“Kuma” Declared the Kanji of the Year for an “Unbearable” 2025

nippon.com ^ | Dec. 12, 2025 | staff

[chajin]

The kanji 熊 (kuma), meaning “bear,” came out on top in popular voting for the kanji of the year for 2025. Powerful wild animals encroaching into human settlements were an irresistible image propelling the character past 米 (kome, “rice”) in a closely contested race.

[chajin]

December 12 is Kanji (the complicated symbols in Japanese writing) Day, when a Kanji of the Year is chosen. Japan has had more bear-related incidents this year than ever. In Florida, we institute bear hunting; in Japan, they pick a Chinese symbol.

[wouldilie]

In the army I was assigned to a post in northern Japan named Kuma Station.

[Verginius Rufus]

Kanji are Chinese characters. I have a Langenscheidt’s Pocket Dictionary of Chinese—it has that symbol meaning “bear” (the Chinese word is completely different from the Japanese word). I also have a Langenscheidt’s Pocket Dictionary of Japanese and for “kuma” meaning “bear” it gives only the hiragana symbols (one for “ku” and one for “ma”).

[17th Miss Regt]

And the Imperial Japanese Navy had a cruiser named Kuma.

[KarlInOhio]

Meanwhile, my most hated Kanji for the 30th year running is 量 (ryō): Quantity, amount, volume. 

I worked for a printing equipment company and far too many mornings I would come in to find a proof from Japan with that character circled and a note from my boss to see him about how badly it was printed. Our equipment couldn't handle the nine horizontal lines at the resolution the customers wanted to print but somehow it was my fault. And it is on almost all Japanese packages.

[VanShuyten]

“...propelling the character past 米 (kome, “rice”) in a closely contested race.”

Rice is the main staple, of course, and it has been setting record prices, which angers everyone.

[chajin]

In Japan, rice is twice the price, feeding mice and vice. They have reacted to rice price the way we reacted to egg price a year ago—the difference is that eggs are back down, rice is not.

[poconopundit]

米国

A quiz for FReepers.  Above, I combined the kanji for "rice" with the kanji for "country".

What is the Japanese meaning of this "rice country"?

Hint: the translation is the same for the Katakana word: アメリカ

[Candor7]

熊

My Japanese Niku namu.

A famous children’s folk song:

童謡 - Mori no Kuma-san - 森のくまさん :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwatp0BlvLM

I have been called” Kuma “ for over 40 years.Started with my kyudo Sensei.....now everyone in Japan calls me Kuma.

[poconopundit]

I wish you a Merry Christmas, Kuma-san!

It's a cute song I've heard many times but didn't know the meaning.

It's very simple to make your text bigger. FR, in its forward-looking vision, has given us a path to display large characters, plus foreign and multi-colored fonts.

For instance: Merry メリー Christmas クリスマス

And here's the FR code:

<b><font size=5 color=darkred face=Georgia>
Merry メリー</font>
<font size=5 color=green face=Georgia>
Christmas クリスマス
</font>

Warning, FReepers. Don't even try to replicate this code after sipping egg nog.

[Candor7]

Thanks for the text code tips.

All the best to you during New Years,

Year of the Fire Horse.

[Bikkuri]

America

[GOPJ]

Cool.

[Candor7]

The people who named me Kuma?

Old Samurai family who have been making yumi ( bows ) for about 600 years.

I regard the Shibatas as my family.

See:

https://suigenkyo.com/lp/kyo-yumi-en/

[poconopundit]

It’s fantastic to have such connections to this Japanese family making bows for the samurai way back 600 years.

There’s an excellent show on TV Tokyo where they invite gaijins to Japan to work with masters of so many craftsmen arts. Beautiful show to introduce Japanese traditional crafts and make it relevant today.

Many of the people being invited from the U.S., France, Italy, Argentina and other countries will go back to their home country and continue or start a business utilizing the knowledge they gained from masters.

Fantastic show. Could not find any Youtubes of the show.

[GOPJ]

Great story. Amazing bows - thanks for sharing Kuma.

https://suigenkyo.com/lp/kyo-yumi-en/

[poconopundit]

The kuma is getting a lot of notoriety this autumn as the unseasonable weather forced many bears (especially in Hokkaido) to come out of the woods and hunt for food in gardens.  One woman was killed by a bear.

And that incident has caused all sorts of publicity. Human violence is under control in Japan.  So animal violence gets the headlines.  Good figure.

[Candor7]

My root teacher was a very interesting Kyudo Master, a renegade who would not change the ancient way of kyudo, like an arrow arriving from ancient times who passed away in 2013 at the age of 93; he was one of the last surviving samurai:

Shibata XX, teachings, bio and links

He first called me "Mapuru Tree"

Then a few years later , "Kuma."