信しん徒と

し

ん

と

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

believer; follower; layperson

Refers to a person who believes in and follows a particular religion, often used for lay members as opposed to clergy.

彼かれは熱ねっ心しんな仏ぶっ教

きょう

の

信しん

徒と

です

。

He is a devout Buddhist believer.

教きょう会かいの信しん徒とたちが集あつまって祈いのりを捧ささげた。

The church's lay members gathered and offered prayers.

Usage patterns

〈宗しゅう教きょう〉の信しん徒とになるto become a believer/follower of a religion
彼かれは仏ぶっ教きょうの信しん徒とになった。
He became a follower of Buddhism.
信しん徒とを増ふやすto increase the number of believers
教きょう会かいは信しん徒とを増ふやすために活かつ動どうしている。
The church is working to increase its number of believers.
信しん徒ととして生いきるto live as a believer/follower
彼かの女じょは熱ねっ心しんな信しん徒ととして生いきてきた。
She has lived as a devout believer.

Kanji

信faith, truth, fidelity
徒on foot, junior, emptiness

Related words

信しん者じゃN1
信者 is the broader word for a believer or devotee, used for both religious and non-religious causes (e.g. a fan of an ideology), while 信徒 specifically means a lay member of an organized religion.
教きょう徒と
教徒 usually attaches to the name of a specific religion (仏教徒, キリスト教徒) to mean 'follower of X', whereas 信徒 is used more generally or within a church's own membership.
門もん徒と
門徒 is a narrower term for a follower of a particular Buddhist sect (esp. Jōdo Shinshū), while 信徒 is the general word for any religion's lay members.

Opposites

聖せい職しょく者しゃ
聖職者 refers to clergy or ordained religious professionals, in contrast to 信徒, the lay members they lead.

Don't confuse with

使し徒と
使徒 means 'apostle', a specific disciple sent to spread a religion's teaching, whereas 信徒 is simply an ordinary lay believer; the two share the kanji 徒 but differ in meaning.

Word family

平ひら信しん徒と
layperson; laity
信しん徒と伝でん動どう
lay evangelism

Etymology

Compound of 信 (faith, belief) and 徒 (follower, disciple). The word has been used in Japanese to refer to religious adherents, particularly lay followers, since at least the Meiji period.