On Friday, the official Kanji of the Year for 2025 was announced at Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto. Unsurprisingly, the top choice this year was 熊 (pronounced Kuma) meaning bear. The character was selected from a public vote. It’s the first time the kanji for bear has been chosen, reflecting a year that has been marked by a record number of sightings and bear attacks across the country.
Shown live on TV, the character for bear was drawn using a giant calligraphy brush on Japanese paper known as washi by chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori, who spoke about those who have died after being attacked by bears. “I pray for the victims to rest in peace,” he said. “I think this serves as a reminder that we need to seriously consider the problems arising from changes in the environment.”
The annual event is organized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation. It invites the public to submit candidate characters, and this year, a total of 189,122 votes were cast. The kanji for bear received 23,346 votes. Behind 熊 in second place with 23,166 votes was 米 (Kome), meaning rice, chosen due to the soaring prices of the staple grain and the release of stockpiled rice. In third place was “high” (高, taka) with 18,300 votes. As well as being the first character in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s surname, it’s also associated with the rising costs of products in Japan and the high temperatures here during the summer.
Other characters to feature in the top 10 included 脈 (Myaku) meaning pulse, 女 (Onna) meaning woman, and 新 (Shin) meaning new.
In 2024, 金 (kin) was selected as the Kanji of the Year. The choice was influenced by a variety of events, including Japan’s medal haul at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
