endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, sneak
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.
忍 combines 刃 (blade) and 心 (heart/mind), suggesting the idea of a heart enduring a blade—bearing pain or hardship with inner strength.
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.
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.
endurance; forbearance; patience; self-restraint
squirrel's foot fern (Davallia mariesii)
ninja; person trained in ninjutsu and employed for covert purposes in feudal Japan
endurance; perseverance; patience
stealth
brutal; cruel; merciless; ruthless; cold-blooded
to conceal oneself; to hide
ninja arts
ninjutsu; combat and stealth techniques used by ninja for espionage, sabotage, assassination, etc.
to creep; to steal up; to draw near unnoticed
hi!; yo!; hey man!; hey dude!
travelling incognito (of a person of high rank)
to creep in; to steal in; to sneak in
one's store of patience
patience; forbearance; endurance; tolerance
to put up with; to endure; to bear patiently
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
enduring (hardships, inconveniences, etc.); tolerating; accepting
to endure what is unendurable is true endurance
Ninja clan master; highest-ranking ninja