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About Kanji
Introduction of Kanji and a list of Jy Kanji (1,945 commonly used Kanji symbols).
About Kanji | List of Jy Kanji | Learning Kanji

Kanji
Kanji (Chinese character) is one of three character sets used in the Japanese language.
Kanji is an ideographic character - each letter symbolizes its meaning.
Kanji is used widely to form a sentence.

Origin
Kanji symbols were imported from China.
Pronunciation and usage of Kanji have been modified to fit the Japanese language.
Additionally, some Kanji letters were developed in Japan.

Hatsune Miku

Shape

(PC Software)
Kanji

Meaning

Shape

mountain

mountain peaks

river

flowing river

tree

a tree with branches

Many Kanji letters symbolize the shape of things.

Structure
Kanji = Component + Component

(man) = (rice field) + (power)

(forest) = (tree) x 3
(to work) = (person) + (to move)
Kanji letters are made of different components.

[hatsune miku ] is a
virtual singer who can sing any
song that anybody composes.
You just input lyrics and
melody on your PC. Then she
will start singing your original
song.
This VOCALOID (vocal
android) technology developed
by YAMAHA made a massive
impact on amateur creators
and inspired them to publish
their original works on the
web.
In a short while, Hatsune Miku
became a nation-wide
phenomenon.
The following TV ad (Google
Chrome) describes it well.

Kanji + Kanji = word

(blue) + (sky) = (blue sky)

(sea) + (outside) = (overseas)
(time) + (to measure) = (clock)
Kanji letters together form a word.

Number of Letters

Google Chrome TV Ad
Now, Miku does live concerts in
different countries. And more
virtual singers have been
released in multiple languages.

It is said that about 50,000 Kanji exist. However, around 2,500 are actually used in daily life.
Japanese Ministry of Education specified 1,945 Kanji as the jy kanji (Kanji letters in common use). This is a
guideline to show which letters should be used in daily life.

Tell Your World

List of Jy Kanji

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

1,945 Jy Kanji

Weekender Girl

Happy
Synthesizer

Vocal:
Luka & GUMI

Dance: Miku & Teto

This video
was created by
using MMD (Miku Miku Dance)
3D animation
- a fan-made
freeware which
allows users
to easily control
the dance
motion.

Official Product
Page
W ikipedia

YouTube
Official Channel

iTunes

Headlight

by MONKEY MAJIK

Learn Japanese by singing!

Music video
of the song

Lyrics in Rmaji
& Hiragana
Word by w ord translation

masuda-study.biz

TOEFL 67
114

108

Aprender
Japons
Gratis

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

r i g h t s

r e s e

Reference: Jy Kanji List - Ministry of Education

Learning Kanji
Most students learn 1,945 jy Kanji which are sufficient to read most publications. In general, it takes 1-3 years.
JLPT level

Number of Kanji

Level 4 (elementary - first half)

100

Level 3 (elementary - second half)

300 (+200)

Level 2 (intermediate)

1,000 (+700)

Level 1 (advanced)

2,000 (+1000)

Reference: Contents of the Test page - The JLPT w eb-site

In the test content specification of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), certain number of Kanji letters are
specified for each study level.
It is important to plan well and follow such steps.
See Learning Tips page for more details.

Kanji Master Drill

Free online study program for learning how to read, write and properly use the Kanji symbols fast and easy.
The program includes random-order drill exercise, handwriting practice and more.
See Kanji Master Drill page for more details.

Related Topics
Kanji Master Drill
Kanji Writing Practice
Hiragana
Katakana
Rmaji

Home > Characters > About Kanji

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