Translation guide
In Japanese, the most common word for 'cemetery' is 墓地 (ぼち). However, the specific term used can depend on the context, such as a Western-style cemetery, a traditional Japanese graveyard, or a family grave plot.
The most common, all-purpose word for a burial ground.
The standard, neutral term for a cemetery or graveyard. Can refer to any type of burial ground.
That cemetery is on the outskirts of town.
墓地でお参りをした。
I visited a grave at the cemetery.
Often used for larger, park-like cemeteries, especially modern or public ones. Conveys a more formal or landscaped feel.
多磨霊園は東京にある大きな霊園です。
Tama Cemetery is a large cemetery in Tokyo.
Specifically a cemetery with Western-style graves, often associated with Christianity.
Literally 'foreigners' cemetery'. Used for historical cemeteries where non-Japanese are buried, often Western-style.
横浜の外国人墓地は観光名所です。
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is a tourist spot.
Literally 'Western cemetery'. A direct description, but less common than 外国人墓地 for actual places.
その映画には古い西洋墓地が出てくる。
An old Western-style cemetery appears in that movie.
A graveyard attached to a Buddhist temple, or a traditional family burial ground.
Often implies an older, traditional graveyard, sometimes with a slightly eerie or rustic nuance. Can be used in folklore or ghost stories.
夜に墓場を通るのは怖い。
It's scary to pass through the graveyard at night.
Specifically a cemetery within the grounds of a Buddhist temple. Very common in Japan.
寺墓地には古い墓石が並んでいる。
Old gravestones line the temple cemetery.
A public or communal cemetery, often managed by a local government or association.
A single family's burial plot, often marked with a stone monument.
The most common word for a grave or family plot. Can refer to the physical grave marker and the plot itself.
お盆には家族で墓参りに行きます。
During Obon, the family goes to visit the grave.
A more formal term for a grave site or burial plot, often used in official contexts.
墓地 (ぼち) is the most general term. 霊園 (れいえん) implies a larger, park-like, often modern cemetery. 墓場 (はかば) can sound older, more rustic, or spooky, and is common in stories.
The act of visiting a grave is 墓参り (はかまいり). It is a common practice during Obon and the equinoxes. You can say 墓参りに行く (to go visit a grave).
墓地へ墓掃除に行きました。
We went to the cemetery to clean the grave.
お寺の裏に古い墓地があります。
There is an old cemetery behind the temple.
村の共同墓地に先祖が眠っている。
My ancestors rest in the village communal cemetery.
This burial plot has been passed down for generations.