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Kanji for God

The kanji most commonly used for "God" are 神、帝.

Kanji that mean God

  • god, spirit, divine

    Onyomi: jin, shin Kunyomi: kami, kan, kou 9 strokes Jōyō

  • emperor, sovereign, god

    Onyomi: tei Kunyomi: mikado 9 strokes Jōyō

神 is the character. It is kami — the gods of Shinto — and it also serves for God in Japanese Christian usage, normally as 神様. It builds 神社 (shrine), 神道 (Shinto), 神話 (myth) and 神聖 (sacred).

It is worth knowing that 神 does not always point at a deity. In 精神 it means mind or spirit, and in 神経 it means nerve, so the character spans the divine, the spiritual and the plainly physiological.

帝 is not really a synonym. In Japanese it means sovereign or emperor: 皇帝 (emperor), 帝国 (empire), and the kun reading mikado for the Japanese emperor. It touches English “god” only through the older sense of a supreme ruler, and a Japanese reader will see “emperor” first. If you want the divine sense and one character will not do, 神様 is the ordinary spoken and written form.

Before you use God kanji

神 is the character to use; it is understood everywhere and carries no unintended sense. 帝 will be read as "emperor," not "god." For the personal, respectful sense a Japanese speaker uses in prayer, 神様 is the normal form.

Other meanings to explore

See all kanji by meaning →

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