Kanji of the Year 2020 - 密
It was announced yesterday that Mitsu 密 was the kanji character chosen as the character that best represents the sentiment and events of 2020. Mitsu means close or crowded and was chosen because of the three mitsu of closed and crowded settings that experts said should be avoided to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
This year everyone in Japan has learned you must avoid:
1. Closed spaces,
2. Crowded places, and
3. Close contact settings.
The Kanji of the Year character was written in calligraphy at Kiyomizu-dera, a famous Buddhist temple in Kyoto, by chief monk Seihan Mori. The calligraphy character will remain on display at the temple until December 23rd.
Last year, 2019,the kanji character 令 (rei), meaning beautiful was chosen.
In 2018, 災 (sai), meaning disaster or misfortune was chosen.
The 2016 Kanji of the Year was 金, meaning gold.
4 comments:
Thank you for sharing this. I had no idea there was a kanji of the year. That is so interesting!
A lot of thought must go into this, and I know many who guess what kanji character will be chosen and what it will represent.
Close or crowded is a good choice, as it reflects how we are living during this year of pandemic. We must avoid crowded places but keep people close to heart. We have learned that we can stay close to family, colleagues, and enjoy live music via computers while avoiding crowded family gatherings, conferences or concert halls.
I am already wondering what the kanji of 2021 will be?
That is fascinating -- and boy, do they think it through. Very symbolic!
I was thinking about this a while ago, wondering if they'd pick a corona-related kanji this year. They didn't disappoint!
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