寺

• Reading: てら
• Romaji: tera
• Kanji breakdown: 寺 (ji/tera) — temple
• Pronunciation: /te.ɾa/

Meaning

A Buddhist temple. A place of Buddhist worship and practice.

The basic word for a Buddhist temple, as distinct from 神社 (jinja, Shinto shrine). Temples house Buddha statues and are associated with Buddhist ceremonies, funerals, and meditation. Famous examples include 金閣寺 (Kinkakuji) and 清水寺 (Kiyomizudera). The polite form お寺 (otera) is more common in conversation.

Examples

1. 京都にはお寺がたくさんあります。 There are many temples in Kyoto.
2. 週末に古いお寺を見に行きました。 I went to see an old temple over the weekend.
3. このお寺は千年以上の歴史があります。 This temple has a history of over a thousand years.

Usage Guide

Context: sightseeing, religion, culture, travel

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the Chinese character 寺, which originally referred to a government office. After Buddhism arrived in China and Japan, it came to mean a Buddhist temple.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal