寺
寺 — Buddhist temple
Buddhist temple
On’yomiジ (ji)
Kun’yomiてら (tera)
Stroke order (6 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 寺
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寺 | てら tera | temple (Buddhist) |
| 寺院 | じいん jiin | Buddhist temple; religious building; church |
| 国分寺 | こくぶんじ kokubunji | state-supported provincial temple (Nara period) |
| 禅寺 | ぜんでら zendera | Zen temple |
| 寺子屋 | てらこや terakoya | temple elementary school (Edo period) |
| 寺社 | じしゃ jisha | temples and shrines |
Study notes
寺 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #879 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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