How to say "synagogue" in Japanese

• 会堂かいどうCommon
  nounThe common general word for a religious meeting hall; it can mean a church or chapel as well as a synagogue, so a Jewish context makes the 'synagogue' reading clear.
  会堂かいどうに鐘かねの音おとが響ひびき渡わたった。↗

  The hall resounded with pealing bells.
• シュール
  nounRenders 'shul', the Yiddish name for a synagogue; it appears mainly in writing about Jewish life. In other contexts シュール is a loanword meaning 'surreal'.
• シナゴーグ
  nounA direct loanword of 'synagogue'. It names the Jewish house of worship unambiguously and fits explanatory writing about Judaism, though it is less common than 会堂.
• ユダヤ教会堂ユダヤきょうかいどう
  nounA descriptive compound literally meaning 'Jewish church building'; it refers plainly to a synagogue as a building, useful when you need to state that the house of worship is Jewish.
• ユダヤ教会ユダヤきょうかい
  nounLiterally 'Jewish church'; it suggests Judaism or a Jewish congregation as an institution rather than the synagogue building, so it is seldom the word you want for a particular synagogue.

For a synagogue as a building, 会堂 is the common general term, 「シナゴーグ」 the transparent loanword, and 「ユダヤ教会堂」 the explicit 'Jewish' compound; 「シュール」 renders Yiddish 'shul', while 「ユダヤ教会」 leans toward the institution rather than the building.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 会堂かいどうchurch
• シュールshul
• シナゴーグsynagogue
• ユダヤ教会堂ユダヤきょうかいどうsynagogue
• ユダヤ教会ユダヤきょうかいsynagogue