Prayer in Different Languages
Discover 'Prayer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Prayer is a powerful and universal concept that transcends cultures and languages. It refers to the act of communicating with a higher power, be it a deity, spirit, or the universe itself. Prayer can take many forms, from spoken words and written petitions to silent meditation and musical worship.
Throughout history, prayer has played a significant role in shaping human culture and society. It has been a source of comfort and guidance in times of need, a means of expressing gratitude and joy, and a way to seek forgiveness and make amends. From ancient civilizations to modern-day communities, prayer remains an integral part of religious and spiritual practices worldwide.
Given its cultural importance and universal appeal, it's no wonder that people might want to know the translation of prayer in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a new country, studying a foreign language, or simply curious about the world around you, understanding the nuances of this powerful word can open up new avenues of communication and connection.
In this article, we'll explore some of the many translations of prayer in different languages, from Arabic and Hebrew to Spanish and Chinese. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a spiritual seeker, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty and diversity of human culture, we hope you'll find this exploration fascinating and enlightening.
Prayer
Prayer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gebed | ||
| Gebed is etymologically related to the English word "gibbet" | |||
| Amharic | ጸሎት | ||
| The word "ጸሎት" (prayer) is derived from the Ge'ez word "ṣalāʾt," which also means "prostration". | |||
| Hausa | addu'a | ||
| In Hausa, the word "addu'a" can also refer to blessings, supplications, or appeals to God or other deities. | |||
| Igbo | ekpere | ||
| Igbo word "ekpere" also means "request", "supplication" or "petition" in English. | |||
| Malagasy | vavaka | ||
| The word "VAVAKA" (prayer) in Malagasy finds its roots in the Sanskrit language and literally means "to ask or request". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pemphero | ||
| It is also used to refer to a gift given to a person who has helped you. | |||
| Shona | munamato | ||
| The Shona word for 'prayer' can be a noun - 'munamato', or 'minamato'. The noun 'munamato' can become a verb meaning 'to intercede for someone as an individual' or it can be 'to have a discussion with someone'. | |||
| Somali | salaadda | ||
| "Salaadda" comes from the root word "salaam," meaning "peace," and signifies the connection between prayer and seeking inner tranquility. | |||
| Sesotho | thapelo | ||
| Thapelo can also refer to a person who is devout or who prays frequently. | |||
| Swahili | sala | ||
| The Swahili word "sala" can also refer to a greeting or a form of respect shown to elders. | |||
| Xhosa | umthandazo | ||
| The word umthandazo in Xhosa shares its etymology with the verb ukuthandazela (to pray over something), hinting at the idea of intercession. | |||
| Yoruba | adura | ||
| The term 'adura' may also refer to the physical posture or attitude taken while praying. | |||
| Zulu | umkhuleko | ||
| The word "umkhuleko" can also mean "to cry out" or "to call upon". | |||
| Bambara | delili kɛ | ||
| Ewe | gbedodoɖa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusenga | ||
| Lingala | losambo | ||
| Luganda | okusaba | ||
| Sepedi | thapelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mpaebɔ | ||
Prayer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دعاء | ||
| The word "دعاء" (du'a) in Arabic can also refer to "invocation" or "supplication" and shares a root with the verb "to call". | |||
| Hebrew | תְפִלָה | ||
| תְפִלָה (Tefillah) comes from the root פלל (Pallel) meaning 'to judge' | |||
| Pashto | لمونځ | ||
| The word "لمونځ" (prayer) in Pashto is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *mazd-, meaning "to think" or "to worship" | |||
| Arabic | دعاء | ||
| The word "دعاء" (du'a) in Arabic can also refer to "invocation" or "supplication" and shares a root with the verb "to call". | |||
Prayer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lutje | ||
| The Albanian word "lutje" is derived from the Latin word "laudare," meaning "to praise." | |||
| Basque | otoitza | ||
| In Basque, the word "otoitza" is related to the word "otoi," meaning "voice", suggesting its origin as a form of verbal communication with a higher power. | |||
| Catalan | oració | ||
| The Catalan word "oració" derives from the Latin word "oratio" meaning "speech" or "discourse". | |||
| Croatian | molitva | ||
| The word "molitva" originally meant "request", and is cognate with "molba" (request), "moliti" (to ask for), and "moljak" (supplicant). | |||
| Danish | bøn | ||
| In Norwegian, "bønn" can also mean "request" or "petition". | |||
| Dutch | gebed | ||
| The word "gebed" in Dutch is derived from the Old Dutch word "gebeden" meaning "to ask for something." | |||
| English | prayer | ||
| The word "prayer" derives from the Latin term "precari," meaning "to beg or entreat," and is related to the French word "prière," meaning "request," and the Spanish word "plegaria," meaning "supplication." | |||
| French | prière | ||
| The word "prière" derives from the Latin "precaria," meaning "entreaty," and also refers to a legal petition. | |||
| Frisian | bea | ||
| The word "bea" in Frisian can also mean "wish" or "request". | |||
| Galician | oración | ||
| En gallego, oración se puede referir a la petición a una divinidad o a una construcción gramatical con sentido completo. | |||
| German | gebet | ||
| The German word "Gebet" is related to the word "geben" ("to give") and originally referred to an offering, vow or promise to a deity. | |||
| Icelandic | bæn | ||
| The word "bæn" also means "petition" or "request" in Icelandic, similar to its Old Norse origin. | |||
| Irish | paidir | ||
| Some Irish versions of the Bible still use the spelling "paidir" because of its resemblance to the Latin word "pater" (from Pater Noster, "Our Father"). | |||
| Italian | preghiera | ||
| The word "preghiera" in Italian also means an entreaty, request, or supplication, from the Latin "precari" (to beg). | |||
| Luxembourgish | gebiet | ||
| Maltese | talb | ||
| "Talb" can also mean a 'request' or a 'quest' in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | bønn | ||
| The word "bønn" in Norwegian also means "request" or "petition". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | oração | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "oração" also means "speech" or "oration", and is derived from the Latin word "oratio", meaning "speech or discourse"} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ùrnaigh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word ùrnaigh can also refer to a particular form of metrical hymn or a period of time set aside for religious devotion. | |||
| Spanish | oración | ||
| The Spanish word "oración" also refers to a type of sentence (namely an independent clause) in grammar. | |||
| Swedish | bön | ||
| Besides "prayer," "bön" also means "supplication" and "entreaty" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | gweddi | ||
| Its root 'gwed' also means 'weave' and is cognate with the Latin 'precor', meaning 'ask' or 'beg'. | |||
Prayer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | малітва | ||
| The Belarusian word 'малітва' ('prayer') comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'molitva', which is related to the Sanskrit word 'marana', meaning 'death' or 'killing'. This suggests that the word 'prayer' may have originally had a more sinister meaning, such as 'pleading for one's life'. | |||
| Bosnian | molitva | ||
| The verb "moliti se" is semantically equivalent to the English "to pray", but also has the archaic meaning "to entreat" or "to beg". | |||
| Bulgarian | молитва | ||
| The Bulgarian word "молитва" (prayer) has many alternate meanings, including "request" "plea" and "supplication". | |||
| Czech | modlitba | ||
| Modlitba has also other meanings such as request, demand, petition, suit, supplication, plea, rogation, or invocation. | |||
| Estonian | palve | ||
| The word "palve" in Estonian is thought to be derived from the Indo-European root "pelh-," meaning "to protect" or "to watch over." | |||
| Finnish | rukous | ||
| The word "rukous" in Finnish also means "petition" and comes from the Proto-Finnic word "ruokše" meaning "to ask for something." | |||
| Hungarian | ima | ||
| Ima is not only a prayer but also a 'spell' in Hungarian. The word comes from a Germanic word meaning 'power' or 'strength'. | |||
| Latvian | lūgšana | ||
| The word lūgšana is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leug-, meaning “to bend, to bow”. | |||
| Lithuanian | malda | ||
| This word may be related to the Sanskrit word "mal" (to bind), and the Old Irish word "mol" (praise). | |||
| Macedonian | молитва | ||
| "Молитва" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*molitva", meaning "request" or "entreaty". | |||
| Polish | modlitwa | ||
| The word 'modlitwa' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'molitva', meaning 'request' or 'plea'. | |||
| Romanian | rugăciune | ||
| The Romanian word "rugăciune" evolved from a Slavic word "rogъ" meaning "to ask" or "to request" and it has synonyms like "plecăciune" (bow) and "cerere" (request). | |||
| Russian | молитва | ||
| The word "молитва" derives from the Proto-Slavic "molitva" meaning "request" or "entreaty". | |||
| Serbian | молитва | ||
| In Serbian, "молитва" can also mean "appeal" or "entreaty".} | |||
| Slovak | modlitba | ||
| The word 'modlitba' comes from the Old Church Slavonic word 'molitva', which means 'request' or 'supplication'. | |||
| Slovenian | molitev | ||
| The word 'molitev' is also used to denote a supplication for grace, especially before a meal, which is known as the 'prayer at table' (molitev pred jedjo) in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | молитва | ||
| The word "молитва" in Ukrainian also refers to the genre of religious poetry. | |||
Prayer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রার্থনা | ||
| The word "প্রার্থনা" also means "entreaty" or "request". | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રાર્થના | ||
| "Prarthana" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prarthayati," meaning "to ask or request" and has the alternate meaning of "a plea or petition." | |||
| Hindi | प्रार्थना | ||
| प्रार्थना originates from the root "प्रार्थ्" meaning "to ask, to request" and "to beseech" and implies a heartfelt appeal for something. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ" originates from Sanskrit, ultimately linked to the Proto-Indo-European root *prek-, meaning "ask, question," further connected to the Proto-Dravidian word *peːrkka, meaning "speak, beseech" | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രാർത്ഥന | ||
| പ്രാർത്ഥന, which means 'prayer', also refers to a type of folk dance performance in which a devotional song is sung | |||
| Marathi | प्रार्थना | ||
| The word "प्रार्थना" in Marathi originally meant "request" or "petition" and evolved to signify spiritual supplication. | |||
| Nepali | प्रार्थना | ||
| The word "प्रार्थना" is derived from the Sanskrit root "प्रार्थ" (to ask or request) and is closely related to the English word "petition." | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਾਰਥਨਾ | ||
| The word "prarthana" comes from the Sanskrit word "prarthayati" meaning "to ask" or "to request". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යාච්ඤාව | ||
| The word 'යාච්ඤාව' (yācñāva) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'याचना' (yācanā), which means 'begging' or 'requesting'. | |||
| Tamil | பிரார்த்தனை | ||
| The Tamil word "பிரார்த்தனை" (prayer) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रार्थना" (request), which is ultimately derived from the root "प्र" (to ask). | |||
| Telugu | ప్రార్థన | ||
| The word "ప్రార్థన" (prārthana) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रार्थना" (prārthanā), which means "begging, asking, or entreating". | |||
| Urdu | دعا | ||
| The word **دعا** derives from an Arabic root meaning "to call", and can also mean "call to arms" or "invitation" in a more general sense. | |||
Prayer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 祷告 | ||
| 祷告 was originally a sacrificial ritual (告 = announce, 祭 = sacrifice) | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 禱告 | ||
| 禱, an ancient form of praying, means chanting a mantra; 告, meaning to tell, suggests an utterance of supplication to a deity, thus 禱告 refers to prayers to the divine. | |||
| Japanese | 祈り | ||
| The word "祈り" also connotes "wishes" or "hopes". | |||
| Korean | 기도 | ||
| "기도" is a Sino-Korean word consisting of the Hanja "祈" (to pray) and "禱" (to beseech), thus reinforcing the sense of earnestly pleading to a deity. | |||
| Mongolian | залбирал | ||
| The word "залбирал" has an alternate meaning in Mongolian besides "prayer", which is "wish". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆုတောင်းပဌနာ | ||
Prayer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | doa | ||
| "Doa" derives from Sanskrit "dhyana" meaning "contemplation" or "meditation". | |||
| Javanese | pandonga | ||
| "Pandonga" in Javanese also means a "whisper" or a "confession". | |||
| Khmer | ការអធិស្ឋាន | ||
| Lao | ການອະທິຖານ | ||
| Malay | solat | ||
| The word "solat" is derived from the Arabic word "salat", which means "connection" or "communication" with God. | |||
| Thai | คำอธิษฐาน | ||
| The word "คำอธิษฐาน" can also mean "blessing" or "vow" in certain contexts. | |||
| Vietnamese | người cầu nguyện | ||
| In addition to its religious meaning, 'người cầu nguyện' can also refer to someone who begs or pleads. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panalangin | ||
Prayer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | namaz | ||
| The word "namaz" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "namaz", which in turn comes from the Arabic word "salat", meaning "prayer." | |||
| Kazakh | дұға | ||
| Дұға can also mean "to pray" or "to ask for something." | |||
| Kyrgyz | тиленүү | ||
| Etymology: The word "тиленүү" is derived from the Turkic root "til-", meaning "to speak" or "to ask." | |||
| Tajik | дуо | ||
| From Old Tajik "duov", which may also refer to a type of prayer made by women. | |||
| Turkmen | doga | ||
| Uzbek | ibodat | ||
| The word "ibodat" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "ibadah" meaning "worship" or "devotion" and can also refer to "religious rituals" or "acts of piety". | |||
| Uyghur | دۇئا | ||
Prayer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pule | ||
| The word "pule" in Hawaiian can also refer to a gathering of people for a religious ceremony or ritual. | |||
| Maori | karakia | ||
| In Maori, `karakia` refers to both incantations to invoke deities and the accompanying rituals or ceremonies. | |||
| Samoan | tatalo | ||
| The Samoan word "tatalo" (prayer) is derived from the Proto-Polynesian root *tatalo*, meaning "to ask, request". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagdarasal | ||
| Pagdarasal comes from the Spanish word rezar, which means to pray. | |||
Prayer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayisiña | ||
| Guarani | ñembo’e | ||
Prayer in International Languages
| Esperanto | preĝo | ||
| From the French "prier" and Latin "precari", which also means "to beg". | |||
| Latin | orationis | ||
| Alternatively, "orationis" can mean a "speech" in Latin from its root word "oro" ("to speak" or "pray"). | |||
Prayer in Others Languages
| Greek | προσευχή | ||
| The Greek word "προσευχή" (proseuchē) originates from "πρός" (pros) meaning "towards" and "εὔχομαι" (euchomai) meaning "to pray; wish, desire". | |||
| Hmong | kev thov vajtswv | ||
| It is a term of respect towards God or other spirits that are being spoken to or revered in the prayer. | |||
| Kurdish | dûa | ||
| In Kurmanji Kurdish, the word "dûa" also means "blessing" or "invocation". | |||
| Turkish | namaz | ||
| The word "namaz" is derived from the Persian word "namaz" (itself from the Arabic word "صلاة" (ṣalāh)), and also means "bow" or "prostration" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umthandazo | ||
| The word umthandazo in Xhosa shares its etymology with the verb ukuthandazela (to pray over something), hinting at the idea of intercession. | |||
| Yiddish | תפילה | ||
| The Yiddish word "תפילה" can also mean "a song" or "a poem" | |||
| Zulu | umkhuleko | ||
| The word "umkhuleko" can also mean "to cry out" or "to call upon". | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰাৰ্থনা | ||
| Aymara | mayisiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रार्थना कइल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ނަމާދެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दुआ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panalangin | ||
| Guarani | ñembo’e | ||
| Ilocano | kararag | ||
| Krio | prea we yu de pre | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نوێژ | ||
| Maithili | प्रार्थना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄ꯭ꯔꯥꯔꯊꯅꯥ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | tawngtai a ni | ||
| Oromo | kadhannaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାର୍ଥନା | ||
| Quechua | mañakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रार्थना | ||
| Tatar | дога | ||
| Tigrinya | ጸሎት | ||
| Tsonga | xikhongelo | ||