was a Japanese linguist and a scholar of . He was well known as an editor of Japanese dictionaries and his research in

Japanese dialects The of the Japanese language fall into two primary clades, Eastern (including modern capital Tokyo) and Western (including old capital Kyoto), with the dialects of Kyushu and Hachijō Island often distinguished as additional branches, the latter ...

and accents. He was awarded the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

for his efforts. He was awarded a Doctor of Literature degree at

Tokyo University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

in 1962. He was given official commendation as someone who has performed special service in the field of culture and an honorary citizen of the

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Metropolitan District.

Early life

He was born on April 3, 1913, at his mother's home in Morikawa-cho, Hongo Ward, Tokyo City (now Hongo 6-chome, Bunkyō Ward, Tokyo Metropolitan District). He was the eldest and only son of Shizue (''née'' Hayashi) and noted linguist Kyōsuke Kindaichi, an expert on the

Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu (), is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isola ...

. He took after his father in his enthusiasm for learning and his mother in her secularism. When their son was born, his father had lost his job as a proofreader of the ''

Sanseidō is a Japanese publishing company known for publishing dictionaries and textbooks. The headquarters is situated in the area between Suidōbashi Station and Kanda River, at a location previously used as a warehouse for the company's own printing ...

encyclopaedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

, so his family was in dire economic straits. His father eventually worked as a professor at Tokyo Imperial University.

Work

Haruhiko became known to the broader public with the publication of his book ''Nihongo'' (''The Japanese Language'') in 1957, which became a bestseller for its anecdotal approach to the nature of the language. He went on, like Susumu Ōno, to become a familiar public intellectual, appearing often on radio and television to discuss linguistic issues.

Awards

* Medals of Honor (Japan) (1977) *

, 3rd class (1986) * Person of Cultural Merit (1997) *

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

, 2nd class (2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindaichi, Haruhiko 1913 births 2004 deaths Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class Academic staff of Sophia University Academic staff of Nagoya University Academic staff of the University of Tokyo University of Tokyo alumni Japanese lexicographers People from Bunkyō 20th-century Japanese linguists Linguists of Japanese 20th-century lexicographers