Extended shinjitai
Encyclopedia
is the extension of the shinjitai
simplification method to : kanji
not included in the jōyō kanji
list. They are unofficial characters: the official forms of hyōgaiji are kyūjitai
(traditional characters).
list was produced in 1949, many characters were simplified from their original forms, and the new simpler forms became the standard kanji used in Japanese writing. For instance, the characters 學, 國, and 體, became 学, 国, and 体, respectively. The jōyō kanji
list, issued in 1981, contained additional simplifications such as 罐, 螢, and 龍, becoming 缶, 蛍, and 竜. In addition, the character 燈, which had already been reformed once during the formation of the tōyō kanji list, became 灯. A total of 357 characters were reformed from kyūjitai
(old character form) to become shinjitai
(new character form) when the jōyō kanji list was created (辨, 瓣, and 辯, were merged into a single character: 弁, bringing the total number of new shinjitai down to 355).
However, as a result of adopting simplified characters, kanji that shared the same structural elements (radical
s) were not all simplified in the same way. For instance, 賣, 續, and 讀, which were included in the list, were simplified as 売, 続, and 読, but the hyōgaiji 贖, 犢, and 牘, which contain the same element (賣) as the three previous kanji, were not given simplified forms. This problem arose from reforming characters on an individual basis rather than decomposing all characters into radicals and other constructs as was done for simplified Chinese character
s.
newspaper developed its own script known as Asahi characters
, which applied the rationale of simplification to characters other than jōyō kanji. In this script, the right element of the three previously mentioned unsimplified characters (贖, 犢, and 牘) were all simplified as 売. Characters that were simplified in this way are called extended shinjitai, as simplification was extended to characters outside of the jōyō kanji list.
Extended shinjitai was also implemented into JIS
kanji. The first version of JIS (JIS C 6226-1978), created in 1978, contained 10 characters that were simplified in this way, such as 噓 and 叛.
JIS X 0208
, created in 1983, was the first JIS character set to extensively use extended shinjitai, adopting simplifications for a large number of previously unsimplified characters. In total, 299 characters such as 鷗, 瀆, 潑, 逢, 飴 (301, including 曾 and 訛) were simplified from their original forms. Simplified forms had never been used in printing these characters prior to this reform. However, the character set became subject to criticism when it was revealed that the character 鷗 in the name "森鷗外" (Mori Ōgai
; a famous Japanese poet and novelist) could only be represented in word processors in its simplified form (鴎).
Released in February, 2000, the JIS X 0213
-2000 character set was presented as a solution to the problems of the previous character set, as the Shift JIS encoding was expanded to re-include traditional characters such as 鷗, 瀆, and 潑. In December of the same year, the Japanese Language Council compiled a list of kanji not included on the jōyō kanji list, and announced certain standards that would be used for all printed script. The creation of this list made it clear that extended shinjitai would not be used for kanji other than jōyō kanji, leading to an increased move towards reducing the use of extended shinjitai.
JIS X 0213-2004 (released in 2004) made minor modifications to the script, changing character shapes and strokes. For characters that are not in the jōyō kanji list, the single-dot shinnyō radical was changed into a double-dot radical. The Windows Vista
operating system
, released in January, 2007, conformed to these modifications, but confusion resulted in cases where the single-dot radical was automatically changed to the double-dot radical in surnames written using the character 辻.
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper also modified its characters to conform to the new standards, and altered their Asahi characters in January, 2007.
There is currently little demand for simplification, and, as noted above, traditional characters are the official standard. Decreased use of handwriting has largely eliminated the need for simpler, more time-efficient characters, since the number of strokes needed to write a character becomes irrelevant when texts are written using a modern word processor.
Shinjitai
Shinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
simplification method to : kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
not included in the jōyō kanji
Joyo kanji
The is the guide to kanji characters announced officially by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Current jōyō kanji are those on a list of 2,136 characters issued in 2010...
list. They are unofficial characters: the official forms of hyōgaiji are kyūjitai
Kyujitai
Kyūjitai, literally "old character forms" , are the traditional forms of kanji, Chinese written characters used in Japanese. Their simplified counterparts are shinjitai, "new character forms". Some of the simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in both China and Japan,...
(traditional characters).
Simplified forms
When the 1850 character-long tōyō kanjiToyo kanji
The tōyō kanji, also known as the Tōyō kanjihyō are the result of a reform of the Kanji characters of Chinese origin in the Japanese written language. They were the kanji declared "official" by the Japanese on November 16, 1946...
list was produced in 1949, many characters were simplified from their original forms, and the new simpler forms became the standard kanji used in Japanese writing. For instance, the characters 學, 國, and 體, became 学, 国, and 体, respectively. The jōyō kanji
Joyo kanji
The is the guide to kanji characters announced officially by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Current jōyō kanji are those on a list of 2,136 characters issued in 2010...
list, issued in 1981, contained additional simplifications such as 罐, 螢, and 龍, becoming 缶, 蛍, and 竜. In addition, the character 燈, which had already been reformed once during the formation of the tōyō kanji list, became 灯. A total of 357 characters were reformed from kyūjitai
Kyujitai
Kyūjitai, literally "old character forms" , are the traditional forms of kanji, Chinese written characters used in Japanese. Their simplified counterparts are shinjitai, "new character forms". Some of the simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in both China and Japan,...
(old character form) to become shinjitai
Shinjitai
Shinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
(new character form) when the jōyō kanji list was created (辨, 瓣, and 辯, were merged into a single character: 弁, bringing the total number of new shinjitai down to 355).
However, as a result of adopting simplified characters, kanji that shared the same structural elements (radical
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
s) were not all simplified in the same way. For instance, 賣, 續, and 讀, which were included in the list, were simplified as 売, 続, and 読, but the hyōgaiji 贖, 犢, and 牘, which contain the same element (賣) as the three previous kanji, were not given simplified forms. This problem arose from reforming characters on an individual basis rather than decomposing all characters into radicals and other constructs as was done for simplified Chinese character
Simplified Chinese character
Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Xiandai Hanyu Tongyong Zibiao for use in Mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, it is one of many standard character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language...
s.
Creation of extended shinjitai
The Asahi ShimbunAsahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
newspaper developed its own script known as Asahi characters
Asahi characters
are forms of Kanji particular to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Unlike Simplified Chinese, where simplifications apply to all characters, the general custom in Japanese publications is to print Jōyō/Jinmeiyō Kanji in simplified Shinjitai forms, and to print Hyōgaiji using their original,...
, which applied the rationale of simplification to characters other than jōyō kanji. In this script, the right element of the three previously mentioned unsimplified characters (贖, 犢, and 牘) were all simplified as 売. Characters that were simplified in this way are called extended shinjitai, as simplification was extended to characters outside of the jōyō kanji list.
Extended shinjitai was also implemented into JIS
Japanese Industrial Standards
Japanese Industrial Standards specifies the standards used for industrial activities in Japan.The standardization process is coordinated by Japanese Industrial Standards Committee and published through Japanese Standards Association.-History:...
kanji. The first version of JIS (JIS C 6226-1978), created in 1978, contained 10 characters that were simplified in this way, such as 噓 and 叛.
JIS X 0208
JIS X 0208
JIS X 0208 is a 2-byte character set specified as a Japanese Industrial Standard, containing 6879 graphic characters suitable for writing text, place names, personal names, and so forth in the Japanese language. The official title of the current standard is...
, created in 1983, was the first JIS character set to extensively use extended shinjitai, adopting simplifications for a large number of previously unsimplified characters. In total, 299 characters such as 鷗, 瀆, 潑, 逢, 飴 (301, including 曾 and 訛) were simplified from their original forms. Simplified forms had never been used in printing these characters prior to this reform. However, the character set became subject to criticism when it was revealed that the character 鷗 in the name "森鷗外" (Mori Ōgai
Mori Ogai
was a Japanese physician, translator, novelist and poet. is considered his major work.- Early life :Mori was born as Mori Rintarō in Tsuwano, Iwami province . His family were hereditary physicians to the daimyō of the Tsuwano Domain...
; a famous Japanese poet and novelist) could only be represented in word processors in its simplified form (鴎).
Reduction of extended shinjitai
Established in 1990, the JIS X 0212 set of auxiliary characters supplemented the previous character set by including both the traditional and simplified forms of certain characters. For instance, the traditional 鷗, 瀆, and 潑 characters were included in addition to the simplified 鴎, 涜, and 溌 characters. However, usage of these auxiliary characters in the Shift JIS computer encoding was not take into consideration, and most word processors remained unable to display these traditional characters. The Japanese Language Council meeting of 1992 confirmed the need for a unified character set that could be used in all computers and word processors.Released in February, 2000, the JIS X 0213
JIS X 0213
JIS X 0213 is a Japanese Industrial Standard defining coded character sets for encoding the characters used in Japan. This standard extends JIS X 0208. The first version was published in 2000 and revised in 2004 . As well as adding a number of special characters, characters with diacritic marks,...
-2000 character set was presented as a solution to the problems of the previous character set, as the Shift JIS encoding was expanded to re-include traditional characters such as 鷗, 瀆, and 潑. In December of the same year, the Japanese Language Council compiled a list of kanji not included on the jōyō kanji list, and announced certain standards that would be used for all printed script. The creation of this list made it clear that extended shinjitai would not be used for kanji other than jōyō kanji, leading to an increased move towards reducing the use of extended shinjitai.
JIS X 0213-2004 (released in 2004) made minor modifications to the script, changing character shapes and strokes. For characters that are not in the jōyō kanji list, the single-dot shinnyō radical was changed into a double-dot radical. The Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, released in January, 2007, conformed to these modifications, but confusion resulted in cases where the single-dot radical was automatically changed to the double-dot radical in surnames written using the character 辻.
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper also modified its characters to conform to the new standards, and altered their Asahi characters in January, 2007.
There is currently little demand for simplification, and, as noted above, traditional characters are the official standard. Decreased use of handwriting has largely eliminated the need for simpler, more time-efficient characters, since the number of strokes needed to write a character becomes irrelevant when texts are written using a modern word processor.