What is the difference between these Kanji symbols for faith? Which one is right?
信念 shinnen = (unreligious) belief, faith, conviction, principle, etc. This is what you personally believe to be right, usually unreligiously. This is something that everyone can have; for example, if someone very unreligious firmly believes “money is everything” or “I’m superior to everyone” and acts accordingly, that can still be called his “shinnen”. 信 shin = “believe, trust”, but this kanji alone sounds incomplete as a Japanese word. The verb “believe” is written with additional hiragana: 信じる shinjiru. 信仰 shinkou = (religious) faith, believe, creed, piety, devout This is what you religiously believe in, just like your belief in God, Buddha, Allah, etc. This is something only religious people can have, of course.
