Holy in Different Languages
Discover 'Holy' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'holy' carries profound significance across cultures and languages, denoting something sacred, pure, or inviolable. Its cultural importance is evident in various religious texts, artifacts, and practices where it often represents the ultimate divine power or revered spiritual figures. Understanding the translation of 'holy' in different languages can open up a world of cultural discovery and appreciation.
For instance, in Spanish, 'holy' translates to 'santo/a', while in French, it becomes 'saint'. In German, 'holy' is 'heilig', and in Japanese, it is 'śūkyō' (shūkyō), reflecting the country's unique religious context. These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also offer insights into the values and beliefs of different communities.
Delving into the word 'holy' across languages can be an exciting journey, shedding light on the shared human quest for the divine and the extraordinary. Discover more translations of 'holy' below and enrich your cultural vocabulary!
Holy
Holy in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | heilig | ||
| The word 'heilig' in Afrikaans is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'hailagaz', meaning 'healthy' or 'whole'. | |||
| Amharic | ቅዱስ | ||
| In Amharic, "ቅዱስ" can also mean "angel" or "saint". | |||
| Hausa | mai tsarki | ||
| The word "mai tsarki" originates from the Arabic "maytruki" meaning "that which is forbidden" or "sacred." | |||
| Igbo | dị nsọ | ||
| The word "dị nsọ" can also mean "separated" or "set apart". | |||
| Malagasy | masina | ||
| The Malagasy word MASINA can also refer to a sacred talisman or the soul of a deceased ancestor. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | woyera | ||
| "Woyera" is also the name of a type of traditional Nyanja song praising God or the chief. | |||
| Shona | mutsvene | ||
| The word "mutsvene" in Shona derives from the root "-tsven-," meaning "clean" or "pure." | |||
| Somali | quduus ah | ||
| In Somali, the word 'quduus' also means 'something that is well-liked and precious'. | |||
| Sesotho | halalela | ||
| The word "halalela" also means "to praise" and is related to the word "halelujah" in English. | |||
| Swahili | takatifu | ||
| The word 'takatifu' in Swahili also means 'pure' or 'sacred'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngcwele | ||
| "Ngqele" is also a type of traditional Xhosa beer that is brewed and drunk during rituals. | |||
| Yoruba | mimọ | ||
| The Yoruba word "mímọ" can also refer to forbidden things or those set apart for the gods. | |||
| Zulu | ngcwele | ||
| The Zulu term 'ngcwele', meaning 'holy' or 'sacred', is derived from the verb '-ngcwela', which means 'to fear' or 'to revere'. | |||
| Bambara | senuma | ||
| Ewe | kɔkɔe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | cyera | ||
| Lingala | mosantu | ||
| Luganda | omutukuvu | ||
| Sepedi | e kgethwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kronkron | ||
Holy in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مقدس | ||
| The Arabic word "مقدس" (muqaddas) is etymologically related to the word "قدس" (qudus), meaning "sanctuary" or "holy place", and can refer to a variety of sacred or consecrated objects, places, or persons. | |||
| Hebrew | קָדוֹשׁ | ||
| The Hebrew word 'קָדוֹשׁ' ('holy') can also refer to 'separate,' 'dedicated,' or 'set apart.' | |||
| Pashto | سپي | ||
| سپي also means "white" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مقدس | ||
| The Arabic word "مقدس" (muqaddas) is etymologically related to the word "قدس" (qudus), meaning "sanctuary" or "holy place", and can refer to a variety of sacred or consecrated objects, places, or persons. | |||
Holy in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i shenjte | ||
| 'E shenjte' comes from the Proto-Albanian word '*san-kt' which also meant 'saint'. | |||
| Basque | santua | ||
| In Basque, the word "santua" originally referred to "those who know," and has evolved to mean "holy" in a religious context. | |||
| Catalan | sant | ||
| Sant derives from the Latin word “sanctus” that means "consecrated" and can also reference someone recognized for exceptional virtues and heroic sanctity in the Catholic Church. | |||
| Croatian | sveti | ||
| The word 'sveti' can also refer to 'light' or 'world'. | |||
| Danish | hellig | ||
| The word "hellig" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "hailag, | |||
| Dutch | heilig | ||
| Dutch "heilig" derives from a Proto-West-Germanic root also found in "hagel" and "hele". | |||
| English | holy | ||
| The word "holy" comes from the Old English word "halig," which means "whole" or "unbroken." | |||
| French | saint | ||
| The French word "saint" derives from the Latin "sanctus", meaning "consecrated, holy", and has a similar meaning in both languages. | |||
| Frisian | hillich | ||
| Hillich can also mean 'healthy,' 'happy,' or 'whole,' deriving from the Old Frisian word 'heil,' meaning 'health.' | |||
| Galician | santo | ||
| In Galician, «santo» can also mean «a male saint» or, in a metaphorical way, «a person who excels in some positive quality». | |||
| German | heilig | ||
| The German word "heilig" comes from the Old High German word "heilag," meaning "healthy" or "whole," and is related to the English word "hale. | |||
| Icelandic | heilagur | ||
| The word "heilagur" is a compound word, consisting of "heil" (whole or well) and "agur" (awful or dreadful), thus it can also refer to awesome and formidable things, like mountains. | |||
| Irish | naofa | ||
| The word "naofa" in Irish can also refer to saints or holy people. | |||
| Italian | santo | ||
| In Italian, "santo" can also refer to a "saint" or a "person of great piety" | |||
| Luxembourgish | helleg | ||
| In older Luxembourgish, 'helleg' was also used to describe something impressive. | |||
| Maltese | qaddis | ||
| The word "qaddis" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "qadīs", which means "judge" or "legal expert". | |||
| Norwegian | hellig | ||
| Its use in a non-religious sense is as an old swear word, related to 'hell', 'holy' and 'holy smoke' in English, and still a common expletive in Norwegian, in the form of 'hellig(e)'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | piedosos | ||
| The word **piedosos** originates from the Latin word *pietas* that means "dutifulness, sense of duty" (towards gods, parents, country). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | naomh | ||
| In Gaelic, naomh can refer to "saint," "sanctity," or anything sacred. | |||
| Spanish | santo | ||
| The Spanish word "santo" derives from the Latin "sanctus," which means "separated, consecrated, or set apart." | |||
| Swedish | helig | ||
| Helig is related to the Old Norse word heilagr, which means | |||
| Welsh | sanctaidd | ||
| "Sanctaidd" is derived from the Latin "sanctitās," meaning "holiness, sacredness, or devotion." | |||
Holy in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | святы | ||
| Святы in Belarusian is used primarily in religious contexts but can also mean 'clean', 'pure', or 'sacred'. | |||
| Bosnian | sveto | ||
| The word "sveto" in Bosnian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "svętъ", which also means "light" or "bright". | |||
| Bulgarian | свети | ||
| The word "свети" in Bulgarian derives from the same Proto-Slavic root as the English word "soothsayer". | |||
| Czech | svatý | ||
| The term "svatý" is an Old Slavonic word meaning "belonging to the divine." | |||
| Estonian | püha | ||
| In some contexts within the Estonian pagan religion, "püha" means spirits instead | |||
| Finnish | pyhä | ||
| Pyhä also means "clean" and "pure" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | szent | ||
| "Szent" is a loanword from Proto-Slavic, likely coming from the word *święty, originally denoting purity and cleanliness. | |||
| Latvian | svēts | ||
| "Svēts" is cognate with other Baltic words for "holy" like Lithuanian "šventas" and Old Prussian "swints", all descending from Proto-Baltic *swentas. | |||
| Lithuanian | šventas | ||
| The word "šventas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*swen-," which means "to shine" or "to be bright." | |||
| Macedonian | свето | ||
| The word "свето" in Macedonian also means "bright" or "light". | |||
| Polish | święty | ||
| The word "święty" in Polish can also refer to a saint or a holiday. | |||
| Romanian | sfânt | ||
| "Sfânt" originates from PIE "*sew-" ("to sacrifice") via Latin "sanctus" ("consecrated"), with the same etymological root as "sacrifice", "sacred", and "sanctuary." | |||
| Russian | святой | ||
| In Russian, 'святой' can also mean 'saint' or 'sacred'. | |||
| Serbian | свети | ||
| The word "Свети", in addition to its primary meaning of "holy", also has several other meanings, including "bright", "shining", and "illustrious". | |||
| Slovak | svätý | ||
| In the Slovak language, the word "svätý" (holy) is also used to describe something that is particularly beautiful or pleasing. | |||
| Slovenian | sveti | ||
| The Slovenian word "sveti" has Indo-European roots and is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic "svętъ". | |||
| Ukrainian | святий | ||
| The word "святий" in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *svętъ, which also means "bright" or "pure". | |||
Holy in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পবিত্র | ||
| The word 'পবিত্র' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pavitra', meaning 'pure' or 'purified'. | |||
| Gujarati | પવિત્ર | ||
| The Gujarati word 'પવિત્ર' (pavitra) is ultimately derived from the Latin word 'putere,' meaning 'to remove foul odor;' the related Sanskrit word meant 'to clarify butter' and later gained the meaning 'sanctify' | |||
| Hindi | पवित्र | ||
| The word "पवित्र" traces its roots to the Sanskrit word "पाव", meaning "to purify" or "to cleanse". | |||
| Kannada | ಪವಿತ್ರ | ||
| "ಪವಿತ್ರ" comes from the Sanskrit word "pavitra," which originally meant "cleansed" or "purified." | |||
| Malayalam | വിശുദ്ധം | ||
| "വിശുദ്ധം" is derived from Sanskrit "विशुद्धि" meaning "freedom from impurities" and is also used to refer to saints or sacred objects. | |||
| Marathi | पवित्र | ||
| The word "पवित्र" in Marathi can also mean "pure", "sacred", or "clean", and is derived from the Sanskrit word "pu", meaning "to purify". | |||
| Nepali | पवित्र | ||
| "पवित्र" is derived from the Sanskrit root "पव्" (to purify) and carries connotations of purity, cleanliness, and sacredness. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਵਿੱਤਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශුද්ධ | ||
| "ශුද්ධ" is also used to mean 'pure', 'clean', or 'correct' as in 'correct grammar' | |||
| Tamil | பரிசுத்த | ||
| Telugu | పవిత్ర | ||
| The word "పవిత్ర" (pavitra) in Telugu originates from the Sanskrit word "pavitra," meaning "purified" or "cleansed." | |||
| Urdu | مقدس | ||
| The Urdu word "مقدس" (Holy) is originally derived from the Proto-Indo-European root word meaning "to protect" that is also shared with the Latin "Sanctus" that is also the root of other words like "Saint." | |||
Holy in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 圣 | ||
| 圣 "holy, sage, wise" was borrowed to Japanese and Korean, where its reading became せい/Sei and 성/Seong, respectively. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聖 | ||
| 聖 in Chinese can also mean a sage, a wise person. | |||
| Japanese | 聖なる | ||
| 聖なる ('holy') can refer to a person who is highly revered or a place that is considered sacred. | |||
| Korean | 거룩한 | ||
| "거룩한" is derived from Middle Korean "거룩하-/-하며" and ultimately from Old Korean "거르-/-미" meaning "to purify or abstain from." | |||
| Mongolian | ариун | ||
| In Khalkha Mongolian, the word 'ariun' ('sacred') is cognate with the Buryat word 'arihun' ('spirit') and also denotes a Buddhist divinity. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သန့်ရှင်း | ||
| The word "သန့်ရှင်း" in Burmese, like its English equivalent "holy," can also refer to something "pure" or "spotless," as in the context of an action or a person's character. | |||
Holy in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | suci | ||
| "Suci" also means "pure" or "clean"in Indonesian, and is a cognate of the Malay word "suci" and the Javanese word "resik" | |||
| Javanese | suci | ||
| "Suci" in Javanese can also mean "clean" or "pure", suggesting a broader concept of holiness that encompasses both spiritual and physical aspects. | |||
| Khmer | បរិសុទ្ធ | ||
| The word “បរិសុទ្ធ” in Khmer is cognate with the word “บริสุทธิ์” in Thai. | |||
| Lao | ບໍລິສຸດ | ||
| Malay | suci | ||
| The word "suci" can also mean "clean", "pure", or "sacred" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ | ||
| The word 'ศักดิ์สิทธิ์' is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant 'empowered' or 'authorized'. | |||
| Vietnamese | thánh thiện | ||
| The word "thánh thiện" in Vietnamese literally means "to be clean from all dirt" and is etymologically related to the words "sạch" (clean), and "thơm" (fragrant). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | banal | ||
Holy in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müqəddəs | ||
| The word "müqəddəs" comes from the Arabic word "muqaddas," meaning "sanctified, consecrated, or devoted to religious use." | |||
| Kazakh | қасиетті | ||
| The word "қасиетті" in Kazakh comes from the Arabic word "qaddus", which means "sanctified". It can also refer to something that is pure, sacred, or divine. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ыйык | ||
| The word "ыйык" (holy) derives from the Persian word "āyā", meaning "sign, wonder". | |||
| Tajik | муқаддас | ||
| In Arabic (sacred) as well as in other Iranian (Pashto, Dari, Persian) languages, it denotes not only the concept of holiness but often means "forbidden" | |||
| Turkmen | mukaddes | ||
| Uzbek | muqaddas | ||
| The Uzbek word "muqaddas" is borrowed from the Arabic "muqaddas" meaning "holy" or "sacred" and is often used in reference to religious figures or places. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇقەددەس | ||
Holy in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hemolele | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "hemolele" also means "sacred" or "set apart." | |||
| Maori | tapu | ||
| In Maori, 'tapu' can also refer to something forbidden or sacred, and is related to the concept of mana (prestige or influence). | |||
| Samoan | paia | ||
| Paia can also mean a forbidden action, a taboo, or a sacred object. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | banal | ||
| The Tagalog word "banal" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*banuaŋ", which originally meant "dwelling place of spirits" | |||
Holy in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qullanawa | ||
| Guarani | imarangatu | ||
Holy in International Languages
| Esperanto | sankta | ||
| The word "sankta" comes from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "sacred" or "holy." | |||
| Latin | sanctus | ||
| The root 'sanc-' in 'sanctus' is also present in 'sancire', meaning 'to make sacred'. | |||
Holy in Others Languages
| Greek | άγιος | ||
| The word "άγιος" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ég-ios, meaning "belonging to the god" or "sacred." | |||
| Hmong | dawb huv | ||
| The word "dawb huv" can also mean "clean" or "pure". | |||
| Kurdish | rûhane | ||
| The word "rûhane" in Kurdish could also mean "spiritual" or "sacred" and is related to the Arabic word "ruh" (meaning "soul"). | |||
| Turkish | kutsal | ||
| "Kutsal" also means "forbidden" in the Ottoman Turkish vocabulary and in archaic Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ngcwele | ||
| "Ngqele" is also a type of traditional Xhosa beer that is brewed and drunk during rituals. | |||
| Yiddish | הייליק | ||
| The word "הייליק" also means "complete" or "perfect" in Yiddish, highlighting the connection between holiness and wholeness. | |||
| Zulu | ngcwele | ||
| The Zulu term 'ngcwele', meaning 'holy' or 'sacred', is derived from the verb '-ngcwela', which means 'to fear' or 'to revere'. | |||
| Assamese | পবিত্ৰ | ||
| Aymara | qullanawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | पवित्र बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މާތްވެގެންވެއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | पवित्र | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | banal | ||
| Guarani | imarangatu | ||
| Ilocano | nasantoan | ||
| Krio | oli | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پیرۆز | ||
| Maithili | पवित्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯡꯂꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thianghlim | ||
| Oromo | qulqulluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପବିତ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | ch'uya | ||
| Sanskrit | पवित्रम् | ||
| Tatar | изге | ||
| Tigrinya | ቅዱስ | ||
| Tsonga | ku kwetsima | ||