Character for bear (熊) picked as most symbolic kanji of 2025

TOKYO — The kanji for “bear” (熊, kuma) was chosen as the single most representative character symbolic of the social mood in Japan this year, the Kyoto-based Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation said Friday.

This year, bears have been spotted in various places, resulting in a record number of human fatalities and injuries. The implementation of emergency hunting, which allows for the capture and culling of bears at the discretion of municipalities following a legal amendment, has also attracted attention. 

In Kyoto, chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori of Kiyomizu temple drew the character with a giant calligraphy brush on washi, or Japanese paper, 1.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide, at the famous location. The event was televised live.

The selection for the 31st annual poll run by the foundation is based on votes cast by the general public.

Of the 189,122 votes received, the character for "bear" received 23,346. In second place was "rice" (米, kome) with 23,166 votes, due to the soaring prices and the release of stockpiled rice. In third place was "high" (高, taka) with 18,300 votes. Reasons for this include the election of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, as well as rising prices.

Last year, the kanji for gold (金, kin) got the most votes.

© Japan Today