shinjitai

Shinjitai, meaning “new character forms,” are the standardized simplified forms of kanji used in modern Japanese writing. They replace many older, more complex forms, known as kyūjitai. The shift to shinjitai is a defining feature of contemporary Japanese orthography, although some characters retain their kyūjitai in certain contexts such as historical texts, personal names, and signage.

The postwar period saw extensive script reforms in Japan aimed at improving literacy. As part of these reforms, many commonly used kanji were simplified and codified in official lists. The first formal standard for commonly used characters appeared with the Jōyō kanji table in 1956, and it was revised in 1981. Today, the standard forms used in education, media, and government writing are shinjitai, while kyūjitai remain visible mainly in historical materials, certain names, and some brand names.

Examples of shinjitai include 國 becoming 国, 學 becoming 学, 會 becoming 会, 讀 becoming 読, 體 becoming 体, 齊 becoming 斉, and 參 becoming 参. These changes illustrate the general approach of reducing strokes and simplifying components. However, not every kanji underwent a simplification, and some characters are unchanged in their shinjitai form.

Shinjitai is distinct from the simplification of Chinese characters in Mainland China. In Japanese practice, simplifications are defined through official lists and encoding standards such as JIS X 0208 and JIS X 0213. While shinjitai forms are standard in modern writing, kyūjitai continue to appear in specific contexts, preserving historical readings and typographic traditions.