Oct 29, 2020
Weird Japanese: 〆
You may have seen the Japanese-made Kanji, 〆 on packaged nabe (hot pot) broth before.
It's another in my series of Weird Japanese; the things you won't find in Japanese textbooks.
〆 （しめ）is used as a short form, usually meaning:
閉める ...to close, as written on the back of an envelope; but also
締める ...to fasten (as in deadline: 締め切り),
絞める ...to tighten, and
占める ...to occupy.
(All of the above are read as shimeru.)
It essentially looks like an X, written quickly.
In the case of the nabe packaging (the only place I often see this character), the meaning is finishing. A lot of people make nabe, then add noodles or other toppings to finish off seconds or leftovers.
Have you ever noticed this character before?
2 Comments
JapanRamen
on Oct 30
I’ve seen it and always thought it looked more like some magical rune but only related to food. Learned something new today!
helloalissa
on Nov 1
@JapanRamen That was my hope, that anyone who didn't know would learn what this means, yay. Your theory of a magical rune sounds much cooler anyway.