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How to say 'Monk' in Japanese | お坊さん

Wondering how to say 'Monk' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Monk is 'Obousan', written as お坊さん in Japanese.'Monk' in hiragana is おぼうさん.

    Meaning

    Monk

    Reading

    おぼうさん

    obousan

    Kanji

    Boy, Sonny

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun 'お坊さん (おぼうさん)' refers to a Buddhist monk. It is a polite and respectful term used to address or refer to monks, often associated with temples and religious practices. The prefix 'お' adds politeness, while '坊さん' is derived from '坊主 (ぼうず)', which can also mean monk but is less formal. Example sentences: The monk is praying「お坊さんが祈っています」(おぼうさんがいのっています). I saw a monk at the temple「お寺でお坊さんを見ました」(おてらでおぼうさんをみました). This term is commonly used in everyday conversation when referring to monks in a respectful manner.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    Unknown

    Kanji Grade

    7

    Frequency

    4704

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word お坊さん

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Boy, Sonny

Hiragana in the Word お坊さん

This word contains 3 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    O
  • hiragana

    Reading

    Sa
  • hiragana

    Reading

    N

Words Related to お坊さん Through the Kanji

These 5 Words contain the Kanji 坊 as well.

  • word

    寝坊

    Meaning

    Oversleeping

  • word

    Meaning

    Boy

  • word

    赤ん坊

    Meaning

    Baby

  • word

    坊主

    Meaning

    Monk, Bald

  • word

    坊さん

    Meaning

    Monk

Learn the Word お坊さん

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Obousan' (お坊さん) mean?

'Obousan' means 'Monk' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.