Sections
Kami (神): what it means in anime
神
かみ · kami · god; deity; divinity JLPT N3
Kami means "god" or "deity". Shinto has countless 神, so the word is more flexible than the English, and anime makes gods out of everything from death to delivery services.
Where you hear it 5 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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Noragami · 22 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
あらゆる神の天辺に立ってやる
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood · 17 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
この地上に生ける神の子らよ
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Death Note · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
“神の教えに従うべし”
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Angel Beats! · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
神についてだ
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No Game No Life · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
あの神さえ破ったのだという事実を
Usage and nuance
Noragami is literally 野良神, "stray god", about a minor deity doing odd jobs. Death Note's Light wants to be the god of a new world, and Angel Beats asks whether 神 exists at all.
As slang, 神 means "godlike" or "amazing": 神回 is "a godly episode" and 神ゲー is "a god-tier game". You will see it in Japanese comments on any popular show.
The reading changes in compounds: 神様 (kami-sama) adds respect, 死神 (shinigami) is a god of death, and 神社 (jinja) is a Shinto shrine.
Hear 神 in Noragami22 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account