Zanshin (残心) is a term used in the Japanese martial arts. It refers to a state of awareness – of relaxed alertness. The literal translation of zanshin is "remaining mind".

In several martial arts, zanshin refers more narrowly to the body's posture after a technique is executed.

In various martial arts

In kyūdō, zanshin means the body posture after the loosing of an arrow; the posture is intended to reflect the higher meaning of zanshin, which is a mental aspect maintained before, during, and after an action.

In karate, zanshin is the state of total awareness. It means being aware of one's surroundings and enemies, and also being prepared to react

In the context of kendō, zanshin is the continued state of mental alertness and physical readiness to instantly attack or respond to an attack or counter-attack by one's opponent.

During the practice of aikidō, the usual reference zanshin is to focusing on the just-thrown uke, or opponent, while holding kamae and maintaining awareness in case there are additional attackers.

See also

• Fudoshin
• Mushin
• Shoshin