כנסייה
knesiya
The English word "church" is translated into Hebrew as כנסייה (knesiya).
כנסייה is used to refer specifically to a Christian house of worship.
Meaning: house of worship (noun)
Which one should you use?
The latter is the term used specifically for a Jewish synagogue.
How do you pronounce it?
knesiya
Did you know?
- While כנסייה refers to a Christian building, the Hebrew word for a Jewish synagogue, בית כנסת (beit knesset), literally means 'house of gathering'.
- The word כנסייה shares a striking resemblance to the Arabic word كنيسة (kanīsa), reflecting their common Semitic linguistic heritage.
- Because the word stems from a root meaning 'to gather', a כנסייה is etymologically a 'gathering place'.
Examples in context
- יש כנסייה ליד ביתי.There is a church near my house.This sentence shows how to state the location of a כנסייה.Tatoeba #701913 by Eldad, translation #29194 by CK
- בעבר היתה כאן כנסייה.There used to be a church here.This sentence describes the past existence of a כנסייה in a specific place.Tatoeba #1405680 by MrShoval, translation #28341 by CK
- פעם הייתה כאן כנסייה.There was a church here once.This sentence is another way to describe that a כנסייה was present in a location in the past.Tatoeba #3878991 by Eldad, translation #428086 by witbrock
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are walking through an old part of the city.
- עגור Adiתראה, יש כנסייה יפה שם.Tir'e, yesh knessiya yafa sham.Look, there is a beautiful church there.
- נועם Noamהיא נראית ממש עתיקה.Hi nira'et mamash atika.It looks really ancient.
- עגור Adiבוא נכנס לכנסייה הזאת.Bo niknas la'knessiya ha'zot.Let's enter this church.
- נועם Noamאני מסכים, בוא נלך.Ani maskim, bo nelech.I agree, let's go.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries כנסייה, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
