Translation guide
The English word "sacred" covers a range of meanings from religious holiness to deeply cherished personal values. In Japanese, different words are used depending on whether something is ritually pure, divinely blessed, historically revered, or personally inviolable.
Describing places, objects, or rituals set apart for a deity or spiritual purpose.
The most general and common word for 'sacred' in a religious sense. Used for places, objects, and abstract concepts.
この寺院は神聖な場所です。
This temple is a sacred place.
A sacred ritual was performed.
Literary or poetic term for 'sacred' or 'holy'. Often used in fixed phrases or religious contexts.
聖なる光が差し込んだ。
A sacred light shone in.
Spiritual or sacred in a more abstract, non-institutional sense. Often used for personal spirituality.
彼は霊的な体験をした。
He had a sacred experience.
Describing something free from impurity, often in Shinto or traditional Japanese contexts.
Pure, clean, and sacred. Often used for water, hearts, or natural settings in a spiritual sense.
清らかな水で身を清める。
Purify oneself with sacred water.
Also used for ritual purity, but broader.
神聖な境内に入る前には手を洗ってください。
Please wash your hands before entering the sacred precincts.
Describing principles, rights, or relationships that must not be violated.
Extends to non-religious contexts where something is considered inviolable.
個人の権利は神聖だ。
Individual rights are sacred.
彼にとって家族の絆は神聖なものだ。
For him, family bonds are sacred.
Literary phrase meaning 'inviolable' or 'sacred'. Used in formal contexts.
これは侵すべからざる領域だ。
This is a sacred domain.
Describing things revered due to long-standing tradition or cultural significance.
Precious, noble, and sacred. Often used for life, teachings, or revered figures.
命は尊いものだ。
Life is sacred.
Also works for historically sacred sites or objects.
この山は古くから神聖な場所とされてきた。
This mountain has been considered a sacred place since ancient times.
神聖 (shinsei) is the standard word for 'sacred' in both religious and metaphorical senses. 聖なる (seinaru) is more poetic and often appears in set phrases like 聖なる夜 (holy night). Use 神聖 for everyday speech and writing.
When saying something like 'This memory is sacred to me,' using 神聖な directly can sound unnatural. Instead, use 大切な (important/precious) or かけがえのない (irreplaceable).
この思い出は私にとってかけがえのないものです。
This memory is sacred to me.
ここは神聖な場所です。
This is a sacred place.
人の命は尊い。
Human life is sacred.
彼らは神聖な儀式を行った。
They performed a sacred ritual.