The term is generally considered to be synonymous with dai-ji (great temple, also known as kandai-ji) but kokubun-ji and kokubun-niji (state-supported provincial temples and convents of the Nara period) are also thought of as kan-ji as these are also covered by the definition.
一般的には大寺（だいじ・官大寺（かんだいじ））と同義と考えられているが、国分寺・国分尼寺も官寺の定義に該当するため、官寺に含んで考えられる事も多い。