Why Are the Japanese Using a 'Shortcut Character' We've Forgotten?

When you're watching Japanese dramas or reading manga, have you ever come across this peculiar symbol: 「々」?

It often pops up in words like 「人々」 (hitobito) or 「時々」 (tokidoki). The first time you see it, you might be a bit stumped: Is that a typo, or some new internet symbol?

In reality, it's a bit of a magic trick for the lazy, roughly equivalent to a '+1' in an online chat or the squared symbol (²) in maths.

A 'Copy-Paste' Shortcut

The meaning of the symbol 「々」 is incredibly simple: It repeats the preceding character.

• 人々 (hito-bito) = 人人 (hito hito), meaning 'people' or 'everyone'
• 時々 (toki-doki) = 時時 (toki toki), meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'
• 日々 (hibi) = 日日 (hi hi), meaning 'every day' or 'daily'

See? It's a 'copy-paste' shortcut built right into the language. Pretty clever, isn't it?

What's even more fascinating is that the Japanese have given it a super cute nickname: 「ノマ」 (noma).

If you take a closer look at the 「々」 symbol, doesn't it look just like the katakana characters 「ノ」 (no) and 「マ」 (ma) pieced together? That nickname couldn't be more spot on.

The Most Familiar Stranger: The 'Chinese Character'

But what's truly astonishing is that this symbol, seemingly so 'quintessentially Japanese', is actually 100% 'Made in China', and boasts a rich history to boot.

It originates from Chinese cursive script, its original form being the character 「仝」 (pronounced 'tóng'), which means 'same' or 'alike'. Ancient calligraphers, wanting to write faster, simplified the character 「仝」 into the form of 「々」.

As far back as 3000 years ago, this usage was already appearing on Shang Dynasty bronzeware. For example, in inscriptions bearing '子子孙孙' (sons and grandsons, generation after generation), the second '子' (son) and '孙' (grandson) were written using this repeating symbol.

That's right, this symbol we thought was invented by the Japanese is actually the wisdom of our ancestors. It's just that during later evolution, modern Chinese got into the habit of directly repeating characters (like '人人' - rén rén, '常常' - cháng cháng), while Japanese preserved this efficient 'shortcut symbol' and made it an official part of their language.

It's a bit like discovering your neighbour has been using a secret family recipe for centuries, only to find out it was actually invented by your great-great-grandfather.

Language: A Treasure Trove Full of Easter Eggs

The next time you see 「々」, you'll know it's not just some weird symbol, but a 'living fossil' that has journeyed through millennia, connecting Chinese and Japanese cultures.

In Japanese input methods, you just type onaji (同じ) or dou (同), and you can easily find it.

The world of language is truly amazing, full of unexpected 'Easter eggs' like this. Behind every symbol, there might be a forgotten history hidden away, connecting different cultures. Learning a new language isn't just about memorising words and grammar; it's also about opening a door to explore untold stories.

If you're also fascinated by these cross-cultural stories and eager to communicate seamlessly with people around the world, then tools like Lingogram might be able to lend a hand. Its built-in AI translation feature lets you chat with anyone in your native language, as if you've been old friends for years, effortlessly uncovering more cultural secrets.