The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has a “Kanji of the Year” contest, and people send in their choice of one character that shows the year’s trends. The kanji of 2024 is “kin,” which means “gold.” It can also be read as “kane,” which means “money.” Over 200,000 people sent in their choices, and more people chose “kin” than any other Chinese character. That’s because of the gold medal winners at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics and the gold mines of Sado which have just become a world cultural heritage site. There was also a lot of news about money. People were bothered by money in politics, and everyone had to spend more money in 2024 because of inflation. (120 words)