神社
じんじゃ
jinja
= Shinto shrine; a sacred site of the Shinto religion
A jinja is a sacred space dedicated to Shinto deities called kami. You can spot one immediately by the distinctive torii gate at the entrance — a threshold that marks the boundary between the everyday world and the divine.
神社 (jinja) refers specifically to a place of worship in the Shinto religion, Japan’s indigenous spiritual tradition. It is the home of a kami (deity or divine spirit), enshrined in the innermost sanctuary called the honden. Visitors approach along a gravel path called the sandō, purify their hands at a stone basin (temizuya), and offer prayers at the main hall (haiden).
The word 神社 must not be confused with 寺 (tera or ji), which is a Buddhist temple. The clearest visual distinction is the torii gate — a freestanding gate of two pillars and a crossbeam found only at Shinto shrines, never at Buddhist temples.
Learners often mix up 神社 (jinja) and お寺 (otera). The simplest rule: if there is a torii gate, it is a 神社; if there is a large incense burner (kōro) and a pagoda, it is a 寺. You may also hear 神宮 (jingū) for shrines of particularly high imperial rank, such as Ise Jingū, and 大社 (taisha) for major shrines like Izumo Taisha — both are still a type of 神社 in the broad sense.
神社 combines two kanji: 神 (kami / shin), meaning “god” or “spirit,” composed of the radical 示 (altar/ritual) and 申 (to report, originally depicting lightning as a divine sign); and 社 (sha), meaning “company” or “gathering place,” also built on 示 (altar) plus 土 (earth). Together they literally describe a place on earth where an altar receives a divine spirit.
Everyday use
毎年、元日に近くの神社に初詣に行きます。
Maitoshi, ganjitsu ni chikaku no jinja ni hatsumōde ni ikimasu.
Every year on New Year’s Day, I go to the nearby shrine for the first visit of the year.
Casual / Social Media
伏見稲荷の千本鳥居、やっと来られた！神社ってこんなに神秘的なんだね。
Fushimi Inari no Senbon Torii, yatto korareta! Jinja tte konna ni shinpiteki nan da ne.
I finally made it to the Fushimi Inari thousand torii gates! Shrines are so mystical, aren’t they?
Formal / Cultural context
七五三は子どもの成長を神社で祝う、日本の伝統的な神道行事です。
Shichi-go-san wa kodomo no seichō o jinja de iwau, Nihon no dentōteki na Shintō gyōji desu.
Shichi-go-san is a traditional Shinto ceremony held at a shrine to celebrate children’s growth.
Every 神社 is tied to a specific kami and a local community. Neighborhood shrines are home to the ujigami, the guardian deity of the surrounding district, and residents traditionally visit to pray for protection, business success, safe childbirth, or good exam results. After praying, visitors can purchase omamori (amulets) or write wishes on wooden plaques called ema, which are hung at the shrine for the kami to receive.
Japan has around 80,000 registered Shinto shrines. Among the most visited are Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates winding up a forested mountain, and Meiji Jingū in Tokyo, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken and set within a dense urban forest. Ise Jingū in Mie Prefecture is considered the most sacred shrine in Japan and is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu.
The surest way to distinguish a 神社 from a Buddhist 寺 is the torii gate — the iconic two-post gateway present at every shrine entrance. Inside a 神社 you clap twice and bow when praying (ni-rei, ni-hakushu, ichi-rei), whereas at a 寺 you press your palms together silently. Both types of sacred sites coexist throughout Japan, and many Japanese people visit both depending on the occasion.