生
life · genuine · birth
Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Pictograph of grass sprouting from the ground.
Symbolism
Life, growth, nature. One of most common characters in Japanese names.
Spiritual Meaning
Represents birth and existence of life, spiritual concept questioning preciousness and meaning of living.
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
一生懸命
いっしょうけんめい
very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can
一切衆生
いっさいしゅじょう
all living creatures
一蓮托生
いちれんたくしょう
sharing one's lot with another; being in the same boat
起死回生
きしかいせい
revival from the brink of death; recovering from a hopeless situation; resuscitation
九死一生
きゅうしいっしょう
narrow escape from the jaw of death
後生大事
ごしょうだいじ
with religious zeal; with utmost devotion; take great care of
人生哲学
じんせいてつがく
philosophy of life
酔生夢死
すいせいむし
idling one's life away; living to no purpose
生殺与奪
せいさつよだつ
(having) life-and-death power (over)
生者必滅
しょうじゃひつめつ
all living things must die
耐乏生活
たいぼうせいかつ
hard life; life of austerity
半死半生
はんしはんしょう
all but dead; half killed
無理往生
むりおうじょう
forced compliance; coercion; compulsion
七生報国
しちしょうほうこく
unfailing devotion to one's country; serving one's country for seven lives
適者生存
てきしゃせいぞん
survival of the fittest
殺生禁断
せっしょうきんだん
prohibition against hunting and fishing
極楽往生
ごくらくおうじょう
rebirth in paradise; peaceful death
生存競争
せいぞんきょうそう
struggle for existence
自力更生
じりきこうせい
working out one's salvation by own efforts; rehabilitating oneself by one's own efforts; rectifying one's ways of life without relying on others' help
衆生済度
しゅじょうさいど
enlightenment of the masses; leading the masses on the path of enlightenment (Buddhism)
人生行路
じんせいこうろ
journey of life
生々世々
しょうじょうせぜ
eternity; forever; through all eternity
生々流転
せいせいるてん
all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration
生死流転
しょうじるてん
all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration
生老病死
しょうろうびょうし
the four inevitables in human life (birth, aging, sickness, and death)
万死一生
ばんしいっしょう
advancing in the face of death; having a narrow escape from the jaw of death
輪廻転生
りんねてんしょう
all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration
一生不犯
いっしょうふぼん
(strict) observance of the Buddhist precept of lifelong celibacy
一殺多生
いっさつたしょう
it is justifiable to kill one person to save the lives of many
気韻生動
きいんせいどう
being animated (vivid) with grace (elegance, refinement)
後生可畏
こうせいかい
the young should be regarded with respect
人生朝露
じんせいちょうろ
man's life vanishes like a dew; a person's life is as fleeting as a morning dew
転生輪廻
てんしょうりんね
all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration
十死一生
じっしいっしょう
narrow escape from the jaws of death; there being barely a chance of escaping death
片利共生
へんりきょうせい
commensalism
是生滅法
ぜしょうめっぽう
the law of arising and ceasing; the law of creation and destruction
生滅滅已
しょうめつめつい
going beyond life and death and entering Nirvana
不老長生
ふろうちょうせい
perpetual youth and longevity; long life without growing old
Proverbs & Idioms
生きとし生けるもの
いきとしいけるもの
All living things
Every creature that lives
生兵法は大怪我のもと
なまびょうほうはおおけがのもと
A little knowledge is dangerous
Half-baked skills lead to serious mistakes
Poetry
立ち別れ いなばの山の 峰に生ふる まつとし聞かば 今帰り来む
Though I leave for Mount Inaba, if I hear that you are waiting, like the pines on its peak, I will come straight back.
浅茅生の 小野の篠原 しのぶれど あまりてなどか 人の恋しき
Like bamboo grass on the sparse-reeded moor I hide it, and still — why does my longing for her overflow?
Anime & Manga
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Philosophical mecha anime questioning the meaning of 'life.'
Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
A well-known work with 生 in its Japanese title.
寄生獣 セイの格率
Parasyte -the maxim-
A well-known work with 生 in its Japanese title.
転生したらスライムだった件
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
A well-known work with 生 in its Japanese title.
無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
A well-known work with 生 in its Japanese title.
Games
サバイバルゲーム各種
Survival Games(2010)
Developer: Various
Survival games where the goal is to 'live.'
View on Amazon →Related Figures & Stories
荻生徂徠
Name contains 生
Ogyū Sorai soꜜ.ɾai, o.ŋʲɯː-], March 21, 1666 – February 28, 1728), pen name Butsusorai/Bussorai , was a Japanese historian, philologist, philosopher,…
Wikipedia柳生宗矩
Name contains 生
Yagyū Munenori was a Japanese daimyō, swordsman, and martial arts writer.
Wikipedia壬生忠岑
Name contains 生
Mibu no Tadamine was an early Heian waka poet of the court , and a member of the sanjūrokkasen or Thirty-six Poetry Immortals.
Wikipedia生駒一正
Name contains 生
Ikoma Kazumasa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who lived into the early Edo period; he served the Oda clan, the Toyotomi, and then the…
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
Similar Kanji
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 生 mean in Japanese?
生 means life, genuine, birth.
How do you read 生?
On'yomi: セイ、ショウ (SEI, SHOU). Kun'yomi: い.きる、い.かす、い.ける、う.まれる、うま.れる、う.まれ、うまれ、う.む、お.う、は.える、は.やす、き、なま、なま-、な.る、な.す、む.す、-う (ikiru, ikasu, ikeru, umareru, umareru, umare, umare, umu, ou, haeru, hayasu, ki, nama, nama, naru, nasu, musu, u).
How many strokes does 生 have?
生 has 5 strokes. Its radical is 生 (life).
Is 生 a good kanji for a tattoo?
生 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means life, genuine, birth. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.