Japanese symbol for “regrets”

残心

ざんしん

Romaji: zanshin

continued alertness; unrelaxed alertness; remaining on one's guard; being prepared for a counterstroke

In Japanese, regrets is 残心, 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

n continued alertness; unrelaxed alertness; remaining on one's guard; being prepared for a counterstroke
n follow-through (e.g. in archery)
n lingering affection; attachment; regret; regrets; reluctance

Written forms: 残心、残身、残芯. Readings: ざんしん.

Kanji and stroke order

残

remainder, leftover, balance

on: ザン、サン
kun: のこ.る、のこ.す、そこな.う、のこ.り

10 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
残念	ざんねん zannen	regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing
残り	のこり nokori	remainder; remnant; the rest
残す	のこす nokosu	to leave (behind)
残業	ざんぎょう zangyou	overtime (work)
残る	のこる nokoru	to remain; to be left
残酷	ざんこく zankoku	cruel; brutal; ruthless
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.