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ern Japanese. For example, the traditional equivalent corresponding to ‘old, past’
(entry 677) is . In some cases the difference in shape between the traditional form
and the modern form is very minor. One example of this is ‘road’ (entry 205), for
which the traditional form has as determinative in contrast to modern standard
usage in which it has been changed to 辶 . Another example is ‘person’ (entry
314), which in the traditional form has an extra stroke in the form of a dot. In a case
such as this, where the difference is judged to be insignificant for explaining the etymology,
we do not always list the traditional form separately. Incidentally, treatment
of characters involving a very small difference in shape between the traditional and
modern forms is not always consistent in the Jōyō kanji list itself: in ‘chopsticks’
(entry 1853), for instance, has a dot as in its traditional form, whereas as an independent
character in the list has no dot. It is worth remarking here that there is a
note appended to the list to the effect that very minor variation in shape of this type
(where it is also within the accepted boundaries of shape variation for a particular
character) is permissible in actual usage. This appears to be mainly to allow for the
fact that such minor differences are sometimes not recognized in the modern computerized
printed fonts.
7.3 Readings, Meanings, Stroke Count
Each entry has the on and/or kun reading(s) given to the right of the character at the
head of the entry. Beneath the readings are given the English translation and stroke
count. Beneath the translation and stroke count, examples are given of compounds
in which the character concerned is used. Bear in mind that the meanings given to
the elements that make up the individual characters in this book are based on etymology
and therefore may differ from meanings found in a modern character dictionary
such as Nelson’s The Modern Reader’s Japanese-English Character Dictionary.
An example of this is , originally a pictograph of a spinning spool or spool-shaped
toy, which is listed in Nelson’s Dictionary as the ‘9th calendar sign’; this is because
Nelson is focused on the modern meaning, not the historical etymology.
7.4 OBI, Bronze, and Seal Forms
Most entries start off by giving one or more early forms consisting of OBI, bronze,
and/or seal equivalents, depending on how far back a particular character can be
traced. Scholars often vary as to whether they recognize an OBI or bronze form for
a given character, and this can happen sometimes with the seal forms too, depending
on whether a particular form is accepted as a genuine earlier equivalent. For this
reason, the inclusion of an OBI, bronze, or seal form should be taken as a guide only.
If such a form is given, it is included as a representative shape: it does not necessarily
mean that other shapes for that character at that same stage do not exist. Rather, it
Introduction 21