Kanji meanings › God
Kanji for God
Japanese has more than one kanji connected to “god”: 神、祇、奎. Each has its own feeling. Compare their meanings, readings and the names they appear in.
divine
The divine; the gods who live in nature in Shinto belief.
Shinto (神道), "the way of the gods," is Japan’s indigenous spiritual tradition centered on reverence for natural kami spirits.
9 strokes On reading シン、ジン (shin, jin) Kun reading かみ、かん、こう (kami, kan, kou) JLPT N2
Dictionary meanings: gods, mind, soul
Readings used for names on Nazuke: kami, kan, shin, jin
In Japan it appears in about 138 given names in the JMnedict name dictionary, mostly in girls’ names.
deity
The gods of the land, as in Gion (祇園), Kyoto’s famous geisha district.
Kyoto’s Gion district takes its name from Gion Shrine, known today as Yasaka Shrine.
8 strokes On reading ギ、キ、シ (gi, ki, shi) Kun reading くにつかみ、ただ、まさに (kunitsukami, tada, masani)
Dictionary meanings: national or local god, peaceful, great
Readings used for names on Nazuke: gi
Names written with 祇: Gui 祇
More about 祇 →literary star
A star said to govern literature and writing.
9 strokes On reading ケイ、キ (kei, ki) JLPT N1
Dictionary meanings: star, god of literature
Readings used for names on Nazuke: kei
More about 奎 →Thinking of a tattoo? A single kanji like these is meaningful on its own, but ask a native speaker to check the exact form and stroke order before you commit.
Put it in your name
Nazuke writes your first name in kanji, choosing characters for both sound and meaning.