Kanji for 2009 is "New
Over 160,000 entries, the largest number ever
December 11, 2009, Kyoto, Japan - A total of 16,1365 applications submitted for consideration to best symbolize Japan's year 2009 are The Chinese character, meaning "new" was chosen to be the character of the year. (Photo by Koichi Shuto/AFLO) [0444].