三 七 日(みなのか)

みなのか

noun

21st-day memorial service

1. the 21st-day Buddhist memorial service

A Buddhist memorial service held on the 21st day after a person's death — the third of the seven weekly services performed during the 49-day mourning period, following 二七日(ふたなのか) and preceding 四七日(よなのか).

三七日(みなのか)の法要(ほうよう)をする。

We hold the 21st-day memorial service.

二七日(ふたなのか)の次(つぎ)は三七日(みなのか)だ。

After the 二七日 service comes the 三七日 service.

死(し)んでから三週間(さんしゅうかん)後(ご)の三七日(みなのか)に、親族(しんぞく)だけで短(みじか)い読経(どきょう)を行(おこな)った。

On the 三七日, three weeks after the death, only close relatives gathered for a short sutra reading.

三七日(みなのか) is the third of the seven weekly Buddhist memorial services held during the 49 days after death, falling on the 21st day.

Related words

初七日(しょなのか): 7th day
二七日(ふたなのか): 14th day
三七日(みなのか): 21st day
四七日(よなのか): 28th day
五七日(いつなのか): 35th day
六七日(むなのか): 42nd day
四十九日(しじゅうくにち): 49th day (most important)

Usage

Many families today hold no formal gathering for 三七日(みなのか); at most, a family member visits the altar to recite a short sutra. The service is skipped entirely by families who now observe only 初七日(しょなのか) and 四十九日(しじゅうくにち).

Related Words

Related: 初七日(しょなのか) (7th-day memorial)

Related: 二七日(ふたなのか) (14th-day memorial)

Related: 四十九日(しじゅうくにち) (49th day)

general

Added 2026.9.14 21:50 · Revised 2026.9.14 21:54

30500/30932_minanoka