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July 06, 2025
 

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KANJI

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 14, 2022
A look at the kanji that helps us turn nouns into adjectives
The kanji for 'teki' can be seen in many words, and it's a rather versatile one that works particularly well as a suffix.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 17, 2021
All is not golden with the 2021 selection for kanji of the year
There was a sense of serious deja vu when 'u91d1' (kin) was announced as kanji of the year for 2021, it's fourth time to take the honor.
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?
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
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.
SPORTS
Dec 15, 2018
Wrestle mania: The changing landscape of professional wrestling in Japan
In June 1976, professional wrestler Kanji "Antonio" Inoki took on iconic American boxer Muhammad Ali at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo in a fight that would be broadcast to an estimated global audience of 1.4 billion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 29, 2018
'Ghost kanji' lurk in the Japanese lexicon
Floating around the murky regions of digitized Unicode values are anywhere between 60 and 100 yu016brei-moji — literally, 'ghost characters' — haunting the Japanese kanji lexicon.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 3, 2018
Getting to know Japan on a first-name basis
What's in a first name? In Japan, you'll find insights into societal change.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 13, 2018
Japanese surnames: Among the usual suspects, you're bound to find some curveballs
How many Japanese surnames are there anyway? It's a tricky question, because the total depends on how you decide to count them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 26, 2018
To have and to hold, to slap and to tickle: For tactile versatility, you have to hand it to this kanji
One way to acquire more kanji is to organize them into a relational database. To show how this works, let's look at some of the many characters using the hand radical.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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