Japanese symbol for “temple”
寺
てら
Romaji: tera
temple (Buddhist)
In Japanese, temple is 寺, read てら (tera).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n temple (Buddhist)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “temple”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 堂 | どう dou | temple; shrine; chapel |
| 聖堂 | せいどう seidou | (Confucian) temple; church; sanctuary |
| 神殿 | しんでん shinden | temple; shrine; sanctuary |
| 伽藍 | がらん garan | temple (esp. large one); monastery |
| お寺 | おてら otera | temple |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寺院 | じいん jiin | Buddhist temple |
| 国分寺 | こくぶんじ kokubunji | state-supported provincial temple (Nara period) |
| 山寺 | やまでら yamadera | mountain temple |
| 寺社 | じしゃ jisha | temples and shrines |
| 寺子屋 | てらこや terakoya | temple elementary school (Edo period) |
| 菩提寺 | ぼだいじ bodaiji | one's family temple; temple with one's family grave |
See also: Chinese symbol for “temple”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.