kanjimerkeistä

Kanjimerkit, often referred to as kanji, are logographic characters used in the Japanese writing system. They are derived from Chinese characters, and while many retain their original meanings, others have evolved or been adapted for Japanese usage. Kanji are one of the three primary scripts used in Japanese, alongside hiragana and katakana.

The introduction of kanji to Japan is believed to have occurred around the 5th century AD, brought by Buddhist monks and scholars from China. Initially, these characters were used to write Chinese, but over time, they were adapted to represent the Japanese language. This adaptation led to the development of kun'yomi, or native Japanese readings, in addition to the on'yomi, or Sino-Japanese readings.

There are thousands of kanji, but a subset known as the Jōyō kanji (常用漢字) are officially recognized for daily use. The Japanese Ministry of Education designates these characters, with the current list comprising 2,136 characters. Learning these characters is a significant part of Japanese education, and proficiency in kanji is essential for reading and writing Japanese texts. Kanji can represent entire words or morphemes, and their understanding is crucial for grasping the nuances of the Japanese language.