Meaning

Primary

To Pray For

Word Type

transitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means pray and this verb is transitive, so it means to pray for.

Reading

いのる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you: "You gotta pray for Christmas presents if you want Santa to bring you some!" "I know (いの), I know," you reply as you begin to pray for presents. You should say this out loud to remember it better.

Context

Context Sentences

ハリケーンのひがい者のために祈りました。

I prayed for the hurricane victims.

国家試験に無事合格できるように祈っています。

I pray that you will pass the national examinations successfully.

日本の国技である相撲が、かつては米の豊作を祈る儀式だったことを知ってる日本人がたくさんいるとは思えないな。

I don’t think many Japanese people know Japan’s national sport "sumo" used to be a ritual to pray for a bountiful rice harvest.

Kanji Composition