Japanese symbol for “heartstrings”
琴線
きんせん
Romaji: kinsen
heartstrings
In Japanese, heartstrings is 琴線, read きんせん (kinsen).
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 heartstrings
- n koto string
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “heartstrings”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 心の琴線 | こころのきんせん kokoronokinsen | heartstrings; innermost soul |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 木琴 | もっきん mokkin | xylophone |
| 大正琴 | たいしょうごと taishougoto | Nagoya harp; Taishō koto; Japanese harp with two to five strings |
| 竪琴 | たてごと tategoto | harp; lyre |
| 月琴 | げっきん gekkin | yueqin (4-stringed Chinese lute) |
| 口琴 | こうきん koukin | mouth harp; Jew's harp |
| 新幹線 | しんかんせん shinkansen | Shinkansen; bullet train |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 路線 | ろせん rosen | route (bus, train, air, etc.); line |
See also: Chinese symbol for “heartstrings”.
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.