How to say “god” in Chinese
god, spirit; miraculous
“God” in Chinese is 神, shén: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
神 is read shén. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 礻 “altar”; on the right, 申 shēn hints at the reading. In 精神 it takes the neutral tone: shen.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “神”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 神. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 面试那天，你要穿得精神一点儿。miànshìnàtiān,nǐyàochuāndejīngshenyìdiǎnrOn the day of the interview, dress so you look sharp.
- 集中精神认真做题jízhōngjīngshén,rènzhēnzuòtíConcentrate and work through the questions carefully.
- 我小时候很喜欢听神话故事wǒxiǎoshíhouhěnxǐhuantīngshénhuàgùshiAs a child I loved listening to myths.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Ideas, harmony and all things”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “god” in Chinese?
“God” in Chinese is 神, pinyin shén.
What does 神 mean?
神 (shén) means “god, spirit; miraculous”.
How do you write 神?
神 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 神?
神 is read shén. Tones: shén — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“god” in the lesson “Ideas, harmony and all things”
This word is from the topic “Judgments and values” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free