Explore words you may encounter when visiting religious sites in Japan.
The idea
神社 means a Shinto shrine and お寺 a Buddhist temple. 鳥居 is a shrine gate, and お参りする means to visit a sacred place to pay respects. The examples use polite Japanese.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 神社 | Shinto shrine |
| お寺 | Buddhist temple |
| 鳥居 | shrine gate |
| お参り | visit to pay respects |
Examples
- 駅の近くに神社があります。There is a shrine near the station.
- 友達とお寺へ行きました。I went to a temple with a friend.
- 神社に赤い鳥居があります。There is a red torii gate at the shrine.
- 鳥居を通って行きました。I passed through the torii gate.
- 神社でお参りをしました。I paid my respects at the shrine.
- お寺で庭を見ました。I saw a garden at the temple.
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Watch out
Do not use 神社 and お寺 as interchangeable names: they refer to different religious institutions. A visit can take different forms at each site.
Try it yourself
（神社／お寺）は神道の場所です。
Show answer or example answer
神社
神社 is a Shinto shrine; お寺 is a Buddhist temple.
（お寺／鳥居）は仏教の場所です。
Show answer or example answer
お寺
お寺 means a Buddhist temple; 鳥居 is a shrine gate.
（鳥居／お参り）は神社の門です。
Show answer or example answer
鳥居
鳥居 is a shrine gate; お参り means a visit to pay respects.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
（神社／お寺）は神道の場所です。
（お寺／鳥居）は仏教の場所です。
（鳥居／お参り）は神社の門です。
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe a visit using two of the words in Japanese.