Why I love the word “kami”

3. Its graphical meaning is an excellent definition in itself

The kanji for kami is made up of two smaller symbols (or radicals): A stylised version of 示 on the left and 申 on the right. 示 represents an altar, especially one for offering food. 申 represents a lightning bolt, but also has the meaning of “to offer” or “to speak humbly.” So the literal meaning of 神 can be rendered as “an altar to the forces of nature” or “To humbly speak/make an offering at an altar.” To me, this is an excellent way to define a deity – not in terms of what the deity actually is, but how humans act towards it. I cannot think of a religion that doesn’t feature making some kind of offering or prayer at some kind of altar, so for me, 神 sums up what a deity is very nicely.