It is commonly known that the Japanese have adopted thousands of Chinese characters into their written language. What is less known is that there are a number of Chinese characters that have been invented in Japan and which are not in use in the Chinese language. Below you will find most of them.

Chinese written characters invented by Japan:

喰う         kura(u), ku(u)             eat, drink, receive (a blow)

〆             shime                         adding up; bundle; ream; seal

                shime(te)                    totaling

                shime(ru)                   sum up

                kan                             81/3  pounds

匁             momme, me               a measurement

毟る         mushi(ru)                    pluck, pick, tear

俤             omokage                    = 面影, visage, face; trace, shadow; memory

俥             kuruma                      rickshaw, jinricksha

俣             mata                          crotch, thigh, groin

働く         hataraku                    work, labor; do, act, commit, practice

凩             kogarashi                  wintry wind

凧             ikanobori, tako          kite

凪             nagi                           lull, calm

                na(gu)                       become calm, die down

叺             kamasu                     straw bag; tobacco pouch

噺             hanashi                     = 話, (n) talk, chat, conversation

塀             hei                             wall, fence

嬶             kakâ, kaka                 wife (vulgar)

峠             tôge                           mountain pass; crisis, climax

杢             moku                         wood worker

枠             waku                         frame, framework; reel, spindle, spool

枡             masu                         = 桝 measuring box

栃             tochi                          horse chestnut

栂             tsuga                         hemlock, hemlock-spruce

柾             masa, masame         straight grain

                masaki                       spindle tree

梻 shikimi                   = 樒, a tree whose branches are placed on Buddhist graves

椚             kunugi                       a kind of oak used for charcoal

榊             sakaki                        sacred Shintô tree

樫             kashi                         evergreen oak

畑             hatake, hata             = 畠,field, plantation, garden; one’s specialty

燵             tatsu                          a foot-warmer

瓧             dekaguramu             decagram, 10 grams

瓩        kiroguramu                kilogram, 1000 grams

瓱             deshiguramu            decigram, 1/10 gram

甅             miriguramu               milligram, 1/1000 gram

笹        sasa                           bamboo grass

簓             sasara                        bamboo whisk; broken end of a bamboo stalk

粁        kiromêtoru                 kilometer

籾        momi                         unhulled rice

粍        mirimêtoru                 millimeter

糎        senchimêtoru            centimeter

縅す      odo(su)                       = 脅かすobiyakasu    threaten, frighten, intimidate

膵        sui                             pancreas

蓙        goza                          mat, matting

裄        yuki                          sleeve length

褄        tsuma                       skirt

迚        totemo                     very; some way or another

辻        tsuji                           crossroad, street crossing; road side

鎹        kasugai                    iron clamp

閊える   tsuka(eru)                 =支える, be obstructed, be blocked, be choked, break down

鞆        tomo                         archer’s arm protector

鯱        shachihoko               dolphin-like fish

            shachi                      killer whale

鱈        setsu, tara                codfish

鰯        iwashi                       sardine

鯰        namazu                     fresh-water catfish