坊主 (ぼうず, bouzu) Japanese meaning: Buddhist priest

坊主 (ぼうず, bouzu) Japanese meaning: Buddhist priest | Kotomora

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
主lord, chief, master
房tassel, tuft, fringe

Related words· 10

僧そう侶りょN1sense 1
僧侶 is a formal, respectful term for a Buddhist priest, while 坊主 can sound casual or even disrespectful in the same sense.
和お尚しょう sense 1
和尚 specifically refers to a head priest or abbot, whereas 坊主 is a more general, sometimes blunt word for any Buddhist monk.
小こ僧ぞう sense 3
小僧 is a mildly derogatory term for a young boy or apprentice, similar in tone to 坊主 but with a nuance of inexperience.
坊ぼうやN2sense 3
坊や is an affectionate way to address a little boy, in contrast to 坊主, which can sound rough or dismissive when used for a boy.

Show 6 more

スキンヘッド sense 2
スキンヘッド is a loanword for a completely shaved head with a fashionable or subculture image, while 坊主 covers any very short or shaved hairstyle, including a monk's.
僧そうN1
坊主 is a casual, sometimes mildly derogatory word for a monk (also used for a shaven-headed boy), whereas 僧 is neutral and can be formal.
禿はげN1
坊主 can teasingly refer to a shaved or bald head (also meaning 'monk'), and is less harsh than the derogatory 禿.
坊ぼう
坊主 is a common colloquial (sometimes derogatory) word for a monk or a shaved head, while 坊 alone is older and more restricted, often appearing only as part of compounds.

Politeness

お坊ぼうさんpolite 丁寧語N1sense 1
お坊さん is the polite, respectful way to refer to a Buddhist priest, while 坊主 is the neutral or sometimes casual/derogatory term for the same person.

Don't confuse with

坊ぼっちゃん sense 3
坊っちゃん refers respectfully to a young master or someone's son, unlike 坊主, which is a familiar or derogatory word for a boy.
坊ぼうさんN2
坊主 can mean a monk or a shaved head and often carries a rougher or teasing tone, whereas 坊さん is the plain familiar word for a monk.
坊ぼっちゃんN2
坊主 shares the 坊 kanji and sound pattern with 坊ちゃん but means a Buddhist monk or, casually, a shaven-headed boy, not a young master.

Counted with

人にん sense 1
坊主 is counted with 人 when referring to a Buddhist priest as a person.

Word family· 34

丸まる坊ぼう主ず
close-cropped head; shaven head; bald head · treeless; leafless; bald; bare
三みっ日か坊ぼう主ずN1
quitter; someone who can't stick to anything
海うみ坊ぼう主ず
umibōzu; sea yōkai; sea monster · green turtle
坊

Written forms

坊主Usage92%
- ぼうず
  Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
- ぼんず
ぼうずUsage4%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the 'boy/lad' and 'shaved head' senses.

Etymology

Originally referred to a Buddhist priest or monk, whose head is traditionally shaved. Extended to mean a shaved head, and then to a young boy (from the shaved head of apprentice monks) and to a fishing term for catching nothing (from the image of a monk's bald head).

坊ぼう主ず

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions