佛 fó / fú — Buddha; Buddhism; seemingly
这座寺庙里有一尊大佛。Zhè zuò sì miào lǐ yǒu yì zūn dà fó.There is a big Buddha statue in this temple.
Common words: 仿佛 (fǎng fú)、成佛 (chéng fó)、佛经 (fó jīng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "buddhism"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "buddhism", including 佛 (fó / fú), 禅 (chán / shàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "buddhism" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 佛 (fó / fú), 禅 (chán / shàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fó, fú, chán, shàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 佛 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 佛 fó / fúBuddha; Buddhism; seeminglyUseful words: 仿佛, 成佛
- 禅 chán / shànmeditation; abstraction; (Zen) Buddhism; abdicateUseful words: 禅杖, 禅机
Common words for these 2 "buddhism" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 佛 (fó / fú) — so "buddhism" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "buddhism".
禅 chán / shàn — meditation; abstraction; (Zen) Buddhism; abdicate
这座古寺是一座有名的禅院。Zhè zuò gǔ sì shì yí zuò yǒu míng de chán yuàn.This ancient temple is a famous Zen monastery.
Common words: 禅杖 (chán zhàng)、禅机 (chán jī)、禅位 (shàn wèi)
All 2 characters
Open 佛、禅 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.