宗教
shūkyō[ɕɨːkʲo̞ː]
The English word 'religion' is translated into Japanese as 宗教 (shūkyō).
宗教 refers to a system of beliefs dealing with the soul, a deity or life after death. If you want to specify a particular religion, such as Christianity, you would use キリスト教. To refer to specific religious sects or denominations, the term 宗派 is used instead.
Meaning: system of beliefs dealing with soul, deity and/or life after death (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 宗教 is composed of the characters 宗, meaning sect or origin and 教, meaning teach or doctrine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 宗教 can be turned into the adjective 'religious' by adding the suffix 的な. This results in the form 宗教的な.
How do you pronounce it?
shūkyō
Did you know?
- Japan's indigenous Shinto is often described as a 精神 'spirit' or 'way of life' rather than a 宗教 because it lacks a founder and central scripture.
- In Japan, the word 宗教 can sometimes carry a negative nuance, implying a 'cult' or a restrictive organization rather than a general spiritual belief.
- In Japan, many people describe themselves as having 'no religion' while still participating in many religious rituals, a distinction not commonly found in the West.
Examples in context
- 宗教は信じない。I don't believe in religion.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal lack of belief in religion.Tatoeba #148250 by small_snow, translation #266309 by CK
- 宗教を信じない人もいます。Some people don't believe in any religion.This sentence is useful for noting that some people do not believe in any religion.Tatoeba #148247 by KK_kaku_, translation #266312 by CK
- 彼は人々を宗教的に迫害した。He persecuted people for their religion.This sentence is useful for describing someone being persecuted for their religion.Tatoeba #2353820 by wakatyann630, translation #270509 by Scott
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a history book in a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiこの本は、世界の宗教について書いてあります。Kono hon wa, sekai no shūkyō ni tsuite kaite arimasu.This book is about world religions.
- 蓮 Renそうですか。歴史を学ぶには面白そうですね。Sō desu ka. Rekishi o manabu ni wa omoshirosō desu ne.I see. That sounds interesting for learning history.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんは、特定の宗教に興味がありますか？Ren-san wa, tokutei no shūkyō ni kyōmi ga arimasu ka?Ren, are you interested in a specific religion?
- 蓮 Renいいえ、特にありません。Iie, toku ni arimasen.No, not particularly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “religion” translations and entries 宗教, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
