Ryakuji
Encyclopedia
Ryakuji are colloquial simplifications of Kanji
.
, nor are they officially recognized (most Ryakuji are not present in Unicode
). However, some abbreviated forms of Hyōgaiji
(表外字, characters not included in the Tōyō
or Jōyō Kanji
Lists) included in the JIS
standards which conform to the Shinjitai
simplifications are included in Level pre-1 and above of the Kanji Kentei
(eg. 餠→餅, 摑→掴), as well as some other allowances for alternate ways of writing radical
s and alternate forms. Some Ryakuji were adopted as Shinjitai
.
s and other handwriting
. The Ryakuji for 門 (MON, kado; gate [also a radical, mongamae]) is widely used; however, it appears that there has been a decline in the use of Ryakuji in recent years.
Some ryakuji are simplified phono-semantic characters, retaining a radical as semantic and replacing the rest of the character with a katakana
phonetic for the on reading, e.g., 議 (20 strokes) may be simplified as 言 (semantic) + ギ (phonetic "gi" for on reading):
This may also be done using Latin characters; for example, the character 憲 (as used in 憲法 kenpō, "constitution") may be simplified to "宀K": the radical 宀 placed over the letter K; this is particularly common in law school. Similarly, 慶應 (Keiō
) as in Keio University
may be simplified to "广K广O": the letters K and O respectively placed inside the radical 广.
The character 機 has a number of ryakuji, as it is a commonly used character with many strokes (16 strokes); in addition to the above phono-semantic simplification, it also has a number of purely graphical simplifications:
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
.
Status
Ryakuji are not covered in the Kanji KenteiKanji kentei
The , also known as , or , is a test of kanji ability.There are 12 levels with level 10 being the easiest and level 1 the most difficult. The test examines ability to read and write kanji, to understand their meanings and use them correctly in sentences, and to identify correct stroke order...
, nor are they officially recognized (most Ryakuji are not present in Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
). However, some abbreviated forms of Hyōgaiji
Hyogaiji
, literally characters from outside the table are Japanese kanji outside the two major lists Jōyō, which are taught in primary and secondary school, and Jinmeiyō, which are additional kanji that officially are allowed for use in personal names....
(表外字, characters not included in the Tōyō
Toyo kanji
The tōyō kanji, also known as the Tōyō kanjihyō are the result of a reform of the Kanji characters of Chinese origin in the Japanese written language. They were the kanji declared "official" by the Japanese on November 16, 1946...
or Jōyō Kanji
Joyo kanji
The is the guide to kanji characters announced officially by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Current jōyō kanji are those on a list of 2,136 characters issued in 2010...
Lists) included in the JIS
JIS
JIS is a three letter acronym that can stand for:*Japanese Industrial Standards**JIS encoding**Shift JIS**Horsepower*Jakarta International School*Jeddah International School*Jerudong International School*Jabriya Indian School*Just in Sequence...
standards which conform to the Shinjitai
Shinjitai
Shinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
simplifications are included in Level pre-1 and above of the Kanji Kentei
Kanji kentei
The , also known as , or , is a test of kanji ability.There are 12 levels with level 10 being the easiest and level 1 the most difficult. The test examines ability to read and write kanji, to understand their meanings and use them correctly in sentences, and to identify correct stroke order...
(eg. 餠→餅, 摑→掴), as well as some other allowances for alternate ways of writing radical
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
s and alternate forms. Some Ryakuji were adopted as Shinjitai
Shinjitai
Shinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
.
Use
Ryakuji are primarily used in individual memoMemo
Memo may refer to:* Most commonly Memorandum.* Bench memorandum, law* Memorandum Recordings - record company* Mêmo* MEMO - specialization in electrical engineering that studies Microwaves, Electromagnetism and Optoelectronic...
s and other handwriting
Handwriting
Handwriting is a person's particular & individual style of writing with pen or pencil, which contrasts with "Hand" which is an impersonal and formalised writing style in several historical varieties...
. The Ryakuji for 門 (MON, kado; gate [also a radical, mongamae]) is widely used; however, it appears that there has been a decline in the use of Ryakuji in recent years.
Further examples
Derived characters accordingly also have derived ryakuji, as in these characters derived from 門:Some ryakuji are simplified phono-semantic characters, retaining a radical as semantic and replacing the rest of the character with a katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
phonetic for the on reading, e.g., 議 (20 strokes) may be simplified as 言 (semantic) + ギ (phonetic "gi" for on reading):
This may also be done using Latin characters; for example, the character 憲 (as used in 憲法 kenpō, "constitution") may be simplified to "宀K": the radical 宀 placed over the letter K; this is particularly common in law school. Similarly, 慶應 (Keiō
Keio
was a after Genji and before Meiji. The period spanned the years from April 1865 to September 1868. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
) as in Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
may be simplified to "广K广O": the letters K and O respectively placed inside the radical 广.
The character 機 has a number of ryakuji, as it is a commonly used character with many strokes (16 strokes); in addition to the above phono-semantic simplification, it also has a number of purely graphical simplifications:
See also
- ShinjitaiShinjitaiShinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
- Simplified Chinese characterSimplified Chinese characterSimplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Xiandai Hanyu Tongyong Zibiao for use in Mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, it is one of many standard character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language...
- Variant Chinese characterVariant Chinese characterVariant Chinese characters are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Almost all variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting...
- Yakja, Korean simplifications