身
somebody · person · one's station in life
Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Shape of human body. Body.
Symbolism
Body, self, single. Represents body.
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
人身攻撃
じんしんこうげき
personal attack; ad hominem attack
低頭平身
ていとうへいしん
prostrating oneself
半身不随
はんしんふずい
hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body)
粉骨砕身
ふんこつさいしん
making one's best exertions
平身低頭
へいしんていとう
prostrating oneself; kowtowing; going down on one's knees
満身創痍
まんしんそうい
having wounds all over one's body; being wounded all over; receiving a drubbing
全身全霊
ぜんしんぜんれい
complete devotion; body and soul; one's best
即身成仏
そくしんじょうぶつ
attainment of Buddhahood during life
立身出世
りっしんしゅっせ
success in life
可惜身命
あたらしんみょう
valuing one's body and life; holding one's life dear
身体髪膚
しんたいはっぷ
entire human body; every inch of one's body
長身痩躯
ちょうしんそうく
tall and lean figure; tall and slender figure
不惜身命
ふしゃくしんみょう
devoting one's body and soul to Buddhist teachings; unsparing devotion to Buddhism
心身一如
しんしんいちにょ
body and mind as one; mind-body unity
獅子身中
しししんちゅう
treacherous friend; snake in one's bosom; treacherous insider
寵愛一身
ちょうあいいっしん
standing highest in one's master's favor; monopolizing the affection (favor) of the lord; being the lord's favorite lady
明哲保身
めいてつほしん
wisdom and self-protection; wise and skilled in the art of self-protection
Proverbs & Idioms
身から出た錆
みからでたさび
Rust from one's own body
Suffering from your own actions
Poetry
花の色は うつりにけりな いたづらに わが身世にふる ながめせしまに
The colour of the blossoms has faded, all for nothing, while I gazed at the long rains and my own beauty passed.
月みれば 千々に物こそ 悲しけれ 我が身ひとつの 秋にはあらねど
Looking at the moon, a thousand sorrows crowd in, though the autumn is not mine alone.
忘らるる 身をば思はず 誓ひてし 人のいのちの 惜しくもあるかな
It is not myself, forgotten, that I grieve for, but the life of the one who swore to me and broke the oath.
あふことの たえてしなくは なかなかに 人をも身をも 恨みざらまし
If we had never met at all, I would not now resent her — nor resent myself.
あはれとも いふべき人は 思ほえで 身のいたづらに なりぬべきかな
I can think of no one who would say they pity me, and so it seems I must simply waste away.
花さそふ 嵐の庭の 雪ならで ふりゆくものは わが身なりけり
What falls in this garden, where the storm strips the blossom, is not snow. It is myself, growing old.
こぬ人を まつほの浦の 夕なぎに 焼くやもしほの 身もこがれつつ
Waiting for one who does not come, in the evening calm at Matsuho Bay — like seaweed burned for salt, I am scorched through.
人もをし 人も恨めし あぢきなく 世を思ふゆゑに 物思ふ身は
I find people dear, and I resent them, because I think this world a bitter, pointless place and brood on it.
Anime & Manga
村づくりゲームのNPCが生身の人間としか思えない
The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real!
A well-known work with 身 in its Japanese title.
Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 身 mean in Japanese?
身 means somebody, person, one's station in life.
How do you read 身?
On'yomi: シン (SHIN). Kun'yomi: み (mi).
How many strokes does 身 have?
身 has 7 strokes. Its radical is 身 (body).
Is 身 a good kanji for a tattoo?
身 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means somebody, person, one's station in life. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.