8 of the Hardest Kanji in Japanese and What They Imply

Once you’ve simply began studying kanji, they stunning a lot all look difficult.

Then you’ll discover that some kanji are easy and pleasant sufficient, whereas others look far more troublesome.

How will you decipher these further complicated kanji, no much less be taught them and reproduce them from reminiscence alone?

On this information, I’ll present you a number of the hardest kanji, with info on their stroke depend, and what precisely all of them imply!

Contents

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1. 挨拶
(あいさつ)

Stroke Depend: 19

Definition: Greeting

This can be a phrase you’ll hear typically in Japan in school and work. Contemplating its prevalence in day-to-day dialog, you’d be shocked at how many individuals don’t know find out how to write the kanji for it.

What makes this kanji so difficult is the uncommonness of the person kanji characters. The characters 挨 and 拶 are virtually completely paired with every different, which means that there’s no different kanji pairing (or at the very least to not my, nor the Web’s, information) that features both of the characters in 挨拶. These characters had been clearly meant for one another, however that simply makes it all of the tougher for us to memorize them.

2. 醤油
(しょうゆ)

Stroke Depend: 25

Definition: Soy sauce

Regardless of soy sauce being an indispensable condiment in Japanese delicacies, writing the phrase in kanji shouldn’t be as straightforward as it might appear. This kanji, together with many others which are troublesome and unknown to many Japanese audio system, has one other pair of kanji that’s typically used as an alternative.

The simplified model of 醤油 is 正油 (しょうゆ).

Though the normal kind 醤油 is far more ceaselessly used, you would possibly see the simplified 正油 on menus at ramen eating places for the 正油ラーメン (しょうゆ らーめん). With that stated, it isn’t actually really useful that you just use this simplified kind instead of the extra difficult, authentic kind.

Although not essentially incorrect, simplified types of kanji are often restricted to note-taking and different unofficial items of writing for private use. So, when doubtful, a greater various can be to write down the phrase in hiragana, or in a mixture of hiragana and kanji, しょう油.

3. 贅沢
(ぜいたく)

Stroke Depend: 25

Definition: Luxurious, costly, spoiled

Very similar to 挨拶 and 醤油, this all-too-common little bit of Japanese vocabulary can also be one that everybody can learn, however most can’t write. Maybe it’s this omnipresence that provides individuals the false phantasm of with the ability to write the kanji when, in actuality, they will’t.

Additionally like 醤油, of which the second character, 油 (ゆ、あぶら – oil), is definitely written, the second character, 沢 (たく、さわ – marsh), in 贅沢 can also be a kanji which most individuals can write.

Open a Japanese novel, journal or newspaper and also you’re certain to see this phrase repeatedly. But nonetheless, the entire kanji for this phrase appears to elude many.

4. 鬱
(うつ)

Stroke Depend: 29

Definition: Despair

鬱 (うつ) is the epitome of difficult kanji. When the Japanese compete with their buddies on who can write essentially the most troublesome kanji, this one will certainly be one of many first they’ll ask their buddies to write down.

The phrase is used pervasively, particularly subsequent to the character 憂 (ゆう、うれ(える)、うれ(い)、う(い)) within the phrase 憂鬱 (ゆううつ), which means unhappy, gloomy or melancholic. When handwritten, in addition to when typed, it’s typically written in hiragana. With 29 strokes in only one character, not solely is it troublesome to memorize nevertheless it’s fairly a feat attempting to write down it fantastically and well-balanced.

On account of its frequent utilization, it’s a extremely really useful kanji to learn to learn, even when studying find out how to write it’s too troublesome.

5. 薔薇
(ばら、しょうび、そうび)

Stroke Depend: 32

Definition: Rose

Like 鬱 (うつ), 薔薇 is one other notoriously troublesome kanji that’s very generally used and most of the people can learn. However similar to with 鬱 (うつ), most individuals solely know the gist of what the kanji seems like and can’t replicate it on their very own.

The characters themselves have a curious composition, particularly the primary character 薔 (しょく、しょう、そう、みずたで) which means persicaria hydropiper (water pepper). This character has all of the parts of the highest half sitting on high of 回 ( かい、え、まわ(る) – flip) which is sort of uncommon for a kanji.

To not say the second character is in any respect simpler—薇 (び、ぜんまい、のえんどう) which means flowering fern, comprises one stroke beneath 山(やま、さん – mountain), which is just about hidden and thus very straightforward to go away out. Although typically written in kanji or katakana, you’ll additionally see it ceaselessly written in hiragana, making no matter kind you resolve to make use of solely as much as your private choice.

6. 檸檬
（れもん）

Stroke Depend: 35

Definition: Lemon

Virtually at all times written in its katakana kind レモン, this dangerous boy has 35 strokes and, when written in small print, the small print of the strokes grow to be very convoluted and onerous to make out.

You might even see this kanji kind getting used on labels for comparatively posh merchandise that make the most of the slightly uncommon kanji to convey a sure aesthetic to no matter is being offered or branded.

Actually, utilizing the kanji 檸檬 as an alternative of merely writing レモン provides off a way of regality and localness to the product as a result of the phrase is written in kanji versus katakana (which is actually used for overseas, imported phrases, and due to this fact not “really” Japanese).

7. 紅鶴
（べにづる、ふらみんご）

Stroke Depend: 30

Definition: Flamingo

This isn’t a lot an advanced kanji as a just about unknown one. All the time written within the katakana kind フラミンゴ, the kanji kind isn’t troublesome by way of the person characters themselves.

紅 (べに、くれない、こう、く) which means crimson and 鶴 (つる、かく) which means crane, are each taught in elementary faculty and thus are fairly fundamental characters. However other than the truth that nobody is aware of that the kanji for “flamingo” exists, what makes this kanji so difficult is that it additionally locations itself within the class of 当て字 (あてじ).

当て字 is what you’d name any kanji whose pronunciation has just about nothing to do with the normal sounds of the characters themselves. On this case, the normal pronunciation can be べにづる whereas the 当て字 pronunciation can be フラミンゴ. However as a result of べにづる shouldn’t be a phrase we might ever use to point a flamingo in fashionable Japanese, it may be assumed that the kanji 紅鶴 basically reads フラミンゴ.

当て字 is often used for phrases within the Japanese language that had been imported from different languages and due to this fact are devoid of a kanji, and are as an alternative written in katakana kind. Though it may’t be stated that every one katakana phrases even have a kanji kind, likelihood is there exist kanji equally elusive because the one we now have simply examined right here.

8. 橄欖
(かんらん、おりーぶ)

Stroke Depend: 42

Definition: Olive

Final however not least, right here’s a kanji whose existence is unknown by most Japanese audio system on the market, and is extraordinarily troublesome to memorize. Like our earlier phrase, “olive” within the Japanese language is at all times written within the katakana kind オリーブ.

Notice that this kanji additionally has two other ways to learn it: かんらん when staying true to the normal sounds of every character, and オリーブ when studying the kanji as 当て字.

Nonetheless, かんらん and オリーブ will not be two disparate pronunciations for a similar phrase. Slightly, かんらん is a totally completely different plant altogether, a plant native to the tropics of the Burseraceae household. However someway the kanji has come for use for an additional phrase, which is frankly a bit complicated. Maybe for this reason nobody is aware of that it may additionally learn オリーブ.

• KanjiDic2 — This dictionary web site has a Japanese model and English model. Within the Japanese model, you’ll simply kind in or copy and paste the character you’d like to take a look at within the field on the higher left hand nook of the highest web page.  On the English model, search for phrases by which means and pronunciation to seek out their kanji equal.
• Imiwa — A Japanese dictionary for iOS units, this app provides you all the fundamental info you want about kanji and extra. It even comprises entries in German, French and Russian, so should you’re extra comfy studying in, say, French, this can be a must-have!
• FluentU — FluentU is a language studying program that lets you watch genuine Japanese movies with interactive dual-language subtitles. Observe your kanji studying expertise by following together with the subtitles, and add phrases you don’t know utilizing the flashcard characteristic, so you possibly can retain them higher in the long term.
• 毎日漢字.com (まいにち　かんじ.com) — A web site that’s utilized by many Japanese audio system when making ready for the 日本漢字能力検定 (にほん かんじ のうりょく けんてい), or the Japan Kanji Aptitude Check. That is for the learners who need one thing severely difficult. All the web site is in Japanese solely, however you’ll discover apply exams on writing (up to date day by day), studying, 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご, or four-character idioms), and different parts of kanji.

Now that you just’ve been launched to a number of the most intricate kanji within the Japanese language, hopefully all the things else will start to look rather less daunting.

Good luck, and pleased studying!

Obtain:
This weblog publish is on the market as a handy and moveable PDF that you just
can take wherever.
Click on right here to get a replica. (Obtain)