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The Kanji Of The Year 2022 – “Battle” (Sen)
The kanji for the Year 2022, selected by popular vote, was 戦 (ikusa or tatakau, meaning “conflict” or “battle”)
Every December 12, the “Japan Kanji Proficiency Testing Association” announces the results of the public opinion poll to choose the Kanji of the Year .
The kanji that best describes 2022 was 戦 which is pronounced like sen in words like 戦争 (sensō), war, and ikusa (battle).
This character (戦) which means “fight” or “conflict” and the reasons for those who chose this kanji are: Because it is a year of conflict in Ukraine, “Battle” on a day-to-day basis for the weakened yen and high prices and “Battle” and “challenge” with passion in sports.
(The brush and ink used to write the Kanji for the Year in the vicinity of the Kiyomizu Temple)
Last year, “kin” (金) meaning “gold” was selected as the kanji for the year 2021.
List of Kanji of the Year from previous years
| Year | Kanji | Meaning | Event for which this kanji was chosen | ||
| nineteen ninety five | 震 | shinシン | furu.eru ふる.える | earthquake | Great Hanshin Earthquake. |
| nineteen ninety six | 食 | shoku ショク | ta.beru た.べる | eat food | Numerous cases of food poisoning due to E. coli O157, which affected school menu programs. |
| 1997 | 倒 | tou トウ | tao.reru たお.れる | overthrow | Wave of business and bank bankruptcies. The Japanese soccer team beats the favorite teams in the Asian qualifying tournament and also qualifies for the 1998 Soccer World Cup. |
| 1998 | 毒 | doku ドク | poison | 67 people fall ill and four die after ingesting poisoned curry. | |
| 1999 | 末 | matsuマツ | sue すえ | final | End of decade, century and millennium. Tokaimura nuclear accident. |
| 2000 | 金 | kinキン | kane かね | gold, money | Several gold medals are achieved at the Sydney Olympics. Kim Dae Jung (金大中) and Kim Jong-il (金正日) hold the first inter-Korean presidential summit. |
| 2001 | 戦 | senセン | tataka.u たたか.う ikusa いくさ | war | The attacks of September 11 take place. The Afghan War and Global Recession begins. |
| 2002 | 帰 | kiキ | kae.ru かえ.る | return | Five Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea return to Japan. |
| 2003 | 虎 | koコ | tora とら | tiger | The Hanshin Tigers win the Central League for the first time in 18 years. |
| 2004 | 災 | sai サイ | wazawa.i わざわ.い | disaster | Earthquakes and typhoons cause great damage. Accident at the Mihama nuclear power plant. Scandal at Mitsubishi Motors about the cover-up of known defects. |
| 2005 | 愛 | aiアイ | ito.shii いと.しい | love | Expo 2005 is held in Aichi (愛知). Princess Nori marries Yoshiki Kuroda. Ping pong (table tennis) player Ai Fukuhara plays in China. |
| 2006 | 命 | mei メイ | inochi いのち | lifetime | Prince Hisahito of Akishino is born. Concern about traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol resulting in being run over and omission of help. Concern about cases of suicide due to mistreatment, the suicide of a member of the Imperial Guard and other causes. |
| 2007 | 偽 | giギ | itsuwa.ru いつわ.る nise にせ | false, hoax | Scandal in the production and labeling of food consisting of the relabeling and reselling of expired products. Problems with the financing of parties and the erroneous registration of pensions. Controversy of the violation of the intellectual property of the Shijingshan Amusement Park in Beijing. |
| 2008 | 変 | hen ヘン | ka.waru か.わる | change | Change of prime minister in Japan. Barack Obama wins the presidential election. Changes in the world economy. ecological changes. |
| 2009 | 新 | shinシン | atara.shii あたら.しい arata あらた | new | The Democratic Party of Japan comes to power and forms a government in a historic election after half a century of rule by the Liberal Party of Japan. Influenza A spreads throughout the world. |
| 2010 | 暑 | shōショ | atsu.i あつ.い | heat (weather) | Japan suffers a heat wave that exceeds records. The miners who were trapped in a hot mine in Copiapó are rescued. The Hayabusa probe endures heat of 10,000 °C during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. |
| 2011 | 絆 | ban バン | kizuna きずな | union, tie that unites | 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. People in Japan discover the importance of being united in the face of devastating situations. The Japan Women’s National Soccer Team “Nadeshiko” wins the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. |
| 2012 | 金 | kinキン | kane かね | gold, money | Several medals won at the 2012 London Olympics. A solar eclipse sweeps through Japan. There are concerns about social security and the consumption tax. |
| 2013 | 輪 | rinリン | wheel | Tokyo is chosen to host the Olympic Games in 2020. | |
| 2014 | 税 | zeiゼイ | taxes | Concern about rising taxes in Japan. | |
| 2015 | 安 | anアン | yasuやす | relaxed, security, still or peaceful | The Japanese Military Security Law is proclaimed, which will allow the Japanese army to act outside its borders. |
| 2016 | 金 | kinキン | kane かね | gold, money | Several gold medals are won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and for corruption cases in Japanese politics. |
| 2017 | 北 | hoku ホク | kita きた | north | This kanji clearly refers to the nuclear threat and North Korea’s missile tests. |
| 2018 | 災 | sai サイ | wazawa.i わざわ.い | disaster | Osaka earthquake of 2018 and the Japan Floods of 2018. |
| 2019 | 令 | rei レイ | ryou りょう | ok, order | Symbolizes the entry into the new Japanese era Reiwa 令和 |
| 2020 | 密 | mitsu ミツ | ミツビツひそ-かにこま-かい | secret near | Reference to san mitsu (３密, the three Cs), a government recommendation to avoid enclosed spaces, crowds, and close contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | 金 | kinキン | kane かね | gold, money | Reference to the gold medals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, held in 2021 after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other great sporting achievements of Japanese athletes during the year. |
| 2022 | 戦 | sen | tatakau | conflict, battle | Because it is a year of conflict in Ukraine, “Battle” on a daily basis for the weakened yen and high prices and “Battle” and “challenge” with passion in sports. |