{"id":106301,"date":"2023-09-01T12:48:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T16:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/most-complicated-kanji\/"},"modified":"2024-11-28T22:36:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T03:36:30","slug":"most-complicated-kanji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/most-complicated-kanji\/","title":{"rendered":"8 of the Hardest Kanji in Japanese and What They Mean"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you’ve\u00a0just started learning\u00a0kanji<\/a>, they pretty much all look complicated. Then\u00a0you’ll find that some\u00a0kanji\u00a0are simple and friendly enough, while others look much more difficult.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can you decipher those extra complex\u00a0kanji,\u00a0no less learn them and reproduce them from memory alone?<\/p>\n

Let’s go over some of the hardest kanji, with information on their stroke count, and what exactly they all mean.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. \u6328\u62f6 (\u3042\u3044\u3055\u3064)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:<\/strong> 19<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Greeting<\/p>\n

This is a word you’ll hear often in Japan at school and work. Considering its prevalence in day-to-day conversation, you’d be surprised at how many people don’t know how to write the kanji for it.<\/p>\n

What makes this\u00a0kanji so complicated is the uncommonness of the individual\u00a0kanji\u00a0characters. The characters \u6328 and \u62f6\u00a0are\u00a0almost exclusively paired with each\u00a0other,<\/strong> meaning that there’s no other\u00a0kanji\u00a0pairing (or at least not to my, nor the Internet’s, knowledge) that includes either of the characters in \u6328\u62f6. These characters were clearly meant for each other, but that just makes it all the more difficult for us to memorize them.<\/p>\n

2. \u91a4\u6cb9 (\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3086)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:\u00a0<\/strong>25<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Soy sauce<\/p>\n

Despite soy sauce being an indispensable condiment in Japanese cuisine, writing the word in\u00a0kanji\u00a0is not as easy as it may seem.\u00a0This\u00a0kanji, along with many others that are difficult and unknown to many Japanese speakers, has another pair of\u00a0kanji that’s sometimes used instead.<\/p>\n

The simplified version of \u91a4\u6cb9 is \u6b63\u6cb9 (\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3086).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the traditional form \u91a4\u6cb9 is much more frequently used, you might see the simplified \u6b63\u6cb9 on menus at ramen<\/em> restaurants for the \u6b63\u6cb9\u30e9\u30fc\u30e1\u30f3 (\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3086 \u3089\u30fc\u3081\u3093). With that said, it isn’t really recommended that you use this\u00a0simplified form in place of the more complicated, original form.<\/p>\n

Though not necessarily incorrect, simplified forms of kanji\u00a0are usually limited to note-taking and other unofficial pieces of writing for personal use. So, when in doubt, a better alternative would be to write the word in\u00a0hiragana, or in a mix of\u00a0hiragana\u00a0and\u00a0kanji, \u3057\u3087\u3046\u6cb9.<\/p>\n

3. \u8d05\u6ca2 (\u305c\u3044\u305f\u304f)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:\u00a0<\/strong>25<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Luxurious, expensive, spoiled<\/p>\n

Much like \u6328\u62f6 and \u91a4\u6cb9, this all-too-common bit of Japanese vocabulary is also one that everyone can read, but most cannot write. Perhaps it’s this omnipresence that gives people the false illusion of being able to write the\u00a0kanji\u00a0when, in reality, they can’t.<\/p>\n

Also like \u91a4\u6cb9, of which the second character, \u6cb9 (\u3086\u3001\u3042\u3076\u3089 – oil), is easily written, the second character, \u6ca2 (\u305f\u304f\u3001\u3055\u308f – marsh), in \u8d05\u6ca2 is also a\u00a0kanji\u00a0which most people can write. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Open a Japanese novel, magazine or newspaper and you’re bound to see this word repeatedly. Yet still, the complete kanji for this phrase seems to elude many.<\/p>\n

4. \u9b31 (\u3046\u3064)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:<\/strong> 29<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Depression<\/p>\n

\u9b31 (\u3046\u3064) is the epitome of complicated kanji<\/i>. When the Japanese compete with their friends on who can write the most difficult\u00a0kanji, this one will definitely be one of the first they’ll ask their friends to write.<\/p>\n

The word is used pervasively, especially next to the character \u6182 (\u3086\u3046\u3001\u3046\u308c(\u3048\u308b)\u3001\u3046\u308c(\u3044)\u3001\u3046(\u3044)) in the word \u6182\u9b31 (\u3086\u3046\u3046\u3064),<\/strong> meaning sad, gloomy or melancholic. When handwritten, as well as when typed, it’s often written in\u00a0hiragana. With 29 strokes in just one character, not only is it difficult to memorize but it’s quite a feat trying to write it beautifully and well-balanced.<\/p>\n

Due to its common usage, it’s a highly recommended\u00a0kanji\u00a0to learn how to read, even if learning how to write it is too difficult.<\/p>\n

5. \u8594\u8587 (\u3070\u3089\u3001\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3073\u3001\u305d\u3046\u3073)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:<\/strong> 32<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Rose<\/p>\n

Like \u9b31 (\u3046\u3064), \u8594\u8587 is another notoriously difficult kanji <\/i>that’s very commonly used and most people can read. But just like with \u9b31 (\u3046\u3064), most people only know the gist of what the kanji <\/i>looks like and cannot replicate it on their own.<\/p>\n

The characters themselves have a curious composition, especially the first character \u8594 (\u3057\u3087\u304f\u3001\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3001\u305d\u3046\u3001\u307f\u305a\u305f\u3067) meaning persicaria hydropiper (water pepper).<\/strong> This character has all the components of the top half sitting on top of \u56de ( \u304b\u3044\u3001\u3048\u3001\u307e\u308f(\u308b) – turn) which is quite unusual for a kanji<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Not to say the second character is at all easier\u2014\u8587 (\u3073\u3001\u305c\u3093\u307e\u3044\u3001\u306e\u3048\u3093\u3069\u3046) meaning flowering fern,<\/strong> contains one stroke underneath \u5c71(\u3084\u307e\u3001\u3055\u3093 – mountain), which is pretty much hidden and thus very easy to leave out.\u00a0Though often written in kanji <\/i>or katakana<\/i>, you’ll also see it frequently written in hiragana<\/i>, making whatever form you decide to use solely up to your personal preference.<\/p>\n

6. \u6ab8\u6aac\uff08\u308c\u3082\u3093\uff09<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:\u00a0<\/strong>35<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Lemon<\/p>\n

Almost always written in its katakana <\/i>form \u30ec\u30e2\u30f3, this bad boy has 35 strokes and, when written in small print, the details of the strokes become very convoluted and hard to make out.<\/p>\n

You may see this kanji <\/i>form being used on labels for relatively posh products that utilize the rather unusual kanji<\/i> to convey a certain aesthetic to whatever is being sold or branded.<\/p>\n

In fact, using the kanji <\/i>\u6ab8\u6aac instead of simply writing \u30ec\u30e2\u30f3<\/strong> gives off a sense of regality and localness to the product because the word is written in kanji <\/i>as opposed to katakana <\/i>(which is essentially used for foreign, imported words, and therefore not “truly” Japanese).<\/p>\n

7. \u7d05\u9db4\uff08\u3079\u306b\u3065\u308b\u3001\u3075\u3089\u307f\u3093\u3054\uff09<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:\u00a0<\/strong>30<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Flamingo<\/p>\n

<\/b>This isn\u2019t so much a complicated kanji <\/i>as a virtually unknown one. Always written in the katakana <\/i>form \u30d5\u30e9\u30df\u30f3\u30b4, the kanji <\/i>form isn’t difficult in terms of the individual characters themselves.<\/p>\n

\u7d05 (\u3079\u306b\u3001\u304f\u308c\u306a\u3044\u3001\u3053\u3046\u3001\u304f) meaning crimson and \u9db4 (\u3064\u308b\u3001\u304b\u304f) meaning crane,<\/strong> are both taught in elementary school and thus are pretty basic characters. But aside from the fact that no one knows that the kanji <\/i>for \u201cflamingo\u201d exists, what makes this kanji <\/i>so complicated is that it also places itself in the category of \u5f53\u3066\u5b57 (\u3042\u3066\u3058).<\/p>\n

\u5f53\u3066\u5b57 is what you would call any kanji <\/i>whose pronunciation has virtually nothing to do with the traditional sounds of the characters themselves. In this case, the traditional pronunciation would be \u3079\u306b\u3065\u308b while the \u5f53\u3066\u5b57 pronunciation would be \u30d5\u30e9\u30df\u30f3\u30b4. But because \u3079\u306b\u3065\u308b is not a word we would ever use to indicate a flamingo in modern Japanese, it can be assumed that the kanji <\/i>\u7d05\u9db4 essentially reads \u30d5\u30e9\u30df\u30f3\u30b4.<\/p>\n

\u5f53\u3066\u5b57 is usually used for words in the Japanese language that were imported from other languages and therefore are devoid of a kanji, and are instead written in katakana <\/i>form. Although it can’t be said that all katakana <\/i>words also have a kanji <\/i>form, chances are there exist kanji <\/i>equally elusive as the one we have just examined here.<\/p>\n

8. \u6a44\u6b16 (\u304b\u3093\u3089\u3093\u3001\u304a\u308a\u30fc\u3076)<\/h2>\n

Stroke Count:<\/strong> 42<\/p>\n

Definition:<\/strong> Olive<\/p>\n

Last but not least, here’s a kanji whose existence is unknown by most Japanese speakers out there, and is extremely difficult to memorize. Like our previous word, \u201colive\u201d in the Japanese language is always written in the katakana <\/i>form \u30aa\u30ea\u30fc\u30d6.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Note that this kanji also has two different ways to read it: \u304b\u3093\u3089\u3093 when staying true to the traditional sounds of each character, and \u30aa\u30ea\u30fc\u30d6 when reading the kanji as \u5f53\u3066\u5b57.<\/p>\n

However, \u304b\u3093\u3089\u3093 and \u30aa\u30ea\u30fc\u30d6 are not two disparate pronunciations for the same word. Rather, \u304b\u3093\u3089\u3093 is a completely different plant altogether, a plant native to the tropics of the Burseraceae family. But somehow the kanji has come to be used for another word, which is frankly a bit confusing. Perhaps this is why no one knows that it can also read \u30aa\u30ea\u30fc\u30d6.<\/p>\n

Online Tools for Learning How to Read and Write Kanji<\/h2>\n