参拝（さんぱい、sanpai）
- worship

The Japanese word 参拝 means "to visit a shrine or temple to worship". It involves going to a sacred place, such as a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple, and performing rituals like offering prayers, making offerings, and showing respect to the deities or objects of worship. The act of 参拝 is an important part of Japanese culture and religious practice.

⚫︎ 神社に参拝しました。 Translation: I visited the shrine to worship. ⚫︎ 毎年初詣で参拝に行きます。 Translation: I go to worship at the shrine for the New Year's first visit. ⚫︎ 故人の霊を弔うために、お寺に参拝しました。 Translation: I visited the temple to pay respects to the deceased.

You can use 参拝 when talking about visiting a shrine or temple for any reason, whether it’s for a special event like a festival or New Year's, or simply to pray for good luck, health, or other wishes. It is generally used in a respectful context. When speaking about one's own actions, the polite form is often used; for example, 参拝します (sampaishimasu).

参拝 is typically written with the kanji 参拝. The reading is さんぱい (sanpai) in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard, with no variations.

⚫︎ 礼拝 (Reihai): This word also means "worship" or "paying respects," but it can be used more broadly and is not limited to shrines and temples. ⚫︎ 詣でる (Mōderu): This verb means "to visit a shrine or temple," and it's a synonym for 参拝.

There aren't direct antonyms in the same sense, as 参拝 is an act rather than a state. However, concepts like not visiting a shrine or temple, or disrespecting a religious site could be considered opposites in a broad sense.

週末に家族で神社に参拝］に行きました。 ・Translation: I went to the shrine with my family to worship on the weekend. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a family visiting a shrine for a religious practice on a weekend.

病気の回復を願って、お寺に参拝］しました。 ・Translation: I visited the temple to pray for recovery from illness. ・Explanation: This sentence explains visiting a temple to pray for someone's health.

The kanji 参 means "to participate," "to visit," or "to come." The kanji 拝 means "to worship," "to pay respects," or "to pray." Combined, 参拝 literally means "to visit and worship," accurately reflecting its meaning.