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How to say 'Temple' in Japanese | 寺

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

The Japanese word for Temple is 'Tera', written as 寺 in Japanese.'Temple' in hiragana is てら.

    word

    Meaning

    Temple

    Reading

    てら

    tera

    Kanji

    Temple

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '寺 (てら)' refers to a Buddhist temple, a place of worship and religious practice in Buddhism. It is distinct from Shinto shrines, which are called '神社 (じんじゃ)'. Temples often house statues of Buddha, serve as centers for meditation, and host various religious ceremonies. For example: I visited a temple「寺を訪れました」(てらをおとずれました). There is an old temple in Kyoto「京都に古い寺があります」(きょうとにふるいてらがあります). The word is commonly used in contexts related to religion, history, and tourism.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N2

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    401

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Temple

Words Related to Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 寺 as well.

  • word

    寺院

    Meaning

    Temple

Learn the Word

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What does 'Tera' (寺) mean?

'Tera' means 'Temple' .

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