How to Say "Greek" in Chinese

希腊语

xīlàyǔ

希腊语 (xīlàyǔ) is the Chinese word for the Greek language.

希腊语 refers specifically to the language of the Greek people.

Meaning: language of the Greek people (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of 希腊 (Greece) and the suffix 语 (language).

Use 希腊语 to specify the language, whereas 希腊 refers only to the country. To refer to the people instead of the language, use 希腊人.

In Cantonese, the term for "Greek" is 希臘.

The suffix 语 is used to denote a spoken or written language.

xīlàyǔ

The characters 希腊 are a phonetic transcription of 'Hellas'. This differs from English, which uses 'Greece', derived from the Latin 'Graecia'.
In ancient Chinese texts, before the modern transcription 希腊 was standardized, Greeks were sometimes grouped under general terms for 'Western Barbarians', making the current term a relatively modern convention.
While 希腊语 is the standard term, Chinese speakers often use the term 希腊文 specifically when referring to the written Greek script or ancient texts.

希腊语很难。
Greek is difficult.
This sentence describes the difficulty level of 希腊语.
Tatoeba #9991931 by GlossaMatik, translation #10540374 by sundown
希腊语很难学。
Greek is difficult to learn.
This sentence describes how difficult it is to learn 希腊语.
Tatoeba #10024491 by GlossaMatik, translation #63105 by CN
用希腊语说吧！
Say it in Greek!
This sentence is an instruction to speak using the 希腊语 language.
Tatoeba #8931993 by iiujik, translation #5435682 by Adelpa
希腊是一个具有悠久历史的国家。
Greece is a country with a long history.
我对希腊的文化和艺术非常着迷。
I am fascinated by the culture and art of Greece.
我认识一个希腊人，他很友善。
I know a Greek person, he is very friendly.
在我去希腊旅行时，遇到了许多希腊人。
During my trip to Greece, I met many Greek people.
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

At a bookstore, the two are discussing foreign language books.

雨婷 Yuting

你想学希腊语吗？
Nǐ xiǎng xué Xīlàyǔ ma?
Do you want to learn Greek?
志强 Zhiqiang

我对希腊语很感兴趣。
Wǒ duì Xīlàyǔ hěn gǎn xìngqù.
I am very interested in Greek.
雨婷 Yuting

志强，那你可以去看看那本书。
Zhìqiáng, nà nǐ kěyǐ qù kànkan nà běn shū.
Zhiqiang, then you can go check out that book.
志强 Zhiqiang

好，谢谢你的建议。
Hǎo, xièxie nǐ de jiànyì.
Okay, thanks for your suggestion.

Sources

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