忍
endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, sneak
Readings
On'yomi
- ニン
Kun'yomi
- しの.ぶ
- しの.ばせる
Nanori
- おし
Meaning
忍 centers on bearing something difficult with inner strength: enduring pain, putting up with hardship, or concealing one's feelings. The spy/sneak senses extend this idea to hiding one's presence or intentions.
Most common words using 忍
20 of 90- 忍しのぶ
squirrel's foot fern (Davallia mariesii)
- 忍にん
endurance; forbearance; patience; self-restraint
- 忍者にんじゃ
ninja; person trained in ninjutsu and employed for covert purposes in feudal Japan
- 忍耐にんたいN1
endurance; perseverance; patience
- 忍びしのび
stealth
- 残忍ざんにん
brutal; cruel; merciless; ruthless; cold-blooded
- 忍ぶしのぶN1
to conceal oneself; to hide
- 忍法にんぽう
ninja arts
- 忍術にんじゅつ
ninjutsu; combat and stealth techniques used by ninja for espionage, sabotage, assassination, etc.
- 忍び寄るしのびよる
to creep; to steal up; to draw near unnoticed
- 押忍おっす
hi!; yo!; hey man!; hey dude!
- お忍びおしのび
travelling incognito (of a person of high rank)
- 忍び込むしのびこむN1
to creep in; to steal in; to sneak in
- 堪忍袋かんにんぶくろ
one's store of patience
- 堪忍かんにん
patience; forbearance; endurance; tolerance
- 耐え忍ぶたえしのぶ
to put up with; to endure; to bear patiently
- 忍冬すいかずら
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
- 受忍じゅにん
enduring (hardships, inconveniences, etc.); tolerating; accepting
- ならぬ堪忍するが堪忍ならぬかんにんするがかんにん
to endure what is unendurable is true endurance
- 上忍じょうにん
Ninja clan master; highest-ranking ninja
Study
Etymology
忍 combines 刃 (blade) and 心 (heart/mind), suggesting the idea of a heart enduring a blade—bearing pain or hardship with inner strength.
Meaning mnemonic
A blade 刃 pressing down on the heart 心: enduring pain without showing it. This image captures bearing, concealing, and even sneaking—keeping a brave face while the heart is under pressure.
Reading mnemonic
For ニン, imagine a ninja enduring hardship in silence: nin -> ニン, and the ninja conceals their presence like the heart under the blade.