Top 100 Most Frequent Kanji Characters – JLPTsensei.com (2024)

FAQs

Top 100 Most Frequent Kanji Characters – JLPTsensei.com? ›

Taito, daito, or otodo (𱁬/ ) is a kokuji ("kanji character invented in Japan") written with 84 strokes, and thus the most graphically complex CJK character—collectively referring to Chinese characters and derivatives used in the written Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.

Taito, daito, or otodo (𱁬/ ) is a kokuji ("kanji character invented in Japan") written with 84 strokes, and thus the most graphically complex CJK character—collectively referring to Chinese characters and derivatives used in the written Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.

You must learn all 2136 常用漢字 (jōyō kanji, the most commonly used kanji in Japanese) compared to the roughly 1000 kanji required for N2. In total it took me two-and-a-half years to pass N1, and one-and-a-half years to get from N2 to N1. As you may imagine, it is hard to know where to begin studying.

Adapted from Chinese characters over 1,000 years ago, kanji remains the most common form of Japanese written communication.

Our lists are broken down as follows: N5 - 80 kanji. N4 - 170 kanji. N3 - 370 kanji.

Hiragana and Katakana are easier for Western learners, but Kanji is very difficult not only for foreigners but also for native speakers. Many Japanese have difficulties reading and writing Kanji. On the other hand, the Chinese language writing system is very simple.

> First, you don't need 10k kanji to read. About 3000-5000 depending on what you read is enough. You're still grossly over-representing what is needed to read Japanese.

Native adults are said to be able to read twice as many as Joyo Kanji, which is 4,000–5,000. Writing ability depends on one's lifestyle even more than reading.

HYOUGAI-kanjis are the kanjis taught beyond junior high school. Both reading and writing abilities of JOUYOU-kanjis is required for the JLPT (level N1). But only reading ability is required for JOUYOU-kanjis(NEW), HYOUGAI-kanjis and JINMEIYOU-kanjis.

Is kanji becoming obsolete? ›

The report pointed out the difficulties concerning kanji use, and advocated the use of rōmaji, which they considered more convenient. As a result, the gradual abolition of kanji became official policy for the SCAP, and the tōyō kanji list and modern kana usage proposals were drawn up in accordance with this policy.

However, the “2,000” kanji that you are referring to is the「常用漢字」(じょうようかんじ) /jō yō kan ji/: lit. "regular-use Chinese characters" which comprises 2,136 characters. The 2,136 kanji in the jōyō kanji consist of: 1,006 kanji taught in primary school (Grade 1-6) (the kyōiku kanji )

The kanji is rarely seen in casual conversation online but may at times present itself in books and other more modern written work, so while this kanji is slowly making its way out of the popular lexicon it should still be remembered to not only impress your Japanese friends but also improve your reading.

What is the hardest kanji in Japanese? たいと(taito) is the most difficult Japanese Kanji on the record with a total of 84 strokes. It is formed by combining 3 雲 (くもkumo) with 3 龍 (りゅうRyuu). 雲 means cloud and 龍 means dragon in English.

To become fluent in kanji, you'll need to learn around 2,000 basic Japanese kanjis used in media and everyday Japanese life. Don't panic; once you have the first 400-500 symbols down, the rest tend to follow smoothly. You really only need around 1,200 to read a newspaper or go to work.

The total number of kanji is well over 50,000, though this includes tens of thousands of characters only present in historical writings and never used in modern Japanese. In modern Japanese, the hiragana and katakana syllabaries each contain 46 basic characters, or 71 including diacritics.

For kanji-kentei 1-kyu, which is the highest level of kanji-kentei, the kanjis expected to be mastered is around 6.000. JLPT is usually the one foreigner will take, as proof for Japanese language knowledge in general.

Total number of kanji

A list of 2,136 jōyō kanji (常用漢字) is regarded as necessary for functional literacy in Japanese.

To be considered fluent in Japanese, you need to learn somewhere from 1500 to 2500 kanji characters (it depends on who you ask). Learning so many kanji can be terrifying. This is why it's better to focus on learning a few kanji each day instead of worrying over the big picture.

生 (life), the 13th most common kanji in Japanese, holds the record: it has 13 different readings (including variants) amongst the most common 10,000 words! In fact we have to go all the way to the 214th most common kanji, 電 (electricity), before we find one with only a single common reading!