Posts
All the articles I've posted.
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Oni Kanji (鬼): Demon, Protector, and How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:鬼 (oni) means demon — but oni guard rooftops as well as haunt tales, and the character once meant 'ghost.' Its double life, and how to write it.
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Dream Kanji (夢): Meaning, Etymology, and How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:The kanji for dream (夢) holds two meanings English splits apart: the dream you sleep through and the one you chase. Its origin and how to write it.
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Flower Kanji (花): Meaning, Hanami, and How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:花 (hana) means flower — a kanji with 'change' hidden inside it, and the character behind hanami and ikebana. Meaning, readings, and how to write it.
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Emptiness Kanji (空): Sky, Void, and the Heart Sutra
By K. YamaUpdated:空 means both 'sky' and 'emptiness,' and in Zen it carries the Heart Sutra's śūnyatā. How one character holds the heavens and the void, and how to write it.
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Dragon Kanji (龍): Meaning, the Two Forms, and How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:The kanji 龍 means dragon — a water god, not a fire-beast. What it stands for in Japan, the two written forms 龍 and 竜, and how to write all 16 strokes.
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Fortune Kanji (福): Meaning, Luck & How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:The kanji 福 (fuku) is the luck character Japan hangs everywhere at New Year. Where it comes from, what it promises, and how to write it well.
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Harmony Kanji (和): Meaning & Why It Defines Japan
By K. YamaUpdated:The kanji 和 means harmony — and doubles as the name for Japan itself. Why one character carries both, and how to write it with the balance it preaches.
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Moon Kanji (月): Meaning, Origin & How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:The kanji 月 means both moon and month, and the link between them is older than calendars. Meaning, origin, and how to write its hooked strokes.
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Mu Kanji (無): Nothingness, the Zen Kōan, and No-Mind
By K. YamaUpdated:無 (mu) means nothing — yet it began as a dancer, and became Zen's most famous kōan. The strangest origin story in the kanji, and how to write it.
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Love Kanji (愛): Meaning, Etymology & How to Write It
By K. YamaUpdated:Love kanji (愛) doesn't mean what English 'love' means — it runs steadier and deeper. The real meaning, the heart hidden mid-character, and how to write it.
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