Aramaic Translator — Language of the Ancient Middle East
Translate English into Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke and the first true international tongue of the ancient world. Learn its remarkable history below before you translate.
What Is Aramaic?
Aramaic is a Semitic language with a continuous history of more than three thousand years. Unlike many ancient languages it is not dead: roughly 600,000 people still speak modern dialects today, mainly in communities in Syria, Iraq and a worldwide diaspora. In antiquity it was the everyday language of much of the Near East, and it remains central to Jewish, Christian and Mandaean religious tradition.
The History of Aramaic
Aramaic rose to extraordinary prominence as the administrative language of the Persian Empire between roughly 550 and 330 BC, making it arguably the world's first true international lingua franca, used from Egypt to India. Parts of the Hebrew Bible are written in it — sections of Daniel (2:4–7:28) and Ezra (4:8–6:18). Jesus of Nazareth spoke Galilean Aramaic, and several of his actual words survive in the Gospels, such as the cry from the cross, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani". The Aramaic script became the ancestor of the modern Hebrew and Arabic alphabets and dozens of other writing systems.
The Writing System — Syriac and Square Scripts
Aramaic has been written in several related alphabets. The elegant Syriac Estrangela script shown here was used in early Christian manuscripts across the Middle East. Like Hebrew and Arabic, Aramaic is written from right to left and originally recorded mainly consonants, with vowels added later as small marks. This translator displays the classic Syriac forms alongside a Latin transliteration.
Aramaic in Modern Culture
Public interest surged when Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ was filmed almost entirely in reconstructed Aramaic. For millions, hearing the language brought the ancient world vividly close. Aramaic words still echo in everyday speech: "Abba" (father), "Amen" and "Mammon" all come from it.
Common English to Aramaic Words
| English | Aramaic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| peace | ܫܠܡܐ | shlama — related to Hebrew shalom. |
| god | ܐܠܗܐ | alaha — related to Arabic Allah. |
| king | ܡܠܟܐ | malka — root of Melchior. |
| father | ܐܒܐ | aba — Jesus used "Abba". |
| son | ܒܪܐ | bra — "Bar" as in Bar Mitzvah. |
| water | ܡܝܐ | maya. |
| bread | ܠܚܡܐ | lahma — root of Bethlehem. |
| earth | ܐܪܥܐ | ar'a. |
| fire | ܢܘܪܐ | nura. |
| house | ܒܝܬܐ | beta — the "Beth-" in place names. |
| word | ܡܠܬܐ | miltha — John 1:1. |
| light | ܢܘܗܪܐ | nuhara. |
| truth | ܩܘܫܬܐ | qushta. |
| name | ܫܡܐ | shma. |
| blood | ܕܡܐ | dma. |
| brother | ܐܚܐ | aha. |
| woman | ܐܢܬܬܐ | anttha. |
| soul | ܢܦܫܐ | nafsha — also "self". |
| heaven | ܫܡܝܐ | shmaya. |
| blessed | ܛܘܒܐ | tuba. |
| mother | ܐܡܐ | ema. |
| hand | ܐܝܕܐ | ida. |
Attested scholarly forms. Regional and period variations exist.
English to Aramaic Translator
How to Use This Translator
- Type or paste English text into the box above. Short, concrete sentences work best.
- Read the Aramaic output.
- Copy your result with the Copy button to use it anywhere.
What it does well: it renders core biblical and everyday vocabulary in authentic Syriac script with a helpful transliteration. Its limits: Aramaic grammar marks nouns and verbs with prefixes and suffixes that this tool does not add, and right-to-left script can vary by dialect — treat output as accurate base forms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Aramaic
Yes. The historical consensus is that Jesus spoke Galilean Aramaic as his everyday language. Several of his original Aramaic words survive in the Greek Gospels, including "Talitha koum" and "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani".
No. Around 600,000 people still speak modern Aramaic dialects today, mainly Assyrian and Chaldean Christian communities in the Middle East and diaspora, though many dialects are endangered.
All three are Semitic languages and share much vocabulary and structure. The Aramaic alphabet is actually the direct ancestor of both the square Hebrew script and, more distantly, the Arabic script.
Most of the Hebrew Bible is in Hebrew, but sections of the Book of Daniel (2:4–7:28) and Ezra (4:8–6:18) are written in Aramaic, reflecting its role as the imperial language of the period.
Syriac is a major dialect and script of Aramaic that became the literary and liturgical language of Eastern Christianity. The rounded Estrangela form shown here appears in many early Christian manuscripts.
Like other Semitic scripts including Hebrew and Arabic, Aramaic developed writing from right to left. Early Aramaic recorded mainly consonants, with vowel marks added later.
Abba (ܐܒܐ) is the Aramaic word for "father", carrying a warm, familiar tone. It appears in the New Testament in the context of prayer and is the source of the affectionate sense behind the word.
Words with a dotted underline are not yet in our Aramaic dictionary. They stay in English and a definition is fetched below. We add commonly requested words each month.
It translates word by word and handles common phrases, but it does not add Aramaic's grammatical prefixes and suffixes. For scholarly or liturgical use, consult a specialist.
The Latin transliteration is a reading aid based on standard conventions. Pronunciation varies between Eastern and Western Aramaic dialects, so treat it as a guide rather than a fixed standard.
Further Reading & Resources
- 📖
An Introduction to Syriac —A practical grammar for reading classical Syriac Aramaic texts.
- 📖
A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic —The standard concise grammar for the Aramaic of Daniel and Ezra.
- 📖
Jesus the Aramaic —Studies reconstructing the Aramaic words and world of the historical Jesus.
- 🔗
Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon —A free academic lexicon of Aramaic across all periods and dialects.