Kanji
/ˈkɑːn.dʒiː/noun
A Japanese writing system that uses Chinese characters, each often representing a word or meaningful element.
Did you know?Kanji entered Japan from China through texts associated with Buddhism, government, and scholarship, making literacy historically inseparable from religious and imperial power.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
漢
“Han; originally the name of the Han River and later the Han dynasty and its people”
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
字
“A written character; originally associated with a child under a roof, suggesting instruction or the act of teaching writing”
1st–6th Centuries
Classical Chinese
漢字
“Han characters, the Chinese writing system”
6th–8th Centuries
Japanese
漢字（かんじ）
“Chinese characters adopted for writing Japanese”
19th Century
English
kanji
“The Japanese system of Chinese-derived characters”
Modern English
English
kanji
“Chinese characters used in Japanese writing”