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Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji for “wazawai” (disaster) during a ceremony Monday to announce the character best symbolizing 2004. The kanji garnered 20,900 out of 92,000 votes in the Kanji of the Year contest organized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, indicating disasters like the Niigata earthquakes of late October left a lasting impression on people’s minds.

Taken yet again from the Japan Times newspaper we have the above article. “Wazawai” is made up of the words fire and river giving a clue to its meaning. This year has been a real disaster year for Japan. 23 typhoons hit Japan this year as well as some of them being the most powerful for decades with the highest death tolls seen for decades as well. Also the above mentioned powerful earthquake in Niigata killed lots of people and leaving many of them homeless even now.

But Japan has had a great year on other fronts. In the Olympics they won a record haul of 37 medals which included 16 Gold, 9 Silver and 12 Bronze medals so I reckon Success would be a good kanji. The summer was the hottest for a long time so Hot is a good one as well.

Previous winners of this award are:

2003 Tiger
2002 Return
2001 War
2000 Gold
1999 End