Kanji Chart

JLPT N5 expects about 103 kanji recognition, N4 about 300, N3 about 650, N2 about 1000, and N1 about 2000. The exact counts shift slightly because JEES (the test administrator) only publishes ranges, not fixed lists. This chart uses the modern community-consensus list per level — it covers every kanji that has appeared in published past papers since 2010. The numbers shown in each level pill are the actual counts in our dataset.

Yes. Click Print at the top of the chart and your browser's print dialog opens with the kanji-only view. Save as PDF to keep an offline copy. The print stylesheet hides navigation, ads, and the sidebar so you get a clean grid that fits 100-150 kanji per A4 sheet at readable size. Many students print the N5 sheet and stick it on the wall as a daily reference.

Onyomi (音読み) is the Chinese-origin reading borrowed when kanji entered Japan around 600 AD. Kunyomi (訓読み) is the native Japanese reading that already existed for the concept the kanji represents. As a rough rule, kanji compounds (two or more kanji together, like 学生 'student') usually use onyomi, while standalone kanji with okurigana (like 学ぶ 'to learn') usually use kunyomi. Onyomi is shown in カタカナ in this chart, kunyomi in ひらがな — that visual cue matches Japanese dictionary convention.

No. Kyōiku kanji (1026 characters) is the Japanese government's list of kanji taught grade-by-grade in elementary school — the order is based on school curriculum, not learner difficulty. JLPT kanji is ordered by recognition difficulty for foreign learners, with the most frequently encountered kanji at N5 and rare or specialised kanji at N1. There is about 80% overlap, but a kanji that's grade-1 (一, 二, 三, 木) might also be N5, while a grade-3 kanji (depending on usage frequency) could be N2 in the JLPT order.

Yes, even if you only read and type Japanese. Learning kanji with stroke order locks the visual shape into motor memory faster than visual memorisation alone, and means you can write any new kanji from its components without re-learning. Use the Stroke Order Viewer linked at the bottom of each kanji card — it gives you the official KanjiVG stroke sequence with playback controls. Pair the chart with daily 15-minute handwriting practice for the fastest progress.

Learn the most frequent reading first. The flyout panel shows readings in their dictionary order — the first onyomi listed is typically the most common compound reading, and the first kunyomi is typically the most common standalone reading. Real Japanese text uses one reading 60-80% of the time even when the kanji has 4 or 5 alternatives, so you cover most of the spread by mastering the top reading per kanji. Add other readings only when you encounter them in real vocabulary.