神

神 (Kangxi radical 113, 示+5, 10 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 9 strokes in mainland China and Japanese, cangjie input 戈火中田中 (IFLWL), four-corner 3520₆, composition ⿰礻申(GHTJV) or ⿰示申(K or U+FA19))

• 榊, 𨕫, 鰰, 䨩, 𥔻, 䗝, 𬷫

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 842, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24673
• Dae Jaweon: page 1261, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2392, character 1
• Unihan data for U+795E
• Unihan data for U+FA19

Historical forms of the character 神
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hlin) : semantic 示 (“god; deity”) + phonetic 申 (OC *hlin, “lightning”).

Originally 申 in the oracle bone script and in some bronze inscriptions. The ancients feared the unpredictable lightning and considered it to be divine or of divine origin. 示 was added for specialization.

Possibly Sino-Tibetan; compare Chepang ग्‍लीङ्‌ह (gliŋh, “spirit, mind, soul”) (Schuessler, 2007).

神

1. (religion) god; deity; spirit

   神位  ―  shénwèi  ―  spirit tablet

   財神／财神  ―  cáishén  ―  god of wealth

   死神  ―  sǐshén  ―  god of death

   守護神／守护神  ―  shǒuhùshén  ―  tutelary deity

   無神論／无神论  ―  wúshénlùn  ―  atheism

   一神教  ―  yīshénjiào  ―  monotheism

   • 子不語怪、力、亂、神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子不语怪、力、乱、神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Zǐ bù yǔ guài, lì, luàn, shén. [Pinyin]

     Confucius does not speak about strange phenomenon, violence, rebellion, and spirits.

   • 西方有神，名曰佛。 [Literary Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Book of the Later Han, circa 5^th century CE

     Xīfāng yǒu shén, míng yuē Fó. [Pinyin]

     In the west there is a deity, they call him Buddha.

   1. (Protestantism, specifically) God

      • 神說：「要有光」，就有了光。 [MSC, trad.]
        神说：「要有光」，就有了光。 [MSC, simp.]

        From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 創世記 (Genesis) 1:3

        Shén shuō: “Yào yǒu guāng”, jiù yǒu le guāng. [Pinyin]

        And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

2. spirit; soul; mind
3. expression; countenance; appearance
4. supernatural; magic; psychic
5. extraordinary; unbelievable; sublime
6. a surname. Shen
7. (neologism, Internet slang) Sinophobe of Chinese nationality

• (god):

Others:

• → Chadong: sən²

神

1. Only used in 神荼 (Shēnshū).

• “神”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 神)

• Go-on: じん (jin, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Kun: かみ (kami, 神, Jōyō); かん (kan, 神, Jōyō ^†)^{←かん (kan, 神, historical)←かむ (kamu, 神, ancient)}; こう (kō, 神, Jōyō ^†)^{←かう (kau, 神, historical)}
• Nanori: か (ka); かむ (kamu); きよ (kiyo); しの (shino); たる (taru); みわ (miwa)

⟨kami₂⟩ → */kamɨ/ → /kami/

From Old Japanese, ultimately from Proto-Japonic *kamuy.

Not related to 上 (kami₁ → kami, “top, upper”) or 髪 (kami, “hair”).

Often appears in compounds as kamu- or kan-, indicating that kami is a unbound form deriving from */kamui/. Such apophony has occurred in other Japanese terms, such as 目 (me, ma-, “eye”) or 酒 (sake, saka-, “sake, liquor”). See also WT:AJPX#Standalone forms and combining forms.

Compare Korean 검 (geom, “god, spirit”) and Ainu カムイ (kamuy, “god”).

• (Tokyo) か​み [káꜜmì] (Atamadaka – [1])[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠mʲi]

神(かみ) • (kami) 

1. (Shinto) a spirit or an essence present in all things, the main subject of worship of Shinto
2. (by extension, religion) a deity, god
3. (by extension) thunder
4. a Shinto shrine
5. a person of outstanding talent or skill
6. (Internet slang, attributive) something amazing; great; fantastic; awesome

   神(かみ)曲(きょく) ― kamikyoku ― amazing song

   神(かみ)ゲー ― kamigē ― amazing game

For quotations using this term, see Citations:神.

• → English: kami

神(かみ) • (Kami) 

1. (Christianity) God

For quotations using this term, see Citations:神.

• 精(せい)霊(れい) (seirei)

From Middle Chinese 神 (MC zyin). The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) reading, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.

Compare modern Mandarin 神 (shén).

• (Tokyo) し​ん [shíꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])[3]
• IPA^(key): [ɕĩɴ]

神(しん) • (shin) 

1. (religion) a deity, god, kami
2. a mysterious or incomprehensible force, compare English act of God
3. a mind, soul, spirit
4. Short for 神道 (shintō): Shinto

• 神(しん)具(ぐ) (shingu)
• 神(しん)仏(ぶつ) (shinbutsu)

神(しん) • (shin) 

1. deity, god, kami
2. mysterious or incomprehensible force
3. mind, soul, spirit
4. Short for 神道 (shintō): Shinto
5. Short for 神戸 (Kōbe, “Kōbe (a city in Japan)”).

   阪神(はんしん) (hanshin)

From Middle Chinese 神 (MC zyin).

The 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) reading, so likely the earlier borrowing from Middle Chinese.

• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑĩɴ]

神(じん) • (jin) 

1. (rare) Same as しん (shin) above

神(じん) • (jin) 

1. deity, god, kami
2. mysterious or incomprehensible force

⟨mi₁⟩ → */mʲi/ → /mi/

From Old Japanese.

Cognate with 御 (mi-), an honorific prefix originally used to refer to gods and other high-status objects.

神(み) • (mi) 

1. (rare) a god or spirit

• 神(み)輿(こし) (mikoshi)
• 海神(わたつみ) (watatsumi)

From Middle Chinese 神 (MC zyin). Recorded as Middle Korean 신 (sin) (Yale: sin) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Wikisource 神 (eumhun 귀신 신 (gwisin sin))

1. Hanja form^? of 신 (“ghost; spirit; phantom; god”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 神)

• On (unclassified): しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Kun: かみ (kami, 神, Jōyō)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *kami.

• (Shuri-Naha) かみ [kàmí] (Heiban - [0])
• IPA^(key): [kamʲi]

神(かみ) (kami) 

1. a spirit or an essence present in all things
2. a god, deity

• 神酒 (mi₁ki₁), 神酒 (mi₁wa)

From Proto-Japonic *kamuy.

Can be parsed as a compound of bound apophonic 神 (kamu) +‎ い (i, emphatic nominative particle).

神 (kami₂) (kana かみ)

1. a spirit or an essence present in all things
2. a god, deity
3. (by extension) an Emperor or Empress regnant of Japan
4. an evil spirit, such as a snake or wild beast

For quotations using this term, see Citations:神.