Why did you chose „bear“? To honor the animal? To humor it? To remind us that it’s their habitat as much or more than ours? This is very interesting. In the West, we would just put up sign-posts „beware of the bear“ and promise a bounty on their heads.
The Kanji of the Year is chosen by a public vote, based on what people in Japan felt left the strongest impression that year. It is not selected for its positive meaning.
For example, in 2024, the kanji was 金 (gold), reflecting both achievements such as gold medals and public anger over political “slush fund” scandals.
In 2023, the kanji was 税 (tax), chosen amid strong public concern and frustration over tax increases.
In 2022, 戦 (war) was selected, as many people were deeply affected by the war in Ukraine.
When individuals choose a personal kanji for their own year, they often pick something hopeful or positive.
The Kanji of the Year announced on Kanji Day works very differently.
From here, this is my speculation:
I think bear was not chosen to honor or protect the animal, but because the scale of bear-related incidents, the slow governmental response, and the resulting anger and sadness left a very strong impression on many people, leading them to vote for it.
Always wondered what they were using those long bamboo poles for. Soot sweeping sounds very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your kind comment!
I’m glad you found soot sweeping interesting.
Bear is an interesting choice, but it makes sense. Even here in Tokyo, everyone's talking about bears.
It really was a year with an unusually high number of bear-related incidents.
I hope that next year, a kanji chosen for more positive reasons will reflect the mood of society.
Me too.
Why did you chose „bear“? To honor the animal? To humor it? To remind us that it’s their habitat as much or more than ours? This is very interesting. In the West, we would just put up sign-posts „beware of the bear“ and promise a bounty on their heads.
Thank you for your thoughtful question.
The Kanji of the Year is chosen by a public vote, based on what people in Japan felt left the strongest impression that year. It is not selected for its positive meaning.
For example, in 2024, the kanji was 金 (gold), reflecting both achievements such as gold medals and public anger over political “slush fund” scandals.
In 2023, the kanji was 税 (tax), chosen amid strong public concern and frustration over tax increases.
In 2022, 戦 (war) was selected, as many people were deeply affected by the war in Ukraine.
When individuals choose a personal kanji for their own year, they often pick something hopeful or positive.
The Kanji of the Year announced on Kanji Day works very differently.
From here, this is my speculation:
I think bear was not chosen to honor or protect the animal, but because the scale of bear-related incidents, the slow governmental response, and the resulting anger and sadness left a very strong impression on many people, leading them to vote for it.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment and for sharing your experience.
I’m glad the piece resonated with you.
I’ve shared a bit more context about why “bear” was chosen as the Kanji of the Year in a reply to another comment, which you may find helpful as well.