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Favorite KANJI

So out of all the kanji you've ever learned what is your favorite and why. I know favorite kanji is a crazy statement. My favorite is the rather simple and unassuming Nan 何. The word is fun to say and the kanji is fun and easy to write.
Favorite KANJI
posted by Saiya

Comments 101

  • shairn
    shairn
    萌、もちろん!
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    It's such a good initiative ;)
    I always look for topic ideas like this to share with people here but somehow, I don't happen to find some...

    Well it's kinda hard to tell actually... The one that came right off into my mind is 前 (Mae, ZEN). I like its form... But there's a lot of kanji I like for their form...
    And for some mysterious reason I remeber my being very happy to be able to write and remember the kanji 様 (You, Sama) ^^
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Shairn LOL too cute! I like sama as well Med its very beautiful.
  • darkpaladin
    darkpaladin
    神 (かみ, God) found it first time on a yu-gi-oh card but who cares ^^'
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    LOL I love the word Kami in Japanese, depending on context/kanji it could mean paper, hair, government or God LOL thats quite the variety.
  • ChaosMaster
    ChaosMaster
    零 (れい, Zero) I like it so much that I even have it as a necklace...
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Omoshiroi Chaossenpai! I wonder why though? Is it the meaning or the strokes? Totemo kirena.
  • PitFall
    PitFall
    My favorite is 志 (will; intention; motive). I am working towards a specific goal and so I need a lot of it. I already had three calligraphy writings of this kanji stuck on the walls of my room and whenever I feel idle I almost always write it unconsciously :)
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Kirena Pitfallsenpai! I like that one too, its lovely.
  • xMakoReactantx
    xMakoReactantx
    命 (めい、いのち)Destiny, fate... something we have the most control over in our lives, yet the least.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    beautifully said Mako senpai
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    Sou da na ^^
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    歌 just learned this one utau, sing. I think its very pretty.
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    And easy to write, I like this one too ^^
    It's strange that no one's yet pleading for the Kanji of Love...
    Saikou nanoni ^^
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    But love is complicated Medyrius senpai HAHAHA
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    Lol, Sore mo hontou da ze...
    Even the kanji is not easy... Must be a proportion thing or something LOL.
  • PitFall
    PitFall
    The kanji for "Love" is formed by putting a 心 (heart) inside a 受 (acceptance, receive), so basically to "love" is to "accept" the other person's "heart" into you. That's the explanation I read somewhere some time ago :P
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    I had made that remark before but it's the first time I hear a clear explanation ^^

    That's the most fascinating thing about kanjis... They're made a simplistic way but yet they hold so deep meanings...
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Yeah thats really wonderful.
  • shairn
    shairn
    Actually, the kanji for love uses a different element at the bottom than the kanji for acceptance does, so it's not a very reliable way of remembering it.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    I know you are all too young and from different countries but this Kanji 答 seriously reminds me of the Amityville House LOL
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    Tashika ni, it really looks like that ^^
    It'd be so cool if all kanjis really looked like the concept they hold...
    Just like these ones :
    火 (Fire), 森(Forest), 山(Mountain), 川(River), and etc.

    Hurrah!! Post reached page 2! ^^
    It's the first time it happens in like 3-4 years?
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Ok so how does one take the kanji for stand mix it with the radical for water and get cry 泣???
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    lol glad your happy Medyrius senpai Ill keep this site exciting yeah lol
  • xMakoReactantx
    xMakoReactantx
    Isn't that the house that was sucked into hell?
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    LOL yes its the haunted house from all the movies. The moment I saw that kanji that house came to mind I dont know it just happened.
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    Good question indeed! ^^ If they'd mixed the kanji 目 instead it'd make some sense lol
  • shairn
    shairn
    The explanation in RTK is that the kanji for "stand" represents a vase when used as an element, so the water represents tears filling up a vase or something along these lines.

    Most kanji don't make sense until you've gone deep into their etymology, so you have to come up with your own explanations most of the time.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    thats lovely shairn senpai I nvr would have thought of that
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    RTK tte ha nanda?
    Really seems worth a look ^^
  • shairn
    shairn
    Remembering the Kanji, a book by James Heisig. He teaches 2042 different kanji by deconstructing them into elements he calls "primitives" (Similar to radicals) to which he assigns meanings. With the meanings of all the primitives inside the kanji, he makes up a story that helps you remember it. Really helpful.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Thx Shairn Ill look into that.
  • PitFall
    PitFall
    Aaand... time for my second fav kanji. I've always wished I had an imouto because then I wouldn't be the last child and have to do house chores anymore (this explains why an imouto would make more sense than an otouto :P). Kaa-san also wanted a daughter cuz she only had me and nii-san.
    The etymology for this one is quite simple too, just a 女 (woman/girl) and a 末 (last, youngest) put together ^^
  • shairn
    shairn
    Actually, you picked the wrong kanji for the second element. It should be 未(み), pretty much meaning "not yet" for "not yet a woman" ;)
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    I have many 兄弟 (siblings) if thats the right one. They dont make anything easier or better LOL. Shairnsenpai the kanji you posted looks exactly like the one Pitfallsenpai posted is that an accident?
  • shairn
    shairn
    You'll notice the top horizontal stroke on mine is shorter than the one below it, while it is the opposite on the one pitfall posted.
    As for 兄弟、I have to point out that it's used for brothers, and for sisters you would use 姉妹(しまい). Not saying you made a mistake, but I think it's useful information :P
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Thanks, you are very observant, I didnt notice that at all until you pointed it out.
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    I'm kind of impressed with Shairn's kanji knowledge! Keep it up ;)
    Sore ni, I started reading the book you recomended us and I think it's going to be very helpful, thanks! ^^
  • shairn
    shairn
    Thank you!
    It's my pleasure. It takes a while to get through the whole book(took me two months), but it's very well worth it. がんばりましょう!
  • PitFall
    PitFall
    Oof, my mistake :P Btw sorry for going off-topic but would shairn-senpai have any books on Japanese grammar that you can recommend? Admittedly vocab/kanji is the major part of learning Japanese, but without knowing the structure it's still hard to understand complete sentences in written literature, and JCJP doesn't seem to have a grammar learning feature yet... Thanks in advance ^^
  • shairn
    shairn
    I haven't tried them personally(though I plan to when I have the money) but I've heard great things about the genki series of textbooks and they seem to be the most recommended. I'm sure it won't be a lot of trouble finding them on the internet, I apologize for not being much of a help but I'm on a mobile at the moment.

    (also being called senpai gives me a fuzzy feeling inside \(//∇//)\)
  • Medyrius
    Medyrius
    Right, genki is excellent. I'd planned to try it this year but didn't have the occasion, lacked some time...

    For grammar I'd also suggest Tae Kim's Japanese guide, an online japanese grammar guide I went through last year, very well-suited for beginers and damn helpful ^^
    So far it's my only grammar reference...
  • animezamurai
    animezamurai
    @shairn
    i think you also like this
    梓(azusa)
  • kasumi_chan
    kasumi_chan
    i like this one...namida (tear)
  • shairn
    shairn
    @Animezamurai: Of course, but 唯、澪、律 and 紬 are all just as fine.
  • Akamaru012
    Akamaru012
    時 is my favorite kanji to write.

    「時」が書いて時私の気持ちは中にファジーと暖かいです。
  • animezamurai
    animezamurai
    梓-betula grossa 
    唯-sole · only
    澪-a water-way · a fairway
    律-law · regulation · judge · basis
    紬-pongee
    Rittyan's personality is against her name (´д`ι)....but I love them anyway (≧ω≦)
  • SakuraCiel
    SakuraCiel
    Neko!
  • theSHHAS
    theSHHAS
    I love the way 傘 looks. It kind of reminds me of some kind of "Legend Of Zelda" shield or maybe an eagle.
    傘 = かさ = kasa = umbrella
  • theSHHAS
    theSHHAS
    Now I remember, 傘 reminds me of the eagle on the back of the american half dollar coin for some reason.
  • LunaNatsume
    LunaNatsume
    I am quite fond of 夏, because it's my fave time of year, and part of my name! I am also partial to 風... it was the very FIRST kanji I ever learned on my own, and I always thought it was beautiful.
  • AraAraAra
    AraAraAra
  • acenshi
    acenshi
    顔 is my favourite one so far but 魔 is really fun to write too
  • rippleshadow
    rippleshadow
    弱 and 虫 together is my favorite because there's just something about "weak bug" meaning "coward" that never ceases to amuse me.
  • mog86uk
    mog86uk
    This thread is very old, but...

    禁 "forbid, prohibition" and 婪 "desire, covet", because of their uncanny similarity to the situation in the Garden of Eden.

    There were two special trees (木 x 2 = 林) in the middle of the garden. Adam and Eve were shown (示) which one they were forbidden (禁) to eat fruit from.

    The woman (女) went to the two trees (林) and desired (婪) the fruit on the one which they were forbidden to eat from.

    Since these are the original mentions of something "forbidden" and of something "desired" taking place among humans in the Bible, it is a pretty cool coincidence that those two kanji relate to those events so brilliantly.


    Another kanji I like is 鬱, because it probably matches how a person told they must learn this 29 stroke kanji will end up feeling when they find it too hard! :D
  • hrae
    hrae
    I realize this is an old thread but I couldn't help myself.

    I stumbled upon this gem of a word last week: 金繕い (kintsukuroi) which means "gold mending".

    It's the word for the practice of mending broken pottery with lacquer dusted with powdered gold and sometimes silver or platinum. The outcome is really beautiful (plenty of images on google, apparently it's fairly popular) and some collectors have even been accused of breaking pottery just to have it repaired in this way.

    This also applies to human flaws and imperfection. Some things are more beautiful for having been broken. ^-^

    (Yay! First post!)

    ~Rae
  • jc89
    jc89
    I always liked the look and meaning of 舞 (dance). It's part of the modern characters represented in the word Kabuki (歌舞伎)
  • OmoOmo
    OmoOmo
    of course 愛, 幻 is really pleasant to see too, and this one 厄 who looks like a snail
  • ilyindigo
    ilyindigo
  • niina
    niina
  • ilanabendery
    ilanabendery
    年 - it's rather complicated for me (for something so simple-looking), but I like how it looks even in my rendition.
  • mozeni2
    mozeni2
    Why not. 忍(endure) probably be the fav. so far. Created with the blade over the heart. Also the first character in ninja. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaght.
  • mog86uk
    mog86uk
    And 忍ぶ (しのぶ) = "to endure; to conceal oneself, to hide". Can guess where the noun "shinobi" comes from. ^^

    鬮 (lot). It's one of the very few kanji which uses the traditional version of the turtle radical (龜). This kanji is actually used in a word taught on JCJP -- 宝鬮 (たからくじ) "lottery" -- in lv7 vocabulary lesson chapter 65. However, sadly, in the lessons the word is written in its much more common form -- 宝くじ. This kanji isn't a "common use" kanji, so it makes sense. And it also has a boring simplified version 籤 even in the unlikely event a kanji was going to be used. But still, missing out on a good chance to show a cool kanji. :P

    宝 (たから) "treasure" + 鬮 (くじ) "lot" = 宝鬮 (たからくじ) "lottery"
  • kamineko
    kamineko
    希望(きぼう)=Hope, wish, aspiration. :3 it's been my favorite since I first heard someone say it.
  • Terrion
    Terrion
    困る (komaru) = Have a problem. Why is it the best kanji? It's simple: When you have a tree in your mouth, you've got a problem.
  • JACKBOSMA
    JACKBOSMA
    地下鉄 subway!
  • ilanabendery
    ilanabendery
    ...How to report spam? <_<
  • lrichwine
    lrichwine
    本、it's very simple and I love books lol.
  • mushroom
    mushroom
    私の場合は、絆という漢字です。
    http://goo.gl/vxZCxN
  • pebbles
    pebbles
    my favorite kanji is gakusei student because i usually use it in school
  • Mallard
    Mallard
    me too
  • kokoroo
    kokoroo
    安 
  • asuku
    asuku
    犬, of course!
  • Sylase
    Sylase
    愛 is such a pretty, intricate kanji, and its meaning is just as beautiful!
  • mattboy115
    mattboy115
    I also love 何.
  • LividPantsu
    LividPantsu
    I really like 空. I like the sky, and I like saying そら. Plus, I almost always love an anime character named 空. And if you flip it on its side it looks like my initials lol
  • KurokoXavier
    KurokoXavier
    私の一番好きな漢字は’願’。可愛いなあ~ww
  • Aeorlle
    Aeorlle
    麗, means beautiful
  • jpica
    jpica
    My favorite kanji is Ji, the kanji for time. I love it because it's made up of the Kanji for both sun and earth, which is the ultimate time keeper, really. Pretty amazing and beautiful :)
  • indexapks
    indexapks
    Very nice
  • RieshaPutri
    RieshaPutri
    my favorite kanji is currently.. 真由美 (まゆみ) which have a meaning of Truth, Reason and Beauty.
  • Hutreb
    Hutreb
    Since I can't choose a favorite, I'm going to choose favorites.
    人 犬 今 大 日 水 火 猫 永 泳 月 行 and 明
    I guess I like Kanji with many strokes
  • Hutreb
    Hutreb
    oh and 山 between 猫 and 永.
  • madzik17
    madzik17
    忘 is my favorite one. It means "to forget" and when we translate each radical, it literally means "heart that dies/ heart that passes away". ^^
    Judging by the complexity of kanji, I opt for 鬱(うつ).
  • miyo34
    miyo34
    鬱 has to be my favorite. At 29 strokes it's probably the most complex kanji that you need to learn for daily life. It means "depression", which is fitting because I picture a cram school student throwing themselves into despair trying to memorize something like this.
  • zscheftel
    zscheftel
    試験 is my favorite because it was the first really complicated kanji I ever learned and it was fun to write
  • LearnEverday
    LearnEverday
    正義 << かっこいい字じゃないか
  • JACKBOSMA
    JACKBOSMA
  • slash3r
    slash3r
    「行」 is the one for me. It's simple, it's beautiful, it's perfect.
  • sunflower
    sunflower
    森is for me. It was one of the first words I learned, I just like it, dunno why.
  • Acidron
    Acidron
    for some reason, I really like the kanji for rain which is 雨
  • Supibon
    Supibon
    Wow, this thread has been dead since September of 2016!
    Anyway, my favorite kanji is actually.. a pair of kanji.
    凸凹(でこぼこ)OR 凹凸(おうとつ)
    Because.. they remind me of Tetris.
  • mog86uk
    mog86uk
    This thread died peacefully all the way back in July 2012... but it keeps getting dug back out of its grave. The person who started the thread we're commenting on hasn't used this site for over 4 years now... XD
  • kprovost7314
    kprovost7314
    My favorite kanji is 時, mainly because it's the first complicated kanji I really learned to read/write.
  • xJojox
    xJojox
    I like 雨 because it's pretty and fun to say :3
  • rainrainz92
    rainrainz92
    It also looks real pretty.
  • DarwinE
    DarwinE
    My favorite Kanji is 鳥 and my favorite pair is 希望.
  • learnjpmanh
    learnjpmanh
    毎日
  • Yoshipon
    Yoshipon
    火山 love its simplicity and how the meaning of each kanji when put together actually makes sense.
  • kyuudou
    kyuudou
    I like to write あと・うしろ (後)I love to write this one. Someday I want to try a calligraphy of it.
  • otis
    otis
    That's a great choice! 何 (nan) is indeed a fun kanji, and it plays a vital role in many common expressions and questions in Japanese. It captures curiosity, which makes it very relatable! https://mapsdrivingdirections.io
Saiya

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