King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “nerve”

Romaji: shinkei
nerve

In Japanese, nerve is , read (shinkei).

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 nerve (anat)
  2. n nerves; sensitivity

Kanji and stroke order

gods, mind, soul
on: シン、ジン
kun: かみ、かん-、こう-
9 strokes · JLPT 2
sutra, longitude, pass thru
on: ケイ、キョウ、キン
kun: へ.る、た.つ、たていと、はか.る
11 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “nerve”

WordReadingMeaning
ゆうき yuukicourage; bravery; valour
どきょう dokyoucourage; bravery; pluck
はら haracourage; nerve; willpower
しんぞう shinzouguts; nerve; cheek
どぎも dogimoguts; pluck; nerve

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
せいしん seishinmind; spirit; soul
じんじゃ jinjaShinto shrine
かみさま kamisamaGod; god; deity
しんわ shinwamyth; mythology
はんしん hanshinOsaka-Kobe
けいざい keizaieconomy; economics
けいけん keikenexperience
けいえい keieimanagement; administration; operation

See also: Chinese symbol for “nerve”.

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.

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