宗
religion, sect, denomination, main point, origin, essence
Readings
On'yomi
- シュウ
- ソウ
Kun'yomi
- むね
Nanori
- かず
- し
- そ
- そお
- たか
- とし
- のり
- ひろ
- むな
- もと
- よし
Meaning
宗 centers on a foundational source or core principle, especially in a religious or doctrinal context: a sect, denomination, or the main point and essence of a teaching.
Most common words using 宗
20 of 151- 宗教しゅうきょうN3
religion; religious affiliation; belief; faith; creed
- 宗しゅう
sect; denomination
- 宗派しゅうは
sect; denomination
- 正宗しょうしゅう
correct doctrine; orthodox sect
- 正宗まさむね
famous sword; sword blade by Masamune
- 宗主そうしゅ
suzerain
- 改宗かいしゅう
religious conversion
- 浄土真宗じょうどしんしゅう
Jōdo Shinshū (offshoot of the Jōdo sect); True Pure Land School
- 真言宗しんごんしゅう
Shingon sect
- 天台宗てんだいしゅう
Tendai sect (of Buddhism)
- 宗家そうけ
head of family; head house
- 日蓮宗にちれんしゅう
Nichiren school of Buddhism
- 浄土宗じょうどしゅう
Pure Land sect (of Buddhism); Jodo (sect)
- 曹洞宗そうとうしゅう
Soto school (of Zen Buddhism)
- 臨済宗りんざいしゅう
Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism
- 時宗じしゅう
Jishū sect (of Buddhism)
- 禅宗ぜんしゅう
Zen (Buddhism)
- 真宗しんしゅう
Shin Buddhism
- 宗廟そうびょう
ancestral shrine (temple); mausoleum (of one's ancestors); Imperial mausoleum
- 宗旨しゅうし
tenets (of a religious sect); doctrines
Study
Etymology
宗 combines 宀 (roof, building) and 示 (altar, spirit), suggesting a building housing an altar where ancestral spirits are venerated. This developed into the idea of a central religious doctrine or sect.
Meaning mnemonic
Under a roof (宀), an altar (示) stands as the central focus of a religious sect. The altar represents the main point and origin of the teachings.
Reading mnemonic
For シュウ, imagine a shoe placed reverently on the altar: shoe -> シュウ, and the shoe symbolizes the core doctrine of the sect.