1.
religion
A system of faith and worship; belief in a god or gods.
日本人の多くは特定の宗教を持たない。
Many Japanese people don't follow a specific religion.
宗教の自由は憲法で保障されている。
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution.
彼は宗教の話題には触れないようにしている。政治と宗教は、人によって考え方が大きく違うからだ。
He avoids the topic of religion. That's because people's views differ greatly on politics and religion.
宗教 refers to religion as a system of belief and practice.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 宗教の自由 (freedom of religion)
- 宗教法人 (religious corporation)
- 宗教団体 (religious organization)
- 宗教戦争 (religious war)
- 宗教心 (religiosity, religious feeling)
- 宗教家 (religious person, clergyman)
MAJOR RELIGIONS:
- キリスト教 (Christianity)
- 仏教 (Buddhism)
- イスラム教 (Islam)
- 神道 (Shinto)
- ヒンドゥー教 (Hinduism)
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japan, many people practice elements of both Shinto and Buddhism without identifying strongly with either, a phenomenon called 神仏習合.