January 20, 2025
BuddhismQ&A
Is it “Nam” or “Namu”?
Many people outside Japan have been introduced to chanting of the Odaimoku in the form “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.” Subsequently, I am constantly being asked whether to chant “Nam” or “Namu.” So let’s look at what the word “Namu” is and how it should be written and pronounced.
The entry on “Namu Myohorengekyo” in the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism states: “The first syllable of the phrase, “namu,” is a transcription of the Sanskrit term “namas,” meaning “homage…” Nichiren said in the Jiri Kuyo Gosho: “When we worship gods or buddhas, we begin with the phrase of ‘Namu.’ Namu is an Indian word that has come to mean ‘offering of life to buddhas and gods’ in China and Japan.”
Namu is the Japanese way of pronouncing the two Chinese characters 南無 used to transliterate namas. 南 by itself can be pronounced as “nan” or (as in the case of the Odaimoku) “na.” 無 by itself is pronounced “mu.” Together, the proper pronunciation of these two characters is “Namu” (the corresponding hiragana are なむ). From the two Chinese characters and the hiragana phonetic characters, it is clear that the only proper transliteration into English is “Namu.”
The Shutei Nichiren Shu Hoyo Shiki, Nichiren Shu’s authorized liturgical manual, warns, “Namu and Ge must be pronounced as spelled. The pronunciations “Nanmyo” and “Gei” are unacceptable.” When people chant the Odaimoku at a fast tempo, the “u” sound sometimes seems to disappear. In Japanese, the “u” sound in a word many times becomes practically voiceless, but it is still there and should be written as such. Otherwise, you are leaving out the “mu” 無. Nichiren Shonin taught us that every character in the Lotus Sutra is like a golden buddha (in Soya Nyudo-dono Gohenji from the third month of 1275), so the “mu” part of “Namu” should never be neglected and always written out fully. Let us be sure to express our respect and mindfulness when writing and chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
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