ギリシア語
Girishia-go[ɡʲiɾʲiɕia̠ɡo̞]
In Japanese, the term for the Greek language is ギリシア語 (Girishia-go). Wiktionary also lists ギリシャ語 (Girisha-go).
Meaning: language of the Greek people (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ギリシア語 | Girishia-go | [ɡʲiɾʲiɕia̠ɡo̞] (narrow) |
| ギリシャ語 | Girisha-go | [ɡʲiɾʲiɕa̠ɡo̞] (narrow) |
The term refers specifically to the language of the Greek people.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed by adding the suffix 語 (go), which means language, to the country name.
Which one should you use?
The language can be written in two ways: ギリシア語 and ギリシャ語. Both refer to the Greek language.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a person from Greece or someone of Greek descent, you replace the language suffix 語 (go) with the person suffix 人 (jin), resulting in ギリシア人 or ギリシャ人. To refer to something as being of or relating to Greece, its people or its culture, you use the adjective forms ギリシアの or ギリシャの.
How do you pronounce it?
Girishia-go
Did you know?
- Japanese uses the same word ギリシャ for both the modern nation and the ancient civilization, unlike English which often distinguishes between 'Greece' and 'Ancient Greece'.
- In Japanese, the term ギリシャ神話 refers to 'Greek mythology', a subject so popular that it is often discussed in Japanese pop culture and manga independently of the language ギリシア語.
- While both forms are used, ギリシア語 is often considered the more formal or academic standard in Japanese textbooks and official documents than ギリシャ語.
Examples in context
- ギリシャ語は分かんないよ。I don't know Greek.This sentence shows how to express that you do not understand the language using ギリシャ語.Tatoeba #9870197 by bunbuku, translation #5989148 by CarpeLanam
- ギリシャ語って、難しいな。The Greek language is difficult.This sentence is used to remark on the difficulty of the language using ギリシャ語.Tatoeba #10014615 by small_snow, translation #7119528 by CarpeLanam
- この単語はギリシャ語から来ている。This word comes from Greek.This sentence explains the etymological origin of a word using ギリシャ語.Tatoeba #2409485 by tommy_san, translation #59390 by CK
- ギリシャ料理はとても美味しいです。The Greek cuisine is very delicious.
- ギリシャ人の友達がいます。I have a Greek friend.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about their university classes.
- 結衣 Yui陽太はギリシア語を勉強しているの？Yōta wa girishia-go o benkyō shite iru no?Yota, are you studying Greek?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、でもギリシア語はとても難しいよ。Un, demo girishia-go wa totemo muzukashii yo.Yes, but Greek is very difficult.
- 結衣 Yui本当に？いいな、かっこいいよね。Hontō ni? Ii na, kakkoii yo ne.Really? I'm jealous, it's so cool.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとう。でも、全然覚えられないよ。Arigatō. Demo, zenzen oboerarenai yo.Thanks. But I can't remember anything at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greek” translations and entries ギリシア語, ギリシャ語, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
