仏 means “Buddha, Buddhist”

ほとけ · hotoke

Also: the dead, France

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ほとけ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ブツ, フツ

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 5 · 4 strokes

The story

A person (亻) beside ム, drawn like folded legs: picture a Buddha seated in calm meditation. 仏 is the Buddha, as in the great 大仏 of Nara and Kamakura, and 知らぬが仏, "not knowing is Buddha", means ignorance is bliss.

Used in 仏教 (bukkyou, Buddhism), 大仏 (daibutsu, great Buddha statue), and 仏壇 (butsudan, household Buddhist altar)

More from Respect & Ritual

• 像 statue
• 栄 flourish
• 敬 respect
• 祭 festival
• 賢 wise
• 尊 revered
• 祝 celebrate
• 拝 worship
• 祈 pray
• 召 summon
• 伺 humbly ask
• 賞 prize

Learn 仏 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.