firm adherence to one's principles; integrity; constancy
Refers to unwavering moral integrity, often in a Confucian sense. Can appear in compounds like 貞節 (teisetsu, 'chastity; fidelity').
彼はどんな困難にも屈せず、貞を守り通した。
He remained steadfast in his principles, never yielding to any hardship.
chastity (of a woman); female virtue
Specifically denotes a woman's chastity or fidelity, often in a traditional or historical context. Commonly used in the compound 貞操 (teisō).
昔の女性は結婚前に貞を重んじるよう教えられた。
In the past, women were taught to value chastity before marriage.
貞操 specifically and concretely means a woman's chastity and is the far more commonly used word, whereas 貞 alone is an abstract, literary morpheme.
不貞 means 'infidelity; unfaithfulness,' the direct opposite of the moral constancy or chastity expressed by 貞.
male virginity; male virgin · Catholic nun; sister
chastity; virtue; fidelity
unfaithfulness; infidelity; unchastity
chastity; virtue; fidelity; feminine modesty
chastity; fidelity; faithfulness; virtue
Standard kanji form for both senses.
The kanji 貞 originally depicted a divination vessel and a cowrie shell, suggesting 'to divine' or 'to inquire,' later extended to mean 'correct' or 'upright.' The reading てい is the on'yomi (Sino-Japanese).
extreme faithfulness; steadfast chastity
man who has only had sex with sex workers