Japanese symbol for “innovative”
斬新
ざんしん
Romaji: zanshin
novel; original; new; innovative
In Japanese, innovative is 斬新, read ざんしん (zanshin).
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
- adj-na, n novel; original; new; innovative
Written forms: 斬新、嶄新. Readings: ざんしん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “innovative”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 革新的 | かくしんてき kakushinteki | innovative |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 斬る | きる kiru | to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off) |
| 斬首 | ざんしゅ zanshu | decapitation |
| 辻斬り | つじぎり tsujigiri | attacking a passerby with a sword (to test its sharpness or one's skill); samurai who tries out his sword on a passerby |
| 斬殺 | ざんさつ zansatsu | killing with a sword (knife, dagger, etc.); slaying; putting to the sword |
| 試し斬り | ためしぎり tameshigiri | trying out a new sword or blade (originally on someone, but now on soaked straw targets) |
| 新しい | あたらしい atarashii | new; novel; fresh |
| 新聞 | しんぶん shinbun | newspaper |
| 新た | あらた arata | new; fresh; novel |
See also: Chinese symbol for “innovative”.
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.