Kyujitai ⇔ Shinjitai Converter (Old & New Kanji Forms)
Convert Japanese text between old kanji forms (kyujitai: 國, 學, 體) and the modern simplified forms (shinjitai: 国, 学, 体). It is useful when transcribing old documents, family registers or names, or when a form rejects characters outside the current standard. The tool lists every character it changed, and can also normalise name variants such as 髙 and 﨑. For hiragana and katakana, see the Hiragana / Katakana Converter.
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Notes
- The tool covers the old forms (Kangxi dictionary forms) of the main jōyō kanji, plus some variant characters used in names. It is not an exhaustive list of every old form or variant.
- New → old replaces one character at a time without looking at the surrounding word. Some words come out differently from the real old spelling, so characters with several meanings (台, 予, 欠) are not converted in the new → old direction.
- The kanji 弁 has three old forms (辨, 辯, 瓣), so it is not converted in the new → old direction. In the old → new direction all three become 弁.
- Check the official spelling of a name or place in a family register, property record or residence record. Do not use this tool’s output as-is on official documents.
Glossary
Kyujitai and shinjitai
Kyujitai ("old character forms") are the traditional, more complex forms used before the 1946 reforms. Shinjitai ("new character forms") are the simplified forms that became the standard and make up most of today’s jōyō kanji. The old forms used here are the Kangxi dictionary forms.
Variant characters (itaiji)
Characters with a different shape that stand for the same kanji. For example 髙 (ladder-top 高) for 高 and 﨑 for 崎 appear in names and place names. They are handled separately from the old/new pairs.
FAQ
Can it convert name variants like 髙 and 﨑?
Yes. In the "Old → new forms" direction, tick the option for name variants and 髙 becomes 高, 﨑 becomes 崎 and 嶋 becomes 島.
Can I use the new → old result as it is?
Characters are replaced one by one, so some words come out wrong (characters with several meanings, 弁 台 予 欠, are skipped). Check the official spelling before using it on official documents or names.
Why is 弁 not converted to an old form?
弁 has three old forms, 辨 (distinguish), 辯 (speech) and 瓣 (petal), and one character alone cannot tell which is meant. In the old → new direction all three become 弁.
Does it cover every old kanji form?
It covers the old forms of the main jōyō kanji and some variants used in names, but not every old form or variant.
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