Taito, Daito, Otodo

The total stroke count is 84. Amazingly, this was apparently used as a person’s surname. It’s hard enough to write, and you certainly can’t read it at a glance. People with this surname may have had a tough time… In reality, though, there’s no conclusive proof that it ever existed, and it’s known as one of the so-called “ghost surnames.”

hail; also can mean 'table/list' (表) or 'leopard' (豹) depending on kanji/context

The total stroke count is 30. It’s said to depict horses running in a herd. Once you know the meaning, it’s a kanji that looks just like what it represents. Since you only write the same character three times, it’s easy to memorize. However, it doesn’t seem like there will be many chances to use it.

Run

It has a total of 30 strokes, and its radical is “bird.” It’s a character that represents a divine bird, a type of phoenix. Like “驫,” it’s one of the kanji with the highest stroke count among JIS characters. It may seem difficult, but it’s composed only of “thread” (糸), “speech” (言), and “bird” (鳥), so once you remember that, even children can write it.

Tetsu

The total stroke count is 64. It carries the meaning of being talkative. It has many strokes, but as long as you remember “dragon” (龍), you can write this character. It isn’t often used in everyday life, but there’s a junmai daiginjo sake made in Yamagata with the same name. If you’re interested, please try looking for it.

Bian

The total stroke count is 57. It’s said that this character is only used when writing “biangbiang noodles” in kanji. Biangbiang noodles are wide, flat noodles commonly eaten in China’s Shaanxi Province. You can sometimes see the character on shop signs, so look out for it when you visit China.

san, sen / kashi(gu), kamado

The total stroke count is 29, and its radical is the fire radical. It means “to cook rice,” but this character alone doesn’t ring a bell, does it? If you write “hangō suisan” in kanji, it becomes 「飯盒炊爨」, and you can see that this character is used at the end.

depression

The total stroke count is 29, and the radical is 鬯. This is a regularly used (Joyo) kanji, so many of you may be familiar with it. It carries the meaning of feeling depressed, as seen in compounds like 憂鬱. It also has the meaning of plants and trees growing luxuriantly.

spike/chisel; to bore (pierce, gouge)

The total stroke count is 28, and the radical is ‘metal.’ If you’re a carpenter or enjoy DIY, you might have gotten this one. This is the kanji for the tool ‘nomi,’ a chisel used to make holes in wood and the like. You probably won’t use the kanji often, but if you’re taking the Kanji Kentei, it’s worth remembering.

shinzō [stroke count (786 strokes)]

This is an original kanji character designed by Taiyo Iiyama. Amazingly, it has as many as 786 strokes. Its reading, “shinzō,” is said to mean “I swear to God” in oiran speech. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the character.

bonnō [stroke count (108 strokes)

This is an invented kanji character that has become a big topic on social media. It was created by the artist Fudepoyo. It represents “bonnō,” the worldly desires that trouble the human mind and body. If you look closely, you can see elements scattered within the character that seem to be the sources of these desires.