Sacred in Different Languages
Discover 'Sacred' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sacred' holds a profound and universal significance, denoting something set apart for divine use or veneration. Its cultural importance is paramount, as it underpins the spiritual beliefs and practices of countless societies and religions worldwide.
Delving into the translations of 'sacred' in different languages offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich tapestry of global cultures and their unique perspectives on the divine. For instance, in Spanish, 'sacred' becomes 'sagrado', while in French, it transforms into 'sacré'. In the Hawaiian language, 'sacred' is rendered as 'waihona', reflecting the deep reverence for the spiritual in Hawaiian culture.
Understanding the nuances of this term across languages can enrich one's appreciation for the intricate web of cultural and spiritual beliefs that connect us all. Join us as we explore the translations of 'sacred' in a variety of global languages, from the familiar to the exotic.
Sacred
Sacred in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | heilig | ||
| The Afrikaans word “heilig” originates from the German word “heilig”, which originally meant “whole” or “uninjured”. | |||
| Amharic | ቅዱስ | ||
| The word "ቅዱስ" is derived from the Semitic root "*q-d-š", which also means "holy" or "consecrated" in other languages such as Arabic and Hebrew. | |||
| Hausa | mai tsarki | ||
| "Mai tsarki" also has the meaning of "holy one," particularly a saint, or in some cases "sacred land," and is sometimes used with "wuri" ("land" or "place"), e.g., "wurin maitsarki" ("a place of sanctity"). | |||
| Igbo | dị nsọ | ||
| In certain contexts, "dị nsọ" is also used metaphorically to denote something highly valued (like the concept of "holy grail") | |||
| Malagasy | masina | ||
| The word 'masina' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mahiṣa', meaning 'buffalo', which was considered a sacred animal in Madagascar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zopatulika | ||
| The Nyanja word "zopatulika" is derived from the verb "kuopa," meaning "to worship" or "to venerate." | |||
| Shona | chitsvene | ||
| "Chitsvene" can also mean "a precious, valuable, and important person or thing" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | muqaddas ah | ||
| The word "muqaddas ah" in Somali derives from the Arabic word "muqaddas" which means "sanctified" or "holy". | |||
| Sesotho | halalela | ||
| Although "halalela" is frequently translated as "sacred," other meanings, such as "holy," "pure," and "set apart," may also be used. | |||
| Swahili | takatifu | ||
| The word 'takatifu' also means 'clean, pure, or sanctified' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ngcwele | ||
| The word "Ngcwele" in Xhosa does not have any alternate meanings. | |||
| Yoruba | mimọ | ||
| "Mimọ" in Yoruba can also refer to a ritual of consecration or to certain objects or places that are considered to be holy. | |||
| Zulu | engcwele | ||
| Zulu 'engcwele', from the root 'gcwela', to purify, cleanse, make holy | |||
| Bambara | lasirannen | ||
| Ewe | si ŋuti kɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | cyera | ||
| Lingala | santu | ||
| Luganda | obutukuvu | ||
| Sepedi | tšhogile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyankosɛm | ||
Sacred in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مقدس | ||
| The word "مقدس" can also mean "clean" or "holy" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | קָדוֹשׁ | ||
| The word “קָדוֹשׁ” can also mean “distinguished” or “extraordinary” and is often used in a religious context to describe something or someone worthy of special reverence or respect. | |||
| Pashto | سپي | ||
| The word “سپي” is derived from the words “سپ” (sacred, holy) and “اي” (suffix indicating quality or state). | |||
| Arabic | مقدس | ||
| The word "مقدس" can also mean "clean" or "holy" in Arabic. | |||
Sacred in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i shenjte | ||
| "Shenjtë" also refers to a person who has been recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. | |||
| Basque | sakratua | ||
| The Basque word | |||
| Catalan | sagrat | ||
| Catalan "sagrat" derives from Latin "sacratus", meaning "consecrated" or "holy", and is related to English "sacrosanct". | |||
| Croatian | sveto | ||
| The Serbo-Croatian root *svet* refers to brightness, clarity, and the world as a whole, and is cognated with words for "light" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Danish | hellig | ||
| Possibly related to the Middle Low German word 'helge', meaning 'holy' or 'sacred'. | |||
| Dutch | heilig | ||
| The word “heilig” in Dutch can also mean “whole” or “healthy.” | |||
| English | sacred | ||
| "Sacred" derives from the Latin sacer which referred either to something dedicated to a deity or cursed by a deity. | |||
| French | sacré | ||
| The French word "sacré" can also mean "damned" or "cursed" when used as a minced oath. | |||
| Frisian | hillich | ||
| The verb "halia" from which "hillich" derives can mean "to consecrate" or "to keep separate". | |||
| Galician | sagrado | ||
| Galician 'sagrado' can derive from the Latin 'sacratus' but also from the Celtic 'sacar', meaning 'to venerate'. | |||
| German | heilig | ||
| The German word "heilig" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "hailagaz", meaning "whole" or "uninjured". | |||
| Icelandic | heilagt | ||
| The word "heilagt" can also mean "magical" or "divine" in Icelandic, showing the deep connection between the sacred and the supernatural in the culture | |||
| Irish | naofa | ||
| The word "naofa" in Irish can also mean "saint" or "holy person". | |||
| Italian | sacro | ||
| Derived from Latin "sacer" (holy, consecrated), the word "sacro" in Italian can also mean cursed or damned. | |||
| Luxembourgish | helleg | ||
| The word "helleg" likely derives from the Proto-Germanic word "*hailagaz", meaning "whole", "healthy", or "holy". | |||
| Maltese | sagru | ||
| The Maltese word "sagru" also refers to anything connected to religion, such as a priest's vestments or a relic. | |||
| Norwegian | hellig | ||
| "Hellig" means "sacred" in Norwegian, and derives from the Old Norse word "heilagr" meaning "of or belonging to a god". It can also mean "whole" or "unbroken" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sagrado | ||
| "Sagrado" derives from Latin "sacer", ultimately meaning "set apart" or "hallowed". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | naomh | ||
| The word "naomh" is also used in Scots Gaelic to refer to a person who is holy or virtuous. | |||
| Spanish | sagrado | ||
| The term "Sagrado," derived from Latin, also means consecrated, inviolable or holy. | |||
| Swedish | helig | ||
| The word "helig" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *hailagaz, meaning "whole, sound, or healthy". | |||
| Welsh | sanctaidd | ||
| The Welsh word 'sanctaidd' comes from 'sanct' (holy) and the suffix '-aidd' meaning 'connected with' | |||
Sacred in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сакральны | ||
| Слово "сакральны" происходит от латинского "sacrum", что означает "священный" или "неприкосновенный". | |||
| Bosnian | sveto | ||
| The word 'sveto' has Slavic origins and is cognate with other Slavic languages, where it also refers to holy or consecrated people, objects, or places. | |||
| Bulgarian | свещен | ||
| The word "свещен" (sacred) in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "svekъ", meaning "light" or "pure", and is also related to the words "свет" (light) and "святост" (holiness). | |||
| Czech | posvátný | ||
| The word "posvátný" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "svętъ" with the meaning of "separated" or "unapproachable by ordinary people". | |||
| Estonian | püha | ||
| The word "püha" in Estonian can also refer to "holiday" | |||
| Finnish | pyhä | ||
| "Pyhä" means "sacred" in Finnish, but it also refers to "whole" and "healthy" in the Kalevala epic. | |||
| Hungarian | szent | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "szent" is cognate to the word "sāktas" in Sanskrit, signifying the sacred and sanctified. | |||
| Latvian | svēts | ||
| "Svēts" could also refer to a holy place, a ritual, or a holiday in Proto-Baltic. | |||
| Lithuanian | šventas | ||
| The word "šventas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂wen-, meaning "to win favour". | |||
| Macedonian | свето | ||
| The word "свето" in Macedonian can also mean "light", "holy", or "divine". | |||
| Polish | poświęcony | ||
| "Poświęcony" also means "dedicated" in Polish, which sheds light on its original meaning of "set apart for a specific purpose." | |||
| Romanian | sacru | ||
| The Romanian word 'sacru' is derived from the Latin 'sacer', meaning 'dedicated to a deity or set apart for religious purposes', but also 'cursed' or 'accursed'. | |||
| Russian | священный | ||
| The Russian word "священный" ("sacred") is related to the word "связь" ("connection"), implying a connection to something divine. | |||
| Serbian | свето | ||
| The word "свето" can also mean "light" or "holy" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | posvätný | ||
| The Slovak word posvätný comes from the Slavic root *svęt-, meaning "holy," and is cognate with words like the Russian свято́й (svyatóy) and the Polish święty. | |||
| Slovenian | sveto | ||
| "Sveto" also means "world" or "light" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | священний | ||
| "Священний" derives from Proto-Slavic *svętъ, related to *svętiti, meaning "to consecrate, render holy." | |||
Sacred in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পবিত্র | ||
| The word 'পবিত্র' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'पवित्र' (pavitra), which means 'pure' or 'holy'. | |||
| Gujarati | પવિત્ર | ||
| The Gujarati word "પવિત્ર" could be related to the Sanskrit word "पवित्र," meaning "pure, clean, or undefiled." | |||
| Hindi | धार्मिक | ||
| "धार्मिक" can alternatively refer to a person belonging to a particular faith. | |||
| Kannada | ಪವಿತ್ರ | ||
| The word "ಪವಿತ್ರ" also means "pure" or "holy" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | പവിത്രമാണ് | ||
| The word "പവിത്രമാണ്" in Malayalam can also refer to something that is pure, clean, or uncontaminated. | |||
| Marathi | पवित्र | ||
| The word "पवित्र" has cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages, such as "पवित्र" in Hindi and "पवित्र" in Gujarati. | |||
| Nepali | पवित्र | ||
| The word 'pavitra' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pavitraka', meaning a purifier or strainer. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਵਿੱਤਰ | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, 'pavitara' also refers to a sacred book or scripture in Sikhism. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පූජනීය | ||
| පූජනීය is also commonly used as a term of respect for religious figures and objects, and for certain highly respected individuals. | |||
| Tamil | புனிதமானது | ||
| Telugu | పవిత్రమైనది | ||
| Urdu | مقدس | ||
| The word "مقدس" ("sacred") also means "a place where a person can be close to God" in Urdu. | |||
Sacred in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 神圣 | ||
| 神圣 derives from 神 (god) and 圣 (sage), meaning "holy or sacred". It can also mean "solemn or revered". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 神聖 | ||
| 神聖 can also mean 'divine', 'holy', 'sacred', or 'solemn'. | |||
| Japanese | 神聖 | ||
| 神聖 can also refer to a divine being or a deity. | |||
| Korean | 신성한 | ||
| The word '신성한' (sacred) in Korean can also refer to something that is divine, holy, or inviolable. | |||
| Mongolian | ариун | ||
| The word "ариун" also means "clean" or "pure" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြင့်မြတ်သည် | ||
Sacred in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | suci | ||
| The word "suci" also means "clean" or "pure" and is cognate with the Malay word "suchi" meaning "clean", "pure", "bright", "shining", or "sacred". | |||
| Javanese | suci | ||
| The Javanese word "suci" also means "clean" or "pure" and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "shuci" meaning the same. | |||
| Khmer | ពិសិដ្ឋ | ||
| Lao | ສັກສິດ | ||
| The word "ສັກສິດ" (sacred) also means "evidence" or "proof" in Lao, highlighting the belief that the sacred is supported by observable evidence. | |||
| Malay | suci | ||
| The word 'suci' in Malay can also refer to purity, holiness, or chastity. | |||
| Thai | ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ | ||
| The word "ศักดิ์สิทธิ์" also means "divine" and can refer to anything related to or possessing divine power. | |||
| Vietnamese | linh thiêng | ||
| The word "Linh thiêng" is derived from the Chinese word "靈驗" (língyàn), which means "a response from the gods". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sagrado | ||
Sacred in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müqəddəs | ||
| The word "müqəddəs" in Azerbaijani can also mean "decent" or "chaste." | |||
| Kazakh | қасиетті | ||
| The word "қасиетті" is derived from the Persian word "qasd", meaning "intention, purpose", and thus can also mean "holy" or "blessed." | |||
| Kyrgyz | ыйык | ||
| The word "ыйык" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *yïðïk, meaning "taboo" or "forbidden." | |||
| Tajik | муқаддас | ||
| The word “муқаддас” comes from the Arabic word “muqaddas,” which means “holy.” | |||
| Turkmen | mukaddes | ||
| Uzbek | muqaddas | ||
| "Muqaddas" derives from the Arabic word "muqaddas" meaning "holy" or "consecrated" and also refers to a "shrine" or "holy place". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇقەددەس | ||
Sacred in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | laʻa | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'laʻa' also means 'to spread' or 'to extend', suggesting a connection between the sacred and the expansive. | |||
| Maori | tapu | ||
| The Maori term 'tapu' encompasses a range of meanings including sacredness, prohibition, and restriction. | |||
| Samoan | paia | ||
| The word "paia" in Samoan is also used to describe something that is forbidden or taboo. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sagrado | ||
| The Tagalog word "sagrado" means "sacred" in English, and is also used in Spanish speaking countries to mean "consecrated" or "holy". | |||
Sacred in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sakraru | ||
| Guarani | itupãrekóva | ||
Sacred in International Languages
| Esperanto | sankta | ||
| "--sankta" is a loanword from Latin and it can also mean "saintly" or "holy" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | sacris | ||
| The word "sacris" also refers to divine ceremonies, rituals, and religious rites in Latin. | |||
Sacred in Others Languages
| Greek | ιερός | ||
| Ιερός is also used to describe religious ceremonies, sacrifices, and other practices related to the divine. | |||
| Hmong | dawb ceev | ||
| The Hmong word 'dawb ceev' is also associated with the spirit world, as well as with the concept of purity and righteousness. | |||
| Kurdish | pîroz | ||
| The word "pîroz" in Kurdish also means "festive" or "auspicious". | |||
| Turkish | kutsal | ||
| Kutsal is also the name of a village in Turkey's Edirne Province. | |||
| Xhosa | ngcwele | ||
| The word "Ngcwele" in Xhosa does not have any alternate meanings. | |||
| Yiddish | הייליק | ||
| Yiddish "הייליק" derives from Old High German "heilag" meaning "whole, healthy, holy". | |||
| Zulu | engcwele | ||
| Zulu 'engcwele', from the root 'gcwela', to purify, cleanse, make holy | |||
| Assamese | ভয় খোৱা | ||
| Aymara | sakraru | ||
| Bhojpuri | पवित्र | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުރުމަތްތެރި | ||
| Dogri | पवित्तर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sagrado | ||
| Guarani | itupãrekóva | ||
| Ilocano | nasantoan | ||
| Krio | oli | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پیرۆز | ||
| Maithili | पवित्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯦꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | serh | ||
| Oromo | kabajamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପବିତ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | qapaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पवित्र | ||
| Tatar | изге | ||
| Tigrinya | ቕዱስ | ||
| Tsonga | kwetsima | ||