The Chinese character (kanji) “mitsu” (密) has been named the kanji that best symbolizes the year 2020 for Japan. The kanji is unveiled each year at historic Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. Screencap from FNN official YouTube channel.
After a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has chosen 密 (
mitsu) as the kanji (Chinese character) of the year.
While literally translated as “secret,” the character 密, in this case, can mean “close, crowded or confined,” and refers to the “three
mitsus” (三密) that make up the basic public health response to COVID-19 in Japan.
The “3 Cs” (三密) that have guided Japan s basic public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Image by the Government of Japan, CC-BY 4.0.