# 念仏
## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 念 | 仏 |
| ねん Grade: 4 | ぶつ Grade: 5 |
| goon ||
* Alternative spelling
* 念佛 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese-derived elements 念(ねん) (nen, “mental chanting”) + 仏(ぶつ) (butsu, “Buddha”).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ねんぶつ [nèńbútsú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [nẽ̞mbɯ̟t͡sɨ]

### Noun

念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) • (nenbutsu)
* (Buddhism) a prayer or chant to the Buddha
* (Buddhism, especially) chanting the name of Amitābha Buddha, thought to rescue its devotee to the pure land
* (by extension) a candid advice or sermon that is one-sided and with the same tone

#### Derived terms

* ねぶつ (nebutsu)
* 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)往(おう)生(じょう) (nenbutsu ōjō, “passing away peacefully to be reborn in Paradise through invocation of Amitābha”)
* 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)踊(おど)り (nenbutsu odori)
* 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)講(こう) (nenbutsukō)
* 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)三(ざん)昧(まい) (nenbutsu-zanmai)
* 歌(うた)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (utanenbutsu)
* 踊(おど)り念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (odorinenbutsu)
* 鬼(おに)の念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (oni no nenbutsu)
* 空(から)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (karanenbutsu)
* 観(かん)想(そう)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (kansō nenbutsu)
* 称(しょう)名(みょう)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (shōmyō nenbutsu)
* 専(せん)修(じゅ)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (senju nenbutsu, “intently praying to Buddha”)
* 選(せん)択(ちゃく)本(ほん)願(がん)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)集(しゅう) (Senchaku Hongan Nenbutsu-shū)
* 空(そら)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (soranenbutsu)
* 不(ふ)断(だん)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (fudan nenbutsu)
* 別(べつ)時(じ)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (betsuji nenbutsu)
* 六(ろく)斎(さい)念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (Rokusainenbutsu)

#### Idioms

* 馬(うま)の耳(みみ)に念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (uma no mimi ni nenbutsu)
* 蟹(かに)の念(ねん)仏(ぶつ) (kani no nenbutsu)

### Verb

念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)する • (nenbutsu suru) suru (stem 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)し (nenbutsu shi), past 念(ねん)仏(ぶつ)した (nenbutsu shita))
* (Buddhism) to pray to the Buddha
* (Buddhism, especially) to chant 南無阿弥陀仏 (namu Amida-butsu), an invocation to the Amitābha Buddha

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 念仏し | ねんぶつし | nenbutsu shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 念仏し | ねんぶつし | nenbutsu shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 念仏する | ねんぶつする | nenbutsu suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 念仏する | ねんぶつする | nenbutsu suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 念仏すれ | ねんぶつすれ | nenbutsu sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 念仏せよ¹ 念仏しろ² | ねんぶつせよ¹ ねんぶつしろ² | nenbutsu seyo¹ nenbutsu shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 念仏される | ねんぶつされる | nenbutsu sareru |
| Causative | 念仏させる 念仏さす | ねんぶつさせる ねんぶつさす | nenbutsu saseru nenbutsu sasu |
| Potential | 念仏できる | ねんぶつできる | nenbutsu dekiru |
| Volitional | 念仏しよう | ねんぶつしよう | nenbutsu shiyō |
| Negative | 念仏しない | ねんぶつしない | nenbutsu shinai |
| Negative continuative | 念仏せず | ねんぶつせず | nenbutsu sezu |
| Formal | 念仏します | ねんぶつします | nenbutsu shimasu |
| Perfective | 念仏した | ねんぶつした | nenbutsu shita |
| Conjunctive | 念仏して | ねんぶつして | nenbutsu shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 念仏すれば | ねんぶつすれば | nenbutsu sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Miyako

Kanji in this term :
| 念 | 仏 |
| Grade: 4 | Grade: 5 |
* Alternative spelling
* 念佛 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

Cognate with mainland Japanese 念仏 (nenbutsu).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ninbut͡ɕɨ]

### Noun

念仏(にんぶつ) (ninbuts)
* (Tarama) a prayer or chant to the Buddha

## Okinawan

Kanji in this term :
| 念 | 仏 |
| にん Grade: 4 | ぶち Grade: 5 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 念佛 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese-derived elements 念 (nin, “mental chanting”) +‎ 仏 (buchi, “Buddha”).
Cognate with mainland Japanese 念仏 (nenbutsu).

### Pronunciation

* (Shuri-Naha) にんぶち [nìnbúchí] (Heiban - [0])
* IPA: [niɴbut͡ɕi]

### Noun

念(にん)仏(ぶち) (ninbuchi)
* (Buddhism) a prayer or chant to the Buddha

#### Derived terms

* 念(にん)仏者(ぶちゃー) (ninbuchā)