King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “ethos”

Romaji: seishin
mind; spirit; soul; heart

In Japanese, ethos is , read (seishin).

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

  1. n mind; spirit; soul; heart; ethos
  2. n attitude; mentality; will; intention
  3. n spirit (of a matter); essence; fundamental significance

Kanji and stroke order

refined, ghost, fairy
on: セイ、ショウ
kun: しら.げる、くわ.しい
14 strokes · JLPT 2
gods, mind, soul
on: シン、ジン
kun: かみ、かん-、こう-
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “ethos”

WordReadingMeaning
きふう kifuucharacter; traits; ethos
エートス eetosuethos

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
せいみつ seimitsuprecise; exact; detailed
せいつう seitsuubeing well versed (in); being well acquainted (with); being familiar (with)
せいし seishisperm; spermatozoon
せいど seidoprecision; accuracy
せいえき seiekisemen; seminal fluid; sperm
しんけい shinkeinerve
じんじゃ jinjaShinto shrine
かみさま kamisamaGod; god; deity

See also: Chinese symbol for “ethos”.

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.