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Jinmeiyō Kanji
Jinmeiyō Kanji
A ministerial decree of 1946 limited the number of officially sanctioned kanji for public use to
the 1,850 tōyō kanji. Only kanji on this list were acceptable as registered names, despite the
fact that the list excluded many kanji frequently used in names up to that point. However, on
May 25, 1951, the cabinet extended the set of characters usable in names by specifying the
first 90 jinmeiyō kanji.
Over the years, the Minister of Justice has increased the number of name kanji, and has a
plan for further addition in response to requests from parents. As of April 30, 2009, there
were 985 jinmeiyō kanji, but this number was reduced to 861 in late 2010 when 129 jinmeiyō
characters were transferred to the jōyō kanji list, and 5 characters were transferred from the
jōyō kanji list to jinmeiyō characters. In 2015 and 2017, 2 kanji in total were added to the
jinmeiyō list, making the total number 863.
History
Below is a list of changes made to the jinmeiyō kanji list since its creation in 1951.
May 25, 1951
丑 丞 乃 之 也 亘 亥 亦 亨 亮 伊 匡 卯 只 吾 呂 哉 嘉
圭 奈 宏 寅 巌 巳 庄 弘 弥 彦 悌 敦 昌 晃 晋 智 暢 朋
桂 桐 楠 橘 欣 欽 毅 浩 淳 熊 爾 猪 玲 琢 瑞 睦 磯 祐
禄 禎 稔 穣 綾 惣 聡 肇 胤 艶 蔦 藤 蘭 虎 蝶 輔 辰 郁
酉 錦 鎌 靖 須 馨 駒 鯉 鯛 鶴 鹿 麿 亀
Seven of them were later transferred to the jōyō kanji:
仙 尚 杉 甚 磨 斉 龍
With the last one 龍 also being simplified to 竜 (dragon).
佑 允 冴 喬 怜 旭 杏 梓 梢 梨 沙 渚 瑠 瞳 紗 紘 絢 翠
耶 芙 茜 藍 那 阿 隼 鮎 葵
One was later transferred to the jōyō kanji: 悠.
October 1, 1981
Introduction of the jōyō kanji list, which includes the 8 characters mentioned above; those 8
are thus removed from the jinmeiyō kanji list.
54 other characters are added for a total of 166
name characters.
伍 伶 侑 尭 孟 峻 嵩 嶺 巴 彬 惇 惟 慧 斐 旦 昂 李 栗
楓 槙 汐 洵 洸 渥 瑛 瑶 璃 甫 皓 眸 矩 碧 笹 緋 翔 脩
苑 茉 莉 萌 萩 蓉 蕗 虹 諒 赳 迪 遥 遼 霞 頌 駿 鳩 鷹
March 1, 1990
伎 伽 侃 倖 倭 偲 冶 凌 凜 凪 捺 於 旺 昴 晏 晟 晨 暉
曙 朔 凱 勁 叡 叶 唄 啄 奎 媛 嬉 宥 崚 嵐 嵯 巽 彗 彪
恕 憧 拳 捷 杜 柊 柚 柾 栞 梧 椋 椎 椰 椿 楊 榛 槻 樺
檀 毬 汀 汰 洲 湧 滉 漱 澪 熙 燎 燦 燿 爽 玖 琳 瑚 瑳
皐 眉 瞭 碩 秦 稀 稜 竣 笙 紬 絃 綜 綸 綺 耀 胡 舜 芹
茄 茅 莞 菖 菫 蒔 蒼 蓮 蕉 衿 袈 裟 詢 誼 諄 邑 醇 采
雛 鞠 颯 魁 鳳 鴻 鵬 麟 黎 黛
December 3, 1997
琉
February 23, 2004
曽
June 7, 2004
獅
June 11, 2004
No addition to the jinmeiyō kanji was made on this date. However, a plan for 578 additions
was put forward to the council on jinmeiyō kanji of the legislative council of the Ministry of
Justice. The list included certain characters in strong demand by parents for use in their
children's names, such as:
苺 (ichigo, "strawberry")
遙 (haruka, "distant", traditional variant)
煌 (akira, "scintillating")
牙 (kiba, "fang")
Many others were included not for their potential uses in names (as is noted), but rather
because of their frequent use and being easy to read and write. Examples include:
糞 (kuso, "excrement")
呪 (noroi, "curse")
屍 (shikabane, "corpse")
癌 (gan, "cancer")
At this same council, the decision was made to call for suggestions on characters to be
included or excluded via the Ministry of Justice website, until July 9, 2004.
July 12, 2004
毘 瀧 駕
July 23, 2004
No additions were made. After sharp protests, the council decided to withdraw nine
characters from the 489 whose inclusion had been discussed. These nine characters were:
糞 (kuso, "excrement")
呪 (noroi, "curse")
屍 (shikabane, "corpse")
癌 (gan, "cancer")
姦 (kansuru, "rape, seduction")
淫 (midara, "obscene")
怨 (urami, "resentment")
痔 (ji, "hemorrhoids")
妾 (mekake, "concubine")
The 480 other characters still remained under consideration for inclusion, with one additional
character added to them, namely 掬 (kiku, "to draw up water with one's hands").
484 characters and variant forms of 209 jōyō kanji were added, bringing the total number of
the jinmeiyō kanji to 983.
祷 穹
November 30, 2010
In late 2010, the Japanese government added 196 characters to the jōyō kanji list. The list
now includes 129 characters previously classified as jinmeiyō kanji, 11 of which are currently
used in Japanese prefectures or nearby countries:[1][2]
巫
September 25, 2017
渾
List of jinmeiyō kanji
The list is split into two parts:
633 characters which do not appear in the list of jōyō kanji (regular-use kanji). 18 of these
have a variant, bringing the number of character forms to 651.
212 characters which are traditional forms (kyūjitai) of characters present in the list of jōyō
kanji.
丑 丞 乃 之 乎 也 云 亘(亙)些 亦 亥 亨 亮 仔 伊 伍 伽
佃 佑 伶 侃 侑 俄 俠 俣 俐 倭 俱 倦 倖 偲 傭 儲 允 兎
兜 其 冴 凌 凜(凛)凧 凪 凰 凱 函 劉 劫 勁 勺 勿 匁 匡
廿 卜 卯 卿 厨 厩 叉 叡 叢 叶 只 吾 吞 吻 哉 哨 啄 哩
喬 喧 喰 喋 嘩 嘉 嘗 噌 噂 圃 圭 坐 尭(堯)坦 埴 堰 堺
堵 塙 壕 壬 夷 奄 奎 套 娃 姪 姥 娩 嬉 孟 宏 宋 宕 宥
寅 寓 寵 尖 尤 屑 峨 峻 崚 嵯 嵩 嶺 巌(巖)巫 已 巳 巴
巷 巽 帖 幌 幡 庄 庇 庚 庵 廟 廻 弘 弛 彗 彦 彪 彬 徠
忽 怜 恢 恰 恕 悌 惟 惚 悉 惇 惹 惺 惣 慧 憐 戊 或 戟
托 按 挺 挽 掬 捲 捷 捺 捧 掠 揃 摑 摺 撒 撰 撞 播 撫
擢 孜 敦 斐 斡 斧 斯 於 旭 昂 昊 昏 昌 昴 晏 晃(晄)晒
晋 晟 晦 晨 智 暉 暢 曙 曝 曳 朋 朔 杏 杖 杜 李 杭 杵
杷 枇 柑 柴 柘 柊 柏 柾 柚 桧(檜)栞 桔 桂 栖 桐 栗 梧
梓 梢 梛 梯 桶 梶 椛 梁 棲 椋 椀 楯 楚 楕 椿 楠 楓 椰
楢 楊 榎 樺 榊 榛 槙(槇)槍 槌 樫 槻 樟 樋 橘 樽 橙 檎
檀 櫂 櫛 櫓 欣 欽 歎 此 殆 毅 毘 毬 汀 汝 汐 汲 沌 沓
沫 洸 洲 洵 洛 浩 浬 淵 淳 渚(渚︀)淀 淋 渥 渾 湘 湊 湛
溢 滉 溜 漱 漕 漣 澪 濡 瀕 灘 灸 灼 烏 焰 焚 煌 煤 煉
熙 燕 燎 燦 燭 燿 爾 牒 牟 牡 牽 犀 狼 猪(猪︀)獅 玖 珂
珈 珊 珀 玲 琢(琢︀)琉 瑛 琥 琶 琵 琳 瑚 瑞 瑶 瑳 瓜 瓢
甥 甫 畠 畢 疋 疏 皐 皓 眸 瞥 矩 砦 砥 砧 硯 碓 碗 碩
碧 磐 磯 祇 祢(禰)祐(祐︀)祷(禱)禄(祿)禎(禎︀)禽 禾 秦 秤
稀 稔 稟 稜 穣(穰)穹 穿 窄 窪 窺 竣 竪 竺 竿 笈 笹 笙
笠 筈 筑 箕 箔 篇 篠 簞 簾 籾 粥 粟 糊 紘 紗 紐 絃 紬
絆 絢 綺 綜 綴 緋 綾 綸 縞 徽 繫 繡 纂 纏 羚 翔 翠 耀
而 耶 耽 聡 肇 肋 肴 胤 胡 脩 腔 脹 膏 臥 舜 舵 芥 芹
芭 芙 芦 苑 茄 苔 苺 茅 茉 茸 茜 莞 荻 莫 莉 菅 菫 菖
萄 菩 萌(萠)萊 菱 葦 葵 萱 葺 萩 董 葡 蓑 蒔 蒐 蒼 蒲
蒙 蓉 蓮 蔭 蔣 蔦 蓬 蔓 蕎 蕨 蕉 蕃 蕪 薙 蕾 蕗 藁 薩
蘇 蘭 蝦 蝶 螺 蟬 蟹 蠟 衿 袈 袴 裡 裟 裳 襖 訊 訣 註
詢 詫 誼 諏 諄 諒 謂 諺 讃 豹 貰 賑 赳 跨 蹄 蹟 輔 輯
輿 轟 辰 辻 迂 迄 辿 迪 迦 這 逞 逗 逢 遥(遙)遁 遼 邑
祁 郁 鄭 酉 醇 醐 醍 醬 釉 釘 釧 銑 鋒 鋸 錘 錐 錆 錫
鍬 鎧 閃 閏 閤 阿 陀 隈 隼 雀 雁 雛 雫 霞 靖 鞄 鞍 鞘
鞠 鞭 頁 頌 頗 顚 颯 饗 馨 馴 馳 駕 駿 驍 魁 魯 鮎 鯉
鯛 鰯 鱒 鱗 鳩 鳶 鳳 鴨 鴻 鵜 鵬 鷗 鷲 鷺 鷹 麒 麟 麿
黎 黛 鼎
The 18 variant characters included in the list, with non-variant forms in parentheses, are:
The modern form (shinjitai), which appears in the Jōyō Kanji List, is given in brackets.
Usage of the Jinmeiyō Kanji in Japanese names varies widely. For example, 之, is used in
over 6000 names, and the 53 kanji used most commonly in names are all in over 500 names
each.[6]
See also
For a list of words relating to Jinmeiyō kanji, see the Kanji used for names category of
words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
External links
References
2. Japan Times, Get set for next year's overhaul of official kanji (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/e
k20091021mn.html) , 21 October 2009, retrieved 27 February 2010.
第 回「竜」と「龍」
5. https://dictionary.sanseido-publ.co.jp/column/ 2
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