弁才天

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 弁才天. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 弁才天, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 弁才天 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 弁才天 you have here. The definition of the word 弁才天 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of弁才天, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
べん
Grade: 5
ざい
Grade: 2
てん
Grade: 1
goon on'yomi
Alternative spellings
辯才天 (kyūjitai)
弁財天
Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
弁才天 (Benzaiten): the goddess Benzaiten or Saraswati.

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 辯才天 (MC bjenX dzoj then, literally “Eloquent Deva”). First referenced in Japanese in the 700s in the 最勝王経 (Saishōō-kyō, Golden Light of the Most Victorious Kings Sutra).[1]

The Hindu goddess Sarasvati entered Japanese Buddhism during the late Heian period (794–1185).[2] She came to be regarded in Japan as a goddess of wealth, and her name written as 弁財天 (Benzaiten) with the character (zai, treasure).[3] The name is attested with (sai, genius) as 辯才天 from the thirteenth century,[2] with the initial character simplified to in modern Japanese.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

(べん)(ざい)(てん) (Benzaiten

  1. (Budhhist deity) Benzaiten, Japanese name for the Hindu and Buddhist goddess Saraswati
    Synonym: 弁天 (Benten)

References

  1. ^ 弁才天・辯才天・弁財天・辨財天”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. 2.0 2.1 弁才天”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  3. ^ 弁才天”, in 日本大百科全書:ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, Encyclopedia Nipponica) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
  4. ^ 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