2024 Kanji of the Year #shorts

People in Japan have chosen the Chinese character meaning “gold” or “money” as the kanji that best symbolizes this year. An association promoting the use of kanji announced the result of its annual poll on Thursday with a calligraphy performance at Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto City. Chief priest Mori Seihan wrote the kanji “kin,” which can also be read as “kane,” with a brush on a large sheet of paper.

The association says the winner garnered 12,100 votes out of some 221,900 entries. This is the fifth time that this character has been selected since the poll started in 1995. Association officials say it was chosen because of the many gold medals Japanese athletes won in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. They also cite MLB player Ohtani Shohei winning his third MVP. The officials note that the registration of Sado Island’s gold mines as a World Heritage site was apparently on people’s minds.

But they add that this year’s kanji can also mean “money,” symbolizing a number of problems in society. They point to the political money scandal that has rocked Japan’s ruling party, a series of robberies involving people recruited for “shady” part-time jobs, and the impact of inflation on household finances.

More stories on Japan: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/2/

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