noun
Zen
zehn
noun
1
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."
"Zen teaching often uses riddles, called koans, to jolt students out of ordinary thinking."
2
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."
"Find your zen before the interview and you'll do fine."
How to Use Zen
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the Buddhist tradition of meditation-based insight, or, more loosely, a state of calm, uncluttered focus.
Common mistake
In casual speech "zen" is often used as an adjective ("that's very zen of you"), even though it started life as a noun.
Common pairings
Zen meditation
find your zen
a very zen approach
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “Zen”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She spent a summer at a _____ monastery in Kyoto.
Etymology
From Japanese zen, itself from a Chinese word for meditation that traces all the way back to the Sanskrit dhyana ("meditation").