The Japanese kanji for Zen: 禅
漢字 Kanji 40 of 40
The kanji for Zen: 禅
Altar (礻) and 'single' (単): the single-minded practice.
禅
- Meaning
- zen
- Kun reading
- none in everyday use
- On reading
- ZEN (from Chinese)
- Strokes
- 13
書き順Stroke order
禅 is written in 13 strokes, in this order. The red line is the new stroke at each step. Japanese is written top to bottom and left to right, and the order matters: it is what makes handwriting flow.
Stroke data from KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
使い方In everyday Japanese
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 座禅 | zazen | seated meditation |
| 禅寺 | zendera | a Zen temple |
敬意Wearing it
A religious word. It's fine to wear, the way you'd wear any faith's word: with respect, and not somewhere you'd sit on it.
Every kanji in 5C5V Studio is checked for meaning and context. Read our Respect Notes.
工房 Made just for you
Wear 禅
Open 5C5V Studio, pick 禅 from the kanji, choose a tee, hoodie, cap or beanie, and see it mocked up before you buy. Printed or embroidered, made to order.