ChiramiN4 kanji · 4 strokes
心 means heart, mind
心
心Real origin
It began as a drawing of a heart.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- heart, mind, spirit
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 4
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) こころ kokoro
こころ (kokoro) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) シン shin
シン (shin) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
中心 ちゅうしん · chuushin
center, centre
Used in 68 kanji
See all 4 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 心 mean?
Right: 心 means heart, mind.Not quite: 心 means heart, mind.In 中心, which reading does 心 use?
Right. 中心 is read ちゅうしん (chuushin): 心 takes シン, its reading from Chinese.Not quite. 中心 is read ちゅうしん (chuushin): 心 takes シン, its reading from Chinese.