仏法僧

Japanese

Kanji in this term
仏	法	僧
ぶつ > ぶっ Grade: 5	ほう > ぽう Grade: 4	そう Grade: S
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
佛法僧 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From 仏(ぶつ) (Butsu, “Buddha”) + 法(ほう) (hō, “dharma”) + 僧(そう) (sō, “sangha”).

As a bird name, onomatopoeia: see the etymology at the entry for the katakana spelling ブッポウソウ. Its kanji spelling comes from the on'yomi of the katakana, and is a reference to the Three Jewels of Buddhism.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ぶっぽ​ーそー [bùppóꜜòsòò] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [bɯ̟ᵝp̚po̞ːso̞ː]

Noun

仏(ぶっ)法(ぽう)僧(そう) or 仏法僧(ブッポウソウ) • (buppōsō) 

1. the Triple Gem or Three Jewels of Buddhism, i.e. Buddha, dharma, sangha
2. dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ブッポウソウ.