JŌYŌ KANJI · Grade 3
gods
gods · mind · soul
Readings
Official Jōyō readings in table order
On’yomi 音読み
Kun’yomi 訓読み
Origin and meaning
The original sense was a deity or spirit; the human mind or spirit is a later associated use.
Written form
The official Jōyō table also prints the following parenthesized form beside 神:
Compare manuscript and printed examples in the HNG historical glyph archive ↗. Where available, its dated samples document written forms; they do not establish the first use of this character in Japan.
Examples in the official table
- 神聖，神経，精神
- 神社，神宮，神通力
- 神，神様，貧乏神
- 神主
- 神々しい
Official notes
- お神酒（みき）
- 神楽（かぐら）
- 神奈川（かながわ）県
When did it enter Japanese?
Chinese characters reached Japan through a long process of contact. Early inscribed objects and sixth-century Japanese names are documented; this is context for the writing system, not a first date for 神.
神 appears in the current Jōyō kanji table published on 30 November 2010. This records modern standard status, not the date the character was first used in Japan.
A dated first Japanese use for 神 has not been verified in the sources attached to this entry.
Agency for Cultural Affairs: writing history ↗ · 2010 Jōyō notice ↗