Study the most used Kanji #
One of my goals is to study just enough. One strategy is focus on the words that people use.
- N5 Level (approximately 100-200 kanji): • This level covers basic kanji and allows for understanding simple sentences and phrases commonly used in daily life. • Coverage: Approximately 10-20% of commonly used written Japanese.
- N4 Level (approximately 300-500 kanji): • At this level, you can read simple sentences and short passages written in basic kanji, such as those found in beginner textbooks and simple articles. • Coverage: Around 20-40% of commonly used written Japanese.
- N3 Level (approximately 600-800 kanji): • With N3, you can understand more complex sentences and intermediate-level texts. This includes some newspaper articles, manga, and everyday materials. • Coverage: Approximately 40-60% of commonly used written Japanese.
- N2 Level (approximately 1,000-1,300 kanji): • N2 kanji knowledge allows for reading a wide range of texts, including newspapers, literature, and more sophisticated materials. • Coverage: Around 60-80% of commonly used written Japanese.
- N1 Level (approximately 2,000-2,500 kanji): • This level includes the Jōyō Kanji (2,136 kanji) and a few more. It enables you to read most texts, including newspapers, academic papers, and modern literature. • Coverage: Around 90-95% of commonly used written Japanese.
- Beyond N1 Level (3,000 kanji and above): • Knowing more than 3,000 kanji allows for understanding specialized texts, historical documents, and classical literature. • Coverage: Approximately 98-99% of commonly used written Japanese.
- Advanced Level (5,000 kanji and above): • Mastery of over 5,000 kanji enables you to read virtually any written material, including highly specialized and technical texts. • Coverage: 99.9% and above of commonly used written Japanese.
The median level of kanji mastery for the average person in Japan can be estimated by looking at the typical educational attainment and everyday usage. Based on this, the median Japanese person would likely be between the N2 and N1 levels, with the following considerations:
- N2 Level (approximately 1,000-1,300 kanji): • This level includes most of the kanji learned by the end of junior high school. It allows for reading a wide range of texts, including newspapers, literature, and more sophisticated materials. • The majority of Japanese people are comfortable with kanji at this level for their daily activities.
- N1 Level (approximately 2,000-2,500 kanji): • This includes the Jōyō Kanji (2,136 kanji), which are taught throughout high school and form the basis of adult literacy in Japan. Most Japanese people reach this level by the end of their formal education. • This level allows for reading virtually all common texts, including newspapers, magazines, and most books.
Given these points, the median person on the street in Japan would likely be at: • N1 Level: Around 70-80% of Japanese people are proficient at this level. This reflects the standard adult literacy level, allowing for comprehensive understanding of daily written material.
Thus, it can be inferred that the average Japanese person has a kanji mastery level that corresponds to the N1 level, making them capable of reading most written texts encountered in everyday life.
Analysis of the top 3000 Kanji used in 5000 Novels #
This Google Sheet has 3000 Kanji, in order of most used, with several examples words that use that Kanji. So, by going down from the start and learning the words that you don’t know, my assumption is that you are increasing the number of useful kanji. The reverse is also true, if you go up from the bottom, you are just encountering useless kanji that many people don’t know.
5100 Japanese novels were evaluated with a text analyzer. Here’s a list of each of the 3200 kanji that appeared in the top 30,000 words, along with the top 6 words for each kanji.
Other resources #
This reddit thread lists a lot of useful resources.