noun
kanji
KAND-zhee
noun
1
The system of writing Japanese using characters borrowed from Chinese, where each character can represent a whole word or concept.
"Learning kanji takes years because there are thousands in common use."
"Newspapers assume readers know around two thousand kanji."
2
A single character used in this system.
"The kanji for "mountain" looks like a simple peak."
How to Use Kanji
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishChinese-derived characters used in Japanese writing, each carrying meaning rather than just sound.
Common mistake
Kanji carry meaning (like whole-word symbols); kana are purely phonetic. Japanese text normally mixes both.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
kanji plural, kanjis plural
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Learning _____ takes years because there are thousands in common use.
Etymology
From Japanese kanji, literally "Han characters" — characters that originated in China during the Han dynasty and were adopted into Japanese writing.