Church in Different Languages
Discover 'Church' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word church holds a profound significance in many cultures and societies around the world. Originating from the Greek word kyriakon, meaning 'belonging to the Lord,' the term has evolved to represent not only a physical building but also a community of believers. Throughout history, churches have served as centers of faith, education, and social gatherings, fostering a sense of unity and shared values.
Moreover, the word church has been translated into various languages, reflecting its global impact and cultural importance. For instance, in Spanish, it is translated as iglesia; in French, as église; in German, as Kirche; and in Italian, as chiesa. These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also unite people of different backgrounds under the shared concept of spiritual gathering places.
Delving into the translations of church in different languages offers a fascinating glimpse into the world's diverse cultural and linguistic landscape. By understanding these translations, we not only expand our vocabulary but also deepen our appreciation for the rich tapestry of human history and spirituality.
Church
Church in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kerk | ||
| The word "kerk" comes from the Dutch word "kerk", which in turn comes from the Greek word "kyriakē", meaning "the Lord's house". | |||
| Amharic | ቤተክርስቲያን | ||
| The word 'bete kristian' (ቤተክርስቲያን) can also refer to a group of followers, rather than a physical building. | |||
| Hausa | coci | ||
| The word "coci" is derived from the Hausa word "coce", which means a place of assembly or meeting. | |||
| Igbo | ụka | ||
| The word ụka in Igbo is also used to refer to a sacred forest or grove. | |||
| Malagasy | fiangonana | ||
| According to one source, "fiangonana" is also the word for "assembly or crowd". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mpingo | ||
| "Mpingo" is a type of tree whose wood is used to carve religious objects. | |||
| Shona | chechi | ||
| The word "chechi" is also used in Shona to refer to the physical structure of a church building. | |||
| Somali | kaniisadda | ||
| The word 'kaniisadda' may also be used to refer to a meeting hall. | |||
| Sesotho | kereke | ||
| 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. | |||
| Swahili | kanisa | ||
| The Swahili word "kanisa" derives from the Portuguese word "igreja," meaning "church". | |||
| Xhosa | ibandla | ||
| The word "ibandla" is derived from the Zulu word "ibandla" and has additional meanings of "assembly" and "congregation". | |||
| Yoruba | ijo | ||
| The word "ijo" can also refer to a group of people, a religious gathering, or a type of music and dance. | |||
| Zulu | isonto | ||
| The word “isonto” (church) is derived from the Nguni word “isonto” meaning “shelter”, suggesting a place where people can find refuge and community. | |||
| Bambara | egilisi | ||
| Ewe | sɔleme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | itorero | ||
| Lingala | ndako ya nzambe | ||
| Luganda | ekereziya | ||
| Sepedi | kereke | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɔre | ||
Church in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كنيسة | ||
| The word "كنيسة" (church) is also used to refer to a group of people who share a common religious belief. | |||
| Hebrew | כְּנֵסִיָה | ||
| The Hebrew word כְּנֵסִיָה (knesiya) has the literal meaning of "gathering" and can refer to a religious assembly or a political body. | |||
| Pashto | کلیسا | ||
| The Pashto word " کلیسا" (church) is derived from the Greek word "ἐκκλησία" (assembly), which also refers to the Christian religious community. | |||
| Arabic | كنيسة | ||
| The word "كنيسة" (church) is also used to refer to a group of people who share a common religious belief. | |||
Church in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kisha | ||
| The Albanian word "kisha" derives from the ancient Greek word "kyriakon", meaning "Lord"s house". | |||
| Basque | eliza | ||
| Eliza may derive from Latin "ecclesia" or possibly from Arabic "mezeta" via Castilian "mezquita." | |||
| Catalan | església | ||
| Etymology: From the Greek word "ekklēsia", meaning "assembly" or "congregation." | |||
| Croatian | crkva | ||
| The word "crkva" derives from the Proto-Slavic "crьky", meaning "house", and can also refer to a monastery, temple, or synagogue. | |||
| Danish | kirke | ||
| Kirke originates from Old Norse word 'kirkja', which in turn originates from late Greek word 'kur(i)akon' meaning 'the Lord's House'. | |||
| Dutch | kerk | ||
| The Dutch word "kerk" (church) may also refer to a market square, or to a building housing a market. | |||
| English | church | ||
| The word 'church' is a shortening of 'kirk', which originates from the Germanic word 'kirika' that means 'Lord's house'. | |||
| French | église | ||
| "Église" comes from the Greek "ekklesia," meaning "assembly," and the Latin "ecclesia," meaning "community of the faithful." | |||
| Frisian | tsjerke | ||
| 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 | igrexa | ||
| The Galician word "igrexa" (church) likely comes from the Latin word "ecclesia," which can also mean "assembly" or "council." | |||
| German | kirche | ||
| "Kirche" is a German word that can also refer to a diocese, parish, or congregation. | |||
| Icelandic | kirkja | ||
| The Icelandic word for "church," kirkja, ultimately derives from Old High German "kirihhā", which meant both "house of the Lord" and a "pagan temple." | |||
| Irish | eaglais | ||
| The Irish word "eaglais" derives from Latin "Ecclesia," also meaning "assembly" or "congregation." | |||
| Italian | chiesa | ||
| The word "Chiesa" derives from the Greek word "ekklesia," which originally referred to an assembly or gathering. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kierch | ||
| The word "Kierch" (church) in Luxembourgish is derived from Old High German "kirihha" meaning "house of the Lord"} | |||
| Maltese | knisja | ||
| 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". | |||
| Norwegian | kirke | ||
| 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. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | igreja | ||
| 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 | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eaglais | ||
| The word "eaglais" can also refer to a place of worship for other religions, such as a synagogue or mosque. | |||
| Spanish | iglesia | ||
| The Spanish word 'Iglesia' derives from the Greek word 'ekklesia' and originally meant a gathering of people, regardless of religious context. | |||
| Swedish | kyrka | ||
| "Kyrka" in Swedish derives from the ancient Greek word "kyriakon" (κυριακόν) meaning "of the Lord". | |||
| Welsh | eglwys | ||
| The Welsh word 'eglwys' comes from the Latin 'ecclesia', which originally referred to a gathering or assembly. | |||
Church in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | царква | ||
| Слово "царква" имеет древнеславянское происхождение от корня, обозначающего "дом", и может также употребляться в значении "храм" или "святыня". | |||
| Bosnian | crkva | ||
| In Slavic languages, "crkva" is derived from Proto-Slavic "crky", meaning "house, building, dwelling" | |||
| Bulgarian | църква | ||
| 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. | |||
| Czech | kostel | ||
| "Kostel" derives from "kosti" (bones) and originally referred to churches built over graveyards. | |||
| Estonian | kirik | ||
| In the context of Estonian paganism, "kirik" also refers to sacred groves, stones, and other natural or man-made sites with religious significance. | |||
| Finnish | kirkko | ||
| The word 'kirkko' derives from the Old Norse word 'kirkja', which originally meant a Christian house of worship or gathering of believers. | |||
| Hungarian | templom | ||
| 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. | |||
| Latvian | baznīca | ||
| The word "baznīca" is derived from the Old Prussian word "basnos", meaning "god-house". | |||
| Lithuanian | bažnyčia | ||
| The Lithuanian word "bažnyčia" derives from the Proto-Slavic "bogyniča", meaning "place of prayer or worship." | |||
| Macedonian | црква | ||
| The word "црква" (church) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "црькъвь" (tsrьkyvь), which originally meant "lord's house" or "palace". | |||
| Polish | kościół | ||
| The word "kościół" in Polish also means "bone", deriving from the Proto-Slavic "kostь" meaning "bone" or "skeleton". | |||
| Romanian | biserică | ||
| "Biserică" derives from the Old Bulgarian "bosarika", meaning "small house of prayer". | |||
| Russian | церковь | ||
| In Russia, "церковь" (church) also means an assembly of faithful of a particular branch of Christianity. | |||
| Serbian | црква | ||
| The word “crkva” initially carried the meaning of a “house of assembly.” | |||
| Slovak | kostol | ||
| The word "kostol" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*kostъ", meaning "bone" or "framework". | |||
| Slovenian | cerkev | ||
| The Slovenian word 'cerkev' has been theorized to be a loan from Germanic, specifically Gothic (kirkja). | |||
| Ukrainian | церква | ||
| The Ukrainian word "церква" (church) may derive from the Latin "circus", as the earliest Christian churches were often converted from Roman circuses. | |||
Church in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গির্জা | ||
| 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". | |||
| Gujarati | ચર્ચ | ||
| Hindi | चर्च | ||
| The word "चर्च" means "assembly" or "congregation" in Greek and was likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kerk". | |||
| Kannada | ಚರ್ಚ್ | ||
| The Kannada word ಚರ್ಚ್ (church) derives from the Portuguese word 'igreja', referring to a Christian religious organization or building used for worship. | |||
| Malayalam | ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ പള്ളി | ||
| Marathi | चर्च | ||
| The word "चर्च" is also used to refer to a specific religious group, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. | |||
| Nepali | चर्च | ||
| In Nepali, the word 'चर्च' (church) is also used to refer to a group of people gathered for a religious purpose. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਰਚ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පල්ලිය | ||
| The word "පල්ලිය" (church) originates from the Pali word "pallī" meaning "village" or "congregation". | |||
| Tamil | தேவாலயம் | ||
| 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 | చర్చి | ||
| The word "చర్చి" can also mean "a congregation of people" or "a place of worship" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | چرچ | ||
| The word originates from the Old Church Slavonic word 'цръкъвъ' (tsŭrkŭvŭ), meaning 'house of the Lord' or 'temple'. | |||
Church in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 教会 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 教會 in Chinese means both "church" and "teaching"} | |||
| Japanese | 教会 | ||
| 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. | |||
| Korean | 교회에 | ||
| 교회 ('church') originates from the Greek word 'Kyriakos' meaning 'belonging to the Lord'. | |||
| Mongolian | сүм | ||
| The Mongolian word "сүм" (church) originally meant "a revered or consecrated place," and could refer to monasteries, temples, or churches of any religion. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘုရားရှိခိုးကျောင်း | ||
Church in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gereja | ||
| The Indonesian word "gereja" ("church") is derived from the Portuguese word "igreja", which in turn is derived from the Greek word "ekklesia", meaning "assembly" | |||
| Javanese | greja | ||
| In Javanese, "greja" can also refer to a temple or a place of worship. | |||
| Khmer | ព្រះវិហារ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Lao | ໂບດ | ||
| The word "ໂບດ" (church) in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "vihara", meaning "a monastery or temple". | |||
| Malay | gereja | ||
| The Malay word "gereja" comes from the Portuguese word "igreja", which is the word for "church" in the Portuguese language. | |||
| Thai | คริสตจักร | ||
| 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. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhà thờ | ||
| The word "nhà thờ" can also mean "cathedral" or "basilica". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | simbahan | ||
Church in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kilsə | ||
| "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. | |||
| Kazakh | шіркеу | ||
| The word "шіркеу" also means "pagan temple" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чиркөө | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "чиркөө" also refers to a specific type of yurt used for rituals. | |||
| Tajik | калисо | ||
| In Pamiri languages, "калисо" is also used to refer to Christian churches and "Калисои Христианон" (Christians' Church) is a common designation for Christian churches. | |||
| Turkmen | buthana | ||
| Uzbek | cherkov | ||
| The word "cherkov" is derived from the Persian word "karkh" meaning "fortress". | |||
| Uyghur | چېركاۋ | ||
Church in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hale pule | ||
| 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. | |||
| Maori | whare karakia | ||
| Whare karakia, or Maori churches, traditionally served as sacred spaces for religious rituals, community gatherings, and teachings. | |||
| Samoan | falesa | ||
| 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. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | simbahan | ||
| The Tagalog word "simbahan" originally meant "house of worship" and could refer to non-Christian places of worship. | |||
Church in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ilisya | ||
| Guarani | tupão | ||
Church in International Languages
| Esperanto | preĝejo | ||
| 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'. | |||
| Latin | ecclesia, | ||
| The Ancient Greek word "ἐκκλησία" (ekklēsia) originally meant "assembly" or "gathering" of people in a public place, especially for political or religious purposes. | |||
Church in Others Languages
| Greek | εκκλησία | ||
| The Greek word "Εκκλησία" also means "assembly" or "congregation" and is the origin of the word "ecclesiology". | |||
| Hmong | tsev teev ntuj | ||
| The Hmong word "tsev teev ntuj" literally translates to "house of the father of heaven." | |||
| Kurdish | dêr | ||
| Dêr, which means "church" in Kurdish, also refers to a monastery, a place of religious seclusion, and a hermitage. | |||
| Turkish | kilise | ||
| "Kilise" (church) derives from the Greek word "ekklesia", meaning "assembly or congregation". | |||
| Xhosa | ibandla | ||
| The word "ibandla" is derived from the Zulu word "ibandla" and has additional meanings of "assembly" and "congregation". | |||
| Yiddish | קלויסטער | ||
| 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. | |||
| Zulu | isonto | ||
| The word “isonto” (church) is derived from the Nguni word “isonto” meaning “shelter”, suggesting a place where people can find refuge and community. | |||
| Assamese | গীৰ্জা | ||
| Aymara | ilisya | ||
| Bhojpuri | गिरजाघर | ||
| Dhivehi | ޗަރޗް | ||
| Dogri | चर्च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | simbahan | ||
| Guarani | tupão | ||
| Ilocano | simbaan | ||
| Krio | chɔch | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەنیسە | ||
| Maithili | चर्च | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯔꯆ | ||
| Mizo | biakin | ||
| Oromo | waldaa kiristaanaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚର୍ଚ୍ଚ | ||
| Quechua | iglesia | ||
| Sanskrit | चर्च | ||
| Tatar | чиркәү | ||
| Tigrinya | ቤተ ክርስትያን | ||
| Tsonga | kereke | ||