Translation guide
A written prayer or petition offered at a shrine or Buddhist temple in Japan. This is a physical object, often a wooden tablet or paper, on which a wish or prayer is written and then hung or placed at the sacred site.
The most common type: a small wooden board on which you write a wish or prayer and hang at a shrine or temple.
A wooden votive tablet, often with a picture of a horse or other design, on which worshippers write wishes or prayers and hang at a shrine or temple. This is the standard term.
神社で絵馬に願い事を書いた。
I wrote my wish on an ema at the shrine.
絵馬を奉納する。
To dedicate an ema.
A paper strip or piece of paper on which a prayer or petition is written, often tied to a sacred tree or rack.
A paper prayer slip or tag on which a wish is written. Often tied to a sacred tree or a special rack at a shrine.
願い札を木に結びつける。
Tie a prayer slip to a tree.
A more formal term for a paper prayer slip, emphasizing the act of praying for something.
祈願札に願いを書く。
Write a wish on a prayer slip.
A generic term for a written prayer or petition, not specifying the material.
At many shrines and temples, you can purchase a small wooden tablet (ema) and write your wish or prayer on it with a provided pen. Then you hang it on a designated rack. This is a common practice for visitors.
A written prayer in this context is not a personal letter to a deity. It is a physical object offered at a sacred place. Do not use 手紙 (letter) or メモ (memo) for this concept.