Is kanji necessary for learning Japanese? How many kanji do I need to memorize?
Kanji is an essential element in learning Japanese. However, if you only want to learn simple daily conversations, you don’t need to memorize many kanji. There are about 2,000 kanji commonly used in the everyday lives of Japanese people, but you can understand about 500 of them for simple conversations.
Kanji is an essential element in learning Japanese. Kanji make up much of the Japanese vocabulary and are essential for reading, writing, and understanding sentences.
However, if you only want to learn simple daily conversations, you don’t need to memorize many kanji. There are about 2,000 kanji commonly used in the everyday lives of Japanese people, but you can understand about 80% of newspapers and magazines and about 90% of conversations.
It is generally said that there are about 2,000 kanji commonly used in everyday life. If you can memorize these kanji, you will be able to understand about 80% of newspapers and magazines and about 90% of conversations.
Japanese elementary school students learn 1,000 characters, and in junior high and high school, they learn about 3,000 characters in total.
Of course, the more kanji you learn, the more you will be able to read, write, and understand more advanced sentences. If you plan to live or work in Japan, it is recommended that you aim for 2,000 characters.
Kanji learning tips
- Learn kanji from the kanji you use most often in your daily life
- Learn kanji radicals and musical notes
- Learn compound words made up of kanji
- Learn kanji from your favorite manga and novels
- Use kanji learning apps and games
- Learning kanji may seem difficult at first. However, you will definitely improve if you continue. Find a method that suits you and have fun while learning.
In addition to kanji, Japanese also has hiragana and katakana. You need to learn these characters as well.
Recently, “easy Japanese” with fewer kanji has also been used. However, in daily life, sentences that use kanji are overwhelmingly more common.
Kanji learning for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test JLPT N5 and N4
The number 2,000 characters may seem like a lot if you only want to learn simple daily conversation. So, as a more concrete indicator, I will explain kanji learning at N5 and N4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
JLPT N5
JLPT N5 is the first step in learning Japanese. At this level, you need to memorize 100 kanji. These kanji are mainly basic kanji that are commonly used in daily life.
JLPT N4
JLPT N4 is the level where you can understand and use Japanese necessary for daily life to a certain extent. At this level, you need to memorize 200 kanji. In addition to the kanji learned in N5, it includes kanji that are a little difficult and kanji that include idioms that are commonly used in daily life.
In other words, with about 300 kanji… although there are many characters that you cannot read, you can achieve basic communication.
Tips for learning kanji at N5 and N4 levels
Try solving past questions:
By solving past questions, you can check the kanji that will actually be asked in the exam.
Make use of kanji learning apps and games:
There are many apps and games that allow you to learn kanji while having fun.
Learn kanji from your favorite manga and novels: By reading your favorite manga and novels, you can naturally come into contact with kanji.
Understand the origins and meanings of kanji: Understanding the origins and meanings of kanji makes it easier to remember kanji.
Summary
If you are at the JLPT N5 level, you need to memorize 100 kanji, and if you are at the N4 level, you need to memorize 200 kanji. By memorizing these kanji, you will be able to understand and use basic conversations and sentences.
Learning kanji is difficult, but you will definitely improve if you continue. Find a method that suits you and learn while having fun.
Each kanji has its origin and deep meaning, which makes it very interesting.
Kanji in Japanese and Chinese are different, but if you understand the rules for the components of kanji, you will be able to understand the meaning somehow.
There is a plan that allows unlimited use of all courses at JPLT Japanese Language School.
You can learn basic kanji in the JLPT course, and practice using them in the daily conversation course, so you can learn kanji efficiently.
There are also areas and events that Japanese language learners can participate in for free, so you can learn together at any time.
Good luck with your Japanese language studies!
