耶穌 / 耶稣
The name Jesus in Cantonese is written as 耶穌 / 耶稣.
This phrase refers to the religious figure Jesus.
Meaning: religious figure (name)
Which one should you use?
The form 耶穌 is the formal way to write the name, while 耶稣 uses simplified Chinese characters to write the same name. Additionally, 主耶穌 is used specifically to mean 'Lord Jesus'.
Did you know?
- Unlike in English, where 'Jesus!' can be a common swear word, using 耶穌 as a curse in Cantonese is much rarer and often sounds unnatural to native speakers.
- The character 穌 in 耶穌 means 'to recover from illness' or 'to wake up', which creates an unintended but positive layer of meaning in the name.
- In Cantonese, the character 耶 is often used to represent the sound 'ye' in many foreign names, such as 'Jerry' or 'Yelena', turning a sacred name into a common phonetic tool.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Jesus” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
