Girei

Girei is a Japanese term, written with the kanji 儀礼, that broadly means ritual, ceremony, or etiquette. In academic contexts such as anthropology and sociology, girei denotes the formal practices and social rites that structure everyday life, including rites of passage, ceremonial procedures, and the observance of proper conduct in public and private settings. The word combines two elements: gi (儀), referring to rites or ceremonies, and rei (礼), referring to courtesy or propriety, together conveying the idea of ceremonial propriety within a social system.

In religious and cultural contexts, girei can describe the formal aspects of rituals found in Shinto, Buddhism, and other traditions, though the specific practices and their interpretation vary by tradition and community. The concept emphasizes the outward, communal expressions of behavior that mark transitions, occasions, and hierarchical relationships within a culture.

Beyond its standard usage, girei is sometimes used as a proper noun in fiction and media, where it may appear as a character name, a title, or a fictional term within a created world. In such cases, the meaning and significance of the term are determined by the work's author and the context in which it is employed. There is no single, universally recognized figure or work associated with the name girei.

See also: rites of passage, ceremonial etiquette, ritual.