How to Say "Italian" in Japanese

イタリア語

itariago[ita̠ɾʲia̠ɡo̞]

Italian in Japanese is イタリア語 (itariago). Wiktionary also lists 伊語 (igo).

Meaning: language (name)

Ways to say it

“italian” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
イタリア語	itariago	[ita̠ɾʲia̠ɡo̞] (narrow)
伊語	igo	[iɡo̞] (narrow)

The term refers to the Italian language.

イタリア語 is composed of イタリア (Italia/Italy) and 語 (go/language).

Use イタリア語 (itariago) to refer to the language, but use イタリア人 to refer to an Italian person.

The form 伊語 (igo) is a highly abbreviated, formal version used primarily in written contexts like news or academic texts.

itariago

The term 伊太利亜 is the full kanji transcription of 'Italia' and provided the basis for the abbreviated form 伊語.
Japanese can use 'ateji', or kanji used purely for their sounds, to represent foreign words, which is why the abbreviation 伊 exists for 'Italy'.
The suffix 語 is used for spoken languages, but if you refer to Italian literature or writing, you might encounter terms using 文, meaning 'writing'.

イタリア語を話せますか？
Do you speak Italian?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone can speak イタリア語.
Tatoeba #4994 by bunbuku, translation #1590 by bmorsello
イタリア語しか話せないよ。
I speak only Italian.
This sentence is useful for stating that one speaks only イタリア語.
Tatoeba #10880186 by small_snow, translation #3761703 by shekitten
イタリア語、勉強しなきゃ。
I need to study Italian.
This sentence is useful for expressing the need to study イタリア語.
Tatoeba #10914826 by small_snow, translation #7561963 by Ricardo14
31 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two students are talking about their language class.

大翔 Hiroto

イタリア語の授業は楽しい？
Itariago no jugyō wa tanoshii?
Is the Italian class fun?
美咲 Misaki

はい、とても面白いです。
Hai, totemo omoshiroi desu.
Yes, it is very interesting.
大翔 Hiroto

美咲さんは、もう話せるの？
Misaki-san wa, mō hanaseru no?
Misaki, can you speak it already?
美咲 Misaki

まだ少しだけですよ。
Mada sukoshi dake desu yo.
Only a little bit yet.

Sources

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