Shinjitai 新字体

shinjitai · from Japanese

What is shinjitai?

Shinjitai are the simplified kanji forms adopted in Japan after 1946, which often differ from both traditional and mainland Simplified Chinese.

Japan simplified a few hundred characters alongside the 1946 tōyō kanji list. Some match PRC simplifications, but many do not, giving three versions of one character. Readers of Japanese and Chinese must learn to map between them.

Examples

國 → 国 (same as PRC); 氣 → 気 (PRC 气); 圖 → 図 (PRC 图); 學 → 学 (same as PRC)

Kungfucius says: Japan and China both simplified kanji in the same decade without comparing notes.