TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese character or kanji "kuma," which means bear, was chosen as kanji of the year that best represents the social mood in Japan in 2025, a Kyoto-based organization announced Friday.
According to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Association, the kanji for "bear" came out on top by a popular vote, with the general public sending in postcards, casting their ballots in person at bookstores nationwide, or voting online.
On the day, the kanji character was written with a giant calligraphy brush on a roughly 1.5-meter-high, 1.3-meter-wide sheet of Japanese washi paper by chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori of the renowned Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a World Heritage site in Kyoto.
Bears have been spotted in various places in Japan this year, resulting in a record number of human fatalities and injuries. Videos of bears rummaging through supermarket aisles, roaming school grounds and plucking persimmons from suburban backyards have gone viral on Japanese social media.
As of Dec. 4, 13 people were killed by bears compared to six in 2024, while 235 were injured in bear encounters spanning 21 prefectures, according to public broadcaster NHK data.
Of the 189,122 votes received, the kanji for "bear" received 23,346, locked in a close race with "rice" with 23,166 votes, due to the soaring prices and the release of stockpiled rice.
Every December, a kanji character that mirrors the social climate of the year is chosen through public voting and announced at Kiyomizu-dera temple. Last year, the kanji for "gold" got the most votes. ■
