Prayer
Praying, Wishing
noun, verbal noun
You pray with your thoughts, making this a prayer.
While 祈願 is about formally asking a specific deity for something, 祈念 refers to praying or wishing in a more silent and personal sense. It's used in formal situations to express hopes for success, safety, peace, or recovery, and often appears in names of monuments or events that combine remembrance and hope, such as 平和祈念公園 (Peace Memorial Park) or 復興祈念イベント (Reconstruction Prayer Event).
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well.
そのコンサートは、東日本大震災の復興祈念のためのものでした。
That concert was held for the purpose of praying for the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
沖縄では、平和祈念公園と、ひめゆり平和祈念資料館に行きました。
In Okinawa, I visited the Peace Memorial Park and the Himeyuri Peace Memorial Museum.
皆さまにとって、新年が幸多い年となりますよう、社員一同ご祈念申し上げます。
We, the employees, would like to offer our prayers for a prosperous and happy new year for all of you.
トーフグの益々の発展と繁栄を祈念して、乾杯！
Let's pray for more and more growth and prosperity for Tofugu, cheers!
明日は原爆犠牲者慰霊平和祈念式典に出席します。
I'll attend the peace memorial service for atomic-bomb victims tomorrow.