Refers to integrity, good faith, or faithfulness to another person or promise. As a standalone noun, 信 is formal and often appears in set or elevated phrasing.
商売では信が第一だ。
In business, integrity comes first.
He earned his clients' trust through his sincere work.
He remained faithful to his friend to the end.
Used for the trust or confidence placed in a person, government, statement, judgment, and similar things. Common collocations include 信を置く, 信を得る, and 信を失う.
政府は国民の信を失った。
The government lost the people's trust.
私は彼の判断に信を置いている。
I have confidence in his judgment.
religious faith; devotion
Religious use meaning faith or devotion toward a deity, Buddha, doctrine, or religious path. In everyday modern Japanese, 信仰 or 信心 is often more explicit.
修行を通じて、彼は仏への信を深めた。
Through religious practice, he deepened his faith in the Buddha.
counter for received messages
Rare counter use for received messages such as telegrams or correspondence. It is much less ordinary than counters such as 通 in modern Japanese.
古い記録には「電報一信を受け取る」のような数え方が見られる。
In old records, you may see counting such as 'receive one telegram.'
その発言で彼は国民の信を失った。
That remark cost him the public's trust.
信頼 is the common everyday noun/する-verb for trusting someone or something, while 信 alone is a shorter, more formal or literary word for the same idea.
信用 is the ordinary word for trust or credit (as in credit history or believing someone), whereas 信 is a terser, more formal alternative used in set phrases like 信を得る.
誠実 describes a person's sincere, honest character, while 信 can refer either to that same quality of good faith or to the trust it earns from others.
信仰 is the usual explicit word for religious faith or belief, while 信 in this sense is a more compact, formal way of saying the same thing.
信 (trust, good faith) and 真 (truth, genuineness) share the same reading しん but refer to different abstract qualities, so learners can mix them up in compounds.
distribution; broadcast; delivery; transmission; streaming
believe; trust; have faith in
correspondence; communication · transmission; signal; telecommunications · news dispatch; report; news
trust; confidence; faith; reliance
trust; confidence; faith; reputation · credit (financial)
A Sino-Japanese noun and bound element read しん, written with 信 and conventionally associated with sincerity, trust, and faith. No detailed historical derivation is specified.
receiving; reception
transmission; dispatch; sending · sharing (thoughts, opinions); informing; telling
faith; belief; creed
conviction; firm belief; confidence
reply; answer
believe; trust; have faith in
believer; follower; adherent · fanatic; superfan; fanboy
belief; faith; conviction
trust; entrusting; leaving in someone's trust
distrust; mistrust; disbelief; loss of confidence · insincerity; bad faith; breach of trust · impiety; faithlessness; lack of religious faith
incoming call; incoming message; arrival of mail
creed; belief; conviction; article of faith
faith; belief; piety; devotion
telecommunications; correspondence; communication
belief; faith; adherence
trust; credibility; credence
fanaticism; zealotry; blind devotion
believer; follower; layperson
superstition; superstitious belief
trust; confidence; credence
correspondence; news; letter; tidings
overconfidence; excessive trust; overestimation