worship

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 拝 has 8 strokes, the on-reading はい, and the kun-reading おがむ. 拝む (おがむ) and 拝借 (はいしゃく) concern praying and politely borrowing.
• Basic usage: 拝む describes bowing or praying before a deity or Buddha; 拝借 humbly describes one's own act of borrowing.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The object of prayer and the duration of borrowing
  • 仏像を拝んだ means bowed before a Buddhist statue. 毎朝神棚を拝んでいる describes praying at the household altar every morning for the family's safety.
  • 辞典を一日だけ拝借しました means borrowed a dictionary for only one day. 少し拝借してもよろしいですか politely asks whether one may borrow the pencil for a moment.