Kanji of the year 2008 is kind of strange!

[omae mona]

"Hen" (yes, the same one as in "henna gaijin") is the official 2008 Kanji of the Year. In this case the selection committee was thinking more of its meaning of "change" than "strange", though.



Kyoto, December 12
Kyodo News

Obama-inspired kanji chosen as best characterizing 2008
''Hen,'' which means ''change'' in English, has been chosen as the single best kanji to characterize the year 2008, a Kyoto-based kanji promotion organization said Friday.
The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation said it received a total of 111,208 entries for its poll to select the single best kanji reflecting society in 2008.

According to the Asahi Shimbun story (Japanese only), the Kanji Kentei association says the "changes" considered included the multiple Japanese prime ministers, the election of Obama in the U.S., the fall in stock markets, the changes in the dollar/yen exchange rate, increased awareness of food safety, environmental change and global warming, and the increased appearance of Japanese people in the fields of sports and science.

Last year's FG thread about Kanji Of The Year is here:
Japan 2007 best described as FRAUD

[Taro Toporific]

Originally Posted by omae mona

"Hen" (yes, the same one as in "henna gaijin") is the official 2008 Kanji of the Year. In this case the selection committee was thinking more of its meaning of "change" than "strange", though.

Hen = "Change"
Saaa...I'm a Changed Alien...Ya learn something every day.

変 【へん】 (adj-na,n) (1) strange; odd; peculiar; weird; curious; queer; eccentric; funny; suspicious; fishy; (2) unexpected; (3) change; (4) incident; disturbance; disaster; accident; (n-pref) (5) (See 変ロ短調) flat (music);

[GomiGirl]

Originally Posted by Taro Toporific

Hen = "Change"
Saaa...I'm a Changed Alien...Ya learn something every day.

No - that is an alien going through "the change".

[IkemenTommy]

What about 変態 (hentai)? Is that going through a change too?

[Takechanpoo]

I do know that you asiaphiles, especially Taro, sensitively react when some Japanese use the word of "Hen".
"Now that guy is talking about me? Eh?"

[omae mona]

Originally Posted by Takechanpoo

I do know that you asiaphiles, especially Taro, sensitively react when some Japanese use the word of "Hen".
"Now that guy is talking about me? Eh?"

I learned that people are always talking about me when I hear any of the words:

• 変態
• 異変
• 大変

[sublight]

Huh. On Mezamashi Terebi this morning, the kanji they picked was　落 : "drop", or "fall"

[Taro Toporific]

Originally Posted by Takechanpoo

...you asiaphiles, especially Taro, sensitively react when some Japanese use the word of "Hen".
"Now that guy is talking about me? Eh?"

HENNA OJISAN ♪ 変なおじさん

[IkemenTommy]

Originally Posted by sublight

Huh. On Mezamashi Terebi this morning, the kanji they picked was　落 : "drop", or "fall"

Personally, the pick would have been... 終

[FG Lurker]

Originally Posted by IkemenTommy

Personally, the pick would have been... 終

I think 変 is a pretty good choice for 2008. Depending on how things turn out though 終 could be a very good choice for 2009...