Reiki symbols are sacred, hand-drawn or visualised shapes used in Reiki practice to focus and direct healing energy, with Cho Ku Rei (power), Sei He Ki (mental and emotional healing), Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (distance healing) and Dai Ko Myo (master level) being the most widely taught. In traditional Usui Reiki, the first three symbols are given to students at Level 2, while the master symbol is reserved for the master level. This guide explains what each symbol means, how practitioners use them, and what to expect if you are learning them yourself.
Reiki symbols are traditional shapes, usually drawn in the air with the hand or visualised mentally, that carry specific healing intentions. In the Japanese energy healing system founded by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century, the symbols are treated as sacred tools rather than decorative images. A practitioner draws or visualises a symbol at the start of a treatment, over a specific area of the body, or when sending healing at a distance, and the symbol is understood to focus the energy that flows through the practitioner.
Each symbol has a Japanese name, a written form, and a particular purpose. They are not used in Level 1 Reiki, where students learn hand positions and self-treatment. They are introduced at Level 2, the level at which professional practice usually begins, and are passed on in person during the attunement process. For a full explanation of the levels, see our guide to Reiki levels explained.
In traditional Reiki, the symbols were taught only to students who had received the appropriate attunement, and they were not written down or shared publicly. This secrecy has several practical reasons. First, the symbols are considered sacred and are treated with respect, much like religious iconography in other traditions. Second, traditional teaching held that the symbols only carry their full power once a student has been attuned, because the attunement opens the connection that the symbol then works with. Third, keeping the teachings within the teacher-student line protected the integrity of the practice as it passed from Usui to his successors.
In the West, the symbols have been published widely in books and online since the 1980s and 1990s, and they are no longer genuinely secret. Knowing the shapes is easy, and you can find them in many Reiki books. What a book cannot give you is the attunement and the hands-on guidance of a teacher, which is why traditional schools still teach the symbols in person. If you want to work with the symbols properly, the recognised path is to receive a Reiki attunement from a qualified master rather than learning them from a screen.
Most Reiki schools teach the same core set of symbols, with slight variations in spelling and drawing style between lineages. The four most important are:
Some lineages add further symbols, such as the Raku symbol used in master level attunements, but the four above form the common core of Usui Reiki around the world.
Cho Ku Rei is usually the first symbol taught, and its traditional meaning is often translated as “put the power of the universe here” or “God and man become one”. It looks like a coiled spiral or a key, drawn in a single flowing movement, and it is the workhorse of Reiki practice.
Practitioners use Cho Ku Rei to:
Cho Ku Rei is also the symbol most often used in self-treatment, drawn over the body to feel more centred and energised. Many people who practise Reiki at home use it daily, much like a short meditation.
Sei He Ki is the mental and emotional healing symbol, and its name is often translated as “God and man become one” in a different sense, or “earth and heaven together”. It is drawn as a shape that resembles a wave or a flowing spiral, and its purpose is to work with the mind and the emotions rather than the physical body.
Sei He Ki is used for:
Because emotions are understood in Reiki to be held in the energy body, Sei He Ki is often drawn over the head and the heart area. Practitioners also use it at the start of a session to settle a nervous recipient, and some teach it as a tool for clearing negative thought loops between sessions.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is the distance healing symbol, and its name is commonly translated as “no past, no present, no future” or “the Buddha in me connects with the Buddha in you”. It is the symbol that makes distance Reiki possible, which is why it is taught at Level 2 alongside the power and mental symbols.
The distance symbol is used to:
In practice, the practitioner draws the symbol, names the recipient, and then runs the treatment as if the person were present. Recipients of distance Reiki healing often report the same deep relaxation as with in-person sessions. For many, the distance symbol is also the most profound of the three Level 2 symbols, because it challenges the idea that healing must happen in the same room.
Dai Ko Myo is the master symbol, taught only at the master level of traditional Usui Reiki. Its name is often translated as “great bright light” or “the great shining one”, and it is associated with spiritual awakening and the highest levels of the practice. It is a more complex drawing than the other three symbols, and in many lineages it is the symbol used during the attunement of new masters.
Dai Ko Myo is used for:
Because the master symbol is tied to the master level, most practitioners do not receive it until they have completed the earlier levels. It is treated with particular respect, and traditional teachers pass it on only within the context of the master attunement. To understand that journey, see our guide on becoming a Reiki master.
Symbols are used in a few standard ways during a session or self-treatment:
There is no single correct way to draw the symbols, and styles vary between lineages. What matters in practice is the intention and the connection the practitioner has established through attunement, not the exact line weight of the drawing.
There is no scientific evidence that the symbols themselves carry measurable energy, and no study has shown that drawing Cho Ku Rei changes a physical outcome. What is well established is that intention, attention, and ritual have real psychological effects: a calm, focused practitioner and a recipient who feels cared for are a powerful combination, and this is part of why Reiki sessions consistently produce deep relaxation.
From the practitioner’s point of view, the symbols are less about magic and more about focus. Drawing a symbol signals to the mind that the healing work has begun, settles the practitioner into the right state, and gives the session a structure that both people can trust. Whether you understand the symbols as spiritual tools or as psychological anchors, they serve a genuine function in the practice, and this is how honest Reiki teachers describe them.
The recognised way to learn the symbols is through a Reiki Level 2 course, where a master attunes you and teaches each symbol in person. The course usually covers:
A Level 2 course typically takes a day or a weekend, and after it you can practise professionally. You will need to have completed Level 1 first, and most schools recommend practising Level 1 for a while before moving on. If you are considering training, our guide on how to become a Reiki healer explains the full path from first attunement to professional practice.
The core Usui Reiki system uses four main symbols: Cho Ku Rei (power), Sei He Ki (mental and emotional healing), Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (distance), and Dai Ko Myo (master). Some lineages teach additional symbols, but these four are the common core worldwide.
The first three symbols, Cho Ku Rei, Sei He Ki, and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, are taught at Reiki Level 2. The master symbol Dai Ko Myo is taught at the master level. Level 1 students work with hand positions and self-treatment without symbols.
The symbols have been published openly for decades, so seeing them is not disrespectful in itself. Traditional teachers do ask students to receive them through attunement rather than learning them from the internet, because the attunement is what makes them functional in the practice.
You can draw them, but in traditional Reiki the symbols are taught to work with the energy connection opened by attunement. Without attunement, practitioners say the symbol is just a shape. Taking a Level 2 course is the proper way to use them.
No. Drawing styles vary between lineages and practitioners, and the effectiveness of the symbol is understood to come from intention and attunement, not artistic accuracy. A simple, confident drawing works as well as a perfect one.
Yes. Cho Ku Rei is commonly drawn in doorways, windows, and rooms to clear and protect a space, and many practitioners draw it over themselves before starting work. It is one of the most practical everyday uses of the symbols.
The symbols come from the Japanese spiritual tradition that shaped Usui’s teachings, and some are related to Buddhist and Shinto imagery, but Reiki itself is not a religion. People of all faiths and none practise Reiki, and the symbols are treated as tools of intention rather than objects of worship.
Reiki symbols are a beautiful and practical part of the practice, giving it structure, focus, and a language for intention. Whether you receive Reiki, study the symbols at Level 2, or simply find them interesting, they are best approached with respect and, ideally, with a qualified teacher. If you would like to experience Reiki or discuss training, contact us, or explore our spiritual products to support your practice at home. For a personal reading on your energy and healing path, book a session with Sshreevidhyaa.
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