Zen in Japanese
Zen in Japanese is 禅, 禅宗 — Zen means a school of Buddhism, strongest in China and Japan, that emphasises sudden insight reached through meditation rather than through study of scripture.
Zen in Japanese
禅
Pronounced: zen
(religion) A school of Mahayana Buddhism characterized by sudden enlightenment achieved by indirect means and principally associated with China and Japan.
禅宗
Pronounced: zenshuu
(religion) A school of Mahayana Buddhism characterized by sudden enlightenment achieved by indirect means and principally associated with China and Japan.
What does "Zen" mean?
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noun A school of Buddhism, strongest in China and Japan, that emphasises sudden insight reached through meditation rather than through study of scripture.
"She spent a summer at a Zen monastery in Kyoto."
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noun A calm, focused state of mind, or an approach to a task that favours simplicity and intuition over overthinking it.
"He approaches coding with real zen — no panic, just steady focus."
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Zen in a sentence
- She spent a summer at a Zen monastery in Kyoto.
- Zen teaching often uses riddles, called koans, to jolt students out of ordinary thinking.
- He approaches coding with real zen — no panic, just steady focus.
- Find your zen before the interview and you'll do fine.
Similar words in Japanese
Common Japanese translations
Frequently asked questions
What is "Zen" in Japanese?
"Zen" in Japanese is 禅, 禅宗. Zen means: A school of Buddhism, strongest in China and Japan, that emphasises sudden insight reached through meditation rather than through study of scripture.
How do you pronounce 禅?
"Zen" in Japanese is 禅, pronounced "zen".
How do you use "Zen" in a sentence?
Example: "She spent a summer at a Zen monastery in Kyoto." In Japanese, "Zen" is 禅, 禅宗.
Are there other ways to say "Zen" in Japanese?
Yes — Japanese has 2 translations listed for "Zen": 禅, 禅宗.
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