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.
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
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
He came up with a made-up kanji to represent his own name.
At the sports day, the students formed the school emblem by arranging themselves into a character.
Characters like 峠 and 辻 are examples of kokuji that were once called 作り字.
Standard spelling for all senses.
Variant spelling; less common but still used.
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.