What is the Kanji for "Priest", "Priest's residence", "Boy", and "Monk"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Priest", "Priest's residence", "Boy", and "Monk", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Priest", "Priest's residence", "Boy", and "Monk" is "坊".

This kanji has 1 reading:

Its onyomi reading is "Bou".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "土" means "Soil" and can be read as "Tsuchi", "To", and "Do". And The kanji "方" means "Direction" and can be read as "Hou" and "Kata".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "坊" mean in japanese?

"坊" means "Priest", "Priest's residence", "Boy", and "Monk".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Junior Highschool, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

寝坊: "Oversleep". The Japanese verbal noun '寝坊 (ねぼう)' means 'to oversleep'. This term is used to describe the situation when someone fails to wake up on time, often resulting in them being late for an appointment or work. It suggests a lack of discipline or organization in the person's morning routine. For example: I overslept and was late for my meeting - (寝坊して会議に遅刻してしまった).

坊: "Boy". The Japanese noun '坊 (ぼう)' means 'boy'. This word is used to refer to a young male child. It is an informal or colloquial term, often used affectionately. For example: I saw a cute little boy playing - (可愛い坊さんが遊んでいるのを見た). The young boy is running - (その坊は走っている).

お坊さん: "Priest". The Japanese noun 'お坊さん (おぼうさん)' refers to a Buddhist priest or monk. This term is used to respectfully address or refer to a Buddhist clergyman. お坊さん are responsible for leading religious ceremonies and rituals, and providing spiritual guidance to the Buddhist community. For example: The priest gave a sermon - (お坊さんが説教をしました). I went to see the priest - (お坊さんに会いに行きました).

赤ん坊: "Baby". The Japanese noun '赤ん坊 (あかんぼう)' refers to a young child, typically a newborn or infant. It is a more formal and polite term compared to 'baby'. This word is often used to describe a very young child, usually under the age of one. For example: The new parents are so happy with their little red-cheeked baby - (新しい両親はかわいい赤ん坊に大変喜んでいる). Look at the cute baby - (かわいい赤ん坊を見てね).

坊主: "Monk". The noun '坊主 (ぼうず)' refers to a Buddhist monk. Monks are religious figures who have taken vows and live a life dedicated to spiritual pursuits, often in a monastery. They typically have a shaved head and wear distinctive robes. For example: He decided to become a monk and live in the temple - (彼は坊主になり寺に住むことにした).

坊さん: "Monk". The Japanese noun '坊さん (ぼうさん)' refers to a Buddhist monk. This term is a respectful way to address or refer to a Buddhist priest or clergyman. It is often used in the context of temples or religious ceremonies. For example: The monk was leading the ceremony - (坊さんが儀式を行っていました). I'm going to visit the local temple and see the monks - (近くのお寺に行って坊さんたちに会いに行きます).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "ぼ" is read as "bo". And The hiragana "う" is read as "u".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.