Chinese character for faith: 信 (xìn)
The Chinese character for faith and trust is 信 (xìn). It means to believe, trust or keep one's word, and it also means a letter. It appears in 信心 (xìnxīn, confidence), 相信 (xiāngxìn, to believe) and 诚信 (chéngxìn, integrity).
How 信 is built
信 combines 亻, a person, with 言 (yán), words or speech. A person standing beside their words is someone who keeps their promises, so the character means trust, faith and honesty. This is a classic and widely taught explanation. Because it is also the everyday word for a letter, 信 is often used with other characters to make the meaning clear. It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
信 xìn · letter
- 亻rén — person
- 言yán — words
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亠tóu — lid
How 信 is used
Other ways to say faith
- 信念 xìnniàn — belief, conviction
- 信仰 xìnyǎng — religious or spiritual faith
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 信 also means 'letter', so for faith consider 信念 (conviction) or 信心 (confidence) and ask a native speaker which fits your meaning.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for faith?
信 (xìn) means “faith”.
How do you pronounce 信?
信 is pronounced xìn.