仏

See also: 佛

Translingual

Han character

仏 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 人戈 (OI) or 難人戈 (XOI), four-corner 2223₀, composition ⿰亻厶)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 92, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 364
• Dae Jaweon: page 195, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 110, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4ECF

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Chinese

Glyph origin

Used since Northern and Southern dynasties. To avoid using the character 佛, 某 (mǒu, “someone”) is used instead; the character is ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 亻 + 厶, where 厶 is a variant form of 某.

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of 仏 – see 佛 (“Buddha; The Enlightened One; statue of Buddha; etc.”). (This character is an ancient form of 佛).

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 仏 – see 似 (“to be like; to be similar to; to resemble; etc.”). (This character is a variant form of 似).

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Japanese

Shinjitai	仏
Kyūjitai	佛

Kanji

仏

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 佛)

1. Buddha
2. Buddhism
3. Buddhist image
4. Short for 仏蘭西 (Furansu): France

Readings

• Go-on: ぶつ (butsu, Jōyō); ぶち (buchi)
• Kan-on: ふつ (futsu)
• Kun: ほとけ (hotoke, 仏, Jōyō)
• Nanori: さとる (satoru)

Compounds

Compounds

• 仏(ぶっ)教(きょう) (Bukkyō, “Buddhism”)
• 仏(ぶっ)心(しん) (busshin)
• 仏(ぶつ)像(ぞう) (butsuzō, “Buddhist image”)
• 仏(ぶつ)陀(だ) (Butsuda), 仏(ブッ)陀(ダ) (Budda, “Buddha”)
• 仏(ぶっ)典(てん) (butten, “Buddhist scriptures, sutras”)
• 仏(ぶっ)法(ぽう) (buppō)
• 活(かつ)仏(ぶつ) (katsubutsu)
• 成(じょう)仏(ぶつ) (jōbutsu)
• 石(せき)仏(ぶつ) (sekibutsu, “stone Buddhist image”)
• 大(だい)仏(ぶつ) (daibutsu, “large statue of Buddha”)
• 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (nenbutsu, “Buddhist prayer”)
• 廃(はい)仏(ぶつ)毀(き)釈(しゃく), 排(はい)仏(ぶつ)棄(き)釈(しゃく) (Haibutsu Kishaku, “anti-Buddhist movement at the beginning of the Meiji era”)
• 秘(ひ)仏(ぶつ) (hibutsu)
• 仏掌(ツクネ)薯(イモ) (tsukuneimo)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
仏
ほとけ Grade: 5
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
佛 (kyūjitai)

*⟨poto₂ke₂⟩ → */pətəkəɨ/ → /fotoke/ → /hotoke/

From Old Japanese of unclear origin. Theories include:

• The hoto element might be from a Chinese dialect variation on Middle Chinese 佛陀 (MC bjut da), or possibly just the 佛 (MC bjut) portion, ultimately deriving from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha). The ke element might be the suffix 気 (ke, “spirit”).
• Possibly an ancient borrowing from Middle Korean 부텨 (Yale: pwuthye), the source of modern Korean 부처 (Bucheo).

Noun

1. (Buddhism) a buddha (enlightened or awakened sentient being)
2. (Buddhism) a statue or image of any buddha
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 16, poem 3841:
     , text here

     佛(ほとけ)造(つくる)真(ま)朱(そほ)不足(たらず)者(は)水(みづ)渟(たまる)池(いけ)田乃阿曽我(だのあそが)鼻(はなの)上(うへ)乎穿礼(をほれ) [Man'yōgana]

     仏(ほとけ)造(つく)るま朱(そほ)足(た)らずは水(みづ)溜(た)まる池(いけ)田(だ)の朝臣(あそ)が鼻(はな)の上(うへ)を掘(ほ)れ [Modern spelling]

     hotoke tsukuru ma-sō tarazu wa mizu tamaru Ikeda no Aso ga hana no ue o hore

     (please add an English translation of this example)

3. a departed soul, deceased
4. (colloquial) a term that a parent calls a child expressing parental affection, equivalent to "my dear"
   • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 7)

     我(わが)子(こ)の佛(ほとけ)、變化(へんげ)の人(ひと)と申(まう)しながら、こゝら大(おほき)さまで養(やしな)ひ奉(たてまつ)る志(こころざし)疎(をろ)かならず。

     Waga ko no hotoke, henge no hito to mōshinagara, kokora ōkisama de yashinai-tatematsuru kokorozashi oroka narazu.

     My dear child, when you are talking about someone who is a manifestation [of a supernatural entity], it would not be dumb to try to bring them up in this grand fashion.

   • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 61)

     あが仏(ほとけ)、何事(なにごと)思(おも)ひたまふぞ。

     A ga hotoke, nanigoto omoitamau zo.

     My dear, what on earth are you thinking about?

5. (religion) Buddhism

   Synonym: 仏法 (Buppō)

6. (Buddhism) performing a Buddhist memorial service

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 仏(ほとけ)様(さま) (hotoke-sama, “buddha, deceased person”)
• 仏(ほとけ)心(ごころ) (hotoke-gokoro)
• 石(いし)仏(ぼとけ) (ishibotoke)
• 喉(のど)仏(ぼとけ) (nodobotoke)

Proper noun

1. (Buddhism) the Sakyamuni Buddha, Nepalese spiritual and philosophical teacher and founder of Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama

   Synonyms: 釈迦如来 (Shaka-nyorai), 釈迦牟尼 (Shakamuni)

2. (Buddhism) any of the other buddhas named in Buddhist scriptures

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
仏
ぶつ Grade: 5
goon

Alternative spelling
佛 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 佛 (MC bjut), shortened from 佛陀 (MC bjut da), itself a transliteration of Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha).

Noun

1. (religion) Buddhism

   儒(じゅ)、仏(ぶつ)、道(どう)

   Ju, Butsu, Dō

   Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 仏式(ぶっしき) (busshiki)
• 仏書(ぶっしょ) (bussho)
• 仏壇(ぶつだん) (butsudan, “household Buddhist altar”)
• 仏殿(ぶつでん) (butsuden)
• 儒(じゅ)仏(ぶつ) (Jubutsu)
• 神仏(しんぶつ) (Shinbutsu)
• 廃仏(はいぶつ) (haibutsu)

Proper noun

1. Short for 仏陀 (Butsuda, Budda): Buddha

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
仏
ふつ Grade: 5
kan'on

Alternative spelling
佛 (kyūjitai)

Proper noun

1. Abbreviation of 仏蘭西 (Furansu): France

   札幌(さっぽろ)日(にち)仏(ふつ)協会(きょうかい)

   Sapporo Nichi-Futsu Kyōkai

   The Sapporo Japan-France Society

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 仏(ふつ)印(いん) (futsuin, “French Indochina”)
• 仏(ふつ)語(ご) (futsugo, “French language”)
• 仏(ふっ)書(しょ) (fussho)
• 仏(ふつ)文(ぶん) (futsubun, “French literature”)
• 仏(ふつ)法(ほう) (futsuhō)
• 仏(ふつ)領(りょう) (futsuryō)
• 仏(ふつ)和(わ) (Futsu-Wa)
• 英(えい)仏(ふつ) (Ei-Futsu)
• 渡(と)仏(ふつ) (tofutsu)
• 日(にち)仏(ふつ) (Nichi-Futsu, “Japan and France”)