聖書
seisho[se̞ːɕo̞]
The English word "bible" is translated into Japanese as 聖書 (seisho). Wiktionary also lists バイブル (baiburu).
Meaning: Christian holy book (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 聖書 | seisho | [se̞ːɕo̞] (narrow) |
| バイブル | baiburu | [ba̠ibɯ̟ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
聖書 is the common term used to refer to the Christian holy book. For example, if you are discussing the book of Genesis, you would use 創世記 or if you are discussing the book of Revelation, you would use 黙示録.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 聖書 is composed of the characters for "holy" (聖) and "book" (書), literally meaning "holy book".
Which one should you use?
聖書 is the standard term for the religious text. In contrast, the katakana loanword バイブル is more commonly used in a metaphorical sense to mean a "definitive guide" or "essential manual" for a specific subject.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
seisho
Did you know?
- Japanese speakers may use the phrase 聖書を紐解く (untying the strings of the Bible) to describe reading the text, reflecting old book-binding styles.
- The character 聖 in 聖書 is also used in the word 聖徳太子 (Prince Shotoku), who is credited with introducing Buddhism to Japan.
- The word 聖書 is written with characters that are shared with many other East Asian languages, making the word for 'Bible' recognizable to literate Chinese and Korean speakers.
Examples in context
- トムは聖書を読んでいる。Tom is reading the Bible.This sentence shows the use of 聖書 to describe someone reading the Bible.Tatoeba #2526910 by tommy_san, translation #1888573 by Spamster
- 聖書を読むのは初めてです。This is the first time for me to read the Bible.This sentence demonstrates using 聖書 when discussing reading the Bible for the first time.Tatoeba #142646 by small_snow, translation #271924 by CM
- サミは聖書を全部読みました。Sami read the whole Bible.This sentence shows how to express having read the whole of the 聖書.Tatoeba #9930270 by small_snow, translation #6398432 by OsoHombre
- ヨハネの福音書3:16John 3:16
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about books in a library.
- 蓮 Renこの聖書はとても古いですね。Kono seisho wa totemo furui desu ne.This Bible is very old, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、貴重な本だと思います。Hai, kichou na hon da to omoimasu.Yes, I think it's a precious book.
- 蓮 Ren聖書の内容に興味があります。Seisho no naiyou ni kyoumi ga arimasu.I am interested in the contents of the Bible.
- 美咲 Misakiぜひゆっくり読んでみてください。Zehi yukkuri yonde mite kudasai.Please do take your time reading it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bible” translations and entries 聖書, バイブル, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
