King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “pointer”

Romaji: shishin
needle (compass, gauge, etc.); hand (clock); indicator; pointer

In Japanese, pointer is , read (shishin).

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 needle (compass, gauge, etc.); hand (clock); indicator; pointer; index
  2. n guiding principle; guideline; guide

Kanji and stroke order

finger, point to, indicate
on: シ
kun: ゆび、さ.す、-さ.し
9 strokes · JLPT 2
needle, pin, staple
on: シン
kun: はり
10 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “pointer”

WordReadingMeaning
はり harihand (e.g. clock, etc.); pointer
ポインタ pointapointer (dog breed); English pointer
さしぼう sashiboupointer; pointing stick
しじぼう shijiboupointer; pointing stick
むち muchistick; cane; rod

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
してい shiteidesignation; specification; assignment
しどう shidouguidance; leadership; instruction
してき shitekipointing out; identification
しじ shijiindication; denotation; designation
しき shikicommand; direction; supervision
ゆびわ yubiwa(finger) ring
ほうしん houshinpolicy; course; plan (of action)
はりがね hariganewire

See also: Chinese symbol for “pointer”.

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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