When a kanji term is listed as outdated, is it for specific words or all of the words that use it?


I read jisho a lot and I run into words with outdated kanji. Does this mean
that the kanji term is outdated for a particular word or all words that use
it?




The database used by <https://jisho.org/> is [WWWJDIC by Jim
Breen](http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1C).

The code `(oK)` stands for "word containing out-dated kanji". This simply
means that nowadays the word is not written with these _kanji_. It does not
say that these _kanji_ are "out-dated" (whatever this would mean), just that
they are out-dated for writing the particular word listed.

As an example, look at the [entry for 遡る](http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-
bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1MDJ%C1%CC%A4%EB)

[code]

    さかのぼる 《遡る(P); 溯る; 逆上る(oK); 泝る》 (v5r,vi) (1) (uk) to go upstream; (2) (uk) to go back (in time, to origin); to date back to; to trace back to; to make retroactive; (P)
    
[/code]

The code `(P)` indicates that 遡る is a ""Priority" entry, i.e. among approx.
20,000 words deemed to be common in Japanese". It can also be written 溯る, 逆上る,
or 泝る. (The colour coding (see above link) says that 溯 and 泝 are not _jōyō
kanji_.)

However, **even though 逆 and 上 are _j­ōyō kanji_ with _jōyō_ readings 逆【さか】
and 上る【のぼる】, the _kanji_ representation 逆上る【さかのぼる】 is out-dated, which is
indicated by the code `(oK)`.**

(Of course the etymology of _sakanoboru_ is just _saka_ + _noboru_ and might
well have been written 逆上る, but nowadays it just isn't. See [Kanji for native
Japanese concepts: Kun'yomi spanning multiple
morphemes](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/6581/1628) for similar such
words.)




The database used by <https://jisho.org/> is [WWWJDIC by Jim
Breen](http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1C).

The code `(oK)` stands for "word containing out-dated kanji". This simply
means that nowadays the word is not written with these _kanji_. It does not
say that these _kanji_ are "out-dated" (whatever this would mean), just that
they are out-dated for writing the particular word listed.

As an example, look at the [entry for 遡る](http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-
bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1MDJ%C1%CC%A4%EB)

[code]

    さかのぼる 《遡る(P); 溯る; 逆上る(oK); 泝る》 (v5r,vi) (1) (uk) to go upstream; (2) (uk) to go back (in time, to origin); to date back to; to trace back to; to make retroactive; (P)
    
[/code]

The code `(P)` indicates that 遡る is a ""Priority" entry, i.e. among approx.
20,000 words deemed to be common in Japanese". It can also be written 溯る, 逆上る,
or 泝る. (The colour coding (see above link) says that 溯 and 泝 are not _jōyō
kanji_.)

However, **even though 逆 and 上 are _j­ōyō kanji_ with _jōyō_ readings 逆【さか】
and 上る【のぼる】, the _kanji_ representation 逆上る【さかのぼる】 is out-dated, which is
indicated by the code `(oK)`.**

(Of course the etymology of _sakanoboru_ is just _saka_ + _noboru_ and might
well have been written 逆上る, but nowadays it just isn't. See [Kanji for native
Japanese concepts: Kun'yomi spanning multiple
morphemes](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/6581/1628) for similar such
words.)

