And the magic ingredient is...

2005-12-15

And the magic ingredient is...

Mark over at Pinyin news scooped me on the 2005 Kanji of the Year -- it's 愛, of all things. Talk about unoriginal. Standard Tattoo Kanji #2, comin' right up!

(I would have gone with 郵, yuu, which in modern Japan signifies postal service and similar delivery schemes almost exclusively. Obviously, 郵 only even made the short list because of all the political hoo-hah about Koizumi and his party-splitting privatization plan this year, and it's not like it's ever going to get another chance to shine. Poor old 郵.)

Bonus rare old word that 愛 is often used to write: hasi (beloved/cute/longed for/neat-o/etc.), also a component in uruhasi (modern uruwashii) and hasikiyasi/hasikiyosi/hasikeyasi.

Popularity factor: 4

IbaDaiRon:

愛。そして感動。新しい世界への旅立ち。

セシーユー ... Il offre sa confiance et son amour.

(I hope I'm not the only one here long enough to remember that...and were they really saying 篠房くん、幸せそうなの～ after all?)

Matt:

"愛、そして感動" rings a bell, but nothing else does..

Azuma:

In seriousness, I would go with number two, 改. This was certainly a big year for that, economically and politically. But I can't help but root for the underdog(12th), 萌. It's even less likely to make the list again than 郵, and it's not even in the 常用漢字 list! For even making the list in the first place, it should get some sort of special award, I think.

Matt:

And as a bonus, we'd get to see that guy solemnly writing 萌え〜 on a giant piece of paper.

2005-12-15