Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [kanji-choice]

漢字の使い分け. Questions about choosing the right kanji.

漢字の使い分け. Questions about choosing the right kanji.

94 questions
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What is the difference between 蔵, 倉, and 庫?

The word 【くら】 can be written with any of the kanji 蔵, 倉, or 庫. However, WWWJDIC lists them all under one entry, defined as: (n) warehouse; cellar; magazine; granary; godown; depository; treasury; elevator; Is there a difference in nuance or usage…
rintaun
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Which is the "official" kanji for さい, 歳 or 才?

Well if I'm not wrong, usually when a word has multiple kanjis one of them is selected as the "main" or more commonly used one. But is it true that 才 and 歳 are both the "main" kanji for さい?
Pacerier
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Should I use 竜 or 龍?

When writing the kanji for dragon, should I use the simplified or traditional or can I use either. My Japanese dictionary tells me that Japanese people learn both character forms in school. I know that the simplified version is more common, but I…
Michael Carroll
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Difference between 見る and 観る?

Lately I've seen in some dialog games with this difference. They use 観る rather than 見る, e.g.: ・あなたテレビ観るかな。 ・あんまり観ない方なんだ。 So I'm thinking I can use 見る to make the same dialog. However there must be a reason why they use one instead of the other.…
Mamerrific
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Is it more common to write "wakarimasu" with or without kanji?

I've had two vocabulary lists where wakarimasu is written as 分かります. However most of the time in news articles and manga I find it back as just わかります. So I wondered what is commonly used among Japanese people. Is it like writing ohayou as お早う or is…
2hTu2
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How obscure is the use of 令 in 令和?

I actually like the new 年号 kanji 令和, but I must admit I was surprised by the choice of 令. According to this article in the Japan Times, The new era name is composed of two Chinese characters — “rei” meaning “good” or “auspicious” but also…
kandyman
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Variations in the "same" kanji, how do you know which one to use?

I've been trying to memorize some Kanji, and I've noticed that some of them seem to have different forms. So depending on what app I use, or what website I visit, the Kanji seems lightly different. As far as I can tell, they are actually the same…
Yaksha
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What would be the most apt word in kanji, for "Animal world"?

Okay, that may sound a little confusing, and no, not looking for the name of a zoo or theme park here XD Essentially, simply put, I'm writing a novel, and for that, building a world around it. Yes, there is no need for the Kanji - I am well aware of…
Terrornado
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What is the difference between 始め 初め and 始まり?

Just to be sure, I'm not talking about the verbs 始める/始まる but the nouns(maybe adverb?) 始め 初め and 始まり.
Jirei
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When a dog in pain whines or howls, is it 「泣いている」 or 「鳴いている」?

鳴く seems to be the bark, cry, etc. of animals, and 泣く seems to be crying, weeping, etc. of humans (at any rate, associated with pain, sadness, etc.). However, when a dog in pain whines or howls, which of the two will be used?
muru
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What's the difference between 上手い, 美味い, 旨い, and 巧い?

All four of these words are read as うまい and have the same meaning in my dictionary so I was wondering, can these four words (上手い, 美味い, 旨い, and 巧い) be used interchangeably?
user11788
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Difference between 粗い and 荒い

I would like to know when 粗い is used. According to the dictionary, it means "rough", but I'm not able to see the difference between 粗い and 荒い. Is 粗い used only when a picture has bad quality? Or in what other cases can it be used?
Rick
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What is the difference between 飲む and 呑む?

I saw a tweet that said 要は日本酒が呑みたい And my dictionary translated 呑む as 'to drink', with 飲む as the default spelling and 呑む as an alternate form. What is the difference between 飲む and 呑む?
Holly
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Is there a word for “using a wrong kanji”?

This would be probably more common when writing personal names, but can happen in a regular writing as well. Is there a Japanese word or expression for a kanji “typo” – a situation, when you use a wrong kanji character? Not necessarily from a…
Glutexo
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Closed:　[休]{きゅう}〜 vs. [閉]{へい}〜

Are there particular rules on when to use one or the other? 休〜 appears to be more of a temporary closure or suspension (with implied continuation at some point in the near future)... この図書館は改装のため、来月まで休館となっています。ご了承ください。　→　Due to our remodeling,…
istrasci
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