The Japanese government sets policy for what kanji are j??y??– in standard use. These have evolved over the past century, starting from the institution of t??y?? kanji and shinjitai (new character form) in 1946, and continue to evolve over time.
But there are many more hy??gai kanji — that is, kanji outside the list. What is the history of this? And what are some interesting and salient examples of hy??gai kanji?
Historical Evolution
The Dai Kan-Wa Jiten — Great Dictionary of Sino-Japanese Characters — in all its glory. (Picture: Amazon.jp)
In order to understand hy??gai kanji, we need to back up and understand the origins of modern j??y?? kanji.
Shinjitai, the simplified modern form of kanji, dates to 1946, by authority of the Japanese Ministry of Education on 16 November 1946. Then Minister of Education Abe Yoshishige oversaw the promulgation of the 1946 era T??y?? kanji — Kanji in Current Use. This was the origin of what grew into the current list of j??y?? kanji.
From a starting count of 1850 kanji as of 1946, the number grew to 1945 kanji in 1981. As of 30 November 2010, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) revised the list again, to 2136 kanji, with 196 new j??y?? kanji added and the removal of 5.