神 (shén) is a Chinese character meaning “god”. It is written from 礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 申 (a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “god; spirit”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
礻 + 申
Left–right structure
- 礻 spirit / altar (radical form of 示) · shì meaning
- 申 a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神 · shēn meaning
Structure from: 说文解字·示部：神，天神，引出萬物者也。从示、申（现代字形 礻4+申5=9，已按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）
Memory aid
An altar (礻) beside 申 — a box pierced by one stroke running from sky to ground. At the altar, people call on the spirit that reaches all the way through: a god.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 神仙shén xiānimmortal; celestial being神 = shén
- 神奇shén qímagical; miraculous; amazing神 = shén
- 神秘shén mìmysterious; mystical神 = shén
Go deeper
All readings
god; spirit
god; deity; spirit; supernatural; amazing
神灵、天神；也指人的精神，或形容神奇、高超。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 神仙shén xiānimmortal; celestial being神 = shén
- 神奇shén qímagical; miraculous; amazing神 = shén
- 神秘shén mìmysterious; mystical神 = shén
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 神 mean?
神 (shén) means god; deity; spirit; supernatural; amazing.
How do you pronounce 神?
It is pronounced shén.
What parts is 神 made of?
礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 申 (a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·示部：神，天神，引出萬物者也。从示、申（现代字形 礻4+申5=9，已按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 神 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 神?
示. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 神?
Common ones are 神仙 and 神奇. The reading of 神 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.