Friday Finish - The One Word Dictionary

The word is 月,  which means "Moon" in English.  The cover moon of the dictionary is stitched with glow in the dark thread on red felt. (Back cover is the same red felt.)

The inside has two pages. The left side page is the kanji character for moon. The right side page is the full moon. If you look closely, you can see the rabbit in the moon. (In the US, we look up and see a man in the moon.  In Japan, we look up and see a rabbit in the moon.)

Real moon photo taken near my apartment some time ago.  Do you see a man or a rabbit? (I see a rabbit).

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 Kanji for 2017 was 北, meaning north. 

The 2016 Kanji of the Year was 金, meaning gold. 

In 2015, the chosen Kanji was 安, meaning safety or peace.  

The Kanji for 2014 was 税, meaning tax. 

The 2013 Kanji of the Year was  輪, meaning ring or circle. 

2019 Kanji of the Year

This year, the kanji character 令 (rei), meaning "Beautiful"  was chosen as the character that best represents the sentiment and events in Japan in 2019. Reiwa was the name chosen for the new imperial era, which began May 1st of this year with Emperor Naruhito's ascension to the throne.

Sehihan Mori, the head priest at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, drew the character with a large calligraphy brush on a huge piece of Japanese paper. Every year since 1995, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, a Kyoto-based organization that promotes kanji, has conducted the nationwide survey. This year 216,325 submissions were received and about 14% or 30,427 voted for 令 . The second most popular was 新  (shin), meaning new, and third place was 和 (wa), meaning harmony, and the second kanji in Reiwa (meaning Beautiful Harmony).

In 2018,  災 (sai), meaning disaster or misfortune was chosen.

The Kanji for 2017 was 北, meaning north. 

The 2016 Kanji of the Year was 金, meaning gold. 

In 2015, the chosen Kanji was 安, meaning safety or peace.  

The Kanji for 2014 was 税, meaning tax. 

The 2013 Kanji of the Year was  輪, meaning ring or circle. 

Kanji of the Year 2018

This year, the kanji character 災 (sai), meaning disaster or misfortune, was chosen as the character that best represents the sentiment and events in Japan in 2018. 

Sehihan Mori, the head priest at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, drew the character with a large calligraphy brush on a huge piece of Japanese paper. Every year since 1995, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, a Kyoto-based organization that promotes kanji, has conducted the nationwide survey.  This year 193,214 submissions were received and 10.8% or 20,815 voted for 災 . The second most popular was 平  (hei), meaning peace, which received 16,117 votes. Many disasters hit Japan this year including earthquakes, typhoons, and a heatwave, with hundreds of lives lost. 

The Kanji for 2017 was 北, meaning north. 

The 2016 Kanji of the Year was 金, meaning gold. 

In 2015, the chosen Kanji was 安, meaning safety or peace.  

The Kanji for 2014 was 税, meaning tax. 

The 2013 Kanji of the Year was  輪, meaning ring or circle. 

I find this very interesting.

2017 Kanji of the Year

Every year the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation conducts a nationwide survey to choose the Kanji of the year.  This year 北 (north) received the most votes because of the numerous missile launches from North Korea and the heavy rain that took the lives in the northern part of Kyushu, as well as the potato shortage in Hokkaido and the baseball star Shohei Ohtani who played for the Hokkaido team Nippon Ham Fighters. 

Seihan Mori, the head priest at Kiyomizu Buddhist temple in Kyoto drew the character on a huge piece of washi (Japanese paper).  

Last year's kanji of the year (2016) was 金  which means "gold". 

In 2015, the kanji of the year was 安, which means safety or peace.

In 2014, the kanji of the year was 税, which means “tax”.

In 2013, the kanji of the year was 輪, which means “ring” or “circle.”

2016 Kanji of the Year

The Kanji of the year is a Japanese character chosen by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society through a national ballot.  The character with the most votes, selected to represent the events of that year, is announced in a ceremony at Kiyomizu Temple.  This year the Kanji of the Year is  金, kin, which means gold. This is the third time Gold has been chosen (also in 2000 and 2012). The kanji is written in an elaborate style for the announcement.

Kanji of the Year 2014

Each year there is a competition to chose the Kanji of the year.  On December 12th, the head monk at Kyoto’s famous Kiyomizu Temple announces the winner, which is meant to represent situations and events (both domestic and global) that took place that year. I told you about the Kanji of the year for 2013 here. 

This year the Kanji of the Year is 税 pronounced zei, which means “tax”.

 

This is in reference to the April tax hike in Japan, with the possibility of another next year.  Runners up in the contest were 熱 (netsu) meaning “heat” or “fever” maybe in reference to the Ebola outbreak, and 嘘 (uso) which means “lie” probably aimed at the disgraced scientists involved in the STAP cell scandal over the first half of the year.

 

Maybe next year, a happier sounding kanji will be chosen!

Official Kanji of 2013

I recently read that every year in Japan, a single kanji character is chosen by a national vote. On December 12, the head monk at Kyoto’s famous Kiyomizu Temple announces the winner, which is meant to represent situations and events (both domestic and global) that took place that year. 

The kanji character chosen for 2013 is 輪, pronounced rin or wa in Japanese, and means “ring” or “circle.” The main reason it was chosen was because of Japan’s successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics, which is also referred to as 五輪, or “five rings” in Japanese. The successful registration of Mount Fuji as a World Heritage Site as well as Japan’s entrance into the World Cup also contributed to the kanji selection because they were events in which “all of the people throughout Japan came together in a circle of great joy.”

Very interesting, don’t you think?

Kanji

Kanji are the characters used in Japanese writing (along with hiragana and katakana). A single kanji may have 10 or more meanings, depending on the context. The total number of possible characters is disputed.  Wikipedia says there may be 50,000 -100,000, with approximately 2000-3000 in common use. Japanese school children are expected to learn about 1000 by the time they finish the sixth grade. By the end of the ninth grade, students are expected to know about 2000, which is the number a person needs to know to read a Japanese newspaper.

I’ve accepted that I will never read a Japanese newspaper. I guess I’m not as smart as a Japanese fifth grader.  I’ve mostly figured out hiragana and am just starting to learn katakana. To read most signs or anything else, you need to know all three.

From looking at some signs over and over, I have figured out a few kanji.

The symbol for “yen” looks like an elephant with its trunk down.

円

“Minutes” looks like a dancing skirt with no upper body.

分

“Park” (as in outdoor area, not what you do with your car) looks like a three sided tent with an open tarp over it.

公

“Person” looks like a wishbone.

人

“Exit” looks like a double trident.

出

“Entrance” looks like a box.

口

“Up” looks like a stair master.

上

“Down” looks like an F slanting down.

下

“Fire” looks like a person running away.

火

“Mountain” looks like three skinny mountains.

山

It’s not easy being illiterate.