Cross in Different Languages
Discover 'Cross' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The cross is a symbol with profound significance and cultural importance across the globe. Originally used in Christianity to represent the instrument of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, the cross has evolved into a symbol of faith, hope, and salvation for millions of people. But the cross is not just a Christian symbol; it has been used in various forms by many different cultures and religions throughout history.
For example, in ancient Egypt, the ankh was a cross-like symbol that represented eternal life. In Buddhism, the dharma wheel has eight spokes, resembling a cross, and symbolizes the noble eightfold path to enlightenment. And in Norse mythology, the runic alphabet included a cross-like symbol called the algiz, which represented protection and spiritual power.
Given the cross's rich history and cultural significance, it's no wonder that people might want to know its translation in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country and want to understand the local culture better, or you're simply curious about how different languages express this universal symbol, learning the cross's translation can be a rewarding and enlightening experience.
Here are some translations of the word 'cross' in different languages to get you started:
Cross
Cross in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kwaad | ||
| The Afrikaans word "kwaad", meaning "cross" also has other meanings, such as "evil". This is in contrast to English, where the word "evil" has no connection to the word "cross." | |||
| Amharic | መስቀል | ||
| In Amharic, the word "መስቀል" can take on other meanings, such as "festival" or "ceremony". | |||
| Hausa | gicciye | ||
| The word "gicciye" can also refer to a type of wooden bed or a type of musical instrument. | |||
| Igbo | obe | ||
| In Igbo cosmology, 'obe' can also refer to the four cardinal directions or the four elements of the universe. | |||
| Malagasy | hazo fijaliana | ||
| The Malagasy word 'hazo fijaliana' contains the stem word 'hazo' (wood), suggesting that wooden crosses were commonly used during the period when this word was coined. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtanda | ||
| The verb 'ku mtanda' is often used to indicate a change of location or status. | |||
| Shona | muchinjikwa | ||
| Although the word `muchinjikwa` is often associated with `cross`, it may also refer to a `yoke` or `beam of wood`. | |||
| Somali | iskutallaab | ||
| The word "iskutallaab" can also refer to a crossroads or an intersection. | |||
| Sesotho | sefapano | ||
| The word "sefapano" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*sapaŋo" meaning "across, cross, sideways." | |||
| Swahili | msalaba | ||
| "Msalaba" is derived from the Arabic word "salib", which also means "cross". | |||
| Xhosa | umnqamlezo | ||
| The word "umnqamlezo" can also be used to refer to a sign of the cross or a Christian cross, but it literally means "something that is used to make a noise". | |||
| Yoruba | agbelebu | ||
| The term "agbelebu" can also refer to a type of traditional Yoruba hat | |||
| Zulu | isiphambano | ||
| In the Zulu lexicon, 'isiphambano' connotes an object of intersection, a junction, or a crossroads. | |||
| Bambara | ka tigɛ | ||
| Ewe | atitsoga | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umusaraba | ||
| Lingala | kokatisa | ||
| Luganda | okusala | ||
| Sepedi | sefapano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | twam | ||
Cross in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تعبر | ||
| The word "تعبر" (cross) in Arabic can also mean "to express" or "to translate". | |||
| Hebrew | לַחֲצוֹת | ||
| "לחצות" also means to divide, separate, or cut in half. | |||
| Pashto | کراس | ||
| In Pashto, "کراس" (cross) can also refer to a crossroads or intersection. | |||
| Arabic | تعبر | ||
| The word "تعبر" (cross) in Arabic can also mean "to express" or "to translate". | |||
Cross in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kryqëzim | ||
| The word "kryqëzim" in Albanian comes from the Latin word "crucifixio", meaning "crucifixion". | |||
| Basque | gurutzea | ||
| The word "gurutzea" also refers to the cross as a Christian symbol, a crossroads, or a mark resembling a cross. | |||
| Catalan | creuar | ||
| The word "creuar" in Catalan can also mean "to intersect" or "to pass through." | |||
| Croatian | križ | ||
| The word "križ" also means "crossroads" in Croatian, and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *kъrstъ, meaning "intersection". | |||
| Danish | kryds | ||
| Kryds, from Middle Low German, ultimately from Late Latin 'crux', 'cross'. | |||
| Dutch | kruis | ||
| In Dutch, "kruis" is also used to refer to an intersection or crossroads. | |||
| English | cross | ||
| The word "cross" stems from the Old English word "cros" meaning a cross, a crucifix, or any object with two crossing lines. | |||
| French | traverser | ||
| In French, the word "traverser" also means "to go through" or "to pass through". | |||
| Frisian | krús | ||
| The Frisian word "krús" can also refer to a crossroads or a place of trial, deriving from the Proto-Germanic term "*kruz" meaning intersection. | |||
| Galician | cruz | ||
| "Cruz" can also mean "a steep slope" or "a difficult situation" in Galician. | |||
| German | kreuz | ||
| The word "Kreuz" also means "lower back" in German, and is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*krūsijōn" meaning "crucifixion". | |||
| Icelandic | krossa | ||
| The word "krossa" can also refer to the transverse beam of a ship's hull or the point of intersection of two roads. | |||
| Irish | tras | ||
| The Irish word "tras" can also mean "across" or "through". | |||
| Italian | attraversare | ||
| "Attraversare" comes from the late latin "transversāre" (to travel across). | |||
| Luxembourgish | kräiz | ||
| The word "Kräiz" can also refer to a crossroads or an intersection. | |||
| Maltese | jaqsam | ||
| "Ġaqsam" also means "divide" or "share". | |||
| Norwegian | kryss | ||
| In addition to 'cross,' 'kryss' can also mean 'check' or 'tick mark' | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cruz | ||
| In Portuguese, the word «Cruz» shares the same root with the words «crucial» and «crucifixion» due to its derivation from the Latin «crux». | |||
| Scots Gaelic | crois | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "crois" also means "gallows," and is cognate with the Welsh "croesi." | |||
| Spanish | cruzar | ||
| Cruzar comes from the Latin word "crux", meaning "stake" or "cross" and it can also refer to intersecting, mixing, or crossing paths. | |||
| Swedish | korsa | ||
| The word "korsa" comes from Old Norse "kross" which means "cross" but can also mean "cross-shaped road or intersection." | |||
| Welsh | croes | ||
| The Welsh word "croes" derives from the Latin "crux" and shares its meaning with the German "Kreuz" as well as the Russian "крест". | |||
Cross in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | крыж | ||
| 'Крыж' is cognate with the word 'cross' in English and the Russian word 'крест' ('krest'). It also denotes a four-way or crossroads; as well as a cross of wood or stone for religious purposes in old pagan traditions or to mark the scene of a crime. | |||
| Bosnian | križ | ||
| The word križ also has a figurative meaning, referring to the burden or responsibility that one carries. | |||
| Bulgarian | кръст | ||
| The Bulgarian word "кръст" can also refer to the constellation Crux in astronomy. | |||
| Czech | přejít | ||
| The Czech word "přejít" has no alternate meanings and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *periti. | |||
| Estonian | rist | ||
| Rist also refers to an intersection of two or more paths. | |||
| Finnish | ylittää | ||
| The word 'ylittää' is also used to refer to the action of passing a certain point or exceeding a limit. | |||
| Hungarian | kereszt | ||
| Kereszt can mean either "cross", "test" or "demand" in Hungarian, and it likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kwers-", which meant "to turn" and is also the root of the word "cross" in English. | |||
| Latvian | šķērsot | ||
| The noun “šķērslis” (“obstacle”) derives from the verb “šķērsot” (“to cross”). | |||
| Lithuanian | kirsti | ||
| The word "kirsti" can also mean "to baptize," "to christen," or "to consecrate" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | крст | ||
| The word "крст" can also refer to a type of prayer or to a place where several roads meet. | |||
| Polish | krzyż | ||
| The Polish word 'krzyż' also signifies an intersection and the south or southwest in heraldry | |||
| Romanian | cruce | ||
| "Cruce" also means "intersection" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | пересекать | ||
| "Пересекать" literally means "to cut across" and is derived from the Russian word "сечь" ("to cut"). | |||
| Serbian | крст | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the word "крст" (kъrstъ) originally meant "sign, symbol", "something engraved or cut into something else". | |||
| Slovak | kríž | ||
| The word "kríž" in Slovak can also mean "crisis" or "affliction". | |||
| Slovenian | križ | ||
| The word "križ" in Slovenian can also refer to a crossroads or a monument. | |||
| Ukrainian | хрест | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the word "хрест" originally meant "joy" or "happiness". | |||
Cross in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্রস | ||
| The Bengali word "ক্রস" can also refer to a cross-shaped object or a mark used in mathematics. | |||
| Gujarati | ક્રોસ | ||
| In Gujarati, "ક્રોસ" means "cross" but it can also refer to an intersection or crossroads. | |||
| Hindi | पार करना | ||
| The word "पार करना" means "to cross," "to pass over," or "to traverse." | |||
| Kannada | ಅಡ್ಡ | ||
| "ಅಡ್ಡ" also means "thwart, obstruct" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കുരിശ് | ||
| The word "കുരിശ്" (cross) in Malayalam has an alternate meaning of "burden" or "hardship". | |||
| Marathi | फुली | ||
| फुली is a word in Marathi that originated from the Sanskrit word 'phulli' which means 'blossom' or 'flower'. | |||
| Nepali | क्रस | ||
| "क्रस" (cross) is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्रुश्" (kruś), meaning "to cut" or "to pierce". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰਾਸ | ||
| The word 'ਕਰਾਸ' ('cross' in Punjabi) is derived from Sanskrit and also means 'obstacle' or 'difficulty'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුරුසය | ||
| "කුරුසය" (cross) is also a colloquial term for "Christian" or "Christianity" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | குறுக்கு | ||
| குறுக்கு can also mean 'to block' or 'to cut across' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | క్రాస్ | ||
| The word "cross" in English comes from the Latin word "crux", meaning "cross, stake, or gibbet". | |||
| Urdu | کراس | ||
| The Urdu word "کراس" can also refer to a mark made in place of a signature, or an intersection. | |||
Cross in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 交叉 | ||
| 交叉 literally means "intersecting" or "entangled," but it is also used to refer to religious symbols, such as a cross, or intersecting lines in a graph. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 交叉 | ||
| 交叉 can also mean 'to intersect', 'to cross over', or 'to overlap'. | |||
| Japanese | クロス | ||
| It is also written as "十" and has the alternate reading "じゅう". | |||
| Korean | 가로 질러 가다 | ||
| The Korean word 가로 질러 가다 can also refer to a person walking or a boat sailing across a body of water. | |||
| Mongolian | загалмай | ||
| The word "загалмай" is also used to refer to the place where two roads or paths cross, as well as the intersection of two lines or other objects. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လက်ဝါးကပ်တိုင် | ||
Cross in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyeberang | ||
| In addition to indicating "to cross" in a literal sense, "menyeberang" can also translate figuratively to "break" as done so with an object, or a relationship. | |||
| Javanese | salib | ||
| The word 'salib' has been used in Old Javanese, most likely as a borrowing from Sanskrit, with the meaning of 'a tree' or 'wooden stake'. | |||
| Khmer | ឈើឆ្កាង | ||
| The word "ឈើឆ្កាង" can also refer to a type of hardwood tree found in Cambodia. | |||
| Lao | ຂ້າມ | ||
| The word 'ຂ້າມ' in Lao has roots in the Mon-Khmer language, signifying 'to go over.' | |||
| Malay | menyeberang | ||
| "Menyeberang" is also used to refer to the process of converting to a different religion or belief system. | |||
| Thai | ข้าม | ||
| ข้าม ('cross') derives from Proto-Tai *krɔːm meaning 'to overstep'. In Thai, it means 'to cross', 'to go over', 'to get by', etc. | |||
| Vietnamese | vượt qua | ||
| Vượt qua, which means 'to cross', also signifies 'to overcome' or 'to go through'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | krus | ||
Cross in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xaç | ||
| In Azerbaijani, Xaç (cross) is an antonym of | |||
| Kazakh | крест | ||
| Крест, a cognate of the Russian word крест, is a term borrowed into Kazakh from Old Turkic, meaning not only a cross but also any symbol, and it can appear in loan words with these meanings as well | |||
| Kyrgyz | айкаш | ||
| The word "айкаш" (cross) in Kyrgyz is also used to refer to the X letter of the Cyrillic alphabet. | |||
| Tajik | салиб | ||
| The word "салиб" in Tajik has the same origin as the English word "sallet" (a type of medieval war helmet), both of which originate from the Greek word "salos" meaning "a pole". | |||
| Turkmen | haç | ||
| Uzbek | kesib o'tish | ||
| In Uzbek, “kesib o'tish” can also mean “to cut across” (literally “to cross and go through”). | |||
| Uyghur | cross | ||
Cross in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | keʻa | ||
| Keʻa can also refer to a small cross-shaped piece of wood worn around the neck as a talisman for protection or healing, or to one of the many small black or brown sea urchins. | |||
| Maori | ripeka | ||
| Ripeka is a word for "cross" in Māori and means "to pass over" in the Eastern Polynesian Language of Rapa Nui, where it is "ripa". | |||
| Samoan | koluse | ||
| The Samoan word 'koluse' also refers to a wooden frame used in canoe building. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tumawid | ||
| "Tumawid" also means "to cross a river; to wade through water;" | |||
Cross in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mäkipaña | ||
| Guarani | kurusu | ||
Cross in International Languages
| Esperanto | kruco | ||
| The word "kruco" also means "crucifixion" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | crucis | ||
| The Latin word "crucis" (cross) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "ker-/*kre-/*kru-", meaning "to twist" or "to curve" | |||
Cross in Others Languages
| Greek | σταυρός | ||
| The word σταυρός not only means cross but also 'any perpendicular piece of wood' or 'an instrument of torture'. | |||
| Hmong | ntoo khaub lig | ||
| The Hmong word "ntoo khaub lig" has religious connotations in contrast to the word "ntoo kheb xwm," which refers to a wooden plank. | |||
| Kurdish | xaç | ||
| The Kurdish word "xaç" is also a type of dance | |||
| Turkish | çapraz | ||
| The word "çapraz" comes from the verb "çarpmak" which means "to hit" or "to collide" and in its archaic usage, the word literally meant "crossed ways". | |||
| Xhosa | umnqamlezo | ||
| The word "umnqamlezo" can also be used to refer to a sign of the cross or a Christian cross, but it literally means "something that is used to make a noise". | |||
| Yiddish | קרייז | ||
| The Yiddish word "קרייז" derives from the Old High German word "chreiz" with the same meaning, and is ultimately related to the Latin word "crux". | |||
| Zulu | isiphambano | ||
| In the Zulu lexicon, 'isiphambano' connotes an object of intersection, a junction, or a crossroads. | |||
| Assamese | পাৰ হোৱা | ||
| Aymara | mäkipaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पार कईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުރަސްކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | पार करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | krus | ||
| Guarani | kurusu | ||
| Ilocano | krus | ||
| Krio | krɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرانسەر | ||
| Maithili | पार करनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | kawkalh | ||
| Oromo | qaxxaamuruu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ରସ୍ | ||
| Quechua | chinpay | ||
| Sanskrit | अनुप्रस्थ | ||
| Tatar | кросс | ||
| Tigrinya | መስቀል | ||
| Tsonga | tsemakanya | ||