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Category kanji

Kokuji

Most of the kanji were invented by the Chinese, but some characters were invented by the Japanese. These are known in Japan as kokuji|国字, literally "national characters". These kanji often have only a kun'yomi or native Japanese reading, and no on'yomi, or Chinese-derived, reading. For example, the kanji used to write the verbs hataraku (働く) and komu (込む) are both Japanese inventions. The character for tōge (峠) meaning "mountain pass" is a Japanese invention. Some of these characters, such as hataraku, were even re-absorbed back into Chinese and thus gained an on'yomi.

Links

  • wasei kanji no jiten A dictionary of kokuji. The contents of this may be somewhat speculative.
  • List of Kokuji

    kanji JIS code reading meaning
    3073 いわし sardine
    335f かし evergreen oak
    364e キロメートル kilometre
    3674 く.う く.らう じき eat, drink, receive (a blow)
    397e こ.む こ.み こ.める こみ ごめ crowded, mixture, in bulk, included
    3a67 さかき sacred Shinto tree
    3c32 しぎ snipe
    4138 センチメートル せんち centimetre
    427c いかのぼり たこ kite
    432d セツ たら codfish
    444e つが とが hemlock
    4454 つじ crossing, crossroad, street corners
    463d とうげ mountain pass, climax, crest
    464a とち horse chestnut
    4655 トン tonnage
    4664 なぎ な.ぐ lull, calm
    4677 にお.う にお.い にお.わせる おり こう さぎ fragrant, stink, glow, insinuate
    482a はた はたけ -ばたけ かま まま farm, field, garden, one's specialty
    482b はたけ はた はな field, farm, garden
    4838 はなし talk
    4946 びょう rivet, tack, thumbtack
    4a55 ヘン あた.り ほと.り -べ なべ environs, boundary, border, vicinity
    4b6f まさ まさめ まさき straight grain, spindle tree
    4b73 また ばた crotch, thigh, groin
    麿 4b7b まろ ま I, you
    4c30 ミリメートル みり millimetre
    4c5d モク woodworker
    4c62 もみ unhulled rice
    4c68 もんめ め ひゃくめ monme, 3.75 grams
    4c7a やり spear, javelin
    4f48 くにぎ くぬぎ oak used for charcoal
    5d5b ネン なまず fresh water catfish
    3031 し.める して adding up, bundle, a weight of about 8.5 pounds
    3f63 むし.る むしりと.る pluck, pick, tear
    435f カセ かせ reel, hank, skein
    437a しきみ grave tree

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