墾

cultivating land

Kanji 1281

Japan wouldn't be what it is if people hadn't labored to cultivate the land, making it suitable for agriculture and human habitation. Learn how the Japanese use 墾 to represent that major effort, and find out how to combine 墾 with just a few common kanji so you can talk about lands both tamed and wild. Find out how one term can mean both "cultivated land" and its opposite. 

Revision history:

Feb. 11, 2022: 

• p. 2, Etymology Box: Updated the Henshall etymology and the Sears link.
• p. 7: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Oct. 21, 2016: Originally published.