noun
male lay devotee
Buddhist term for a male lay follower who has taken certain vows but not been ordained as a monk.
彼は熱心な信士として、毎朝お経をあげている。
As a devout male lay devotee, he chants sutras every morning.
suffix
title affixed to a man's posthumous Buddhist name
Used as a suffix after a deceased man's Buddhist name, indicating he was a lay believer. Compare 信女 for women.
See also: 信女
お墓には「釋〇〇信士」と刻まれていた。
The gravestone was inscribed with 'Shaku ○○ Shinji'.
noun
Only with reading しんし
Archaic general term for a believer, restricted to the reading しんし. Not used in modern Japanese.
古文書には「信士」を「しんし」と読ませ、信仰者を指す例がある。
In old documents, 信士 is read as しんし and refers to a believer.
Female equivalent of 信士 in both the lay devotee and posthumous title senses.
From 信 (faith, belief) + 士 (gentleman, samurai). The term originated in Buddhist contexts to designate a male lay follower.