Word
信じる
Meaning in Englishbelieve, trust
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
信じる means to believe or trust in someone or something, to accept as true or reliable, and to rely on that person or statement in everyday life.
Main meanings
- belief in the truth of a statement or idea, often without absolute proof
- trust or confidence placed in a person, claim, or source
- to rely on or depend on someone or something in a situation
- to believe wholeheartedly or with conviction, sometimes implying faith more than evidence
How to use it
Used across formal, neutral, and casual speech, 信じる attaches to nouns, propositions, or people; in religious context it can express faith, while in everyday talk it covers accepting information, promises, or outcomes as true.
Variants and close terms
- 信頼する (shinrai suru) — to trust, with emphasis on reliability
- 信用する (shinyou suru) — to credit or rely on in formal contexts
- 疑う (utagau) — to doubt
- 信じ込む (shinjikomu) — to be convinced or to fall for something, sometimes without evidence
Composition
- 信: left-side person radical + right-side speech; together they symbolize someone’s word being credible, hence trust
- じる: native verb-forming suffix that turns a concept into the action of believing or doing the act of belief
Word class
verb (五段動詞, godan)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
確信
kakushin
conviction, confidence
N1
信者
shinja
believer, devotee
N1
信任
shinnin
trust, confidence, credence
N2
信ずる
shinzuru
to believe
N2
迷信
meishin
superstition
N3
信仰
shinkou
religious faith, belief
N3
信号
shingou
traffic light, signal
N3
信用
shinyou
trust, credit, confidence
N3
信頼
shinrai
trust, reliance, confidence
Kanji