Original: The word Shinto ( '' Way of the Gods '' ) was adopted from the written Chinese ( ç é '' , shÃ n dÃ o ) , combining two kanji : '' shin '' , meaning kami ; and '' tÅ '' , or '' dÅ '' meaning a philosophical path or study ( originally from the Chinese word tao ) .
Simplified: The word '' Shinto '' comes from the Japanese words '' ç '' , shin -- the word for god , and '' é '' '' , tÅ -- the word for '' the way '' or '' path '' . So , Shinto means '' the way of the gods . ''