hanja

/ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/

//ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə// noun

"hanja" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hanja” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The Han character script used to write Korean, particularly in classical literature.

Key facts for hanja
PropertyValue
Headwordhanja
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hanja” sits in English frequency

hanja falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hanja is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for hanja in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Korean 한자(漢字) (hanja), from Middle Chinese 漢字 (MC xanH dziH, “Chinese character”, literally “Han Chinese + character”). Compare Cantonese 漢字 /汉字 (hon³ zi⁶), Japanese 漢字 (kanji), Mandarin 漢字 /汉字 (hànzì), Vietnamese Hán tự. Doublet of kanji and … The correct English form is hanja, spelled H-A-N-J-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The Han character script used to write Korean, particularly in classical literature.
  2. 2
    Any individual Han character as used in the Korean language.

Etymology

Borrowed from Korean 한자(漢字) (hanja), from Middle Chinese 漢字 (MC xanH dziH, “Chinese character”, literally “Han Chinese + character”). Compare Cantonese 漢字 /汉字 (hon³ zi⁶), Japanese 漢字 (kanji), Mandarin 漢字 /汉字 (hànzì), Vietnamese Hán tự. Doublet of kanji and Hanzi.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hanja"?
"hanja" is spelled H-A-N-J-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/.
What does "hanja" mean?
As a noun, "hanja" means: The Han character script used to write Korean, particularly in classical literature.
How do you pronounce "hanja"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hanja" is /ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hanja"?
Borrowed from Korean 한자(漢字) (hanja), from Middle Chinese 漢字 (MC xanH dziH, “Chinese character”, literally “Han Chinese + character”). Compare Cantonese 漢字 /汉字 (hon³ zi⁶), Japanese 漢字 (kanji), Mandarin 漢字 /汉字 (hànzì), Vietnamese Hán tự. Doublet of ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “hanja”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-N-J-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɑn.d͡ʒə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list