Kanji
神 (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)
Readings
- 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
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- 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
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Etymology 1
/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
Noun
神 (hiragana かみ, romaji kami)
- 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).
- spirit (compare 精霊 spirit)
- thunder (compare 雷 thunder)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
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)
- spirit, god
Alternative forms
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)
