[For Seniors] Difficult-to-Read Kanji for Everyday Items: Take on a quiz full of surprises and discoveries
Did you know there are many tricky-to-read kanji hiding all around us? The names of fruits, vegetables, and tools can all be written in kanji, revealing expressions so rich you can’t help but say, “Ah, that makes sense!” Even familiar foods and everyday items can feel completely different when written in kanji, giving you a puzzle-like sense of excitement.
This time, we’re introducing difficult-to-read kanji for everyday things that you can enjoy together with seniors.
Check your answers as you go, and enjoy a time full of smiles, surprise, and discovery!
- [For Seniors] How many can you read? A kanji quiz of familiar things that look readable but aren’t
- [For Seniors] How many can you read? A comprehensive showcase of difficult food kanji
- [For Seniors] Fun and Exciting! Difficult Kanji Quiz
- [For Seniors] Challenging but Exciting! Kanji Quiz
- [For Seniors] Quiz on Kanji with Many Strokes
- [For Seniors] Let’s Have Fun with an Autumn Flower Kanji Quiz! A Collection of Kanji That Look Readable but Aren’t
- [For Seniors] Let’s Get Excited with a Winter Flower Kanji Quiz! Introducing Some Challenging Questions
- [For Seniors] Looks readable but you can't read it! Fish Kanji Quiz
- [For Seniors] Prevent Dementia with a Look-Alike Kanji Quiz! Introducing Commonly Confused Characters in a Multiple-Choice Format
- [For Seniors] Kanji Quiz on Flowers: From Easy Questions to Tough Challenges, All in One Go
- [For Seniors] Perfect for Dementia Prevention! Jumbled Kanji Quiz
- [For Seniors] Difficult Country Names Kanji Quiz
- [For Seniors] Kanji Decomposition Quiz: Assemble the scattered characters
[For Seniors] Hard-to-read Kanji for Familiar Things: Try a Quiz Full of Surprises and Discoveries (1–10)
mango
See the answer
mango
From the feel of the kanji used, it’s a hard-to-read character that makes you think “Maybe it’s a fruit.” The answer is mango, one of the iconic tropical fruits. In Japan, Miyazaki Prefecture is famous as a production area. I imagine there are older adults who enjoy sweet, juicy mangoes, aren’t there?
chopping board
See the answer
cutting board
A chopping board is a board made of wood, plastic, glass, and the like, used when cutting ingredients. It’s a tool used almost daily in the kitchen, and while it’s commonly written as “まな板” (manaita), many people may not know that there is also the single-character form “俎” (so). “俎” is an old term closely connected to cooking and culinary culture. It was also used in ancient Chinese rituals, making it a venerable character and a source of an unexpected discovery.
banana plant
“甘蕉” is read as “banana.” Because many people write “banana” in katakana, some may find the kanji form a bit difficult.
The character “甘” represents the sweetness of bananas, and “蕉” is said to denote the type of plant.
Sweet bananas with yellow peels are popular with people of all ages.
There are many varieties—some are small, some are reddish, and so on.
While bananas are now a popular fruit easily found in supermarkets, they used to be a luxury item in the past.
The kanji may be a little challenging, but do try to remember it!
[For Seniors] Hard-to-Read Kanji for Familiar Items: Try a Quiz Full of Surprises and Discoveries (11–20)
malt; malted grains; koji (fermentation starter)
The kanji 糵 is read as 'moyashi,' meaning bean sprouts.
Bean sprouts are long and nutritious, so they’re very popular and used in many dishes.
It’s said that this kanji originated when people in the past observed sprouts emerging from grain seeds and created a character that looks like a drawing of that.
There are various types of bean sprouts, such as mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, and black bean sprouts.
Because bean sprouts spoil easily, it’s recommended to store them in the refrigerator after purchase and use them up quickly.
When presenting the kanji, writing it on a large sheet of paper to make it easy to see may help people understand it better.
garlic
It’s written as 大蒜 and read as “ninniku” (garlic).
In the past, pungent plants like garlic, green onions, chives, and wild garlic were collectively written with the character 蒜 and read as “hiru.” To distinguish garlic from nobiru (written as 野蒜), garlic was written as 大蒜 and read as “ōbiru.” There is also nira (garlic chives), which uses the similar-looking character 韭.
Incidentally, garlic, green onions, and nira all belong to the lily family, the same as lilies and tulips.
The part buried in the soil is a bulb.
corn
These unfamiliar-looking characters, 玉蜀黍, are the kanji for one of the world’s three major grains that is in season in summer.
The word written with these characters is the common name for this food, but in Japan it’s called various names depending on the region, such as “tōkibi” or “nanba.” By introducing regional nicknames as hints, older adults might recognize the term from their birthplace and quickly arrive at the answer.
The correct reading of this kanji is, precisely, “corn.” It’s also effective for recovering from summer fatigue, so after solving the quiz, be sure to give it a try!
fig
What does the kanji “無花果” represent? Here’s a hint: it’s a fruit.
It’s widely produced in Wakayama and Aichi Prefectures and is eaten from summer to autumn.
It’s sometimes said to be the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve ate, but it’s not the famous apple.
Although the kanji say “no flower,” the truth is that the flowers bloom inside the fruit! So, what is this unusually structured fruit? It’s the fig (ichijiku).
Figs are rich in nutrients that help prevent constipation, as well as iron and minerals, so when they’re in season, seniors should enjoy not only the quiz but also their delicious taste.