神(かみ)

かみ

noun

god, deity, spirit

See also: 紙(かみ) (paper (紙)), 髪(かみ) (hair (髪))

1. god, deity

A divine being worshipped in religion.

神(かみ)に祈(いの)る。

To pray to God.

神社(じんじゃ)で神(かみ)に祈(いの)った。

I prayed to the gods at the shrine.

神様(かみさま)、どうかお守(まも)りください。

God, please protect us.

2. spirit, kami

A sacred spirit in Shinto belief.

山(やま)の神(かみ)。

The spirit of the mountain.

日本(にほん)には八百万(やおよろず)の神(かみ)がいる。

In Japan, there are eight million gods.

自然(しぜん)のあらゆるものに神(かみ)が宿(やど)ると信(しん)じられている。

It is believed that spirits dwell in all things in nature.

神(かみ) means god, deity, or spirit. In Japanese culture, this concept differs significantly from Western monotheism.

SHINTO CONCEPT:
In Shinto, 神(かみ) (八百万(やおよろず)の神(かみ) = 'eight million gods') refers to spirits inhabiting nature, ancestors, and sacred places. Almost anything can be considered a 神(かみ).

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

神様(かみさま): god (honorific form)
神社(じんじゃ): Shinto shrine
神道(しんとう): Shinto
神話(しんわ): mythology
神棚(かみだな): household Shinto altar

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

神(かみ)に祈(いの)る: to pray to god(s)
神頼(かみだの)み: relying on divine help
神(かみ)業(わざ): divine work, miraculous skill

MODERN SLANG:
神(かみ) is used colloquially to mean 'amazing' or 'godlike': この曲(きょく)神(かみ)! (This song is amazing!)

Related Words

Related: 神様(かみさま) (god (polite form))

general

Added 2026.1.9 21:34 · Revised 2026.5.19 1:07

02000/02147_kami