kanji

[ kahn-jee ]

/ ˈkɑn dʒi /

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noun, plural kan·ji, kan·jis.

a system of Japanese writing using Chinese-derived characters.

a character in this system.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of kanji

1915–20; <Japanese <Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese hàn Han (i.e., China) + zì characters

Words nearby kanji

K'ang Hsi, K'ang Tê, KaNgwane, K'ang Yu-wei, Kanin, kanji, Kankakee, Kankan, Kannada, Kannapolis, Kannon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kanji in a sentence

The kanji characters shown there are 中本(Nakamoto) 哲史 (Satoshi).
Mysteries Continue to Swirl Around the Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator|Jake Adelstein|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kanji are a system of Japanese writing using Chinese characters to phonetically represent names.
Mysteries Continue to Swirl Around the Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator|Jake Adelstein|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In identifying an individual, the correct kanji is essential.
Mysteries Continue to Swirl Around the Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator|Jake Adelstein|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are hundreds of ways of representing Nakamoto Satoshi in kanji.
Mysteries Continue to Swirl Around the Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator|Jake Adelstein|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is often extremely difficult to distinguish individuals or subjects without knowing the kanji characters.
Mysteries Continue to Swirl Around the Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator|Jake Adelstein|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They take rice kanji (gruel) prepared the previous night, with salt and chillies.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
At night, boiled rice, or kanji with fish or curry made of vegetables from their kitchen garden, form their chief food.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
Such of the members of the family as could not give him kanji (rice gruel) or boiled rice before death, now give it to him.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
The sorcerer must be in a state of vow for twenty-one days, and live on a diet of chama kanji.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston

British Dictionary definitions for kanji

kanji

/ (ˈkændʒɪ, ˈkɑːn-) /

noun plural -ji or -jis

a Japanese writing system using characters mainly derived from Chinese ideograms

a character in this system

Word Origin for kanji

Japanese, from Chinese han Chinese + zi character

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012