Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
宗廟 (soubyou) Japanese meaning: ancestral shrine | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 じ 字
Kanji 宗 religion, sect, denomination 廟 mausoleum, shrine, palace Related words 霊れい 廟びょう 霊廟 is a more general term for a mausoleum or shrine for the spirits of the dead, not necessarily limited to ancestors or imperial use.
祖そ 廟びょう 祖廟 specifically means an ancestral shrine, often used in Chinese contexts. 宗廟 is more common in Japanese historical and imperial settings.
Etymology From Chinese 宗廟 (zōngmiào), composed of 宗 (ancestral, clan) and 廟 (shrine, mausoleum). The term was adopted into Japanese with the same meaning, primarily used in historical and imperial contexts.
Report an issue with this page
An ancestral shrine is an important facility for honoring one's ancestors.
The imperial mausoleum for successive emperors is in Kyoto.
