1.
variant form of a kanji character with the same reading and meaning
An alternate written form of a kanji that shares the same reading and meaning as the standard form but differs in stroke composition. Examples include 峯/峰 and 塚/塚. Commonly encountered in names and older texts.
Variant characters used in personal names often don't appear in dictionaries.
Similar words
- 旧字体: old character form — the pre-1949 standard forms (e.g., 國 for 国); a category of historical standard rather than variant
- 略字: simplified character — informal shorthand used in handwriting
- 異体字: variant — a recognized alternate form, neither the modern standard nor purely informal
Usage
Commonly encountered when reading historical documents, Japanese personal names (人名用漢字 includes many), and place names. Digitally, may require special fonts or character selectors to display correctly.