Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ムスリム | musurimu | [mɯ̟sɨɾʲimɯ̟] (narrow) |
| イスラム教徒 | isuramu kyōto | [isɨɾa̠mɯ̟ kʲo̞ːto̞] (narrow) |
| 回教徒 | kaikyōto | [ka̠ikʲo̞ːto̞] (narrow) |
In Japanese, several terms are used to describe a believer of Islam. ムスリム is a common loanword used in everyday conversation and media, and it is also used as an adjective relating to believers of Islam. For a more formal and descriptive approach, you can use イスラム教徒. There is also a polite phrase, ご信仰がイスラム教である方, which means 'a person who has the Islamic faith'.
What does it mean word for word?
The term イスラム教徒 is composed of イスラム (Islam) and 教徒 (follower of a religion).
Which one should you use?
ムスリム is the common loanword used in everyday speech. イスラム教徒 is a more formal and descriptive term. 回教徒 is an older, more traditional term that is less common in modern daily speech than イスラム教徒 or ムスリム.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To negate the noun ムスリム in a polite sentence, you would use ムスリムではありません.
How do you pronounce it?
musurimu
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the term ムスリム is often preferred by believers themselves because it is a self-identifier, whereas イスラム教徒 can feel like a label applied by an outsider.
- The older term 回教徒 uses the characters for 'return' and 'teach', a way of describing Islam that was common in East Asia before Western phonetic transliterations became standard.
- In very formal Japanese contexts, using 方 (kata) in the phrase ご信仰がイスラム教である方 elevates the person's status, treating the believer with a level of respect reserved for high-ranking individuals or guests.
Examples in context
- 私はムスリムです。I am a Muslim.Tatoeba #794265 by arihato, translation #789910 by sestersparrow
- ヤニーはムスリムでした。Yanni was Muslim.Tatoeba #10049639 by small_snow, translation #9954009 by Amastan
- トムはムスリムじゃないよ。Tom isn't a Muslim.Tatoeba #8960831 by small_snow, translation #8960827 by CK
- イギリスに行った時、たくさんのムスリムに出会いました。When I went to England, I met many Muslims.
- 彼女はマレーシア出身で、ムスリマです。She is from Malaysia and she is Muslim.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about food at a party.
- 蓮 Renムスリムの人も食べられる料理はあるかな？Musurimu no hito mo taberareru ryouri wa aru kana?I wonder if there is food that a Muslim person can also eat?
- 陽葵 Himariこの野菜料理なら大丈夫だと思うよ。Kono yasai ryouri nara daijoubu da to omou yo.I think this vegetable dish should be fine.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵は、ムスリムの食事について詳しいの？Himari wa, Musurimu no shokuji ni tsuite kuwashii no?Himari, are you knowledgeable about Muslim dietary rules?
- 陽葵 Himari少しだけならわかるよ。Sukoshi dake nara wakaru yo.I know a little bit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “muslim” translations and entries ムスリム, イスラム教徒, 回教徒, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
