كنيسة
kinīsa/ka.niː.sa/Egyptian Arabic, feminine
The English word 'church' is translated into Arabic as كنيسة (kinīsa). Wiktionary also lists كَنِيسَة (kanīsa) and كَنَائِس (kanāʔis).
Meaning: house of worship (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| كنيسة | kinīsa | /ka.niː.sa/ | Egyptian Arabic, feminine |
| كَنِيسَة | kanīsa | feminine | |
| كَنَائِس | kanāʔis | plural | |
| بِيعَة | bīʕa | feminine | |
| كنايس | kanāyes | Egyptian Arabic, plural |
The term refers to a house of worship.
Which one should you use?
كنيسة is the most common word used for a Christian church. However, بِيعَة can also be used to refer to a church or a place of worship in certain specific or classical contexts. For the plural, Standard Arabic uses كَنَائِس, while Egyptian Arabic uses كنايس.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the most common term for a church is كنيسة. Consequently, the Egyptian plural is كنايس rather than the Standard Arabic كَنَائِس.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Standard Arabic, كَنَائِس is the plural of the word كنيسة.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ka.niː.sa/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Arabic word كنيسة shares a common root with the Hebrew word כְּנֶסֶת 'Knesset', which is the name of the Israeli parliament.
Examples in context
- أين أقرب كنيسة ؟Where's the nearest church?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of the nearest كنيسة.Tatoeba #1001818 by alkhaldy, translation #27262 by CK
- هناك كنيسة بالقرب من منزلي.There is a church near my house.This sentence is useful for stating the proximity of a كنيسة to a house.Tatoeba #1036776 by alkhaldy, translation #29194 by CK
- قام يانّي بزيارة كنيسة مهجورة.Yanni visited an abandoned church.This sentence is useful for describing a visit to an abandoned كنيسة.Tatoeba #10881540 by Amastan, translation #9402130 by Amastan
Sources
- Wiktionary, “church” translations and entries كنيسة, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries كنيسة, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
