慎 — “Humility / Be Careful / Discreet / Prudent” in Japanese

Master (高手)しん, つつし, つつ

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

“Humility / Be Careful / Discreet / Prudent” in Japanese is 慎, read shin, tsutsushi, tsutsu (しん, つつし, つつ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 慎重 (prudence).

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What does 慎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	慎
Meaning	Humility / Be Careful / Discreet / Prudent
Readings	しん, つつし, つつ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	慎重 (prudence)

How to read 慎

慎 is read shin (しん) or tsutsushi (つつし) or tsutsu (つつ) depending on the word.

Words with 慎

慎重
謹慎

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Kanji read the same way as 慎

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

Updated: 2026-08-28