庙 miào — temple; monastery
山上有一座香火很旺的古庙。Shān shàng yǒu yí zuò xiāng huǒ hěn wàng de gǔ miào.On the mountain there is an old temple with many worshippers.
Common words: 寺庙 (sì miào)、庙会 (miào huì)、庙主 (miào zhǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "temple"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "temple", including 庙 (miào), 刹 (shā / chà). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "temple" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 庙 (miào), 刹 (shā / chà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span miào, shā, chà — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 庙 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 庙 miàotemple; monasteryUseful words: 寺庙, 庙会
- 刹 shā / chàBuddhist monastery or temple; a brief moment; to brake (car)Useful words: 刹车, 刹那
Common words for these 2 "temple" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 庙 (miào) — so "temple" 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 "temple".
刹 shā / chà — Buddhist monastery or temple; a brief moment; to brake (car)
看到红灯，司机赶紧踩了刹车。Kàn dào hóng dēng, sī jī gǎn jǐn cǎi le shā chē.Seeing the red light, the driver quickly stepped on the brakes.
Common words: 刹车 (shā chē)、刹那 (chà nà)、一刹那 (yī chà nà)
All 2 characters
Open 庙、刹 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.