お寺

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: お寺（おてら） adds the polite prefix お to 寺, a Buddhist temple.
• Basic usage: It appears in everyday contexts such as walking to a neighborhood temple or hearing a bell from a temple on a mountain.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A temple versus a shrine
  • お寺 is a Buddhist temple, while 神社 is a Shinto shrine.