prayer text
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- 1 prayer text、religious chant
A set religious text recited in prayer or ritual. In Thailand, it most often refers to a Buddhist chant or chanting text.
prayer text、religious chant
A fixed passage intended to be recited as part of a prayer or religious ceremony.
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พระกำลังท่องบทสวด prá kamlaŋ thɔ̂ɔŋ bòt sùat The monk is reciting a chant. พระกำลังท่องบทสวด details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word combines บท, meaning a passage or self-contained piece of text, with สวด, meaning to recite religious words. It therefore refers to the words or text being recited, rather than the act of chanting itself. บทสวด can stand alone, while the fuller form บทสวดมนต์ is also extremely common and makes the religious meaning especially clear. In Thai contexts, the word usually brings Buddhist chanting to mind, though it can also refer more broadly to a set prayer text. Individual chants or passages can be counted with บท, as in หนึ่งบท, “one passage.”
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing chants recited at temples, ceremonies led by monks, funerals, home worship, or prayers before bed. It also appears when people look up, read, memorize, or ask about the meaning of a religious text.
Caution
สวด is the verb “to chant or recite a prayer,” whereas บทสวด is the text being recited. Ordinary songs are called เพลง, and a spell or magical formula is more specifically called คาถา; these are not normally described as บทสวด.
Differences from similar words
1 prayer text synonyms
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บทสวดมนต์ explicitly means a text used for prayer or chanting and is a very common full expression. บทสวด is the shorter form, often used when the religious context is already clear.