noun
heavenly god; deity of the heavens
Refers to gods residing in heaven, as opposed to earthly deities. Also pronounced てんしん in some contexts.
天神地祇を祀る。
They worship the heavenly gods and earthly deities.
noun
Tenjin; deified Sugawara no Michizane; Tenmangu shrine
Primarily refers to the deified spirit of Sugawara no Michizane, enshrined at Tenmangu shrines. Often used as a short name for the shrine itself.
I visit the Tenjin shrine to pray.
天神は学問の神様として知られている。
Tenjin is known as the god of learning.
noun
dried plum pit; dried plum
Colloquial term for the pit of a dried plum (umeboshi), or sometimes the dried plum itself. Used in casual contexts.
See also: 梅干し
梅干しの天神を捨てる。
I throw away the pit of the dried plum.
noun
tenjin hairstyle
Abbreviation of 天神髷, a traditional hairstyle. Rare standalone use; mostly encountered in historical or cultural contexts.
See also: 天神髷
天神髷は江戸時代の女性の髪型の一つで、略して天神とも呼ばれた。
The tenjin hairstyle was one of the women's hairstyles in the Edo period, sometimes abbreviated as tenjin.
noun
second-highest class prostitute (Edo period)
Historical term for a rank of prostitute in the Edo period. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical references.
江戸時代の遊郭では、天神は高い位の遊女だった。
In the pleasure quarters of the Edo period, tenjin was a high-ranking courtesan.
noun
Specialized term for the tuning pegs of traditional Japanese string instruments like the biwa or shamisen. Also written 転軫.
See also: 転軫
三味線の天神を回して調弦する。
I tune the shamisen by turning the tuning pegs.