Kanji Symbols and Meanings

Learning the Kanji symbols and their meanings can be difficult owing to complexity of their strokes. These symbols are no letters (like those found in other languages) which could be strung together to form words. In fact, every Kanji symbol depicts an idea (or word). Kanji symbols can be referred as pictograms or ideograms used for describing a particular idea. These are known to be derivatives of Chinese pictograms. A gold seal with Kanji inscriptions imported by the Japanese people is an evidence of their Chinese origin. This gold seal was sent to Japan in 57 A.D. by the Chinese emperor of Han Dynasty.

The imperialist expansions by China had led to the dissemination of Kanji symbols to countries like Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Some of these Kanji symbols are much similar in appearance to the entity they describe. For example, the symbols used in reference with 'sun' and 'tree' almost appear the same. The total number of Kanji characters, as per the 'Dai Kanwa Jiten dictionary' are approximately 50,000 in number. If we add compound words to the list, this number climbs up to 53,000. The Chinese dictionaries however, contain far more number of Kanji characters (approx. 80,000). A person can read a Japanese newspaper without much problems if he is aware of at least 3000 basic Kanji characters. Let us understand more about Kanji symbols and their meanings through information presented below.

Japanese Kanji Symbols and Meanings

The alphabets/symbols used in Kanji style of writing are classified into two types, i.e., Katakana and Hiragana. The Hiragana characters are commonly used in Japanese. The words needed for communicating in day-to-day life can be found in Hiragana. The characters/symbols of Katakana are mainly used to write words from foreign languages. For example, the foreign word, 'television' is pronounced as 'terebi' in Japanese.

The Kanji symbols/characters are elegant and mysterious. Tattoos of Kanji characters are becoming popular these days. It is however, important to use each and every stroke/lines found in these symbols accurately. Even the smaller mistakes can change the whole meaning of these symbols. To avoid such problems, one should either know Japanese by himself or get the tattoos done from professionals.

List of Kanji Symbols
Here is a list of commonly used Japanese Kanji symbols. Understanding the Chinese Kanji symbols and their meanings beforehand would be an added advantage to learn the Japanese ones. This is because, Japanese symbols are derived from the Chinese language and converted into modern Japanese.

Kanji Symbol	Meaning in English
Shinnen	Belief
Yuukan	Bravery
Yabou	Ambition
Yokubou	Desire
Tenshi	Angel
Igen	Dignity
Unmei	Destiny
Jin	Compassion
Eien	Eternity
Yume	Dream
Ryuu	Dragon
Kouun	Good Fortune
Shunkashuutou	Four Seasons
Toukon	Fighting Spirit
Kazoku	Family
Kokoro	Mind, Heart, Spirit
Raku	Joy
Chouwa	Harmony
Koufuku	Happiness
Sonkei	Respect
Junsui	Pure
Hanei	Prosperity
Heiwa	Peace
Chie	Wisdom
Genki	Wellbeing
Seishin	Spirit

History of Kanji Symbols
Chinese immigrants in Japan were the first to write documents needed for official purpose. The diplomatic correspondence between King Bu of Wa and Emperor Shun (Liu Song Dynasty) which took place in 478 A.D. is well-known. The Chinese Kanji characters blended very well with Japanese language and were accepted widely in Japan. The 'kanbun' system acted as a bridge between the Chinese characters and Japanese rules of grammar. In this system, diacritical marks were used to pronounce Chinese characters in accordance with Japanese grammar. The Japanese language had no written form of its own. Thus, Kanji characters enriched the Japanese language.

Studying Kanji Symbols
To learn the Kanji symbols, one should first become aware of the Hiragana and Katakana scripts. Learning these scripts would help understand the Kanji symbols with ease. It is important to practice the Kanji symbols by writing them. The computer-based means of translation make it easy to learn Kanji. However, practicing the symbols by writing them down helps understand the subtleties and nuances. The activity of writing proves to be of great help in the process of reading. This is because the specific strokes of Kanji symbols written in calligraphic style are better understood if one is used to writing them.

The symbols and meanings presented in the table above along with related information should prove to be useful in understanding the Japanese way of communicating. Learning the Kanji symbols should prove to be an arduous task owing to their sheer number. One should therefore, be prepared to work hard if he/she really wants to master them.