The kanji character for "ai," or love, was selected as a character best representing this year in the annual Kanji of the Year contest. People reaffirmed the importance of nurturing love through various events in 2005, such as the marriage of the former Princess Nori and the relief activities for victims of the disasters in America and Pakistan. The character was announced on December 12 at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, and Seihan Mori, the chief priest of the temple, vividly wrote it with sumi ink.

Submissions for the Kanji of the Year were sought from the public by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, and 85,322 people responded. The foundation said that "ai" ranked first because many people were impressed by the developing possibility of Princess Aiko, the only daughter of the crown prince, ascending to the Imperial Throne, and the startling achievements of, and expectations for some women named Ai who have been in the limelight in various fields. On the other hand, the selection also reflected on the "lack of love" that was the cause of numerous horrific incidents that occurred, including the murders of several children and the fabrication of earthquake-resistance data of buildings.

This year, there were no dominant characters, and entries suggesting "ai" reached only 4.7 percent. Kanji for "kai," "yu," "kabu," "shou" and "shin," which mean improvement, mail, stock, laughter and quake respectively, followed "ai."　

After painting "ai" on Japanese paper, Mori said, "I wrote this character with sincere feeling, hoping the world will be filled with more people's love. I want people to develop more compassion for others."