1.
grave; tomb; burial site
A burial site where the remains of the deceased are interred, typically a family grave with a stone marker located in temple grounds or a cemetery. Visiting and maintaining graves is an important Japanese cultural practice.
お墓に花を供えた。
I placed flowers at the grave.
お盆にお墓参りに行く。
I visit the grave during Obon.
祖父母のお墓は田舎の寺の境内にあり、毎年家族で掃除に行っている。
My grandparents' grave is in the grounds of a temple in the countryside, and every year our family goes to clean it.
The polite form of 墓 (grave), with the honorific prefix お. In everyday speech, お墓 is the standard form — using 墓 without お can sound blunt or overly direct.
USAGE:
- Japanese graves are typically family graves (家族墓) located in temple or cemetery grounds
- Visiting and maintaining the grave is an important cultural practice, especially during お盆 (mid-August) and お彼岸 (equinox periods)
- The act of visiting a grave is called お墓参り
- In modern Japan, discussions about graves also include alternative burial styles like 納骨堂 (columbariums) and 樹木葬 (tree burial)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お墓参り: visiting a grave
- お墓を建てる: to build/erect a grave
- お墓を掃除する: to clean a grave
- お墓に入る: to be buried (lit. to enter the grave)
- お墓の前で手を合わせる: to put one's hands together in prayer before the grave
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 墓地: cemetery, graveyard — the area where graves are located
- 墓石: gravestone, tombstone — the stone marker itself
- 霊園: memorial park, cemetery — a more modern, park-like cemetery