Visiting Scholars Cultural Presentation: Hanzi & Kanji: Characters that Connect China and Japan

About This Event

Presenters: Dr. Tingting Huang (School of Business Administration) and Dr. Hiroshi Matsumoto (Kinesiology and Sport Management – School of Education), with Ruo Mo.

Expore how hanzi (Chinese characters) and kanji + kana (Japanese writing) connect two cultures. They will compare how characters carry meaning and sound, trace a few fun evolutions from pictographs to modern forms, and look at shinjitai vs. traditional characters. They will also highlight wasei-kango - Sino-Japanese words coined in Japan that later enriched modern Chinese vocabulary. To balance both perspectives, they will show how kana works with kanji in Japanese sentences and demonstrate shodō styles (kaisho/gyōsho/sōsho). Attendees can create a take-home bookmark featuring their English name in katakana alongside a hanzi character. Includes Asian food for lunch.