耶や蘇そ

や

そ

Meanings

Historical or colloquial term for Jesus, often used in older texts or by non-Christians. The more standard term is イエス・キリスト.

Kanji

耶question mark
蘇be resuscitated, revived, perilla

Related words

イエス
Standard modern term for Jesus, used in both religious and secular contexts. 耶蘇 is an older, ateji-based form.
キリスト
Commonly used for Christ, often in compound words like キリスト教 (Christianity). 耶蘇 is less common and more historical.

Written forms

耶や蘇そUsage55%
Ateji spelling for Jesus; now rare and mostly historical. The kanji 耶 and 蘇 are used phonetically.
ヤソUsage45%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Borrowed through Chinese 耶穌, a phonetic transcription of the name Jesus used in Christian texts. Japanese adopted the characters with the reading やそ, which also developed broader senses referring to Christianity and Christians.