Tag - kanji

 
 

KANJI

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 7, 2021
‘Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle’: An engrossing biopic on a wartime holdout
Arthur Harari's war film about Hiroo Onoda, who resisted surrender for decades after the end of World War II, focuses on key moments from the soldier's time in the Philippines.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 13, 2021
Discovering 'meaning' in Japanese with one kanji in particular
As we reflect on the Olympics, some may be wondering what the significance of holding them during a pandemic was. The kanji that helps express that is used for other deep thoughts, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 22, 2021
Radical recombinations: Capture the moment with created kanji
A yearly contest asks Japanese speakers to come up with new kanji to reflect modern times, providing a fun way to learn and understand the characters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2020
The secret is out: This kanji will remain closely associated with the pandemic of 2020
The Japanese have spoken, 'u5bc6' (mitsu) is the kanji of the year for 2020. But what is this kanji trying to say to us?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 21, 2020
Exploring the origins of kanji is a fine science
Many of us learn kanji by associating them with the pictographs on which they were originally based. What happens when scholars dispute those commonly held associations?
CULTURE / Film
Apr 9, 2020
Japan’s film and TV industries soldier on despite coronavirus
The death of comedian Ken Shimura on March 29 due to pneumonia caused by COVID-19 sent a shock wave throughout the country. A star on Japanese TV for decades, he was the first major celebrity here to pass away after contracting the virus.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 8, 2020
'The Chronicles of Lord Asunaro': Period drama, modern satire
One of the newest novellas out from Red Circle Minis, "The Chronicles of Lord Asunaro" by Kanji Hanawa, covers far more ground than its size might suggest.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 17, 2019
What would a 'kanji of the decade' say about the state of Japan?
This year's kanji of the year is 'u4ee4,' but writer Paul Dargan posits a guess as to what the kanji of the decade might be while looking back on the annual tradition and what the top picks say about the state of the country.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2019
Rei (令), first character of Reiwa era name, picked as Japan's kanji of the year
The character "rei" (令) — as used in the era name of Reiwa, which has been translated to mean "beautiful harmony" — was chosen as kanji of the year, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announced Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 12, 2019
Middle? Inside? Relax, the kanji for naka has this one in the bag
The kanji for 'naka' is used in many different ways. A rectagle with a line cutting it in half, the kanji is also one of the easiest to remember.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 22, 2019
'Backlight': All alone in the wilds of Hokkaido
Based on a real-life incident in which a 7-year-old boy was abandoned in the woods by his parents, 'Backlight' examines the search and rescue operation through a philosophical lens.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 20, 2019
Matching the ins and outs of two common kanji
From April 1, the 入国管理局 (nyūkoku kanri-kyoku, Immigration Bureau), which operated under the auspices of the 法務省 (hōmushō, Justice Ministry), was upgraded from a bureau to an agency. Its Japanese name changed to 出入国在留管理庁 (shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri-chō), which can...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 29, 2019
A few parting words in Japanese for when you retire
Japan needed to pass a special law before the Emperor was able to 'retire,' but for the rest of us the process is a bit easier — as long as you know the vocabulary involved.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 8, 2019
Use 'shin' to make a new start in the Reiwa Era
Spring is the time for new life, the new school year, new coworkers and, in 2019, a new Imperial era.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2019
Japan assures world that Reiwa is all about 'beautiful harmony' and has nothing to do with 'command'
The move is intended to dispel what the ministry considers erroneous reports overseas that the new era name has connotations of “command” or “order.”
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2019
What's in a name? Reiwa reflects today's politics, Japan's cultural history and a social philosophy
Media hype over Reiwa, the newly announced name for the upcoming era, continued unabated Tuesday. At the same time, a majority of people appeared to happily welcome the name, which means "auspicious" (rei) and "peace" or "harmony" (wa).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Mar 11, 2019
Turn an 'H' on its side and look what kanji you get
If you turn an 'H' on its side, you get something that looks like the kanji ku014d or ku, and from there you can go all sorts of places.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?