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Shinto

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means the indigenous animist and ancestor-venerating religion of Japan

Where does the word "shinto" come from? It comes from Japanese shindō, adopted directly into English (1600s-1800s).

shindō→Shinto

Japanese · 6th century

"the way of the kami, or gods"

coined using borrowed Chinese characters to distinguish the native 'way of the gods' from Buddhism

English · 1600s-1800s

"Japan's indigenous nature and ancestor worship"

adopted by Western missionaries and scholars naming Japan's indigenous religion

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