1.
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple, used with the polite prefix お. The standard everyday form when referring to temples in conversation.
お寺に行く。
To go to a temple.
京都にはお寺がたくさんある。
There are many temples in Kyoto.
家族でお寺にお参りした。
I visited a temple with my family.
あのお寺は桜の名所として有名だ。
That temple is famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot.
The polite form of 寺, using the honorific prefix お. In everyday conversation, お寺 is much more common than the plain form 寺. The お prefix is not strictly honorific here — it has become a natural part of the word in spoken Japanese.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お寺に行く: to go to a temple
- お寺にお参りする: to visit a temple (for worship)
- お寺を回る: to visit several temples
- お寺の鐘: a temple bell
TEMPLE VS. SHRINE:
- お寺: Buddhist temple — features a 本堂 (main hall), 仏像 (Buddha statues), and often a 墓地 (cemetery)
- 神社: Shinto shrine — features a 鳥居 (torii gate) and 狛犬 (guardian lion-dogs)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 寺院: temple — a more formal, written-style word for Buddhist temples
- 寺: temple — the plain form, used mainly in compounds and written contexts