jinja
神社（じんじゃ）
is; am; are
dess
です
that
are
あれ
Buddhist temple
o-tera
お寺（てら）
the Kabuki Theater
Kabuki-za
歌舞伎座（かぶきざ）
Kabuki
Kabuki
歌舞伎（かぶき）
yes
hai
はい
that’s right
sō dess
そうです
no
iie
いいえ
isn’t; am not; aren’t
dewa arimasen
ではありません
woodblock print
hanga
版画（はんが）
what
nan(i)
何（なん、なに）
Shinto shrine archway
torii
鳥居（とりい）
the Imperial Palace
Kōkyo
皇居（こうきょ）
castle
o-shiro
お城（しろ）
bonsai (miniature potted tree or shrub)
bonsai
盆栽（ぼんさい）
wind chime
fūrin
風鈴（ふうりん）
EXAMPLES
This is a Shinto shrine.
Kore wa jinja dess.
これは神社（じんじゃ）です｡
That is a Buddhist temple.
Are wa o-tera dess.
あれはお寺（てら）です｡
Is that the Kabuki Theater?
Are wa Kabuki-za dess ka?
あれは歌舞伎座（かぶきざ）ですか？
Yes, it is.
Hai, sō dess.
はい、そうです｡
What’s this?
Kore wa nan dess ka?
これは何（なん）ですか？
This is a Shinto shrine archway.
Kore wa torii dess.
これは鳥居（とりい）です｡
Is this the Imperial Palace?
Kore wa Kōkyo dess ka?
これは皇居（こうきょ）ですか？
Is that a castle?
Are wa o-shiro dess ka?
あれはお城（しろ）ですか？
This is a bonsai.
Kore wa bonsai dess.
これは盆栽（ぼんさい）です｡
That isn’t a wind chime.
Are wa fūrin dewa arimasen.
あれは風鈴（ふうりん）ではありません。
SHRINES AND TEMPLES
What’s the difference between a shrine and a temple? Shrines are worship grounds for Shinto, a religion that originated in Japan. Temples are places of worship for Buddhism, which originally came from India. In some places in Japan, shrines and temples stand side by side.
A shrine can be identified by a torii, an arch made of two crossbeams supported by two pillars. The torii represents the union of man and woman and marks the entrance to the shrine grounds. At a temple, you can always find a statue of a Buddha inside one of the buildings.
EXPRESSIONS IN CONTEXT
A: What’s this?
Kore wa nan dess ka?
これは何（なん）ですか？
B: This is a Buddhist temple.
O-tera dess.
お寺（てら）です｡
OTHER EXPRESSIONS
This is a statue of a Buddha.
Kore wa Butsuzō dess.
これは仏像（ぶつぞう）です｡
This
