Should I use 竜 or 龍?


When writing the kanji for dragon, should I use the simplified or traditional
or can I use either. My Japanese dictionary tells me that Japanese people
learn both character forms in school. I know that the simplified version is
more common, but I just think that the traditional versions look better. This
question also applies for kanji that have a similar problem like 国 and 國.




Putting aside the etymology (I did not know which is older), both 竜 and 龍 are
very common today, and are actively used by many people. I don't think one is
"essentially more beautiful" than the other. Basically it's a matter of taste,
and you should respect the kanji choice used by the person who named it. But
one tendency is that [Western
dragons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_dragon) are often rendered as
竜 (or ドラゴン), whereas [Chinese
dragons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_dragon) are often rendered as
龍. Nicopedia
[says](http://dic.nicovideo.jp/a/%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B4%E3%83%B3):

>
> 簡易な分類として、西洋的な特徴を持つドラゴンを「西洋竜（西洋龍）」或いは新字体の「竜」で表し、東洋的な特徴を持つドラゴンを「東洋竜（東洋龍）」或いは旧字体の「龍」で表すなどとする場合が多い。

For example...

  * 龍 is the default kanji in _Dragon Ball_ , which obviously has a Chinese flavor. Shen-ron (神龍) appears like a "floating snake".
  * 竜 is the default kanji in _Dragon Quest_ , whose main motif is the medieval Europe. Dragons in this franchise tend to look like a "winged lizard" (although some are wingless). Note that many monsters in _Dragon Quest_ were designed by Akira Toriyama, the author of _Dragon Ball_.
  * _Final Fantasy_ also uses the the kanji 竜 in most places ([竜騎士 is a famous job](http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Dragoon_\(job\)) in the franchise).
  * _Monster Hunter_ is a game franchise that effectively uses both 竜 and 龍. In the game, lower-ranked enemies are generally called 〇竜, and they are depicted as extensions of ordinary animals. A few difficult bosses are called 古龍, which is defined in the game as mysterious, god-like species which refuse ordinary biological analyses. Interestingly, many 古龍 are named using the Japanese or Chinese naming convention, which is rather exceptional in _Monster Hunter_.
  * Western dragoons (cavalry units) are almost always translated as 竜騎兵, although this may be a misnomer.

Anyway, don't think of this as an ironclad rule. I understand many people
prefer the appearance of 龍 just because it's more complicated and thus looks
stronger.

