世論 What Japan Thinks

In mid-November of last year DIMSDRIVE Research asked 5000 members of their internet monitor group, 50.8% of them female, to tell them what kanji character best described themselves.

There is another more famous Kanji of the Year survey performed by Kiyomizu Temple and the Kanji Kentei organisation that chose 愛, ai, love as the character of the year, but that vote is for the character best representing the year in general, not people themselves. Given that “love” is a positive emotion, it is quite a contrast (and rather depressing) that almost all of the kanji chosen here represent negative feelings or thoughts.

For me personally, I’d probably choose 疲, tsukare, tired out.

Q: Looking back at 2005, if you were to describe your feelings with a single kanji character, which character would it be? (Free answer)

Character	Reading	Votes	Description
忍	Nin, shinobu	184	The dictionary lists this as meaning either to endure or to conceal, spy. The most well-known English loan word containing this character is ninja. Which one of the two meanings people had in mind, I don’t know! Perhaps the endurance meaning has a hint of stoic endurance, concealing one’s true feelings?
乱	Ran, con, midareru	159	This usually means confused or in disorder, but can also mean riot, although the in disorder meaning is most likely the usage here.
怒	Do, ikaru, okoru	144	Angry, offended
鬱	Utsu	111	Depressed, melancholy
忙	Bou, isogashii	109	Busy
悲	Hi, kanashii	106	Sad
苦	Ku, kurushii, nigai	105	Anguish, bitterness
暗	An, kurai	104	Dark
変	Hen, kawaru	103	Unusual, strange or change. This is the first character of the loan word “hentai”.
耐	Tai, taeru	92	Endure

Q: Looking back at 2005, if you were to describe your feelings with a single kanji character, which character would it be? (Sample size=2,457, men only, free answer)

Character	Reading	Votes	Description
忍	Nin, shinobu	114	Conceal, endure
乱	Ran, con, midareru	87	Confused, disorder
怒	Do, ikaru, okoru	82	Angry, offended
鬱	Utsu	68	Depressed, melancholy
変	Hen, kawaru	59	Unusual, strange, change
苦	Ku, kurushii, nigai	52	Anguish, bitterness
暗	An, kurai	48	Dark
耐	Tai, taeru	46	Endure
偽	Gi, nise	43	Fraud, fake.
哀	Ai, aware	37	Pathetic, sorrow

Q: Looking back at 2005, if you were to describe your feelings with a single kanji character, which character would it be? (Sample size=2,543, women only, free answer)

Character	Reading	Votes	Description
忙	Bou, isogashii	78	Busy
乱	Ran, con, midareru	72	Confused, disorder
悲	Hi, kanashii	72	Sad
忍	Nin, shinobu	70	Conceal, endure
怒	Do, ikaru, okoru	62	Angry, offended
暗	An, kurai	56	Dark
苦	Ku, kurushii, nigai	53	Anguish, bitterness
疲	Hi, tsukare	52	Exhausted
楽	Raku, gaku, tanoshii	51	Finally a positive thought! Music, comfort and ease are the meanings, with this character finding its way into words like music and musical instruments, enjoyment, fun, and many other happy words.
恐	Kyou, osore	48	Fear, dread, awe

Only one positive kanji in the female top ten, and none in the male! Looking at the breakdown by age for anything positive, the third top for women in their twenties is 幸, kou, saiwai, shiawase, happiness, fortune; for those in the next age bracket, happiness is replaced by 楽, raku, gaku, tanoshii fun, appearing in second place in the rankings for thirty-something women. Happiness, however, appears nowhere in this top ten. Things are dark for the next twenty years, until finally retirement-age women choose 幸, kou, saiwai, shiawase, happiness, fortune as their top pick, and 楽, raku, gaku, tanoshii fun in sixth equal place, although the sample size for this age group is rather small.

About the only thing approaching a positive thought for men is with the sixty and over group, with the sixth most popular kanji being 改, kai, aratameru, change, reform; no doubt reaching retirement for the average salaryman requires nothing other than a massive realignment of his life.