Meaning

Primary

Imperial Palace

Alternative

Imperial Family

Word Type

noun

Explanation

This Shinto shrine you're visiting? Turns out if you go inside it's magically turned into the imperial palace. Wow! Feels like I’m a member of the imperial family now.

is a historical word that generally refers to Japanese imperial palaces, the Japanese imperial family, or the imperial family members. Depending on the context, it can also refer to a Shinto shrine or its buildings.

Reading

みや
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading is the same as the kanji reading you learned.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • お宮参り

    taking one's baby to a Shinto shrine for blessing

Context Sentences

主人は宮仕えでとても忙しくしており、私は四週間も顔も見ていません。

My husband is so busy with the imperial court service that I haven’t seen him for four weeks.

僕の夢は、お父さんみたいな宮大工になることです。

My dream is to become a temple and shrine carpenter like my father.

うちの赤ちゃんたちが生後一か月になったので、お宮参りに行ってきました。

Our babies are now one month old, so we took them to the shrine for a blessing.

Kanji Composition