Jōyō
Jōyō Grade 1
An early Jōyō kanji foundation for elementary-school learners. This collection contains the most basic characters for reading everyday words, numbers, direction, time, nature, and surrounding objects.
80 kanjiCatalog
Joyo Kanji
Browse official Joyo kanji groups from grade 1 through upper-grade level.
How many Japanese kanji are there? Here is the complete list of 2,136 official kanji taught from elementary school to high school in Japan, complete with readings, meanings, and usage examples.
This is the complete list of Jōyō Kanji (常用漢字), namely 2,136 kanji characters designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 2010 as common characters used in daily life, government, and news reporting.
The Jōyō Kanji list consists of 2,136 characters divided into two main groups: 1,006 Kyōiku Kanji (教育漢字) for elementary school, and 1,130 additional characters for middle and upper levels.
This list covers all kanji in the Japanese school curriculum and at the same time most JLPT material (N5-N1). Every page provides meanings, readings, statistics, related vocabulary, and example sentences.
How many Japanese kanji are there?
In total, there are more than 50,000 kanji characters ever recorded. However, the Japanese government designates 2,136 Jōyō Kanji (常用漢字) as common kanji that must be learned in school and are used in daily life, media, and official documents.
How many kanji are learned in Japanese elementary school?
Children in Japanese elementary school learn 1,006 Kyōiku Kanji (教育漢字) across 6 years - starting from 80 kanji in grade 1 to 181 kanji in grade 6. These kanji are part of the wider Jōyō Kanji list.
How many kanji are needed for JLPT?
Estimated kanji needs for each JLPT level are: N5 (~100 kanji), N4 (~300 kanji), N3 (~650 kanji), N2 (~1,000 kanji), and N1 (~2,000 kanji). The list on this page includes all relevant kanji for all JLPT levels.
Why are kanji important?
Kanji helps distinguish words that have the same pronunciation (homonyms), shortens writing because one character can represent one complete concept, and speeds up reading comprehension because readers can grasp meaning visually without reading syllable by syllable.
Jōyō
Jōyō Grade 2
The next stage after first grade. This collection adds kanji used more actively in school activities, family, travel, and wider everyday expressions.
160 kanjiJōyō
Jōyō Grade 3
An early intermediate layer to strengthen reading and writing ability. Here kanji start to cover more descriptive vocabulary, general concepts, and longer readings than the basic stage.
199 kanjiJōyō
Jōyō Grade 4
This collection expands coverage into kanji that are richer in meaning and usage. Many characters at this level start appearing more often in lessons, explanations, and school-level general reading.
202 kanjiJōyō
Jōyō Grade 5
An advanced stage that brings learners toward more abstract and formal vocabulary. Kanji at this level help the transition into informational reading, opinion writing, and denser school texts.
193 kanjiJōyō
Jōyō Grade 6
The final stage before entering the upper track. This collection contains important kanji for enriching general reading comprehension, conceptual explanation, and more mature language use.
191 kanjiJōyō
Jōyō Upper Grade
The Jōyō layer after the elementary-school stage. This collection covers kanji that appear more often in articles, light academic writing, opinions, and general texts with higher reading density.
1,104 kanji