Japanese symbol for “keen”
熱心
ねっしん
Romaji: nesshin
zealous; enthusiastic; ardent; fervent
In Japanese, keen is 熱心, read ねっしん (nesshin).
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 zealous; enthusiastic; ardent; fervent; keen; eager
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “keen”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 切実 | せつじつ setsujitsu | earnest; sincere; acute |
| 切 | せつ setsu | eager; earnest; ardent |
| 鋭い | するどい surudoi | keen (intuition, sense of smell, etc.); acute; sharp (eye, mind, etc.) |
| 痛切 | つうせつ tsuusetsu | keen; acute; heartfelt |
| 鋭利 | えいり eiri | sharp; keen; acute |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 熱い | あつい atsui | hot (to the touch) |
| 情熱 | じょうねつ jounetsu | passion; enthusiasm; zeal |
| 熱帯 | ねったい nettai | tropics |
| 熱意 | ねつい netsui | zeal; enthusiasm; ardor |
| 熱気 | ねっき nekki | heat; hot air |
| 中心 | ちゅうしん chuushin | center; centre; middle |
| 心配 | しんぱい shinpai | worry; concern; anxiety |
| 安心 | あんしん anshin | peace of mind; relief; (sense of) security |
See also: Chinese symbol for “keen”.
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.