salute, bow, ceremony, thanks

About this kanji

The kanji「礼」primarily means salute, bow, or thanks, and it is often associated with ceremonies and expressions of gratitude. You will mostly find it used as a noun, although it can be part of verbs in compounds. Some common compounds are 謝礼 (しゃれい), which means reward; 儀礼 (ぎれい), meaning courtesy; and お礼 (おれい), which is a way to express thanks. There's also 失礼 (しつれい), meaning discourtesy, and 巡礼 (じゅんれい), which refers to pilgrimage. A useful note is that「礼」is significant in Japanese culture, highlighting the importance of respect and appreciation in social interactions.

Example sentences

• 彼は礼を尽くした。

  He showed his gratitude.

Meanings across languages

English

salute, bow, ceremony, thanks, remuneration

Tiếng Việt

lễ nghi

日本語

礼

한국어

인사

中文

礼

id

salam, sikap, upacara

th

การไหว้, โน้มตัว, พิธีการ

es

saludo, inclinarse, ceremonia

fr

salutation, salut, cérémonie

de

gruss, verbeugung, zeremonie

pt

saudação, inclinação, cerimônia

Common compounds

• 謝礼しゃれいreward, honorarium, remuneration
• 儀礼ぎれいcourtesy, etiquette, formality
• お礼おれいthanks, gratitude, manners
• 失礼しつれいdiscourtesy, impoliteness, excuse me
• 巡礼じゅんれいpilgrimage, pilgrim
• 洗礼せんれいbaptism, christening, initiation (into a society, group, etc.)
• 朝礼ちょうれいmorning assembly (at a company, school, etc.), morning gathering
• 無礼ぶれいrudeness, impoliteness, discourtesy