kanji

noun, often attributive

kan·ji | \ ˈkän-(ˌ)jē

How to pronounce kanji (audio)

\

plural kanji

Definition of kanji

: a Japanese system of writing that utilizes characters borrowed or adapted from Chinese writing also : a single character in the kanji system — compare kana

Examples of kanji in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the three kanji and a heart made a square. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "This Is How Ariana Grande Fixed Her "Small Barbecue" Hand Tattoo," 31 Jan. 2019 About Names explains that the name Kenzo is sometimes given to the third child of a family, and in kanji is often written using a character representing the number three when used in that context. — Nick Vadala, Philly.com, "No, Kevin Hart probably did not name his child after a Philly neighborhood," 2 Oct. 2017 The intro screens are an unappealing mess of bad art and blurry kanji, the chiptunes ever so slightly grating. — Chris Kohler, WIRED, "Hands-On: Gradius Rebirth, More Old-School WiiWare," 2 Sep. 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kanji.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about kanji

Dictionary Entries near kanji

Statistics for kanji

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for kanji

The first known use of kanji was in 1920

See more words from the same year

WORD OF THE DAY

acquisitive

having a desire to acquire more things

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ