Kanji Symbols

► History of Kanji

Kanji symbols are the oldest of the three symbols used in Japan. As you may know, they originated from China. According to the documents, there was a kingdom called "In" in China about 3000 years ago and the King used them to keep the record of what the fortune-teller told him. The hard materials, such as the bones and shells, were used as the 'paper' then. It is believed that they are the origins of what Japanese use today.

As you can see below, it is easy to see the correlation in some words between what it was and what it is.

► It is an art

Kanji is most complex symbol of Japanese. This is mainly because the shape of the symbols is far different from one of English alphabets. Japanese learners may take this complexity and uniqueness as difficulty but we take them as an art.

► Meaning and sound

Kanji can be pronounced in two ways - kun and on. 'Kun' represents the meaning of Kanji symbol. When the speaker pronounces it this way, the listener can easily imagine what the symbol refers to. On the other hand, 'On' represents the sound. When it is pronounced this way, the listener may have a hard time of understanding what the speaker is trying to say.

► Names in Kanji

American name in Kanji symbols looks great. It can be translated to Kanji symbols based on its sound. Since there is no golden rule as to picking a symbol for one sound, your symbols can be truly unique!

► Top to bottom or left to right

It is common that Kanji symbols are written from left to right. It is also common that they are written from top to bottom. This is convenient, for example, when you get the tattoo of Kanji symbols. You don't need to worry too much about how to put the stencil on your body.




We have a variety of Kanji symbols for you to enjoy - Just visit the link below.

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