cristiano
/krisˈtja.no/masculine
The English word Christian translates to cristiano in Italian.
The word cristiano refers to a member of the Christian religion. You may see it used in the phrase Appartenente alla religione cristiana (belonging to the Christian religion), Sequace di Cristo (follower of Christ) or to describe a cristiano praticante (practicing Christian).
Meaning: member of the Christian religion (noun)
Which one should you use?
When referring to a person belonging to the religion, cristiano is not capitalized. However, when used as a male given name, it is written as the proper name Cristiano with a capital C.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number: cristiana is used for a female Christian, cristiani is the masculine plural for Christians and cristiane is the feminine plural for Christian women. The word cristiano also functions as an adjective meaning of, like or relating to Christianity or Christians.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /krisˈtja.no/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The Italian word cristiano shares a surprising linguistic ancestor with the word cretino, making them distant doublets.
- In some southern Italian dialects, cristiano was historically used as a synonym for 'human being' or 'person' regardless of their faith.
- In certain archaic Italian dialects, the term was sometimes used as a generic term for 'civilized' or 'settled' people in contrast to nomadic groups.
Examples in context
- È un nome cristiano.It's a Christian name.This sentence is useful for showing how to use cristiano as an adjective in a name context.Tatoeba #5927238 by Guybrush88, translation #5927077 by mailohilohi
- Sono un buon cristiano.I'm a good Christian.This sentence is useful for expressing personal religious identity using cristiano.Tatoeba #5244282 by Guybrush88, translation #5216198 by fatci
- Suo figlio è cristiano.His son is a Christian.This sentence is useful for describing someone's religious affiliation using cristiano.Tatoeba #10451679 by Guybrush88, translation #10160121 by ddnktr
- Gli italiani sono conosciuti per essere in maggioranza cristiani.Italians are known to be mostly Christians.
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are discussing their friend's background.
- SofiaMarco è un giovane cristiano.Marco is a young Christian.
- LorenzoSì, lo so.Yes, I know.
- SofiaÈ molto devoto.He is very devout.
- LorenzoSì, è un vero cristiano.Yes, he is a true Christian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “christian” translations and entries cristiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cristiano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
