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On'yomi
シン
SHIN
Kun'yomi
こころ・-ごころ
kokoro / gokoro

heart · mind · spirit · heart radical (no. 61)

peacefulmysterious

Details

Strokes4
Frequency#157
Radicalheart(4)

Description

Heart/Mind - the center of emotion, thought and spirit.

Stroke Order

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Strokes4

Component Breakdown

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Heart (base form)

Cultural Context

Etymology

Pictograph of the heart. Center of emotions and thoughts.

Symbolism

Emotion, spirit, sincerity. In Japanese culture, 'kokoro' is broader than Western 'mind'.

Spiritual Meaning

Seat of spirit, emotion, and will - most important spiritual concept in Japanese culture. Source of virtues like sincerity.

Anime & Manga

鋼の錬金術師

Fullmetal Alchemist

manga/anime

Questions where 'heart' resides, the relationship between soul and body

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ソードアート・オンライン

Sword Art Online

light novel/anime

Depicts the existence of 'heart' in virtual worlds

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Games

キングダム ハーツ

Kingdom Hearts

PlayStation/Switch/PC

Action RPG themed around 'heart'. Bonds of hearts and battle against darkness

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ペルソナ

Persona

PlayStation/Switch/PC

RPG confronting 'Personas' deep within the heart

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UNDERTALE

Undertale

PC/Switch/PlayStation

RPG themed on choices of the heart - 'nobody has to die'

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Words & Expressions

Four-Character Compounds

安心立命

あんしんりつめい

spiritual peace and enlightenment; keeping an unperturbed mind through faith; spiritual peace and enlightenment

以心伝心

いしんでんしん

telepathy; tacit understanding; thought transference; telepathy

意馬心猿

いばしんえん

it is hard to keep one's worldly desires and passions in check; it is hard to keep one's worldly desires and passions in check

一意専心

いちいせんしん

single-mindedly; wholeheartedly; with all one's heart; single-mindedly

一心同体

いっしんどうたい

being one in body and soul; of one flesh; two hearts beating as one; being one in body and soul

一心不乱

いっしんふらん

wholeheartedly; with heart and soul; intently; wholeheartedly

疑心暗鬼

ぎしんあんき

suspicion will raise bogies; once you suspect something, everything else will look suspicious; jumping at shadows; suspicion will raise bogies

虚心坦懐

きょしんたんかい

with an open and calm mind; with no preconceived notions; without reserve; with an open and calm mind

自己中心

じこちゅうしん

selfishness; egotism; egoism; selfishness

小心翼々

しょうしんよくよく

very timid; very nervous; faint-hearted; very timid

心神耗弱

しんしんこうじゃく

diminished capacity; diminished responsibility; legally unaccountable (e.g. due to mental illness, drugs, alcohol, etc.); diminished capacity

心頭滅却

しんとうめっきゃく

clearing one's mind of all worldly thoughts; clearing one's mind of all worldly thoughts

誠心誠意

せいしんせいい

in all sincerity; with one's whole heart; whole-hearted devotion; in all sincerity

彫心鏤骨

ちょうしんるこつ

laborious work; lucubration; lucubrations; laborious work

人面獣心

じんめんじゅうしん

beast in human form; beast in human form

心悸亢進

しんきこうしん

palpitations; tachycardia; palpitations

苦心惨憺

くしんさんたん

taking great pains; taking great pains

多情仏心

たじょうぶっしん

fickle but kind-hearted; fickle but kind-hearted

心神喪失

しんしんそうしつ

of unsound mind; of unsound mind

心霊現象

しんれいげんしょう

psychic phenomenon; psychic phenomenon

心機一転

しんきいってん

changing one's attitude; turning over a new leaf; getting a fresh start; changing one's attitude

異体同心

いたいどうしん

being of one mind; acting in one accord; behaving in perfect harmony; being of one mind

焦心苦慮

しょうしんくりょ

worrying oneself (about); being anxious (about); fidgeting (about); worrying oneself (about)

心猿意馬

しんえんいば

(being unable to control) one's worldly desires and passions; (being unable to control) one's worldly desires and passions

心願成就

しんがんじょうじゅ

earnest prayers being answered; realization of one's earnest wishes; earnest prayers being answered

人心一新

じんしんいっしん

complete change in public sentiment; leading the thought of the people to an entirely different channel; complete change in public sentiment

人心収攬

じんしんしゅうらん

winning the hearts of the people; capturing public sentiment; winning the hearts of the people

胆大心小

たんだいしんしょう

being bold and courageous, but also careful and meticulous; being bold and courageous, but also careful and meticulous

野心満々

やしんまんまん

burning with ambition; highly ambitious; burning with ambition

老婆心切

ろうばしんせつ

grandmotherly solicitude for another's welfare; excessive solicitude; grandmotherly solicitude for another's welfare

心身一如

しんしんいちにょ

body and mind as one; mind-body unity; body and mind as one

人心恟々

じんしんきょうきょう

panic-stricken (people); frightened (masses); alarmed; panic-stricken (people)

一大決心

いちだいけっしん

momentous (crucial) decision; momentous (crucial) decision

一味同心

いちみどうしん

(people) working together with one mind; (people) working together with one mind

鬼面仏心

きめんぶっしん

having the face of a devil and the heart of Buddha; having a stern face but a tender heart; having the face of a devil and the heart of Buddha

協心戮力

きょうしんりくりょく

combined (concerted) efforts; solidarity; joining forces (with); combined (concerted) efforts

虚心平気

きょしんへいき

with an open and calm mind; without reserve; with utmost candor; with an open and calm mind

心外千万

しんがいせんばん

being totally upset (by); being completely nonplussed (by); being mortified (at); being totally upset (by)

心象風景

しんしょうふうけい

imagined landscape; scenery in one's mind's eye; imagined landscape

深層心理

しんそうしんり

deep psyche; unconscious mind; depth psychology; deep psyche

世道人心

せどうじんしん

(public) morals and sentiments; (public) morals and sentiments

専心一意

せんしんいちい

single-mindedly; wholeheartedly; with one's heart and soul; single-mindedly

道心堅固

どうしんけんご

being of firm (unshakable) faith and strict practice; being of firm (unshakable) faith and strict practice

発菩提心

ほつぼだいしん

deciding to embrace Buddhism; deciding to seek enlightenment; seeking to have religious awakening; deciding to embrace Buddhism

戮力協心

りくりょくきょうしん

combined (concerted) efforts; solidarity; joining forces (with); combined (concerted) efforts

鉄心石腸

てっしんせきちょう

will of iron; will of iron

匪石之心

ひせきのこころ

steadfastness; firmness in one's conviction; having a heart that does not change as easily as a stone rolls about; steadfastness

雄心勃々

ゆうしんぼつぼつ

aspiring; ambitious; aspiring

一億一心

いちおくいっしん

national unity (esp. during wartime); national unity (esp. during wartime)

鬼手仏心

きしゅぶっしん

compassionate ruthlessness; merciless scalpel of a merciful surgeon; a demon's hand and a Buddha's heart; compassionate ruthlessness

Proverbs & Idioms

初心忘るべからず

しょしんわするべからず

Never forget beginner's mind

Stay humble and eager to learn

Poetry

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

小倉山 峰のもみぢ葉 心あらば 今ひとたびの みゆき待たなむ

Poem #26 from Hyakunin Isshu

貞信公Teishin Kō
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

心あてに 折らばや折らむ 初霜の おきまどはせる 白菊の花

Poem #29 from Hyakunin Isshu

凡河内躬恒Ōshikōchi no Mitsune
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

ひさかたの 光のどけき 春の日に しづ心なく 花の散るらむ

Poem #33 from Hyakunin Isshu

紀友則Ki no Tomonori
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

人はいさ 心も知らず ふるさとは 花ぞ昔の 香に匂ひける

Poem #35 from Hyakunin Isshu

紀貫之Ki no Tsurayuki
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

あひ見ての のちの心に くらぶれば 昔は物を 思はざりけり

Poem #43 from Hyakunin Isshu

権中納言敦忠Gon-Chūnagon Atsutada
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

心にも あらでうき世に ながらへば 恋しかるべき 夜半の月かな

Poem #68 from Hyakunin Isshu

三条院Emperor Sanjō
11th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

長からむ 心も知らず 黒髪の 乱れてけさは 物をこそ思へ

Poem #80 from Hyakunin Isshu

待賢門院堀河待賢門院堀河
Unknown