Spirit of Altruism 利他の精神
rita no seishin5 characters36 strokes
利他の精神 (rita no seishin) means the spirit of altruism: thinking first about how to help the people around you, rather than about your own gain.
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Meaning 意味
What 利他の精神 means
A Japanese saying, read rita no seishin.
LiterallySpirit of benefiting others.
利他 means putting the good of others before your own benefit. It began as a Buddhist word and describes a heart that is glad to act for others.
The hiragana の links 利他 to 精神, "spirit."
When people write it in Japan. It suits a piece about volunteering, helping out in a group, or any wish to be useful to someone.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 5th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 利他の精神
Semi-cursive script (gyōsho)
- In the altar radical on the left of 神 (shimesuhen), the top dot ends in a thin point aimed down to the left. It leads straight into the start of the stroke below.
- Write の a little smaller than the kanji. Keep its first slanted line thin and its big outer curve thick to create contrast.
- In the 青 on the right of 精, make the lowest of the three top horizontals the longest. Keep the 月 below it tall.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame. Shown in regular script. Semi-cursive follows the same order, with strokes joined.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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