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Kana (Hiragana, Katakana), Kanji, Alphabet, numerals...Japanese people really do use a wide variety of letters.
Kanji was originally introduced to Japan from China and was then derived into Kana, making it a fairly exotic language. |
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Kanji are characters that hold specific meaning, and there are thousands and thousands of different Kanji characters. When most non-Kanji using people from outside Japan (or China) learn Japanese, Kanji is a particularly difficult and troublesome point. Kanji characters hold a particular meaning, and can be read in multiple ways. That reading is not limited to a specific character and there is no real pattern for pronunciation.
It must seem strange to foreigners that Japanese and Chinese people would use such complicated characters. Kanji characters have a decided stroke pattern  . There are many Kanji characters that are made up of more than 20 strokes. Kanji characters consist basically of two parts, the "Hen", and the "Tsukuri". The basic or general meaning of the Kanji is determined by the Hen (which usually makes up the left hand side of or bottom of a Kanji). For example, if you create a Kanji related to a particular type of fish or the concept of fish in general, the left-hand side of that Kanji would consist of the Hen that is related to fish. Kanji that deal with trees are written using the "Ki" Hen which is specific to types of trees or the image of "tree".
Now to explain the Tsukuri. For example, in order to create the Kanji for Tsubaki (a type of tree that flowers in the Spring), the Hen that deals with trees( ) must be written to the left side. The appropriate Tsukuri for this Kanji is Haru ( )-which means Spring, and the resulting Kanji is a combination of the Hen and the Tsukuri  Tsubaki (literally meaning Spring tree).
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Such a complicated way of writing can often seem very much like just a puzzle, however the origin of Kanji is said to be over 6000 years old. In ancient China a form of fortune telling performed by carving characters on bones or tortoiseshells (Kokotsu Moji) is said to be the first written form of Kanji. There were picture-like characters as well as symbolic ones. The shape of the characters varied from region to region, but roughly 2200 years ago China fell under the rule of the country of Shin during which time there was considerable unification of the many types of characters into a standardized form. During that time those standardized characters were made into Tensho (a type of character seal), which are the basis for the Inkan (name seals used as signatures) commonly used in Japan today. From that point the shape of Kanji characters began a further transition from which  Reisho (a type of calligraphy),  Sourei,  Sousho(Chinese cursive handwriting),  Kaishotai (printed style of writing),  Gyousho were all evolved.
The types of Kanji characters changed from generation to generation. These are the same Kanji characters commonly used today.
1000 years ago in China during the Sung dynasty printing technology was developed and the Sung style of type was developed from the earlier Kaishotai form of hand printing. Soon thereafter the still commonly used  Mincho style of type, was also created. Along with  Gothic, Mincho is still used as the primary font for the printing of books, magazines, and newspapers in Japan.
Kanji is said to have been introduced to Japan in the 3rd Century (Kofun Period).
Influence continued from China and the shape of Kanji changed over time eventually resulting in the creation of some new Kanji characters, some of which were "exported" back to other countries. For example,  (the Hen relating to people), when combined with  (the Tsukuri relating to movement), forms the Kanji  (to work). This is one famous example of such a Kanji created in Japan and used in other countries.
Japanese people created their own reading for Kanji characters. This pronunciation is called the Kun Yomi. Another form of pronunciation, the On Yomi, of these characters is similar to the original Chinese pronunciation. |
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| Instead of using only those Kanji characters that had been introduced from China, Japan developed a separate set of independent characters called Kana. Kana is based on the sound of a number of Kanji and similar to the letters of the alphabet in that they are simply the "building blocks" of words with no meaning in and of themselves. They differ from the English alphabet mainly in that they are not separated into consonants and vowels; most all Kana are constructed of a consonant and a vowel.
Kana is said to have been developed in the 7th Century (Asuka Period) after initially only Kanji characters had been used. The shape of the characters gradually changed in the 10th-11th Century (Heian Period) through the efforts of literary women. This development was and is still viewed as a major historical achievement for women. Although these individual characters based in sound were quite convenient, they did not appear in official public documents for some time and really only began to be used widely in such areas during the Meiji restoration of the 19th Century (1867).
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| Kana is made up of Hiragana and Katakana, each containing 47 characters respectively, and is used in modern day Japanese. Hiragana characters are used in conjunction with traditional Japanese words and verb conjugation while Katakana characters are used mainly to assist in the pronunciation of and "importation" of foreign words into Japanese. Hiragana has a generally soft impression and Katakana a slightly harder more rigid tone. If Katakana were music it might likely be Techno. |
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Kanji is not only used in Eastern Asia for the purpose of communication, it is appreciated on an artistic level. Shodo-the art of creating beautiful text using a brush is an art form. Most people give their opinion of Shodo works and occasionally some get the impression that the works are merely characters written on paper.
Historically there have been many great Shodo masters in Japan, China, and Korea. The works of those masters often appear in educational textbooks and are respected as fine examples of the art form. Written characters in Eastern Asia are already considered to possess artistic value.
In keeping with this history and artistic sense your new name can be expressed using Kanji and Kana. Kampai can present to you the gift of that new and cool Eastern Asian identity.
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