Japanese symbol for “naivety”

初心

しょしん

Romaji: shoshin

one's original intention; one's initial enthusiasm

In Japanese, naivety is 初心, read しょしん (shoshin).

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 one's original intention; one's initial enthusiasm
adj-na, adj-no, n inexperience; naivety; greenness

Kanji and stroke order

初

first time, beginning

on: ショ
kun: はじ.め、はじ.めて、はつ、はつ-

7 strokes · JLPT 2

心

heart, mind, spirit

on: シン
kun: こころ、-ごころ

4 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
最初	さいしょ saisho	beginning; outset; first
初期	しょき shoki	early days; early years; early stages
当初	とうしょ tousho	beginning; start; outset
初日	しょにち shonichi	first day; opening day
初めて	はじめて hajimete	for the first time
初心者	しょしんしゃ shoshinsha	beginner
中心	ちゅうしん chuushin	center; centre; middle
心配	しんぱい shinpai	worry; concern; anxiety

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.