1.
anniversary of a death, memorial anniversary
A counter-like suffix used with numbers to mark the anniversary of a person's death. Used in Buddhist memorial services. The counting system is offset by one: 一回忌 is the first anniversary (one year after death), but 三回忌 is the second anniversary (two years after death).
Next month there is a memorial service for the second anniversary of my father's death.
Counting patterns
The counting of 回忌 follows a traditional system that is offset by one year from the actual elapsed time:
- 一周忌 / 一回忌: 1 year after death
- 三回忌: 2 years after death
- 七回忌: 6 years after death
- 十三回忌: 12 years after death
This offset occurs because the year of death itself counts as the first year in the traditional Buddhist counting system.
Common collocations
Cultural note
Memorial services (法要) are held at specific intervals after death in Japanese Buddhist tradition. The major anniversaries are the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 23rd, 27th, 33rd, and 50th.
Related Words
Related:
法要 (memorial service)