Character meaning battle chosen as this year’s kanji

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:48 JST, December 12, 2022

The kanji for “battle” is rendered by Seihan Mori, head priest of Kiyomizudera temple, in Kyoto on Monday. The character, read as “sen” or “ikusa,” was chosen as the most appropriate kanji to symbolize this year. It was chosen also for 2001, when the United States was hit by terrorist attacks. An annual, open-ended poll by the Kyoto-based Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has solicited the public’s opinion on the best kanji for the year since 1995. The kanji meaning “gold” was selected last year due to the Tokyo Games.