神

Translingual

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound (形聲): semantic 礻 (“altar”) + phonetic 申 (“praying man”) – praying before an altar.

Han character

神 (radical 113 示+5, 10 strokes, cangjie input 戈火中田中 (IFLWL), four-corner 3520₆, composition ⿰礻申)

Noun

神

References

• KangXi: page 842, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24673
• Dae Jaweon: page 1261, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 4, page 2392, character 1
• Unihan data for U+795E

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Chinese

		-
simp. and trad.		神

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shén (shen²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): san⁴
• Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ): sṳ̀n
• Min Nan (POJ): sîn
• Wu (WT Romanisation): zen (T1)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: shén
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄣˊ
    • Wade-Giles: shên²
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shenr
    • IPA ^(key): /ʂən³⁵/

    • (file)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: san⁴
    • Yale: sàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: san⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /sɐn²¹/
• Hakka
  • Romanisations:
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ̀n
    • IPA (Siyen, incl. Miaoli): /sɨn¹¹/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sîn
    • Tâi-lô: sîn
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɕin²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕin¹³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • WT Romanisation: zen (T1)
    • IPA ^(key): /z̻əɲ⁵³/

Middle Chinese pronunciation (神, reconstructed)
Character (神), Pronunciation 1/1
Initial: 船 (27) Final: 眞 Division: III			Openness: Open Tone: Level (Ø)			Fanqie: 食鄰切
Zhengzhang Shangfang	Bernard Karlgren	Li Rong	Pan Wuyun	Edwin Pulleyblank	Wang Li	Shao Rongfen
/ʑiɪn/	/d͡ʑʰi̯ĕn/	/d͡ʑiĕn/	/ʑin/	/ʑin/	/d͡ʑĭĕn/	/ʑjen/

Old Chinese pronunciation (神, reconstructed)
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character								Modern Beijing (Pinyin)								Middle Chinese								Old Chinese								English
神								shén								‹ zyin ›								/*Cə.li[n]/								spirit
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character					No.					Phonetic component					Rime group					Rime subdivision					Corresponding MC rime					Old Chinese					Notes
神					11245					申					眞					1					神					/*hlin/

Noun

神

1. god, deity, spirit
   • John 1.1

     太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。

     Taìchū yǒu Dào, Dào yǔ Shén tóngzaì, Dào jiùshì Shén.

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

   • Genesis 1.3

     神說，要有光，就有了光。

     神说，要有光，就有了光。

     Shén shuō, yào yǒu guāng, jiù yǒu le guāng.

     God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Compounds

Derived terms

神經 神奥 神不守舍 神不知，鬼不觉 神采 神差鬼使 神驰 神出鬼没 神道 神甫 神工鬼斧 神怪 神汉 神乎 神乎其神 神化 神话 神魂 神机妙算 神交 神经 神经病 神经错乱 神经过敏 神经衰弱 神经痛 神经系统 神经细胞 神经纤维 神经质 神经中枢 神龛 神来之笔 神力 神聊 神灵 神领 神秘 神妙 神明 神女 神品 神婆 神奇 神气 神枪手 神情 神曲 神权 神人 神色 神色不惊 神伤 神神叨叨 神圣 神使鬼差 神思 神似 神速 神算 神髓 神态 神通 神童 神往 神威 神位 神巫 神武 神悟 神仙 神像 神效 神学 神医 神异 神勇 神游 神宇 神韵 神职人员 神志 神智 神州 神主 神靈

Proper noun

神

1. A surname​. Shen

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Japanese

Kanji

神

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kan’on: しん (shin), じん (jin)
• Kun: かみ (kami), かむ (kamu), かむい (kamui), かむ-ぶ (kamu-bu), かん-ぶ (kan-bu), こう (kou), かん (kan), み (mi)
• Nanori: か (ka), かぐ (kagu), かな (kana), かも (kamo), くま (kuma), こ (ko), こは (koha), だま (dama), み (mi)

Compounds

Compounds

別天津神 (kotoama tsukami): distinguished heavenly gods 天神 (てんじん, tenjin): heavenly god/spirit/being 風神 (ふうじん, fūjin): wind god 雷神 (らいじん, raijin): thunder god 雷神鳥 (らいじんちょう, raijinchō): a thunderbird 土神 (どじん, dojin): earth god 水神 (すいじん, suijin): water god 火神 (かじん, kajin): fire god 竜神 (りゅうじん, ryūjin): dragon god 軍神 (ぐんしん, gunshin): war god 神仙 (しんせん, shinsen): supernatural or celestial being 神明 (しんめい, shinmei) 神罰 (しんばつ, shinbatsu): divine punishment; judgement of god 神意 (しんい, shin'i): divine will; will of god 神威 (しんい, shin'i; かむい, kamui): divine dignity/might; dignity/might of god 神像 (しんぞう, shinzō): statue, idol, image 神韻 (しんいん, shin'in) 神格 (しんかく, shinkaku) 神学 (しんがく, shingaku): theology 神楽 (かぐら, kagura): god entertainment — theatrical temple dances 神官 (しんかん, shinkan): Shinto priest 神器 (じんき, jinki; じんぎ, jingi): sacred treasures 神曲 (しんきょく, shinkyoku): divina commedia 神経 (しんけい, shinkei): (anatomy): nerve 神権 (しんけん, shinken): divine right; divine authority 付喪神 (つくもがみ, tsukumogami): an artifact spirit, the spirit of a tool 守護神 (しゅごしん, shugoshin): tutelary or guardian deity 神明 (しんめい, shinmei): a deity; divine light 神事: a Shinto ritual (multiple possible readings given below) かみごと, kamigoto かみわざ, kamiwaza かむごと, kamugoto かむわざ, kamuwaza かんごと, kangoto かんわざ, kanwaza しんじ, shinji じんじ, jinji

式神: shikigami 犬神 (いぬがみ, inugami): a dog spirit 神札 (しんさつ, shinsatsu): ofuda placed at a Shinto shrine 神社 (じんじゃ, jinja): shrine, (especially a Shinto shrine) 神髄 (しんずい, shinzui) 神魂 (しんこん, shinkon): state of mind; mind 神気 (かみけ, kamike; しんき, shinki): divine energy/aura 神話 (しんわ, shinwa): myth, legend, folklore, fairy tale 神聖 (しんせい, shinsei): holiness 神体 (しんたい, shintai) 神託 (しんたく, shintaku): oracle 神通 (じんずう jinzū): divine or special talent 神通力 (じんずうりき, jinzūriki): supernatural force/power/energy 神殿 (かみどの, kamidono; かむとの, kamutono; かんどの, kandono; しんでん, shinden): Shintō shrine 神道 (しんとう, shintō): Shinto 神秘 (しんぴ, shinpi): divine mystery, mystical 神父 (しんぷ, shinpu): father; priest (Catholic or Orthodox) 神霊 (しんれい, shinrei): divine spirit 神様 (かみさま, kamisama): honorable god 神風 (かみかぜ, kamikaze): divine wind 神雷 (しんらい, shinrai): divine thunder 神水 (しんすい, shinsui; しんずい, shinzui): divine water 神火 (しんか, shinka): divine flame 神主 (かむぬし, kamunushi; かんぬし, kannushi; こうぬし, kōnushi; しんしゅ, shinshu): Shintō priest 神子 (みこ, miko): a Shintō shrine maiden 神業 (かみわざ, kamiwaza) 女神 (めがみ, megami): female god; a goddess 男神 (おとこがみ, otokogami): a male god 祖神 (おやがみ, oyagami; そしん, soshin): spirit of an ancestor 半神 (はんしん, hanshin): demigod, one who is of mixed divine and human/mortal heritage 神降 (かみおろし, kamioroshi): an avatar 神酒 (しんしゅ, shinshu): ambrosia 神木 (しんぼく, shinboku): a sacred tree 神無月 (かんなづき, kan'nazuki: (archaic) the tenth month of the lunar calendar 神霊 (しんれい, shinrei): gods; deities; divinities; spirits

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term

神

かみ Grade: 3

kun'yomi

/kami₂/ *[kamɨ] → /kami/ [kami]

From Old Japanese. Not related to 上 (/kami₁/, “up”) or 髪 (/kami₁/, “hair”). Often appears in compounds as /kamu/　(modern /kaɴ/), indicating that /kami/ is a bound or fused form deriving from */kamu.i/. Note that this final i may be the Old Japanese emphatic nominative particle い (i), likely cognate with Korean nominative particle 이 (i). Such fusion has occurred in other Japanese terms, such as 目 (me, “eye”, from ma + i) or 酒 (sake, “saké, liquor”, from saka + i).

Compare Ainu カムイ (kamuy, “god”), also present in compounds like カムイモシㇼ (kamuy mosir, “land of the gods”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.mi/, [ka̱mi]

Noun

神 (hiragana かみ, romaji kami)

1. god
   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 85)

     Cami. カミ (神) 日本のゼンチヨ (gentios 異教徒)が尊崇する神(Cami).

2. spirit (compare 精霊 spirit)
3. thunder (compare 雷 thunder)

Derived terms

• 国つ神 (くにつかみ, kunitsukami): an indigenous or local god; an earth-spirit

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term

神

み Grade: 3

kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Cognate with 御 (mi, honorific prefix, originally used to refer to gods and other high-status things).

Noun

神 (hiragana み, romaji mi)

1. spirit, god

Alternative forms

• 霊

Derived terms

• 海神 (わたつみ, wata tsu mi): god or spirit of the sea
• 山祇 (やまつみ, yama tsu mi): god or spirit of the mountain (although spelled with a different kanji, the mi here is the same as 神 mi)

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Korean

Hanja

神 (sin) (hangeul 신, McCune-Reischauer sin, Yale sin)

Noun

神 (sin) (hangeul 신)

1. Hanja form^? of 신, “god”.

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Vietnamese

Han character

神 (thần, thườn)

1. Hán tự form of thần, "god"