Kyūjitai

Kyūjitai, literally "old character forms" (Kyūjitai: 舊字體 or 旧字体), are the traditional forms of kanji, Chinese written characters used in Japanese. Their simplified counterparts are shinjitai (新字体), "new character forms". Some of the simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in both China and Japan, but they were considered inelegant, even uncouth. After World War II, simplified character forms were made official in both these countries. However, in Japan fewer and less drastic simplifications were made: e.g. "electric" is still written as 電 in Japan, as it is also written in Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea and Taiwan, which continue to use traditional Chinese characters, but has been simplified to 电 in mainland China. Prior to the promulgation of the Tōyō kanji list in 1946, kyūjitai were known as seiji (正字; meaning "proper/correct characters") or seijitai (正字體). Even after kyūjitai were officially marked for discontinuation with the promulgation of the Tōyō kanji list, they were used in print frequently into the 1950s due to logistical delays in changing over typesetting equipment. Kyūjitai continue in use to the present day because when the Japanese government adopted the simplified forms, it did not ban the traditional forms. Thus traditional forms are used when an author wishes to use traditional forms and the publisher consents.

Unlike in the People's Republic of China, where all personal names were simplified as part of the character simplification reform carried out in the 1950s, the Japanese reform only applied to a subset of the characters in use (the Toyo Kanji) and excluded characters used in proper names. Therefore kyūjitai are still used in personal names in Japan today (see Jinmeiyo kanji). In modern Japanese, kyūjitai that appear in the official spelling of proper names are sometimes replaced with the modern shinjitai form.

Jōyō Kanji

See also: Jōyō kanji

In the 2,136 Jōyō Kanji (常用漢字), there are 364 pairs of simplified and traditional characters (for example, 亜 is the simplified form of 亞). Note that the kanji 弁 is used to simplify three different traditional kanji (辨, 瓣, and 辯).

In the revised version of Jōyō Kanji, 5 kanji were removed (but preserved as Jinmeiyō Kanji), and 196 more kanji were added into Jōyō Kanjihyō of originally 1945 kanji; 6 of these new kanji have a traditional and a simplified form. They are underlined in the following list.

Some of the traditional kanji are not included in the Japanese font of Windows XP/2000, and only rectangles are shown. Downloading the Meiryo font from the Microsoft website (VistaFont_JPN.EXE) and installing it will solve this problem.

亜（亞）悪（惡）圧（壓）囲（圍）医（醫）為（爲）壱（壹）逸（逸）隠（隱）栄（榮）営（營）衛（衞）駅（驛）謁（謁）円（圓）塩（鹽）縁（緣）艶（艷）応（應）欧（歐）殴（毆）桜（櫻）奥（奧）横（橫）温（溫）穏（穩）仮（假）価（價）禍（禍）画（畫）会（會）悔（悔）海（海）絵（繪）壊（壞）懐（懷）慨（慨）概（槪）拡（擴）殻（殼）覚（覺）学（學）岳（嶽）楽（樂）喝（喝）渇（渴）褐（褐）缶（罐）巻（卷）陥（陷）勧（勸）寛（寬）漢（漢）関（關）歓（歡）観（觀）気（氣）祈（祈）既（卽）帰（歸）器（器）偽（僞）戯（戲）犠（犧）旧（舊）拠（據）挙（擧）虚（虛）峡（峽）挟（挾）狭（狹）郷（鄕）響（響）暁（曉）勤（勤）謹（謹）区（區）駆（驅）勲（勳）薫（薰）径（徑）茎（莖）恵（惠）掲（揭）渓（溪）経（經）蛍（螢）軽（輕）継（繼）鶏（鷄）芸（藝）撃（擊）欠（缺）研（硏）県（縣）倹（儉）剣（劍）険（險）圏（圈）検（檢）献（獻）権（權）顕（顯）験（驗）厳（嚴）広（廣）効（效）恒（恆）黄（黃）鉱（鑛）号（號）国（國）黒（黑）穀（穀）砕（碎）済（濟）斎（齋）剤（劑）殺（殺）雑（雜）参（參）桟（棧）蚕（蠶）惨（慘）賛（贊）残（殘）糸（絲）祉（祉）視（視）歯（齒）児（兒）辞（辭）湿（濕）実（實）写（寫）社（社）者（者）煮（煮）釈（釋）寿（壽）収（收）臭（臭）従（從）渋（澁）獣（獸）縦（縱）祝（祝）粛（肅）処（處）暑（暑）署（署）緒（緖）諸（諸）叙（敍）将（將）祥（祥）称（稱）渉（涉）焼（燒）証（證）奨（奬）条（條）状（狀）乗（乘）浄（淨）剰（剩）畳（疊）縄（繩）壌（壤）嬢（孃）譲（讓）醸（釀）触（觸）嘱（囑）神（神）真（眞）寝（寢）慎（愼）尽（盡）図（圖）粋（粹）酔（醉）穂（穗）随（隨）髄（髓）枢（樞）数（數）瀬（瀨）声（聲）斉（齊）静（靜）窃（竊）摂（攝）節（節）専（專）浅（淺）戦（戰）践（踐）銭（錢）潜（潛）繊（纖）禅（禪）祖（祖）双（雙）壮（壯）争（爭）荘（莊）捜（搜）挿（插）巣（巢）曽（曾）痩（瘦）装（裝）僧（僧）層（層）総（總）騒（騷）増（增）憎（憎）蔵（藏）贈（贈）臓（臟）即（卽）属（屬）続（續）堕（墮）対（對）体（體）帯（帶）滞（滯）台（臺）滝（瀧）択（擇）沢（澤）担（擔）単（單）胆（膽）嘆（嘆）団（團）断（斷）弾（彈）遅（遲）痴（癡）虫（蟲）昼（晝）鋳（鑄）著（著）庁（廳）徴（徵）聴（聽）懲（懲）勅（敕）鎮（鎭）塚（塚）逓（遞）鉄（鐵）点（點）転（轉）伝（傳）都（都）灯（燈）当（當）党（黨）盗（盜）稲（稻）闘（鬭）徳（德）独（獨）読（讀）突（突）届（屆）難（難）弐（貳）悩（惱）脳（腦）覇（霸）拝（拜）廃（廢）売（賣）梅（梅）麦（麥）発（發）髪（髮）抜（拔）繁（繁）晩（晚）蛮（蠻）卑（卑）秘（祕）碑（碑）浜（濱）賓（賓）頻（頻）敏（敏）瓶（甁）侮（侮）福（福）払（拂）仏（佛）併（倂）並（竝）塀（塀）餅（餠）辺（邊）変（變）弁（辨/瓣/辯）勉（勉）歩（步）宝（寶）豊（豐）褒（襃）墨（墨）翻（飜）毎（每）万（萬）満（滿）免（免）麺（麵）弥（彌）黙（默）訳（譯）薬（藥）与（與）予（豫）余（餘）誉（譽）揺（搖）様（樣）謡（謠）来（來）頼（賴）乱（亂）覧（覽）欄（欄）竜（龍）隆（隆）虜（虜）両（兩）猟（獵）緑（綠）涙（淚）塁（壘）類（類）礼（禮）励（勵）戻（戾）霊（靈）齢（齡）暦（曆）歴（歷）恋（戀）練（練）錬（鍊）炉（爐）労（勞）郎（郞）朗（朗）廊（廊）楼（樓）録（錄）湾（灣）

Jinmeiyō Kanji

Kyūjitai vs. Shinjitai

The Jinmeiyō Kanji List contents 212 traditional characters still used in names. The modern form (shinjitai), which appears in the Jōyō Kanji List, is given in parentheses.

亞（亜）惡（悪）爲（為）逸（逸）榮（栄）衞（衛）謁（謁）圓（円）緣（縁）薗（園）應（応）櫻（桜）奧（奥）橫（横）溫（温）價（価）禍（禍）悔（悔）海（海）壞（壊）懷（懐）樂（楽）渴（渇）卷（巻）陷（陥）寬（寛）漢（漢）氣（気）祈（祈）器（器）僞（偽）戲（戯）虛（虚）峽（峡）狹（狭）響（響）曉（暁）勤（勤）謹（謹）駈（駆）勳（勲）薰（薫）惠（恵）揭（掲）鷄（鶏）藝（芸）擊（撃）縣（県）儉（倹）劍（剣）險（険）圈（圏）檢（検）顯（顕）驗（験）嚴（厳）廣（広）恆（恒）黃（黄）國（国）黑（黒）穀（穀）碎（砕）雜（雑）祉（祉）視（視）兒（児）濕（湿）實（実）社（社）者（者）煮（煮）壽（寿）收（収）臭（臭）從（従）澁（渋）獸（獣）縱（縦）祝（祝）暑（暑）署（署）緖（緒）諸（諸）敍（叙）將（将）祥（祥）涉（渉）燒（焼）奬（奨）條（条）狀（状）乘（乗）淨（浄）剩（剰）疊（畳）孃（嬢）讓（譲）釀（醸）神（神）眞（真）寢（寝）愼（慎）盡（尽）粹（粋）醉（酔）穗（穂）瀨（瀬）齊（斉）靜（静）攝（摂）節（節）專（専）戰（戦）纖（繊）禪（禅）祖（祖）壯（壮）爭（争）莊（荘）搜（捜）巢（巣）曾（曽）裝（装）僧（僧）層（層）瘦（痩）騷（騒）增（増）憎（憎）藏（蔵）贈（贈）臟（臓）卽（即）帶（帯）滯（滞）瀧（滝）單（単）嘆（嘆）團（団）彈（弾）晝（昼）鑄（鋳）著（著）廳（庁）徵（徴）聽（聴）懲（懲）鎭（鎮）轉（転）傳（伝）都（都）嶋（島）燈（灯）盜（盗）稻（稲）德（徳）突（突）難（難）拜（拝）盃（杯）賣（売）梅（梅）髮（髪）拔（抜）繁（繁）晚（晩）卑（卑）祕（秘）碑（碑）賓（賓）敏（敏）冨（富）侮（侮）福（福）拂（払）佛（仏）勉（勉）步（歩）峯（峰）墨（墨）飜（翻）每（毎）萬（万）默（黙）埜（野）彌（弥）藥（薬）與（与）搖（揺）樣（様）謠（謡）來（来）賴（頼）覽（覧）欄（欄）龍（竜）虜（虜）凉（涼）綠（緑）淚（涙）壘（塁）類（類）禮（礼）曆（暦）歷（歴）練（練）鍊（錬）郞（郎）朗（朗）廊（廊）錄（録）

Variants

The Jinmeiyō Kanji List also contents 631 additional kanji that are not element of the Jōyō Kanji List; 18 of them have a variant:

亘（亙）凜（凛）尭（堯）巌（巖）晃（晄）桧（檜）槙（槇）渚（渚）猪（猪）琢（琢）祢（禰）祐（祐）祷（禱）禄（祿）禎（禎）穣（穰）萌（萠）遥（遙）

Former Jōyō Kanji still used as Jinmeiyō Kanji

The following 5 kanji were removed from the Jōyō Kanji List in 2010, but were preserved as Jinmeiyō Kanji. They have no simplified form.

勺銑脹錘匁

Note that 勺 and are 匁 kokuji.

Jinmeiyō Kanji used as Jōyō Kanji since 2010

Of the 196 new Jōyō Kanji, 129 were already on the Jinmeiyō Kanji List; 10 of them are used in names of Japanese prefectures, and the kanji 韓 appears in the name of South Korea (韓国 Kankoku). Four of these kanji have both a simplified and a traditional form:

艶（艷）曽（曾）痩（瘦）弥（彌）

Hyōgai Kanji

Former Hyōgai Kanji used as Jōyō Kanji since 2010

In 2010, 67 Hyōgai Kanji were added to the Jōyō Kanji List; 2 of them have a traditional and a simplified form:

餅（餠）麺（麵）

Kokuji

Kokuji are characters that were created in Japan and were not taken over from China. Some of them, e.g. 働, are now also used in Chinese, but most of them are unknown to the Chinese.

Currently, there are no kokuji that have been simplified after their introduction.

Kokuji used as Jōyō Kanji or Jinmeiyō Kanji (as of 2010)

The Jōyō Kanji List currently contents 8 kokuji (働 and 畑 are Kyōiku Kanji):

働匂塀峠枠栃畑込

匁 was removed from the Jōyō Kanji List in 2010, but is still used as Jinmeiyō Kanji.

The Jinmeiyō Kanji List currently contents 16 kokuji:

匁俣凧凪喰柾椛榊樫畠笹籾辻雫鰯麿

External links

Look up kyūjitai in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.