Kanji Tools Column

Kanji for Kawaii – a word that doesn’t only mean “cute”

If you want to use Kanji to write “kawaii,” it will be「可愛い」. The word doesn’t only mean “cute”. Let's see why.

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Kanji for death, read or die!

Although there are many words to indicate “death” or “die” in Japanese, for example,「死亡(する)」,「崩御(only used for the Emperor)」,「他界（する）」,「没する」,「不幸」,or「永眠」…and so on. However, in this article, let’s stick to the most basic word for “death,” and “to die”　- 「死」for the noun and 「死ぬ」for the verb.

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Kanji for coffee, 珈琲

Coffee is said to be imported to Japan in the mid-seventeenth century by Dutch. In modern Japanese, there are two ways of expressing coffee, 「コーヒー」in Katakana and「珈琲」in Kanji. Both are pronounced “kōhī.” What is the difference? And where in Japan can you find those words?

Let’s take a look at the coffee culture in Japan– an addictive drink that is also loved by Japanese people.

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Kanji for Japan, the country where the sun rises

No Japanese people call their home country “Japan” in their language. Instead, they call it にほん(Nihon ) or にっぽん(Nippon ), and Kanji characters for both pronunciations are the same – 日本. Besides, there is another Kanji that stands for the adjective “Japanese” or “Japanese language” – 和.

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How to write numbers in Japanese – Vertical writing and horizontal writing

First of all, the way of writing numbers is different in vertical writing and horizontal writing.
When you write Japanese horizontally, basically, Arabic numerals are used.
Kanji for numbers (漢数字, Kansūji) is basically for vertical writing.

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Kanji for Oni – Eight things you should know

Generally, “Oni” is considered a kind of Japanese monster or troll that appears in Japanese folklore and folk religion.

Since they are horrifying, “Oni” is also used as a word to describe that something is “strong,” “cruel,” “scary,” “intense,” or “big”.

Let’s see what “Oni” looks like, how it appears in a Japanese annual event, and how the Kanji is used in the language.

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