New Kanji Game

[Kale]

Here is a Kanji game that I made up to pass the time on long train rides. It's a derivation of "7 degrees of Kevin Bacon", another game I enjoy playing sometimes, here are the rules:

Start with two kanji, I like to have them make a word, but actually it doesn't really matter. For starters we'll do something simple like 日本

The purpose of the game is to link the two kanji together by adding , removing, or swapping pieces. Fewer moves is better.

ex: 日＋´＝白
　　　白＋王＝皇
　　　皇（´ for 白）＝主
　　　主＋人＝住
　　　住（本 for 主）＝体
　　　体ー人＝本
Or how I would write it: 日白皇主住体本

Rules:

1. Only one half of the kanji can be added/subtracted/replaced at once
Addition:
日　⇒　明 o
日　⇒　撮(とる） x (this is more than one move)
日 ⇒ 最 ⇒ 撮 o
Subtraction:
週　⇒　周 o
Replacement:
休　⇒　仲 o

2. As long as rule 1 is observed things can change positions:
休　⇒　材 o
好　⇒　安 o

3. Try to only use kanji you know (my personal rule)　

Well if anyone is interested in messing around with this post your results here, see if you can beat my score of ７字 for 日本 (shouldn't be hard).

Next challenge: 冬休　

[Mike Cash]

冬＞　条　＞　木　＞　休

Do I win?

Next challenge: 朝立

[Rounin T]

朝 -> 韓 -> 偉 -> 位 -> 立

Next challenge: 　空所

[chchan45]

空 -> 控 -> 折 -> 所

Next challenge: 　依明

[Mike Cash]

依　＞　但　＞　明

Too easy to be much fun.

Next challenge: 二重

[Yudan Taiteki]

I think you may have to use more steps, something like:
依>但>旦>日>明 but I'm not too sure.

[Mike Cash]

The (delightfully unclear) rule is that only one half can be changed at a time. Going from 但　to 日 removes fewer than half the strokes, so I took the liberty of making it a single step.

[paul_b]

Mike Cash wrote:
The (delightfully unclear) rule is that only one half can be changed at a time. Going from 但　to 日 removes fewer than half the strokes, so I took the liberty of making it a single step.

What you want is a nice game of Mornington Crescent.

[Kale]

Yudan Taiteki wrote:
I think you may have to use more steps, something like:
依>但>旦>日>明 but I'm not too sure.

Mmm... Sorry to be unclear but that is what I had in mind when I made the game. 但>明　skips a few steps in my opinion, because it's not about splitting in terms of stroke count more about 遍・冠・香iかまえ）・旁（つくり), etc types of splits.

Never really had to explain it before I guess, but anyways you guys are way better at it than I am so do whatever you want...

[flammable hippo]

from 花 to 貝　

[Mike Cash]

花　＞　貨　＞　貝

Way, way too easy.

[furin]

What a funny game...
How about this?: from 英 to 語

[Kale]

英⇒映⇒昭⇒召⇒吾⇒語

Sort of long, but it works.

How about: 餃子 (I'm hungry right now)

[Mike Cash]

餃　＞　佼　＞　仔　＞　子

[furin]

I was impressed..

How about 感動?