About kanji
Kanji (漢字) are the characters of Chinese origin used in Japanese. They are written together with the two kana scripts, hiragana and katakana. In the sentence 私は日本語を勉強しています (“I am studying Japanese”), the kanji carry the meaning (私, 日本語, 勉強), hiragana supplies grammar and word endings (は, を, しています), and katakana is mainly used for loanwords.
On and kun readings
Most kanji have two kinds of readings. The on'yomi comes from the Chinese pronunciation at the time the character was borrowed and is mostly used in compound words: 学生 (がくせい, student). The kun'yomi is a native Japanese word attached to the character, used when the kanji stands alone or is followed by okurigana, the kana that write the inflected ending: 学ぶ (まなぶ, to learn).
A kanji can have several on and kun readings, and the right one depends on the word. Some words are read as a whole rather than character by character, such as 今日 (きょう, today) and 大人 (おとな, adult). That is why it pays to learn each kanji through real words.
Japanese character forms
Japan simplified many characters after 1946. These forms (shinjitai) are not the same as traditional Chinese characters or the simplified characters used in mainland China: 気, 駅 and 売 are written 氣, 驛, 賣 in traditional Chinese and 气, 驿, 卖 in simplified Chinese. When you write Japanese, use the forms shown on this site.
Components and radicals
Most kanji are built from smaller, recurring components. Dictionaries file each kanji under one of the 214 radicals, which often hints at the meaning: characters with 氵 (water) include 海 (sea), 池 (pond) and 泳 (to swim). Another component often hints at the sound: 晴, 清, 請 and 精 all contain 青 and are all read セイ. The same components also make some kanji look alike, so each kanji page lists look-alike kanji to compare.
Stroke order
Each kanji is written with its strokes in a set order. The basic rules are top to bottom and left to right; horizontal strokes usually come before vertical ones that cross them. Correct stroke order makes your handwriting balanced and readable, and it also helps you look up kanji by handwriting input. Every kanji page shows an animation of the stroke order.
How many kanji should I learn?
The jōyō kanji list contains 2136 characters in everyday use, enough to read newspapers and most everyday text. A further 646 name kanji on this site are mainly used in personal and place names.
If you are preparing for an exam, start with the JLPT levels from N5. The JLPT has not published an official kanji list since 2010, so the levels here follow commonly used lists: roughly 80 kanji for N5, 170 more for N4, and around 2,200 in total for N1. You can also study by Kanken level or by theme.
Learning tips
- Learn each kanji through the example words on its page instead of memorising it on its own.
- Review a little every day with flashcards; regular review beats long sessions.
- Write new kanji by hand a few times, following the stroke order.
- Read example sentences aloud so readings stick in context.