How Many Kanji for Each JLPT Level, and Why Write Them by Hand
Hiroki Obara · Developer
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) took its current five-level form, N1 to N5, in 2010. Its official FAQ explains that the organisers decided not to publish the old “Test Content Specifications,” the document that listed vocabulary, kanji and grammar for each level. In other words, there is no official N5 kanji list for the current test.
Learners still want a number. How many kanji do I need for N3? This post explains where the counts you see online come from, how much weight to give them, and why kanji can be worth writing by hand even though the JLPT never asks you to write.
Where the numbers come from
The JLPT website has a table comparing the old and new tests (in Japanese). It shows the certification criteria of the old test, and that is where the kanji counts appear.
| Old test | Kanji in the old criteria | Current level |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | about 2,000 | N1 |
| Level 2 | about 1,000 | N2 |
| Level 3 | about 300 | N4 |
| Level 4 | about 100 | N5 |
According to the FAQ, someone who could pass old Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be considered able to pass N1, N2, N4 and N5. N3 was added in 2010 to bridge the gap between old Levels 2 and 3, so the old test gives no figure for it. The “about 650 kanji for N3” you often see sits between 300 and 1,000, and it is an unofficial estimate.
So the familiar numbers are best read like this:
- N5: about 100 kanji
- N4: about 300 kanji in total
- N3: roughly 650, unofficial
- N2: about 1,000
- N1: about 2,000
These are estimates based on the old criteria, not a syllabus. The “JLPT N5 kanji lists” online were put together by publishers, teachers and volunteers, which is why one list can differ from another by a few dozen characters. One way is to pick one list, stick with it, and not worry about the edges.
The official level descriptions mention kanji only for N5 and N4. At N5 you can read set phrases and sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji used in daily life. At N4 you can read passages on familiar daily topics written with basic vocabulary and kanji.
The JLPT is multiple choice. Why write?
Every answer on the JLPT is chosen from options. There is no question where you write a kanji by hand. There are still three reasons to learn kanji by writing them.
The orthography questions. From N5 to N2, the vocabulary section includes “orthography” questions. A word is given in hiragana and you choose the right kanji from four options, which often look alike. When you read a sentence, a rough impression of a kanji is enough. Choosing between 待 and 持, or 未 and 末, needs the details. Pairs like these are covered in Similar-Looking Kanji Learners Mix Up.
Recall instead of recognition. Writing a kanji from its reading forces you to rebuild it from memory: which radical, which side, how many strokes. Recognising it among four options is easier, and it is easy to mistake recognition for knowing. When you can write a kanji, picking it out is rarely a problem.
Life after the test. If you live or work in Japan, sooner or later you write your name and address on a form, or leave a note for someone. Reading but not writing is fine for the exam. It is less fine at the city office counter.
How to split reading and writing
Not every kanji needs the same amount of writing practice. N5 and N4 kanji are mostly basic characters that reappear as parts of other kanji: 日, 木, 人, 口, 言, 金. Writing these until the shape is automatic pays off for years. For the higher levels, you can make reading the main practice and write the kanji you use often, the ones you keep mixing up, and the ones whose parts are hard to see. How radicals work is explained in Learning Kanji by Radicals, and the difference between on and kun readings in On’yomi and Kun’yomi.
A point where many learners struggle is that one kanji has several readings, and the level lists usually give the character without saying which readings you need. Learning each kanji inside one or two common words, 時間 rather than 時 alone, makes this easier.
If your exam is in December, reading practice for the last weeks is covered in JLPT Reading Practice Before the December Test.
Practising JLPT kanji in KanjiN
KanjiN is a kanji app for iPhone and iPad where you answer by handwriting. Instead of tapping a choice, you write on the screen with a finger or stylus. The interface is available in 16 languages, including English.
In the drill settings, choose JLPT to practise N5, N4 or N3. The app covers 80 kanji for N5, 165 for N4 and 367 for N3. In the Writing Drill you write the kanji for a reading without seeing it. In the Reading Drill you write the reading in hiragana, so even reading practice is recall rather than choice. The Neat Writing Drill has you trace the strokes in order and gives a score comparing your writing with the model.
For kanji you keep getting wrong, use My Data. Make a folder, add questions with an example sentence, the answer kanji and the reading in hiragana, then choose that folder in the drill settings.
Today’s Drill, Today’s Challenge and the 10-question Skill Check are free. A one-time purchase, Unlock Everything, opens every drill, with no ads and no subscription. The first time you use it, the app downloads what it needs to read handwriting, so you need an internet connection then. N2 and N1 are not covered, so for those levels you will need other materials as well.
Which learners KanjiN suits is in Who Is KanjiN For?, and a first session is described in Getting Started with KanjiN.
