神 shén — spirit · English

神

shén

spirit

At a glance · 神

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「神」从示申声，小篆从示申声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「神」本义为天神、神灵，引申精神、神妙。

Structure

从示、申声，形声字，示表祭祀义类，申表音，本为神灵。

At a glance

Pinyinshén

Radical礻

Strokes10

UnicodeU+795E

Character type形声

Theme其他

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English spirit spirit, god, supernatural being

Français esprit / dieu Esprit, divinité. «心动神疲» : l'esprit (shen) s'épuise.

Español espíritu / dios Espíritu, divinidad. «心动神疲»: el espíritu (shen) se agota.

العربية روح / إله روح، إله. «心动神疲»: الروح (شِن) تُعيي.

Русский дух / бог Дух, бог. «心动神疲»: дух (шэнь) истощается.

Common words

精神jīng shénspirit
神奇shén qímagical

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