What is "Kanji"?

Kanji (漢字) are the logographic characters used in the Japanese writing system, originally borrowed from Chinese characters. 

Overview

• Origin: Chinese characters (adopted by Japan over 1,500 years ago)

• Meaning: Each kanji represents a word or concept (e.g., 水 = water, 山 = mountain).

• Use: Combined with two other scripts — hiragana and katakana — to form full Japanese sentences.

• Example Sentence:

  • 日本語を話せます。(Nihongo o hanasemasu.)

  • Here, 日本 (Japan) and 語 (language) are kanji.

Why Kanji?

Kanji help distinguish homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings) and make texts easier to read once learned.
For example:

• はし (hashi) could mean:

  • 橋 = bridge

  • 箸 = chopsticks

  • 端 = edge

Without kanji, all would look the same in hiragana: はし.

We use not only kanji but also hiragana and katakana for our design. I hope you find your favorite Japanese letter or expression!