僧|そうsou[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounmonk; priest
   その僧そうは子供こどもたちの遊あそびに参加さんかした。↗

   The priest participated in the children's game.
2. nounsangha (the Buddhist community)

• Synonym和尚おしょうNeutralA priest, often the head priest of a temple (「寺の和尚さん」); colloquial and affectionate, while 「僧」 is a written, general term.
• Synonymお坊さんおぼうさんCasualColloquial and politely affectionate word for a priest (「お坊さんにお経を頼む」).
• Synonym坊さんぼうさんCasualColloquial for a priest (「坊さんが来た」), more casual than 「お坊さん」.
• Synonym僧侶そうりょNeutralFormal, neutral general term for a priest (「僧侶の読経」), most common in writing.
• Synonym桑門そうもんWrittenWritten word of Sanskrit origin for a monk, rare today; in everyday use say 「僧」 or 「お坊さん」.
• Synonym入道にゅうどうNeutralSomeone who has entered the priesthood or shaved his head; also a bald-headed monster; mostly historical.
• Synonym坊ぼうNeutralA monk, but also a boy; seen in 「坊や」「坊主」 etc.; 「僧」 is the formal written term.
• Synonym坊様ぼんさまNeutralHonorific for a monk or a young master (「ぼんさま」), with an old-fashioned, dialectal flavor.
• Related大徳だいとくWrittenWritten term for a monk of high virtue, also an honorific for monks; archaic in tone, while 「僧」 is the general word.
• Antonym俗ぞくNeutralA layperson (「僧と俗」), standing opposite the ordained 「僧」.

For a written, general term for a Buddhist monk use 「僧」, as in 「修行僧」「高僧」. In formal contexts say 「僧侶」; in everyday speech say 「お坊さん」, or the more casual 「坊さん」. 「和尚」 points to a temple's head priest. The opposite of the ordained 「僧」 is 「俗」.

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

1. （ソウ）仏教ぶっきょうの修行者しゅぎょうじゃ。
2. （ソウ）各種かくしゅ宗教しゅうきょうの修行者しゅぎょうじゃ。