神を賛美する
kami o sanbi suru
To praise God in Japanese is 神を賛美する (kami o sanbi suru).
神を賛美する is an expression used to give glory or thanks to a deity. In Japan, this specific phrase is primarily used within a Christian context to express worship or glory to God.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb sanbi suru is a compound consisting of the noun sanbi (praise) and the verb suru (to do).
Which one should you use?
神を賛美する is formal and religious in nature. In contrast, 神をほめる uses a more common verb for praise and is less specifically liturgical.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the dictionary form 神を賛美する into a polite form, replace suru with shimasu to get 神を賛美します.
How do you pronounce it?
kami o sanbi suru
Did you know?
- If you use 神をほめる to describe a person praising a god, it can sound like the human is 'evaluating' the god's performance, as ほめる is often used for praising a subordinate.
- In non-Christian contexts, Japanese people rarely 'praise' a deity with words, instead performing temizu (ritual hand washing) to show respect before praying.
- Because Japanese culture is traditionally Shinto and Buddhist, using the highly formal 賛美する (sanbi suru) can sound quite foreign or strictly 'Western' to a Japanese ear.
Examples in context
- 私たちは神を賛美する歌を歌います。Watashitachi wa kami o sanbi suru uta o utaimasu.We sing songs to praise god.
- 彼は毎日、神を賛美する祈りを捧げます。Kare wa mainichi, kami o sanbi suru inori o sasagemasu.He offers prayers to praise god every day.
- その教会の目的は、神を賛美することです。Sono kyoukai no mokuteki wa, kami o sanbi suru koto desu.The purpose of that church is to praise god.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are discussing their religious activities at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui蓮さんは、どのように神を賛美するのですか？Ren-san wa, dono you ni kami o sanbi suru no desu ka?Ren, how do you praise god?
- 蓮 Ren僕は、心を込めて賛美歌を歌います。Boku wa, kokoro o komete sanbika o utaimasu.I sing hymns with all my heart.
- 結衣 Yui素敵な方法ですね。Suteki na houhou desu ne.That is a lovely way.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さんも、一緒に歌いませんか？Yui-san mo, issho ni utaimasen ka?Yui, would you like to sing with me?
