# Every Kanji of the Year in Japan (1995–2025)

Every December the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announces the "Kanji of the Year", chosen by public vote and written with a giant brush at Kiyomizu-dera. From "quake" in 1995 to "bear" in 2025; "gold" has been chosen five times.

- 29 votes · 31 items
- Aug 30, 2026 · 彩
- https://even.best/en/l/5242/every-kanji-of-the-year-in-japan-1995-2025

## Top 31

1. **1995: 震 ("quake")** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — The Great Hanshin earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin attack.
2. **1996: 食 ("food")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Mass O157 food poisoning outbreaks and the first cases of mad cow disease.
3. **1999: 末 ("end")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The end of the millennium and the Tokaimura nuclear accident.
4. **2001: 戦 ("war")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The 11 September attacks and the war in Afghanistan.
5. **2007: 偽 ("fake")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — A string of food-labelling scandals and the lost pension records.
6. **2011: 絆 ("bonds")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The bonds between people after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami.
7. **2019: 令 ("order / beautiful")** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The new imperial era name, Reiwa.
8. **1997: 倒 ("collapse")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The collapse of Hokkaido Takushoku Bank and Yamaichi Securities.
9. **2000: 金 ("gold")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Gold medals for Naoko Takahashi and Ryoko Tamura in Sydney and the first inter-Korean summit (Kim and Kim).
10. **2002: 帰 ("return")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Japanese abductees returning from North Korea after the first Japan–North Korea summit.
11. **2003: 虎 ("tiger")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Hanshin Tigers' first league title in 18 years.
12. **2006: 命 ("life")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The birth of Prince Hisahito and worries over suicides among schoolchildren.
13. **2009: 新 ("new")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The new DPJ government of Yukio Hatoyama and President Obama.
14. **2012: 金 ("gold")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Tokyo Skytree, London 2012 medals, Shinya Yamanaka's Nobel Prize and an annular solar eclipse.
15. **2015: 安 ("safety")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Abe's security bills and worries about terrorism and safety.
16. **2016: 金 ("gold")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Gold medals at Rio 2016 and Ichiro's 3,000 MLB hits.
17. **2017: 北 ("north")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — North Korea's missile launches and nuclear test.
18. **2022: 戦 ("war")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
19. **2024: 金 ("gold")** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The LDP slush-fund scandal, new banknotes and gold medals in Paris.
20. **2021: 金 ("gold")** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and Shohei Ohtani's season.
21. **1998: 毒 ("poison")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Wakayama poisoned curry case and fears over dioxins.
22. **2004: 災 ("disaster")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Chūetsu earthquake, floods and a record run of typhoons.
23. **2005: 愛 ("love")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Aichi Expo ("Ai" Chikyūhaku) and the wedding of Princess Sayako.
24. **2008: 変 ("change")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A new prime minister, Obama's "change" and the financial crisis.
25. **2010: 暑 ("heat")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The hottest summer on record.
26. **2013: 輪 ("ring")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Tokyo winning the 2020 Olympic bid and the Rakuten Eagles' first title.
27. **2014: 税 ("tax")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The first consumption tax rise in 17 years.
28. **2018: 災 ("disaster")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Floods in western Japan, the Hokkaido earthquake and extreme heat.
29. **2020: 密 ("closeness")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — COVID-19 and the "avoid the three Cs" (crowds, close contact, closed spaces) campaign.
30. **2023: 税 ("tax")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Debates on tax rises, tax cuts and the new invoice system.
31. **2025: 熊 ("bear")** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Bear attacks across Japan and the return of four giant pandas to China.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.