Inori – Prayer in Japanese + Our Father

Do you know how to say a prayer in Japanese? What words to use in a prayer? What are the standard prayers with the Our Father in Japanese? Do traditional Japanese people usually pray? In this article, we will answer these and other questions.

Inori – Prayer in Japanese

Prayer in Japanese is written as inori [祈り] with the ideogram [祈] which means prayer and wish. The prayer has different meanings depending on the religion, but the generic term in Japanese is inori.

Shintoists and Buddhists use kitou [祈祷] to refer to prayers and thanks at meals or even to exorcism. Prayer meetings are called kitoukai [祈祷会]. Prayer books are called kitousho [祈祷書].

In Shintoism, prayer is also a shiji [神事] which consists of praying in front of a god, which can include festivals, worship, temple construction, shrines, monuments, and hills. However, there are some overlaps.

Other words related to prayer are:

• Kinen [祈念] – Prayer;
• Negai [願い] – Wish; hope; supplication; prayer;
• Shingan [心願] – Prayer; sincere wish;
• Kingan [祈願] – Prayer for something;
• Oinori [お祈り] – Prayer;
• Pureiyaa [プレイヤー] – Prayer from English;
• Juzu [数珠] – Rosary; prayer bead necklace;
• Orasho [オラショ] – Prayer from Latin oration;
• Kisei [祈請] – Supplication; prayer;
• Norito [祝詞] – Shinto prayer ritual;
• Goriyaku [御利益] – Divine favor; blessing; miracle; answer to a prayer;
• Nenbutsu [念仏] – Prayer to Buddha Amitabha;
• Seigen [誓願] – Oath; vow;
• Kigansho [祈願所] – Place of Prayer;

It is worth noting that most of the words we saw are also verbs suru [する].

Our Father Prayer in Japanese

I am not Catholic, but this is a model Christian prayer, no matter what you say. So I chose it for us to analyze and study in depth in order to serve as inspiration for your own prayers.

I don’t know if it is standardized with the Catholic Our Father prayer since I used a translation of the Bible in Japanese [新世界訳] for being the most modern and simplest Bible in the Japanese language with current words and expressions that are easy to understand.

『天におられる私たちの父よ，
Ten ni ora reru watashitachi no chichiyo,
Our Father who art in heaven

お名前が神聖なものとされますように。 
Onamae ga shinseina mono to sa remasu yō ni.
Hallowed be thy name.

10 あなたの王国が来ますように。
10 Anata no ōkoku + ga kimasu yō ni.
Thy kingdom come.

あなたの望まれることが，
Anata no nozoma reru koto ga,
Thy will be done

天と同じように地上でも行われますように。
Ten to onajiyōni chijō demo okonawa remasu yō ni.
On earth as it is in heaven.

今日，この日のためのパンを私たちにお与えください。 
Kyō, kono Ni~Tsu no tame no pan o watashitachi ni o atae kudasai.
Give us this day our daily bread.

12 私たちに罪を犯した人たちを私たちが許しましたように，
12 Watashitachi ni tsumi o okashita hito-tachi o watashitachi ga yurushimashita yō ni,
12 And forgive us our trespasses

私たちの罪をお許しください。 
Watashitachi no tsumi o o yurushi kudasai.
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

13私たちを誘惑に陥らせないで，
13 Watashitachi o yūwaku ni ochīra senaide,
13 And lead us not into temptation.

邪悪な者から救い出してください』。
Jaakuna-sha kara sukuidashite kudasai”.
But deliver us from evil.

Amen in Japanese is literally amen [アーメン]. In Buddhism, the expression namu [南無] is also used, which also serves as a greeting.