Jinja
/ˈdʒɪn.dʒə/noun
A Shinto shrine in Japan.
Did you know?The Japanese word jinja is written 神社, combining 神, “deity,” with 社, “shrine” or “社,” a sacred institution; it is not originally an occult word, but names the central sacred spaces of Shinto practice.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
神社
“A shrine or institution dedicated to a deity; the characters supplied the written basis for the Japanese term.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
神社
“Pronounced approximately dzyin-dzyæH; a compound meaning a deity’s shrine or sacred society.”
Early Japanese
Japanese
じんじゃ / 神社
“A Shinto shrine; the Sino-Japanese reading developed as jinja.”
8th Century
Japanese
神社
“Shrines and cult institutions associated with kami in Japan’s early written religious records.”
19th–20th Century
English
jinja
“An English loanword for a Shinto shrine.”
Modern English
English
jinja
“A Shinto shrine in Japan.”
Explore more surprising origins