For decades, in the West, the “symbols of Reiki” have often been spoken of as if they all belonged to the same category. Yet a closer look —one that is more attuned to Japanese sensibility— reveals that this is not quite the case. Some are indeed symbolic forms. Others are expressions written in kanji. And one, as we will see, may even be related to calligraphic and esoteric traditions that predate Reiki itself, although this cannot be stated with complete historical certainty.
Understanding this does not diminish their value. On the contrary, it refines it.
The issue has never been that these signs were considered sacred. In Japan, what is sacred does not necessarily depend on secrecy. The real misunderstanding lies elsewhere: in confusing writing with abstract symbol, and contemplative teaching with a closed ritual formula.
In fact, part of the legacy of Mikao Usui seems to point in a far more sober and profound direction: these signs were perhaps never meant to function as magical keys, but rather as supports for the mind, for attention, and for inner maturation.
With this perspective, we can look again at the four main signs that the West usually gathers under the expression “Reiki symbols”: Chokurei, Seiheki, Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen, and Dai Kō Myō. And finally, at the very name Reiki itself, written in kanji.
Chokurei: a graphic symbol, not a kanji
Chokurei occupies a unique place. Unlike other elements of the system, it does not correspond to an identifiable kanji or to a written Japanese phrase. Rather, it is a graphic symbol, associated with a jumon or verbal formulation, whose name is often written as 直 霊
直 (choku) – direct, straight
霊 (rei) – spirit, spiritual dimension
The most common interpretation would be something close to “directing the spiritual force” or “placing the spirit directly here.”
The form of the sign itself, however, is not an ordinary Japanese character. It is a symbolic form, most likely stylized for the purpose of practice.
In Western teaching it has often been presented as the “power symbol.” This description is not entirely wrong, but it is somewhat limited. From a more Japanese sensibility, it may be better understood as a gesture of concentration. Not so much a command to “activate” something, but rather a way of gathering, centering, and calling the mind into focus.
There are also differences between schools in the way it is used. In many Western lineages, Chokurei is primarily employed as a way to intensify or focus the energy, often applied at the beginning or the end of a treatment, or over specific areas of the body.
In some traditional Japanese schools, however, the symbol is understood in a more restrained way, as a support for concentrating the mind and intention, closer to a gesture of attention than to a tool meant to “increase power.”
In that context, the emphasis does not rest so much on the symbol itself, but on the inner clarity from which it is drawn or invoked.
Seiheki: between symbol and hypothesis
The so-called Seiheki —or Sei He Ki, according to different transliterations— is probably one of the most intriguing signs within the system.
It does not appear to correspond to any recognizable kanji, and its name does not form a transparent Japanese expression in the same way that Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen does. For this reason, some researchers have suggested that this sign may not originate from ordinary Japanese writing, but rather from an older or more peripheral form of sacred graphic expression.
One of the most interesting hypotheses is its possible connection to the seed syllable hṛīḥ, known in Japan as kiriku, used in esoteric Buddhism, particularly within the tradition of Shingon Buddhism.
This syllable is written in Siddham script and is traditionally associated with the Buddha Amitābha.
Some stylized forms of kiriku bear a certain resemblance to the form that in Western Reiki is known as Seiheki. However, it is important to remain cautious: a formal similarity does not allow us to state with certainty that the two are equivalent.
The most reasonable position is therefore to regard this relationship as a plausible but unproven hypothesis.
Interestingly, the field of meaning associated with Seiheki in Reiki is related to mental habits, emotional patterns, and deeply ingrained conditioning.
In Japanese, the term 癖 (heki) —habit, tendency, or ingrained pattern— refers precisely to a repeated behavior or inclination.
For this reason, Seiheki has often been associated with the transformation of mental and emotional habits, an interpretation that resonates well with the contemplative dimension of many Japanese traditions.
As with other elements of Reiki practice, there are also differences between schools in how the symbol is used. In many Western lineages, Seiheki is primarily applied in relation to emotional and mental aspects or entrenched habits, often during treatments intended to support processes of inner transformation.
In some Japanese schools, by contrast, the symbol is understood more as a support for harmonizing mind and heart, a reminder of the importance of inner clarity and of correcting one’s own habitual patterns.
In others, it is used as the central element of the technique known as Seiheki Chiryō, a Reiki method often taught in Okuden (Reiki level 2), designed by Mikao Usui to work with and re-pattern unhealthy habits and addictions.
Seen in this light, Sei He Ki may be understood less as a symbol meant to “fix” something, and more as a gesture that invites the practitioner to restore harmony within the mind itself.
Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen: not a symbol, but a phrase
Among the so-called Reiki symbols, Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen is the clearest case in which we are dealing with actual kanji.
It is commonly written as 本 者 是 正 念
Each character carries its own nuance:
本 (hon) – origin, root
者 (sha) – that which is / person
是 (ze) – that which is correct
正 (shō) – correct, just, true
念 (nen) – mind, conscious attention
The overall meaning is complex and carries clear Buddhist resonances. One possible interpretation would be: “The correct mind is the original nature.” Another could be: “True awareness belongs to the essence.”
For this reason, rather than an abstract symbol, the expression appears to function as a condensed teaching about the nature of the mind.
Differences between schools may be even more evident in this case. In many Western traditions, Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen has been primarily associated with what is known as distance healing, used as a way to establish connection beyond physical space.
Some Japanese interpretations, however, emphasize that the phrase points above all to the nature of the mind and the rectitude of awareness, rather than to a specific technique.
From this perspective, the symbol would not so much be a mechanism for “sending energy,” but rather a reminder that the correct mind is not limited by time or space.
Dai Kō Myō: the great bright light
The so-called master symbol also corresponds to actual kanji 大 光 明
Each character reveals the meaning quite clearly:
大 (dai) – great
光 (kō) – light
明 (myō) – clarity, illumination
The literal meaning would be “great bright light” or “great luminous clarity.”
This expression appears in various texts of Japanese Buddhism, where it refers to the light of wisdom or spiritual illumination.
Rather than a sign of power, it seems to point to something deeper: the clarity of essential nature.
In many Western schools, Dai Kō Myō is presented as the master symbol, reserved for those who reach the final level of teaching. It is often used in initiations or in practices considered to be of greater depth.
In Japan, however, some interpretations place less emphasis on hierarchy and more on the inner understanding that this sign represents. The “great bright light” would not so much indicate a degree of power as a spiritual clarity cultivated through practice and personal maturation.
Reiki: the name itself already contains a teaching
Finally, the very name Reiki is also composed of kanji 霊 気
霊 (rei) – spiritual, numinous, subtle
気 (ki) – vital breath, vitality, life energy
In the West, it is often translated as “universal energy,” but this translation greatly simplifies its original meaning.
Rather than referring to a physical energy, the term points to something closer to vitality imbued with a spiritual dimension. Not so much something that one possesses, but something with which one learns to align.
In the West, Reiki is usually understood primarily as a universal energy that can be channeled for healing, an explanation that has helped make the practice accessible and widely understood.
In Japan, however, the term is often associated with a broader understanding of life and of the spiritual dimension that permeates it.
In that sense, Reiki would not be merely something used during a treatment, but rather a quality of presence and harmony cultivated through the way one lives.
An updated view of Reiki symbols
Looking again at the so-called Reiki symbols from this perspective does not mean stripping the system of its mystery. Rather, it means restoring to it a truer kind of mystery.
Chokurei belongs to the realm of the graphic symbol. Seiheki may bear some relation to esoteric traditions such as hṛīḥ / kiriku, although this cannot be confirmed with certainty. Hon Sha Ze Shō Nen is a philosophical phrase written in kanji. Dai Kō Myō is a classical expression referring to spiritual light and clarity. And Reiki, in its very name, already contains a profound vision of life.
Perhaps the most important step today is not to defend secrecy, but to recover understanding. For what is sacred does not always need to hide; sometimes it simply needs to be read again.
Perhaps, with time, these symbols will cease to be perceived as mysterious forms and begin to reveal themselves for what they may always have been: tools for a deeper understanding of the mind and of life.
Then the stroke itself will no longer be what matters most.
What will matter is the clarity, the attention, and the presence from which that stroke arises.
