Test Your Kanji Knowledge: How to Read Hokkaido's Trickiest Place Names

Jan 14 (News On Japan) - Dengeki Online's serialized feature "Difficult Kanji" is a corner that poses a wide range of challenging characters, from those so complex that their readings are unimaginable to those that seem simple at first glance but are difficult to read.

This project is overseen by "Keiji Kyoya," a humble calligrapher who lives with a cat.

The kanji in question this time is "重蘭窮", a famous difficult-to-read place name. The hint is 〇ぷ〇〇け〇〇. There are only three characters, but the reading seems long.

The answer is "Chipurankeushi"! It's a place name in Kushiro, Hokkaido.

Hokkaido, with the highest number of municipalities in Japan and a strong Ainu cultural influence, is known for its difficult-to-read place names. "Chippurankewshi (a place where boats are lowered)" seems to have such a meaning, although it is not clear how the name became established. It's an interesting and somewhat mysterious place name. Look forward to more challenging kanji in future updates!

by Brian Dentry

Source: Dengeki

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