kanji
Americannoun
plural
kanji, kanjis-
a system of Japanese writing using Chinese-derived characters.
-
a character in this system.
noun
-
a Japanese writing system using characters mainly derived from Chinese ideograms
-
a character in this system
Etymology
Origin of kanji
1915–20; < Japanese < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese hàn Han (i.e., China) + zì characters
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Called “The Core,” the album cover features a large kanji character that translates to “core” or “nucleus.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
Most kanji have two or more pronunciations, and a further 50,000 or so rarely used kanji exist.
From Scientific American • Sep. 15, 2023
Amor flickered on his cheekbone, then was replaced by kanji characters.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2022
According to the nursing home where Tanaka lived, on days when she was feeling well, she would do exercises with other residents and solve kanji or calculation problems.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 29, 2022
Each kanji was made up of separate lines, called “strokes,” and a single kanji could have more than thirty strokes—sometimes many more.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
