1.
baptism; christening
Religious sacrament
洗礼を受ける。
To receive baptism.
赤ちゃんの洗礼式に招待された。
I was invited to the baby's baptism ceremony.
教会で洗礼を受けてキリスト教徒になった。
I received baptism at a church and became a Christian.
2.
initiation; ordeal; baptism by fire
Figurative: a challenging first experience
社会の洗礼を受ける。
To go through the baptism of the real world.
新人は厳しい洗礼を受けた。
The newcomer went through a tough initiation.
海外赴任の初日に文化の違いという洗礼を浴びた。
On my first day of the overseas posting, I was baptized by the reality of cultural differences.
Originally a Christian religious term for the sacrament of baptism. In Japanese, the figurative sense of a harsh or transformative first experience is used much more commonly than the religious sense.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 洗礼を受ける: to receive baptism; to undergo an initiation
- 洗礼を浴びる: to be hit with an ordeal (figurative)
- 洗礼名: baptismal name
- 洗礼式: baptism ceremony
- 社会の洗礼: the baptism of the real world
USAGE:
The figurative sense 2 is far more common in everyday Japanese. It typically describes a newcomer's difficult first encounter with something — a new job, a new environment, or harsh reality. The phrase 洗礼を受ける works for both senses.