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Interesting Fact

The word 君が代 (Kimigayo) is the title of Japan's national anthem. Here, 君 (kimi) has traditionally been interpreted in connection with the sovereign, although the precise historical interpretation of the word has been debated. The song itself comes from a very old waka poem recorded in the Kokin Wakashū, a major anthology of Japanese poetry compiled over a thousand years ago. So when Japanese learners encounter 君, they may actually be looking at a character embedded in one of Japan's oldest poetic traditions.