kanji
logographic writing system
Kanji originates from the chinese Hànzì characters. It is estimated, that there exists over 80.000 kanji today. Of course, only a small part of these are used in everyday life.
In Japan they teach the children different sets of kanji, depending on which grade the children are in. The Japanese learn the first 1006 kanji in elementary school, the Kyouiku kanji. In Junior High and High School they learn another 939 kanji. These 1945 kanji is called the Jouyou kanji. Besides these are 983 kanji used only for family names.
For a foreigner to live and get by in Japan, it is recommended to achieve the JLPT level 1. That basicaly means to be able to read the Jouyou kanji and have a vocabulary on around 8000 words.
There's lots of good books and sites that can help you learn the different kanji.
At the table below, you see the 80 kanji you're required to know to pass the JLPT level 4:
If you want to become good at kanji, this site is a good starter:
http://www.kanjisite.com
Kanji originates from the chinese Hànzì characters. It is estimated, that there exists over 80.000 kanji today. Of course, only a small part of these are used in everyday life.
In Japan they teach the children different sets of kanji, depending on which grade the children are in. The Japanese learn the first 1006 kanji in elementary school, the Kyouiku kanji. In Junior High and High School they learn another 939 kanji. These 1945 kanji is called the Jouyou kanji. Besides these are 983 kanji used only for family names.
For a foreigner to live and get by in Japan, it is recommended to achieve the JLPT level 1. That basicaly means to be able to read the Jouyou kanji and have a vocabulary on around 8000 words.
There's lots of good books and sites that can help you learn the different kanji.
At the table below, you see the 80 kanji you're required to know to pass the JLPT level 4:
If you want to become good at kanji, this site is a good starter:http://www.kanjisite.com
