仏

Stroke order

仏 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 人戈 (OI) or 難人戈 (XOI), four-corner 2223₀, composition ⿰亻厶)

• 𮡫

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 92, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 364
• Dae Jaweon: page 195, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 110, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4ECF

Used since the Northern and Southern dynasties. To avoid using the character 佛, 某 (mǒu, “someone”) is used instead; the character is ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 亻 + 厶, where 厶 is a variant form of 某.

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 佛)

• Go-on: ぶつ (butsu, Jōyō)、ぶち (buchi)
• Kan-on: ふつ (futsu)
• Kun: ほとけ (hotoke, 仏, Jōyō)
• Nanori: さとる (satoru)、さらぎ (saragi)

• 仏(ぶつ)陀(だ) (Butsuda), 仏(ブッ)陀(ダ) (Budda, “Buddha”)
• 仏掌(ツクネ)薯(イモ) (tsukuneimo)

*⟨poto₂ke₂⟩ → */pətəkəi̯/ → /ɸotoke/ → /hotoke/

From Old Japanese, most likely from Proto-Koreanic *Pwutukye, hence related to modern Korean 부처 (Bucheo), Manchu ᡶᡠᠴᡳᡥᡳ (fucihi); see the Proto-Korean entry for more. The word was presumably disseminated by the Baekje people of southwestern Korea, who first introduced Buddhism to Japan. The first two syllables are ultimately from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddhá), via Middle Chinese 佛陀 (MC bjut da) or some similar Sinitic form. Thomas Pellard speculates that the final element is an ancient Koreanic word for "king; lord".

The more traditional explanation still given in Japanese dictionaries is that the final ke element might be the Chinese-derived suffix 気 (ke, “spirit”), but a Koreanic explanation is more plausible.

First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.

• (Tokyo) ほとけ (Heiban – )
• (Tokyo) ほとけ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

仏(ほとけ) • (hotoke) 

1. (Buddhism) a buddha (enlightened or awakened sentient being)
2. (Buddhism) a statue or image of any buddha
3. a departed soul, deceased
4. (colloquial) a term that a parent calls a child expressing parental affection, equivalent to “my dear”
   • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 7)

     我(わが)子(こ)の佛(ほとけ)、變(へん)化(げ)の人(ひと)と申(まう)しながら、こゝら大(おほき)さまで養(やしな)ひ奉(たてまつ)る志(こころざし)疎(をろ)かならず。

     Waga ko no hotoke, henge no hito to mōshinagara, kokora ōkisama de yashinai-tatematsuru kokorozashi oroka narazu.

     My dear child, when you are talking about someone who is a manifestation , it would not be dumb to try to bring them up in this grand fashion.

   • c. 890, Taketori Monogatari (page 61)

     あが仏(ほとけ)、何(なに)事(ごと)思(おも)ひたまふぞ。

     A ga hotoke, nanigoto omoitamau zo.

     My dear, what on earth are you thinking about?

5. (religion) Buddhism

   Synonym: 仏法 (Buppō)

6. (Buddhism) performing a Buddhist memorial service

• → Ainu: ポトキ
• → English: hotoke

仏(ほとけ) • (Hotoke) 

1. (Buddhism) the Sakyamuni Buddha, Nepalese spiritual and philosophical teacher and founder of Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama

   Synonyms: 釈迦如来 (Shaka-nyorai), 釈迦牟尼 (Shakamuni)

2. (Buddhism) any of the other buddhas named in Buddhist scriptures

From Middle Chinese 佛 (MC bjut), shortened from 佛陀 (MC bjut da), itself a transliteration of Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha).

• (Tokyo) ぶつ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

仏(ぶつ) • (butsu) 

1. (religion) Buddhism

   儒(じゅ)、仏(ぶつ)、道(どう) ― Ju,Butsu,Dō ― Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism

仏(ぶつ) • (Butsu) 

1. short for 仏陀 (Butsuda, Budda): Buddha

仏(ぶつ) • (butsu) 

1. Buddha
2. short for 仏教 (Bukkyō) Buddhism
3. short for 仏像 (butsuzō) Buddhist image

Short form of ateji spelling 仏蘭西 (Furansu).

• (Tokyo) ふつ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

仏(ふつ) • (futsu) 

1. short for フランス (Furansu): France

   札幌(さっぽろ)日(にち)仏(ふつ)協(きょう)会(かい) ― Sapporo Nichi-Futsu Kyōkai ― The Sapporo Japan-France Society

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 佛)

• On (unclassified): ぶち (buchi)
• Kun: ふとぅき (futuki)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Cognate with standard Japanese 仏 (hotoke).

• (Shuri-Naha) ふとぅき (Heiban - )
• IPA^(key):

仏(ふとぅき) (futuki) 

1. a buddha
2. a Buddhist image or statue
3. (by extension) a kindhearted person

From Middle Chinese 佛 (MC bjut).

Cognate with standard Japanese 仏 (butsu).

• (Shuri-Naha) ぶち (Heiban - )
• IPA^(key):

仏(ぶち) (Buchi) 

1. Buddha

• 仏(ぶち)壇(だん) (buchidan)
• 仏(ぶっ)法(ぽー) (buppō)
• 念(にん)仏(ぶち) (ninbuchi)