Japanese symbol for “benevolence”
仁
じん
Romaji: jin
benevolence (esp. as a virtue of Confucianism); consideration; compassion; humanity
In Japanese, benevolence is 仁, read じん (jin).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n benevolence (esp. as a virtue of Confucianism); consideration; compassion; humanity; charity
- n human
- n kernel
- n nucleolus (biol)
Written forms: 仁. Readings: じん、にん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “benevolence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 慈善 | じぜん jizen | charity; benevolence; philanthropy |
| 慈悲 | じひ jihi | mercy; compassion; clemency |
| 博愛 | はくあい hakuai | charity; benevolence; philanthropy |
| 善行 | ぜんこう zenkou | good deed; good conduct; benevolence |
| 恩 | おん on | kindness; benevolence |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仁義 | じんぎ jingi | humanity and justice (esp. in Confucianism); virtue |
| 仁王 | におう niou | two Deva kings; guardian gods of Buddhism who stand at the entrance of a Buddhist temple |
| 仁川 | インチョン inchon | Incheon (South Korea); Inchon |
| 杏仁 | きょうにん kyounin | apricot seed; apricot kernel |
| 仁王立ち | におうだち nioudachi | imposing stance; daunting pose |
| 御仁 | ごじん gojin | personage; person (deserving of respect) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “benevolence”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.