noun
made-up kanji; invented Chinese character
Refers to a kanji that someone has created on their own, not part of the standard set. Often used in contexts like puzzles, art, or personal marks.
彼は自分の名前を表す作り字を考え出した。
He came up with a made-up kanji to represent his own name.
noun
forming a character with people or objects
Describes the act of arranging people or things to create the shape of a kanji or other character, often for performances or group photos. Compare with 人文字.
See also: 人文字
運動会で生徒たちが作り字で校章を表現した。
At the sports day, the students formed the school emblem by arranging themselves into a character.
noun
Japanese-made kanji; kokuji
Archaic term for kanji created in Japan, now usually called 国字. Rarely used in modern Japanese.
See also: 国字
「峠」や「辻」は、もともと作り字と呼ばれた国字の例だ。
Characters like 峠 and 辻 are examples of kokuji that were once called 作り字.
Modern standard term for kanji created in Japan. 作り字 in sense 3 is an archaic synonym.
Specifically refers to forming characters with people. 作り字 in sense 2 is broader, including objects.
Compound of 作り (making) + 字 (character). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term has been used for various concepts involving created or arranged characters.