心 — “heart / mind” in Japanese

Grade 2しん, こころ

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

“heart / mind” in Japanese is 心, read shin, kokoro (しん, こころ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 安心 (peace of mind).

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What does 心 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	心
Meaning	heart / mind
Readings	しん, こころ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	安心 (peace of mind)

How to read 心

心 is read shin (しん) or kokoro (こころ) depending on the word.

Words with 心

中心ちゅうしん
都心としん
関心かんしん
安心あんしん
心配しんぱい
中心部ちゅうしんぶ
心臓
核心
衷心

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Kanji read the same way as 心

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28