In the last week of every year, we will write a blog about the Chinese Character of the year. Do you know these 2025 Chinese Characters? Read more.
The Chinese Character of the Year is like the Person of the Year of TIME magazine. Japan is the first country to choose one Chinese character to indicate the year’s theme. This started in 1995 and became a very popular event in Japan and Asia. Other countries also choose their Chinese character of the year to show the most important thing people think about in the year. China started in 2006, Taiwan in 2008, Malaysia and Singapore started in the same year in 2011. Recently, some overseas Chinese communities, like America, France and others, also started their Chinese Characters of the Year.
Let’s now examine the Chinese of the year for Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Japan Chinese character of the year
This year, the Japanese chose 熊 to indicate the 2025 Chinese character.
On the surface, 熊 means bear. The animal. The one on warning signs. The one hikers hope never to meet. It’s read “kuma” in everyday Japanese, and it appears in familiar compound phrases like “熊出没注意” (kuma shutsubotsu chui), the “bear sighting” warnings posted in rural areas.
熊/xióng/Kuma/ -Bear
China Chinese Character of the Year – International
This is the Chinese character to reflect the international situation. 税 means tax/tariff
It indicates the year’s tariff war. You understand.
税/shuì/Tax, tariff
China Chinese Character of the Year – Domestic
This year, Chinese people chose “韧“, which means “strong and pliable, resilient”.
The year’s situation is not good for everyone, but we have live with it.
韧 /rèn/strong and pliable, resilient
The China-Taiwan Chinese Character of the Year
罢 (罷), became the 2025 Taiwan Chinese character of the year.
This single character captured the mood of the year.
In Chinese, 罷 can mean to remove, to end, or imply exhaustion.
Throughout 2025, recall campaigns dominated the news in Taiwan, keeping politics in constant conflict. At the same time, many people felt exhausted and wanted the fighting to stop.
That double meaning is why 罷 was chosen.
罢 (罷))/bà/cease, finish, stop; give up
Malaysia’s Chinese Character of the Year
税 became the 2025 Chinese character in Malaysia, following the 升 in 2024. It reflects the ongoing impact of tax policies on public life. The word 税 appeared in the top 10 list for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). After the GST was abolished in 2018, the word 税 gradually faded from the list, but returned strongly this year amid new tax policies and renewed public debate.
税/shuì/Tax, tariff
Singapore’s Chinese Character of the Year
Singaporeans chose 荡 as the 2025 Chinese character. Indicate the unstable world situation.
荡/dàng/swing. shake.
If you compare the 2025 Chinese characters with the 2024 Chinese characters, you will find people are now more concerned about tax/tariff, hard politics and unstable economics other than AI, political corruption and disasters in 2024.
If you want to know all the past Chinese Characters, please visit here.
If you are interested in learning Mandarin Chinese, please join our 2025 new classes.
You can also purchase a YCT1 Chinese character worksheet to learn how to write Chinese characters step by step.