Japanese kanji 仏: Buddha and Buddhism

The idea

仏 has four strokes. Read 仏像 as ぶつぞう, 仏教 as ぶっきょう, and 仏壇 as ぶつだん. In 仏教, the small っ marks a doubled consonant. Follow the linked stroke diagram when writing.

Examples

• 寺てらで仏像ぶつぞうを見みました。I saw a Buddha statue at the temple.
• 大学だいがくで仏教ぶっきょうを学まなんでいます。I am studying Buddhism at university.
• この本ほんは仏教ぶっきょうの教おしえを説明せつめいしています。This book explains Buddhist teachings.
• 仏像ぶつぞうの前まえで静しずかに手てを合あわせました。We quietly joined our hands before the Buddha statue.
• 博物館はくぶつかんに古ふるい仏像ぶつぞうが展示てんじされています。The museum displays an old Buddhist statue.
• 祖母そぼは仏壇ぶつだんに花はなを供そなえました。My grandmother put flowers on the Buddhist altar.

Watch out

仏像 is a Buddha statue, while 仏教 is Buddhism; they are not interchangeable. Do not miss the small っ in ぶっきょう.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 仏像 in hiragana.

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   ぶつぞう

   仏像 is ぶつぞう: 像 means an image or statue, so the word names a Buddha statue.

2. Write the reading of 仏教 in hiragana.

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   ぶっきょう

   仏教 is ぶっきょう: the small っ creates a consonant pause before きょう.

3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿壇（ぶつだん）［仏／払］.

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   仏

   仏 completes 仏壇（ぶつだん）, a Buddhist altar.

Use it today

Write 仏 using the stroke diagram, then cover the table and read 仏像 and 仏教 aloud. Make a sentence with either word.