神

神 combines 示 (altar) + 申 (lightning), symbolizing the link between divine forces and supernatural phenomena like thunder and lightning. It’s used for gods, spirits, ghosts, and even “spiritual” qualities in people.

The original character was 申 – a pictograph representing lightning.

In ancient times, thunder and lightning—loud, flashing, and accompanied by storms—were seen as terrifying and linked to supernatural forces.

Because of this association, 申 came to mean “spirit” or “divine power.”

Later, when 申 began being borrowed for other meanings, scribes added 示 (the “altar” radical that marks things related to gods and rituals).

Thus 神 became both a phono-semantic character (sound from 申, meaning from 示) and a compound ideograph (combining meaning of lightning/divinity + ritual).

In East Asian languages, 神 has a broader scope than Western “god” (God, Deus). It refers not only to supreme deities but also spirits, ghosts, and the human mind/spirit (e.g., 精神 “mind, spirit”).