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Kanji Detail for 宗 - "sect, origin"

  • Meaning

    宗 means "sect, origin." Also associated with ancestor.

    1. Sect - A religious group; a denomination.

    2. Ancestor - The founder; the originator.

    3. Origin - The source; the root.

    4. Respect - To honor; to revere.

  • Words using

    • 宗教 しゅうきょう Listen religion; religious affiliation; belief
    • 宗門 しゅうもん Listen (religious) denomination; sect
    • 宗派 しゅうは Listen sect; denomination; school (e.g. of poetry)
    • 浄土真宗 じょうどしんしゅう Listen Jōdo Shinshū (offshoot of the Jōdo sect); True Pure Land School
  • Tattoo check:

    • Verified meaning: sect, origin
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read しゅう, そう, そうざき, たかし)
    • Also carries these associations: ancestor

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of

    Given names (しゅう)Listen (たかし)Listen (みやこ)Listen (むね)Listen (もとい)Listen

    Surnames (そう)Listen (そうざき)Listen (ちょん)Listen (はじめ)Listen (むねたか)Listen (むねと)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    religion; sect; denomination; main point; origin; essence

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    lineage, ancestry; ancestor, clan

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Zong

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    ancestry, clan, family, lineage; religion, sect

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Honoring ancestral temples. The most honored is 祖; next is 宗. Together called 宗廟. Temple names include 某祖某宗, as in "honoring ancestors for achievements, honoring ancestors for virtue." Colloquially, forebears are called 祖宗. | Clan. Anciently, the line of the eldest legitimate son was 大宗, the line of other legitimate sons 小宗. Now, those with the same surname are called 同宗. | Chief; main. Such as 主意 is also called 宗旨. Also, something taken as the main point that people follow. Such as 儒宗, 宗教. | Schools. After the Fifth Patriarch, Chan Buddhism split into Southern and Northern schools. The Southern school emphasized sudden enlightenment; the Northern school emphasized gradual enlightenment. Daoism also split into two schools during the Jin dynasty. The Southern school prioritized nature; the Northern school prioritized destiny. | Colloquially, one item is one 宗. Such as documents called 卷宗. Also, things in large quantities are called 大宗.
  • Onyomi

    tip
  • Kunyomi

    tip
  • Strokes

    tip
  • Radical

    tip
  • Related Keywords

Sentences including

  • I don't believe in religion.

  • He has no religious mind.

  • What religion do you believe in?

  • Do you believe in any religion?

  • Some people don't believe in any religion.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

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