Questions tagged [kanji]
漢字. Chinese characters as used in Japanese writing as opposed to the two kana syllabaries and rōmaji (Latin letters).
1,335
questions
1
vote
1answer
88 views
Irregular Kanji Readings
Question about all the irregular readings of kanji that seem to pop up plentiful in kanji dictionaries. Take for example the kanji 丞. According to the entry on kanji.jitenon, this kanji has following ...
0
votes
0answers
51 views
How do I say congratulations for Bachelor's degree? [closed]
I’d like to say for a friend Bachelor’s degree:
ぞつぎょう おめでとう。
Is there any more appropriate way? Or a specific kanji?
2
votes
1answer
93 views
Why are some Jinmeiyou kanji missing from JIS 1?
Background
人名用 (Jinmeiyou) kanji are a list of ~800 kanji officially sanctioned by the Japanese government for use in names.
JIS-X-0208 is the major standard for encoding kanji on computers. It's ...
4
votes
1answer
469 views
Different writing of the kanji 誤?
Good day, I've just noticed that the kanji 誤, while displayed almost everywhere that way, when pasted in my Anki deck, suddenly changes into (see picture below)
I can't get it to display anywhere else ...
2
votes
2answers
166 views
What does the kanji '図' mean?
I'm a graphic designer and illustrator working on a personal character design project about animals made out of combining different asymmetrical figures.
I've been trying to choose a name for my ...
4
votes
1answer
302 views
Why are 关 and 复 half-width in Japanese?
关 and 复 are the simplified Chinese forms of 關 and 復複覆, respectively. Usually simplified Hanzi that don't exist as kanji don't get any special treatment and Japanese fonts might not even display them, ...
0
votes
2answers
80 views
What does 豪 mean?
What does 豪 mean in word 豪州 (Australia). I wanted to know the etymology of 豪 (I know what does 州 part means). Also I wanted to know if it is pronounced as "Gōshū" or not.
(I made a mistake ...
1
vote
2answers
92 views
Difference between 濠 and 堀
I wanted to know what is the difference between 濠 (gō) and 堀 (hori). I've only seen 濠 in context of 環濠 (kangō), 豪華な (gōkana) and 豪州 (gōshū). From what I know 環濠 and 堀 both means moat. Well, then, what ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
What is the etymology of さて, and why are the kanji 偖・扠・扨 used for it?
This is a relatively simple question: what is the etymology of さて, and why are the kanji 偖・扠・扨 used for it?
1
vote
1answer
111 views
What is this kanji, found in a 1932 Japanese world map?
The map can be found at this link, with the text in question placed to the right of the Iberian Peninsula. Despite the existence of many similar kanji (notably, 逐, 遂, 隧, 燧, and 邃), I was unable to ...
5
votes
2answers
168 views
飠vs.𩙿How interchangeable are these?
Going by the information from kanji.jitenon, I have a question regarding the radicals 飠 and 𩙿. I've noticed that some Kanji seem to be used with either of these while others are displayed exclusively ...
5
votes
1answer
160 views
What are those kanji on a 大施餓鬼柱 pillar?
I was reading a manga and came along this text on the pillar:
I deciphered this: 〇〇爰大施餓鬼会
I can't find anything in that. I looked up various 大施餓鬼(おせがき) related articles, but those two kanji were ...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
When is the onyomi reading “ ゾウ ” for the kanji 三 used?
The only example reading I could find for ゾウ is on Jisho.org where 三蔵 ( さんぞう ) is actually using the "サン” reading for 三.
What is the point of having ゾウ as a reading for 三? When is it used?
4
votes
2answers
164 views
What is the meaning of 巻ノ + number next to a book?
What is the meaning of 巻ノ + number next to a book?
I know that
巻 = volume
ノ = ?
七十二 = 72
So it's Volume [?] 72
2
votes
1answer
179 views
Kanji for ordinal numbers
I am beginning to study kanji and while reading a wiki I noticed only the ordinal numbers first (初), second (乙), and third (丙) are listed. Which brings me to ask whether there are symbols for fourth, ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
Kanji 労 vs 働 vs 努
These three kanji「労、 働、 努」are taught close together in grade 4. I've struggled a bit in separating them conceptually, and haven't found anything online in English that explains this distinction.
I've ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
Does the kanji 黒 have both the the meanings “dark” and “black”?
I am considering on doing my first tattoo, and the words "kuro" and "dark" both have significance to me. I would like to know if the kanji 黒 has both meanings.
The word "dark&...
2
votes
1answer
127 views
What are mirrored characters? Which common ones exist?
I came across this post on Twitter:
ぎゃんこ
@gyankotsu
mirrored 死 from tokyo ghoul:re
I don't really understand what mirrored 死 refers to, and from the picture I'm still quite confused.
What are ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
Alternative kanji forms, i.e., 「滲みる」 vs. 「染みる」。
I was reading a sentence in a manga and the context used 滲みる to comment on something soaking into fabric. (actually, it was specifically 「滲みとる」, is that an ending I'm not aware of or an accent of た/て?)...
2
votes
1answer
382 views
Presence of の in 蜘蛛巣城
I have a question regarding original title of Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood movie. This title is pronounced "Kumonosu-jō" but written as 蜘蛛巣城. Why is possessive の particle missing here ...
8
votes
1answer
932 views
Meaning of 『肉』 when used stand-alone, apparently as some sort of insult
I am currently translating an English text, which itself has been translated from an originally Japanese text. Whenever there's something I don't understand in the English text, I try to translate the ...
-1
votes
1answer
221 views
How in the heck does this colloquial japanese sentence make any sense grammatically?
I am aware that this is colloquial japanese, but the individual parts are jumbled haphazardly to where I can't figure out how this is supposed to follow even somewhat correct grammar. I got 2 ...
2
votes
0answers
346 views
Official definitions of kanji forms
How are the essential graphical identities of kanji defined? The length of the first stroke in 土, for example, is essential, because if it's longer than the third stroke, you have 士 instead. If you ...
0
votes
1answer
112 views
Help Deciphering 2002 Newspaper Kanji
Can anyone help me decipher the two middle kanji in the name of this newspaper? The first two are obviously 日本, the last two being 新聞, but I cannot manage to figure out the two others... A Japanese ...
2
votes
2answers
131 views
Is the kanji 様 ever used for san/chan etc.?
For example 御母様 ?
I see 御 used instead of お but I have yet to see 様 used instead of さん.
Is it ever used like this ?
1
vote
1answer
92 views
1
vote
0answers
162 views
Chinese Name into Japanese [closed]
I was wondering if it was possible to use my Chinese name 安曜輪 Ān Yàolún as a basis for a Japanese name?
The only other option is to use katakana to transcribe my western name, which is one of those ...
0
votes
1answer
56 views
Is this kanji 缶田門 related to Kanda-ku or something else?
I have a set of souvenir cups purchased in Japan during the 1990's depicting Tokyo locales. There are no markings or production information, only the kanji depicted on the cup design.
To me, it looks ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
Should you spell it 余り when a noun or suffix and あまり every time else?
Are there rules or guidelines on when and where to use the kanji spelling for this word? From my own observations, it seems like it is spelled 余り when used as a noun meaning remainder or leftovers:
...
-2
votes
1answer
84 views
need a little help with translating this fan art [closed]
I mostly understood everything but I'm having trouble understanding/making out three words.
the first one is the use of 現場 in this case. I translated it to "scene" or "crime scene"...
1
vote
2answers
144 views
Why is あやまち written 過ち and not 誤ち?
What's the reason for writing あやまち 過ち and not for instance 誤ち ?
Wouldn't that make more sense since it means to err, be incorrect...? I can see how one would get from exceeding/overdoing a mistake, ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
Why the name 海未 has the 未 and not just 海?
I've seen Love Live recently and I liked the name UMI. I learned that Ocean was 海 only but when I watch her name closely she had a 海未... I just want to understand what does the 未 mean
0
votes
0answers
32 views
Why are some Kanji written in Hiragana? [duplicate]
I just noticed something. There are some Kanji that use Hiragana instead of the characters (like きれい). I'm a bit confused.
0
votes
1answer
126 views
contradictory evidence for 何に as (1) なんに and (2) なにに
is 何に pronounced (1) なんに or (2) なにに here: お飲み物は何になさいますか。?
(1) www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU-hnuSM098 @0:20 provides evidence (NB: despite the possibly incorrect ローマ字 (roumaji) found there and in the &...
0
votes
0answers
85 views
How many Shinjitai and Kyūjitai characters are there?
Kanji
Jōyō
Jinmeiyō
Hyōgai
Shinjitai
2127
?
0
Kyūjitai
0
?
?
Kokuji
9
16
0
Total
2136
863
?
I wonder if the above table is the exact concept of the use of Kanji in Japanese language. Can you help ...
6
votes
1answer
660 views
Why does あっけなく mean “too quick”?
Looking up the kanji, あっけなく comes from 呆気(state of surprise, shock)＋
ない. So, wouldn't the most natural translation be 'without surprise, conformingly'? Even so, I saw the following phrase in a game:
...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
Why 梱入 does not appear in any dictionary?
On a parcel that came from Japan, there is this sentence:
お客様のご注文の品が梱入されております。
The meaning is clear: “There are customer’s goods in the package.”
What puzzles me though is, why I could’t find the ...
4
votes
1answer
147 views
How is writing with 旧字体 over 新字体, using lots of 表外漢字 and using 漢字 in place of かな in a word that is almost always written with かな perceived?
Examples:
A: 毎日、学校で桜の木を見る。（新字体）
B: 毎日、學校で櫻の木を見る。（旧字体）
A: この国の歴史を研究しています。（新字体）
B: この國の歷史を硏究しています。（旧字体）
A: 私はワニがすきです。（カタカナ）
B: 私は鰐が好きです。（表外漢字）
A: 私の好きな魚はハタハタとスズキです。（カタカナ）
B: 私の好きな魚は鰰と鱸です。（表外漢字）
A: ...
1
vote
2answers
107 views
What is the difference between 計測 and 測定?
When I wanted to use word 'measure' in the past I used 計測 or 測る. But recently I got a message from a Japanese co-worker:
申し訳ありません
18時前にネット障害がおこり最後の計測できませんでした...
まだ復旧してないので明日18時に測定します
I understand ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Does 防具による攻撃 mean “attacks with armor” or “attacks depending on armor”
This is a vhs promotional video about a videogame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUhd8qoQl6E&t=4m55s
さらにタクティクスオウガでは、ユニットの武器や防具による攻撃、魔法攻撃、各ユニットの特性を生かした攻撃など、バラエティーに富んだアクションをもフルアニメーションで構成。
My ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
議論する場としてreading of 場
In the phrase 議論する場として (from this Wiki page) which is the correct reading of 場? じょう or ば?
3
votes
1answer
150 views
What's this kanji with circles?
I found out about this from what appears to be a Japanese calligrapher on YouTube. He says it's a historic version of 恋, but the only evidence of it being historical I found was from a blog with ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
Help me understand this kanji
I'm watching a movie called A Long Goodbye and one of the characters asked his grandfather to write "Elizabeth" in kanji. Obviously the grandfather, who didn't know English, had a lot of ...
3
votes
1answer
519 views
Where does the irregular reading of 迷子 come from?
迷子 is read as まいご, despite the on-reading of 迷 being めい (for example in 迷惑（めいわく） ).
Why is that the case?
I would assume that this is not a case of jukujikun.
What I do find interesting is that the ...
5
votes
1answer
419 views
Using 聴く instead of 聞く to mean “ask”?
I am reading this article on NHK, but I am having a hard time understanding the title...
緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる 専門家に意見聴く
for the first part 緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる
I am having a hard time parsing this. I ...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
Kanji compounds with the same meaning
I've come across a lot compunds of kanji where the kanjis mean the same thing. For example,
状態=state, 態=state, 状=state
表面=surface, 表=surface, 面=surface,mask
Can someone explain how these two kanji ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
Ellipsis of の particle
I would like to know if I'm not mistaken:
When having a series of の-adjectives, it is ok to perform an ellipsis
of the の particles and create a long kanji compound.
For example: 日本語基本文法辞典, or a sign ...
2
votes
1answer
198 views
Is it correct to split the reading あした of 明日 as 明（あ）日（した）?
As far as I understand 明日（あした） is jukujikun (also called semantic ateji), so, as with for example 今日, I would expect for the "reading" to be considered over the whole word, instead of being ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
ふじさん vs ふじやま what is “Vocabulary Reading”?
I'm using wanikani, and I'm confused by this question I keep getting wrong. The app is showing me ふじ山 and asking for "Vocabulary Reading". At this point I always type ふじやま but the correct ...
1
vote
0answers
50 views
Why is 体(たい) never softened to だい? [duplicate]
I'm looking at the word 連続体（れんぞくたい） (I'm sure there are better examples, that's just the one that made me wonder).
I find it rather clunky, whereas 「れんぞくだい」 would be much easier to pronounce.
With a ...
