Translation guide
A sutra is a Buddhist scripture. In Japanese, the most common word is お経 (おきょう), but there are several related terms depending on context.
Refer to a Buddhist scripture in everyday conversation or when talking about chanting.
The most common and natural word for sutra in Japanese. The honorific prefix お is almost always used.
毎朝、お経を唱えます。
I chant sutras every morning.
A more formal or technical term for Buddhist scriptures, often used in academic or religious contexts.
この経典は8世紀に書かれました。
This sutra was written in the 8th century.
A shorter form, often used in compound words or titles of specific sutras. Not used alone in modern speech.
般若心経は有名な経です。
The Heart Sutra is a famous sutra.
Refer to a particular well-known sutra by its Japanese name.
The Heart Sutra, one of the most famous sutras in Japan.
般若心経を写経しました。
I copied the Heart Sutra by hand.
The Lotus Sutra, central to many Japanese Buddhist schools.
Describe the act of chanting or reciting a sutra.
The standard phrase for chanting sutras.
お坊さんがお経を唱えています。
The monk is chanting a sutra.
A more formal verb meaning to chant or read sutras, often used in religious contexts.
毎朝、読経します。
I read/chant sutras every morning.
Refer to the practice of copying sutras as a meditative or devotional act.
The act of copying a sutra by hand, often done as a spiritual practice.
週末に写経をしました。
I did sutra copying over the weekend.
お経 is the everyday word for sutras, used when talking about chanting or funerals. 経典 is more formal and often refers to the physical scripture or its content in an academic sense.
法華経は日蓮宗で重視されます。
The Lotus Sutra is emphasized in Nichiren Buddhism.