Japanese kanji 寺: Buddhist temples and word readings

The idea

寺 has six strokes; follow the linked diagram. 寺（てら） is a temple, お寺（おてら） is a familiar polite form, and 寺院（じいん） is a more formal word. Learn each reading with its word.

Examples

• この町まちに古ふるい寺てらがあります。There is an old temple in this town.
• 昨日きのう、友達ともだちとお寺てらを訪たずねました。I visited a temple with a friend yesterday.
• お寺てらの庭にわは静しずかです。The temple garden is quiet.
• 京都きょうとには寺院じいんがたくさん残のこっています。Many Buddhist temples remain in Kyoto.
• 夕方ゆうがたにお寺てらの鐘かねが鳴なります。The temple bell rings in the evening.
• 寺院じいんの建物たてものを見みました。We looked at the temple buildings.

Watch out

A Buddhist temple is お寺; a Shinto shrine is 神社（じんじゃ）. Do not confuse 寺 with 時, which adds 日 and relates to time.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 寺 in hiragana.

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   てら

   寺 is read てら: この町に古い寺があります means there is an old temple in this town.

2. Write the reading of 寺院 in hiragana.

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   じいん

   寺院 is read じいん. It is a formal word for a Buddhist temple, as in the Kyoto example.

3. Choose the kanji for a Buddhist temple: お＿（てら）［寺／時］.

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   寺

   寺 completes お寺（おてら）, a Buddhist temple. 時 refers to time and does not fit.

Use it today

Write 寺 using the stroke diagram. Cover the table, read 寺 and 寺院, then make a sentence about a temple.