戒名(かいみょう)

かいみょう
noun
posthumous Buddhist name
religionculture
1. posthumous Buddhist name
A Buddhist name given by a priest to a person who has died, written on the memorial tablet (位牌(いはい)) and the grave. Longer, higher-ranking names require a larger donation to the temple, which is a common topic of complaint.
住職(じゅうしょく)に戒名(かいみょう)をつけてもらう。
To have the head priest give a posthumous name.
位牌(いはい)には祖父(そふ)の戒名(かいみょう)が書(か)かれている。
My grandfather's posthumous name is written on the memorial tablet.
最近(さいきん)は、戒名(かいみょう)をつけずに俗名(ぞくみょう)のまま葬儀(そうぎ)を行(おこな)う人(ひと)も増(ふ)えている。
Lately more people hold funerals under the person's ordinary name, without a posthumous name.

Originally the name a person received on taking Buddhist precepts (戒(かい)); in Japan it is now given almost only after death. The Jōdo Shinshū sect calls it 法名(ほうみょう).

Common collocations

  • 戒名(かいみょう)をつける: to give a posthumous name
  • 戒名(かいみょう)料(りょう): the fee for a posthumous name
  • 院号(いんごう): the prestigious 〜院(いん) element of a long posthumous name

Similar words

  • 俗名(ぞくみょう): the name a person used in life
general
Added 2026.10.18 21:20 · Revised 2026.10.18 21:24
32000/32098_kaimyou