JLPT Kanji: How to Study Kanji for Your Level

This is part of Krys Suzuki’s ongoing series on preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and the second to focus on kanji. The first kanji-related JLPT article can be found here. Links to the rest of the series follow at the end of the article.

What You’ll Need to Study JLPT Kanji

• JLPT Kanji study guide
• Grid notebook
• Multi-colored pen
• imiwa? app (or similar kanji dictionary)
• Anki app
• Optional: Kanji Poster
• Optional: Kanji Flashcards or Index Cards

Only Study JLPT Kanji for Your Level!

While there are plenty of great kanji study books out there, you want to get one that’s specific to your test level. The reason is to avoid spending extra time studying extra kanji that won’t appear on your test.

Luckily, there are just as many great JLPT-specific books and tools out there to choose from! You can use the Kanji guide from any of the JLPT study guides I mentioned in my previous article. Then, make sure you have enough time to study them all! (I go more into detail on designing a study game plan here). 

Number of JLPT Kanji You Should Know By Level

• N5: ~100 kanji
• N4: ~300 kanji
• N3: ~650 kanji
• N2: ~1,000 kanji
• N1: ~2,000 kanji

What’s On The Test?

Note that there isn’t a specific kanji-only section on the test, rather kanji questions are peppered in with vocabulary, grammar, and reading. I recommend previewing a sample test or two to get an idea of what you might see at your level.

Kanji Questions You’re Likely to See:

• Reading: you select the correct reading (in hiragana)
• Meaning: you select the correct definition for a kanji compound
• Word synonyms: you select the word with the same or similar meaning
• Similar kanji: you select the correct kanji from a list of similar ones 
• Reading section: kanji questions may also appear in the reading section

Note: The reading section is in natural Japanese, meaning there will likely be a lot of kanji there, too. Though there may not be specific questions about the kanji readings or meaning, knowing kanji WILL help you breeze through the reading section easily, as well as understand the contents and questions.

Using Your JLPT Kanji Guide

For the purpose of this article, I will be showing examples with my book of preference, JLPT日本語能力試験ターゲットN1漢字 (JLPT Target N1 Kanji). (If you’re studying for the N1 or N2 level, I highly recommend this series! Unfortunately, they don’t have books at the N1, N2, or N3 levels).

There are three important things you should be looking for when choosing a kanji guide:

• On-yomi (Chinese reading, usually written in katakana [カタカナ])
• Kun-yomi (Japanese reading, usually written in hiragana [ひらがな])
• Meaning (preferably with example vocabulary)

As a bonus, if your study guide also includes information on radicals, then you’re all set! If they don’t, however, don’t fret – that’s why we’re also going to talk about one of my favorite apps, imiwa?. 

Studying JLPT Kanji: Recommended Steps

Break down your kanji study session into manageable parts. I personally study 10 kanji per day for about an hour. Below I detail how I divide and arrange that time. 

Note: The following is just a guideline. You may need to devote more or less time to any one of these areas depending on your level, progress, and available time.

Sample JLPT Kanji Study Session (60 min)

1. Study the Readings (10 min)
2. Study the English meaning (10 min)
3. Study the Radicals (10 min)
4. Look at Similar Kanji (~10 min, optional)
5. Study in Context (10 min)
6. Practice, Practice, PRACTICE! (Any time you can! But at least 10 min.)

1. Study the Readings (10 min)

The first step is learning the readings. Most kanji not only have multiple readings, but some also have uncommon readings that you’ll rarely see outside of the JLPT!

Note: Some study guides only give you the common readings, but fail to mention old or uncommon ones. For higher levels, however, you don’t want to skip these, as they could appear in a curveball question! 

I like to check each kanji in imiwa? to see if there are any other readings. If there are, I jot down them down in pencil directly into the book. (In general, use katakana for on-yomi, and hiragana for kun-yomi).

What I Do:

First, I write down the 10 kanji for the day on grid paper. Then I write the readings underneath. I prefer to color-code them, with red for on-yomi, pink for kun-yomi. and orange for any extra readings from imiwa? (to distinguish them from common readings).

2. Study the English Meaning (10 min)

Next, I write down the English meaning. Not all books include have all possible meanings, and some don’t have them at all! (That’s the only downfall about my favorite study guide – it lacks English meanings!) However, because I find it more effective to look them up myself, it doesn’t bother me. Use imiwa? to look up the meanings, and jot them down in your book.

What I Do: 

Underneath the kanji and its readings, I write the English meanings in blue.

3. Study the Radicals (10 min)

Studying radicals is the easiest way to remember readings! Again, use imiwa? for this, too. Many books don’t cover radicals at all, which is a shame. So I recommend looking them up yourself and jotting them down.

Once you know radicals, you’ll begin to recognize patterns. Many times (though not always!), kanji with certain radical combinations have similar readings. By learning one radical, you may be able to read 10 different kanji! It really makes a radical difference! (Pun intended, once again).

What I Do:

Using imiwa?, I write down the radicals and components next to the kanji.

4. Look at Similar Kanji (10 min, optional)

Usually, similar kanji only differ by several strokes. Knowing radicals lets you spot these differences more easily (especially for higher levels like N1 and N2)! 

If you scroll down on imiwa? when you search a kanji, you’ll see a list of ‘similar kanji’. While you don’t have to write down all these extra kanji (in fact, I don’t recommend it at all!), do note the differences!

What I Do:

If you’re studying for N1, I note all of these with screencaps in my personal kanji study log! I also sometimes color-code the radicals when I have extra time. (I share this info, completely free, in my personal study log!)

5. Study in Context (10 min)

Now that you can read them, understand them, and recognize their radicals, it’s time to learn kanji in context! Many books offer example vocabulary, however, you can also lookup example words in imiwa? too by scrolling down and selecting “compounds”. (Compounds basically means ‘vocabulary words’ in this context).

What I Do:

Next, I write some vocabulary words next to the kanji. You don’t have to write them all, but I recommend at least one or two.

6. Practice, Practice, PRACTICE! (As much as you can! But at least 10 min)

Now that you’ve covered all the main points of your kanji study, it’s time for the important part: PRACTICE! You should be doing this EVERY DAY. (As I mentioned in my previous piece on designing a study schedule, kanji and vocabulary are the only things I make sure to study DAILY, without fail!)

For this, there are many tools and apps that can make study both effective and fun! While I definitely recommend flashcards as a staple, there are quizzes and games, too!

Below are some of my favorite (in no particular order).

Apps for Studying JLPT Kanji

Anki

I recommend this app as a mandatory part of practice! You can find and select decks, but I highly suggest making your own. The app is completely free, and you can customize the cards in a way that suits your study style.

After my main study session, I always take about 10 extra minutes to add the day’s kanji to my own deck. Be sure to only write the kanji itself on the front, and include readings and meanings on the back. (You can include an example word or two, though I recommend creating a separate deck of Kanji Compounds to avoid making your cards too cluttered).

Learn Japanese! – Kanji

I like this app because it not only gives you the necessary info such as readings and meanings, it also teaches you stroke order! It is a singular app that includes all levels N1~N5, and even has a scrollable, clickable list of all JLPT kanji by level. You can try the first lesson in each level for free, or purchase the whole level for $7.99 (or $9.99 for all five levels).

The app includes a total of 2136 kanji, 1080 lessons, and 4320 example vocabulary. I recommend this app for students of all levels!

漢字クイズ (Kanji Quiz)

This is a simple quiz app, and it’s totally free! It’s available for all levels N1~N5, though you must download each separately. Note that it only quizzes you on the readings in compound format, but doesn’t show meanings or on-yomi readings. Though it is available at each level, I recommend this app for more advanced students (or those who want the challenge!)

JKIT

This is another free quiz app that tests your knowledge of on-yomi, kun-yomi, and English meanings. For beginners, there’s a hiragana and katakana section, and there’s also a vocabulary section for all levels!

The app includes all levels N1~N5 (which you can select from Settings > Adjust Japanese Level). You can also toggle whether to show furigana or not!

Kanji Kana Hero

This app is a game that quizzes your ability not to recognize, but to PRODUCE kanji (in the form of compounds). You will see blank spaces and a romanized reading/meaning above. Underneath are nine kanji. Your job is to select the ones that make up the word, in the correct order. 

You can play six rounds for free (about 240 words), or buy the entire game (18 packs of 6 rounds each) for $19.99. It’s bit pricey, but if you prefer games for study, consider it the equivalent of investing in a vocabulary book! 

The game is available for all levels, N1~N5, each available separately.

imiwa?

I talk about it so much, so I can’t leave without mentioning imiwa? (yes, the question mark is part of the app’s name). Essentially, it’s a Japanese dictionary. But it also makes a great kanji study companion!

Not only can you search kanji by radical, it shows everything you could ever want to know about a kanji, and then some! Here are some other features imiwa? includes:

• On– and kun-yomi readings
• Compounds
• Radicals and components
• Stroke order and count
• JLPT level
• Similar kanji
• Page/reference number in popular dictionary/study resources

If you don’t already have it on your phone, I suggest you download it right away! You’ll find yourself using it for the entire course of your studies and beyond! 

(Shoutout to my Japanese instructor who recommended this app to me almost 10 years ago when I was still in college! I’ve been using it every day since!)

Kanji Poster and Flashcards 

These are optional, but recommended for an extra touch of kanji to your day! Plaster the poster on your wall (where you can see it easily, of course!), and every time you stop by it, quiz yourself on a kanji! Pull out the flashcards while you’re waiting for dinner to be done (or for your take-out to arrive), and see how many you can remember before dinner.

The White Rabbit Press Kanji Poster has every kanji, coded by color and includes a separate poster with the readings. The White Rabbit Press Flashcards are also great because, unlike so many other kanji study tools, they actually include radicals, too!

Though these are optional, I highly recommend them!

Stay tuned for the next part of Unseen Japan’s JLPT Study Series, where we’ll focus on JLPT vocabulary!

Other Pieces in Our JLPT Series:

See the rest of Unseen Japan’s JLPT Study Series HERE!

Unseen Japan’s Recommended Study Guides

Study guides for every level available for purchase HERE!

Other JLPT Sources:

• Official JLPT Website: http://www.jlpt.jp/e/ 
• JLPT Self-Evaluation:https://jlpt.jp/e/about/candolist.html
• JLPT Practice Tests: http://www.jlpt.jp/e/samples/sample09.html
• JLPT Schedule: https://jlpt.jp/e/application/overseas_list.html
• JLPT Levels: https://jlpt.jp/e/about/levelsummary.html