信 — “trust / believe” in Japanese

Grade 4しん

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“trust / believe” in Japanese is 信, read shin (しん). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 信頼 (trust).

Try it now

What does 信 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	信
Meaning	trust / believe
Readings	しん
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	信頼 (trust)

How to read 信

信 is read shin (しん) depending on the word.

Words with 信

通信つうしん
自信じしん
信号しんごう
信頼

Learn 信 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 信

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28