御利益

• 読み: ごりやく
• ローマ字: goriyaku
• 漢字の分解: 御 (go) — honorific prefix; 利 (ri) — benefit, advantage; 益 (yaku/eki) — profit, effect
• 発音: /ɡo.ɾi.ja.kɯ/

意味

Divine blessing; benefit; grace. A benefit, good fortune, or miraculous effect believed to be bestowed by a deity or Buddha.

A key concept in Japanese folk religion, Shinto, and Buddhism. Visiting shrines and temples for specific 御利益 — such as good health (健康), success in exams (合格祈願), safe childbirth (安産), or business prosperity (商売繁盛) — is a pervasive cultural practice. The term can also be used ironically in secular contexts to mean 'benefit' or 'pay-off' from some effort or investment, though this usage is somewhat playful.

例文

1. 合格祈願に訪れた神社で絵馬に思いを書き込み、御利益を願った。
2. このお守りには縁結びの御利益があると言われ、若い参拝者が多い。
3. 彼は長年続けたボランティア活動の御利益か、思わぬ幸運に恵まれたと笑って語った。

使い方ガイド

場面: religion, Shinto, Buddhism, folk custom

トーン: reverent

起源と歴史

Derived from Buddhist Sanskrit concept of phala (fruit/result of merit). 利益 (rieki/riyaku) means benefit or profit, and the honorific 御 (go/o) elevates the term to express the divine source of the benefit. The reading ごりやく is the religious form; りえき is the secular reading.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient–Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal