墾
cultivating land
Kanji 1281
Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.
Japan wouldn't be what it is if people hadn't labored to cultivate the land, making it suitable for agriculture and human habitation. Learn how the Japanese use 墾 to represent that major effort, and find out how to combine 墾 with just a few common kanji so you can talk about lands both tamed and wild. Find out how one term can mean both "cultivated land" and its opposite.
Revision history:
Nov. 26, 2024: p. 4: Changed the description of 白い蚊帳 ("White Mosquito Net"); it's a short story, not a novel.
Feb. 11, 2022:
- p. 2, Etymology Box: Updated the Henshall etymology and the Sears link.
- p. 7: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
Oct. 21, 2016: Originally published.
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