呉爾羅 ゴジラ Gojira

OK, I know, I know, this isn’t the first kanji you should be learning to survive in Japan. But hey, now you can impress someone at a party with your amazing random kanji knowledge.

呉爾羅 “gojira” is written with “ateji” which are kanji chosen for their phonetic sound rather than meaning. There are a few theories out there as to how our green gigantic green friend got his name. Some say “Godzilla” or “gojira” as it is pronounced in Japanese, is a cross between “gorira” (gorilla) and 鯨 kujira (whale).

You can see this temporary statue of gojira in the garden behind Midtown in Roppongi Tokyo.