The kanji “kin” (金), which means gold, was selected by the public on December 12 as the character that best represents 2024, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announced, Report informs via The Japan Times.
According to the foundation, the character was selected due the achievements of Japanese athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics, as well as baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani's success, and it also reflected the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush-fund scandal and the spate of robberies involving yami baito, or shady part-time jobs.
Others highlighted how the registration of the Sado Gold Mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the introduction of new banknotes for the first time in 20 years brought “kin” to the forefront, alongside the ongoing strain on household finances caused by persistent inflation.