Today, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation revealed the 2024 Kanji of the Year in its annual ceremony at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. Not surprisingly, this year’s repeat kanji reflects a Japan that relished its sports victories – and reeled from a political financial scandal.
The Foundation, which has run the vote since 1995, asked the public to vote on the year’s kanji. The winner is then written at Kiyomizu-dera by Mori Seihan, the famous Buddhist temple’s chief priest.
The kanji chosen was 金 (kin; kane), – “money” or “gold.” In a funny turn of events, while some commenters on video site NicoNico Doga recognized it immediately, others had trouble deciphering Mori’s handwriting, with something saying it looked like 毛 (mou, ke), or hair, or 重 (juu, omo), or heavy. (“Sloppy-ass writing??,” one user griped.)
It’s a repeat of the 2021 Kanji of the Year and the fifth time since 1995 that the kanji has won. That year, the kanji reflected Japan’s gold medal wins at the Olympics. It was also a constant topic of discussion thanks to the Japanese government’s COVID-19 subsidies, which kept many businesses and families afloat during health lockdowns.
This year, kin/kane received even more votes than in 2021 – 12,148 out of 221,971, or 5.47% of the total. The selection this year, writes the Foundation on its website, can also be said to reflect Japan’s victories at the Olympics and Paralympics as well as Ohtani Shohei’s “shining” performance.
However, 金 also reflects the role that slush fund money (裏金; uragane) played in undermining people’s faith in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP lost a majority of seats in Japan’s Lower House for the first time in 15 years.
Money also played a role in one of Japan’s more disturbing trends: the rise of yami baito (闇バイト), or “dark gig economy” jobs. The country has seen an escalating number of cases in which criminals covertly recruit young people off of social media to commit crimes on their behalf.
Besides the Kanji of the Year Award, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation administers the Kanji Kentei, a multi-level test primarily geared at native speakers to test their kanji knowledge.
Another awards ceremony, the Word of the Year Award, administered by U-CAN, identifies the trendiest new words and expressions in the media and online. This year’s selection was a controversial choice.
Runner-up kanji for this year included:
災 (sai; wazawa-i), or “disaster”, reflecting the Noto Peninsula earthquake – 9,772 votes (4.40%)
翔 (shou; kake-ru), one of the characters in Ohtani Shohei’s name that means “soar” or “fly” – 7,487 votes (3.37%)
震 (shin; furu-u), the second character in earthquake (地震; jishin) – 7,427 votes (3.35%)
新 (shin, atara-shii), new – 6,545 votes (2.95%)
Discuss this article with other UJ fans on our Bluesky account or Discord server!
Join Us And Get More
We’re an independent site that keeps our content free of intrusive ads. If you love what we do, help us do more. Donors of $5/month or more (paid monthly or yearly) join Unseen Japan Insider and get a newsletter with bonus content and commentary every week.
What to read next
Japan Prepares Official Hepburn Romanization Switch, Changing 70-Year Tradition
Japan will likely abandon its Kunrei-shiki romanization system that even most of its government doesn’t use.
Giccho?! Here Are Some Dead Japanese Words That Only Old Folks Use
You may still hear these words or see them in print – but you won’t hear them come from the mouth of a young person.
Event in Kyoto Celebrates Area’s “Culture of Unkindness”
How about some bubuzuke? A recent event in Kyoto tested people’s ability to pick up on the REAL meaning behind seemingly bland statements.
Sources
「金」今年の漢字2024年 どんな出来事あった？京都・清水寺で発表 歴代一覧もこちら. NHK Shutoken Navi
2021年の「今年の漢字®」. Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation
