Japanese symbol for “doctrines”

宗旨

しゅうし

Romaji: shuushi

tenets (of a religious sect); doctrines

In Japanese, doctrines is 宗旨, read しゅうし (shuushi).

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 tenets (of a religious sect); doctrines
n (religious) sect; denomination; religion; faith
n one's principles; one's tastes; one's preferences

Kanji and stroke order

宗

religion, sect, denomination

on: シュウ、ソウ
kun: むね

8 strokes · JLPT 1

旨

delicious, relish, show a liking for

on: シ
kun: むね、うま.い

6 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
宗教	しゅうきょう shuukyou	religion; religious affiliation; belief
宗派	しゅうは shuuha	sect; denomination
宗家	そうけ souke	head of family; head house
改宗	かいしゅう kaishuu	religious conversion
禅宗	ぜんしゅう zenshuu	Zen (Buddhism)
浄土真宗	じょうどしんしゅう joudoshinshuu	Jōdo Shinshū (offshoot of the Jōdo sect); True Pure Land School
趣旨	しゅし shushi	meaning; point (e.g. of a statement); gist
要旨	ようし youshi	(main) point; gist; key points

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.