | The word "kirke" shares an etymology with the Greek word "kyriakē" meaning "Lord's day", and may also refer to a churchyard or a Christian congregation. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Mpingo" is a type of tree whose wood is used to carve religious objects. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word " کلیسا" (church) is derived from the Greek word "ἐκκλησία" (assembly), which also refers to the Christian religious community. |
| Polish | The word "kościół" in Polish also means "bone", deriving from the Proto-Slavic "kostь" meaning "bone" or "skeleton". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In modern Portuguese, "Igreja" refers not only to a church building, but also to the institution of the Church as a whole and the religious community |
| Punjabi | The word "ਚਰਚ" is derived from the Late Latin word "circes", which means "circle" and refers to the early Christian practice of gathering in a circular formation for worship. |
| Romanian | "Biserică" derives from the Old Bulgarian "bosarika", meaning "small house of prayer". |
| Russian | In Russia, "церковь" (church) also means an assembly of faithful of a particular branch of Christianity. |
| Samoan | Derived from the Portuguese word 'igreja', falesa originally referred to a Christian church but now refers to any church building or place of worship in Samoa. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "eaglais" can also refer to a place of worship for other religions, such as a synagogue or mosque. |
| Serbian | The word “crkva” initially carried the meaning of a “house of assembly.” |
| Sesotho | The word 'kereke' in Sesotho may have originated from the Portuguese word 'igreja' or the Dutch word 'kerk' through the influence of early European missionaries. |
| Shona | The word "chechi" is also used in Shona to refer to the physical structure of a church building. |
| Sindhi | 'چرچ' is a Sindhi word borrowed from the English language and is used to refer to a Christian place of worship. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "පල්ලිය" (church) originates from the Pali word "pallī" meaning "village" or "congregation". |
| Slovak | The word "kostol" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*kostъ", meaning "bone" or "framework". |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word 'cerkev' has been theorized to be a loan from Germanic, specifically Gothic (kirkja). |
| Somali | The word 'kaniisadda' may also be used to refer to a meeting hall. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word 'Iglesia' derives from the Greek word 'ekklesia' and originally meant a gathering of people, regardless of religious context. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "garéja" is derived from the Portuguese word "igreja" and used to refer to the Portuguese church building in Sunda Kelapa, now Jakarta, in the 15th century. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "kanisa" derives from the Portuguese word "igreja," meaning "church". |
| Swedish | "Kyrka" in Swedish derives from the ancient Greek word "kyriakon" (κυριακόν) meaning "of the Lord". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "simbahan" originally meant "house of worship" and could refer to non-Christian places of worship. |
| Tajik | In Pamiri languages, "калисо" is also used to refer to Christian churches and "Калисои Христианон" (Christians' Church) is a common designation for Christian churches. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "தேவாலயம்" (church) is derived from the Sanskrit word "देवालय" (temple) and can also refer to a temple or a place of worship for any religion. |
| Telugu | The word "చర్చి" can also mean "a congregation of people" or "a place of worship" in Telugu. |
| Thai | The etymology of ค ริ สต ชา ฆร(khris-ta-cha-kon, "church"), is from Greek "kuriakon". The meaning is 'a place of worship of Christ or of a saint,' or simply 'a temple' in general. |
| Turkish | "Kilise" (church) derives from the Greek word "ekklesia", meaning "assembly or congregation". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "церква" (church) may derive from the Latin "circus", as the earliest Christian churches were often converted from Roman circuses. |
| Urdu | The word originates from the Old Church Slavonic word 'цръкъвъ' (tsŭrkŭvŭ), meaning 'house of the Lord' or 'temple'. |
| Uzbek | The word "cherkov" is derived from the Persian word "karkh" meaning "fortress". |
| Vietnamese | The word "nhà thờ" can also mean "cathedral" or "basilica". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'eglwys' comes from the Latin 'ecclesia', which originally referred to a gathering or assembly. |
| Xhosa | The word "ibandla" is derived from the Zulu word "ibandla" and has additional meanings of "assembly" and "congregation". |
| Yiddish | The etymology of the Yiddish word קלויסטער is uncertain. It is likely related to the German word 'Kloster', which refers to a monastery. In Yiddish, it refers to a synagogue, and is also used figuratively to describe a community or place of assembly. |
| Yoruba | The word "ijo" can also refer to a group of people, a religious gathering, or a type of music and dance. |
| Zulu | The word “isonto” (church) is derived from the Nguni word “isonto” meaning “shelter”, suggesting a place where people can find refuge and community. |
| English | The word 'church' is a shortening of 'kirk', which originates from the Germanic word 'kirika' that means 'Lord's house'. |