Japanese symbol for “zen”
禅宗
ぜんしゅう
Romaji: zenshuu
Zen (Buddhism)
In Japanese, zen is 禅宗, read ぜんしゅう (zenshuu).
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 Zen (Buddhism)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “zen”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 禅 | ぜん zen | Zen (Buddhism) |
| 禅門 | ぜんもん zenmon | Zen; entering the path of Zen |
| 禅家 | ぜんけ zenke | Zen; Zen temple; Zen priest |
| 仏心宗 | ぶっしんしゅう busshinshuu | Zen (Buddhism) |
| 達磨宗 | だるましゅう darumashuu | Zen (Buddhism) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 座禅 | ざぜん zazen | zazen (seated Zen meditation, usu. in a cross-legged position) |
| 禅僧 | ぜんそう zensou | Zen priest |
| 禅問答 | ぜんもんどう zenmondou | Zen dialogue; Zen questions and answers |
| 禅譲 | ぜんじょう zenjou | abdication (of a Chinese emperor) in favor of a virtuous successor (as opposed to an heir) |
| 友禅染 | ゆうぜんぞめ yuuzenzome | type of dyeing method or pattern; silk printed by the Yuzen process |
| 宗教 | しゅうきょう shuukyou | religion; religious affiliation; belief |
| 宗派 | しゅうは shuuha | sect; denomination |
| 宗家 | そうけ souke | head of family; head house |
See also: Chinese symbol for “zen”.
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.