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御手洗 (みたらし, mitarashi) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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Purify your hands and mouth at the font of purifying water at the shrine entrance.
Kanji 御 honorable, manipulate, govern 洗 wash, inquire into, probe Related words 手水舎 is the more common everyday term for the shrine purification pavilion, while 御手洗 is a more formal or traditional reading for the same structure.
手水 refers to the water itself or the act of ritual hand-and-mouth purification, while 御手洗 specifically names the basin or font where this is done.
Written forms 御手洗みたらし Usage 66%
Standard kanji spelling for the shrine purification font.
みたらし Usage 34%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji are considered difficult or formal.
Etymology Compound of honorific prefix 御 (み) and 手洗 (たらし), an old form of 手洗い (hand washing). The reading みたらし is a specific Shinto term.
