臣 — “retainer / minister” in Japanese

Grade 4しん, じん

Radical ⾂ · radical 131 The building block this kanji is filed under

“retainer / minister” in Japanese is 臣, read shin, jin (しん, じん). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 大臣 (cabinet minister).

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What does 臣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	臣
Meaning	retainer / minister
Readings	しん, じん
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	大臣 (cabinet minister)

How to read 臣

臣 is read shin (しん) or jin (じん) depending on the word.

Words with 臣

大臣

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Kanji read the same way as 臣

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

Updated: 2026-08-28