virtuous, good, goodness

About this kanji

The kanji 善, pronounced 'zen,' means 'good' or 'virtue.' It is often used as a noun to refer to goodness or moral quality, but can also appear in verbs that express the idea of doing good. Some common compounds include 改善 (かいぜん), meaning 'betterment' or 'improvement,' and 最善 (さいぜん), which translates to 'the very best.' Another example is 善悪 (ぜんあく), meaning 'right and wrong.' A quick note: when using this kanji, it often conveys a sense of moral goodness, which can add depth to discussions about character and ethics in Japanese.

Example sentences

• 善は悪に勝ると信じている。

  I believe good always triumphs over evil.

Meanings across languages

English

virtuous, good, goodness

Tiếng Việt

thiện

日本語

善行

한국어

선

中文

善良

id

virtuo, baik, kebaikan

th

มีคุณธรรม, ดี, ความดี

es

virtuoso, bueno, bondad

fr

vertueux, bon, bonté

de

tugendhaft, gut, Güte

pt

virtuoso, bom, bondade

Common compounds

• 改善かいぜんbetterment, improvement, kaizen (Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement)
• 親善しんぜんfriendship, goodwill, friendly relations
• 最善さいぜんthe very best, utmost
• 慈善じぜんcharity, benevolence, philanthropy
• 善悪ぜんあくright and wrong, good and evil
• 善意ぜんいvirtuous mind, good intentions, good will
• 善戦ぜんせんfighting a good fight, putting up a good fight, fighting bravely
• 善隣ぜんりんgood neighbour, good neighbor

Words using this kanji