How to say "shrine" in Japanese

• 堂どうCommon
  noun, noun (suffix)A hall or building used for worship: a temple hall, a shrine building, or a chapel. It names the physical hall itself rather than the religious institution as a whole.
• 神殿しんでんJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounThe sanctuary of a shrine — the building housing the deity — also used of temples and sanctuaries in other traditions. Choose it when you mean the sacred building itself.
  この神殿しんでんは建たてるのに４６年ねんかかりました。↗

  It has taken forty-six years to build this temple.
• 楼閣ろうかくCommon
  nounA multistoried building, such as a castle or palace; 'shrine' is only a marginal sense here, so this is seldom the word you want when talking about a shrine.
  君きみの計画けいかくは砂上さじょうの楼閣ろうかくに過すぎないよ。↗

  Your scheme is like a house built on the sand.
• 殿堂でんどうCommon
  nounA large, stately hall — a shrine, temple, or sanctuary regarded as an imposing building. The nuance is grandeur, so it suits a shrine described as magnificent.

For 'shrine', 神殿 is the sanctuary housing a deity, 堂 is a worship hall or chapel, 殿堂 adds a nuance of grandeur, and 楼閣 really means a multistoried building, so it rarely works for shrines.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 堂どうtemple
• 神殿しんでんtemple
• 楼閣ろうかくmultistoried building
• 宮みやshrine
• 霊殿れいでんshrine
• 祭殿さいでんshrine
• 宮居みやいshrine
• 神祠しんしshrine
• 大宮おおみやimperial palace
• 祈願所きがんじょtemple
• 社やしろ(Shinto) shrine
• 殿堂でんどうshrine
• 廟びょうshrine
• 御廟ごびょうshrine
• 社しゃ(Shinto) shrine
• 廟宇びょうう(Shinto) shrine