｢変｣Named Kanji of the Year

Not quite two weeks ago Jiyu Kokuminsha named Japan's Fashionable Word of the Year. Today, Nippon Kanji Noryoku Kentei Kyokai (The Japan Kanji Ability Certification Association) named Kotoshi no Kanji, or This Year's Kanji. Each year the group names a kanji, or Chinese character, to encapsulate the year's events.

This year's kanji is 変.

Pronounced hen, or with accompanying hiragana either kaeru or kawaru, the character means 'change', though it can also indicate 'unusual', 'eccentric', or in music a flat (as opposed to sharp) note.

Nikkei Net suggests that the kanji is indicative of changes in Japan's government and economy. A new Prime Minister took office this year, and promised early elections - though it now appears that the election will be put off until the spring. The global recession is also big news in Japan, where a sudden rise in the value of the Yen is also affecting business.

Coverage of the Kotoshi no Kanji on television news has also featured talk of the US presidential election. In addition to the fact that the US government is in the midst of a major change, 'Change' was Barack Obama's unofficial one-word campaign motto, and appears to be the name of his transition team.

Japanese WOTY

Japanese publishing company Jiyu Kokuminsha has just announced this year's Shingo Ryukougo, or Fashionable New Words. Similar to Word Of The Year announcements made by various US and UK publishers, Shingo Ryukougo is essentially a publicity event that draws attention to Jiyu Kokuminsha.

This year there are actually two winners, and both are loan words from English... sort of. That is, both are Japanese words based on clipped versions of English words or phrases.

First (following the order they appear on Jiyu Kokuminsha's web page) is Guu! the catch-phrase of comedian Edo Harumi. Edo-san gets big laughs with her broad facial expression, thumbs up gesture, and this slightly altered version of English "good". (Slapstick is also popular with certain Japanese audiences - especially people being hit over the head with large paper fans. De gustibus non disputandum est.)

Tied for the first place nod is arafo, a clipped version of "Around Forty," a popular television drama. Nikkei Weekly magazine suggests that single "arafo" women are especially prized by retailers, since they tend to spend money on a variety of retail products. NHK television also suggests that women around forty, who came of age during the "Bubble Jidai," the 1980s economic bubble, are trendy, self-confident, and appealing.

NHK is partially supported by advertising dollars. I'm just sayin'.