Explore the board
See the whole set. Turn cards over for meanings and examples. Shuffle when the order becomes too familiar.
The Japanese writing library
A language opens
one character
at a time.
Study the forms. Hear the words. Begin to read.
An open library for a lifelong practice.
THREE SCRIPTS. ONE LANGUAGE.
あHIRAGANAアKATAKANA学KANJI
23 study collections5,636 distinct kanjiAt your pace No account needed
New to kanji levels? Start here.
A Japanese school grade, a Kanken examination level and a study collection describe different things. See the official level map, find a starting point, and discover why reading a character and writing it from memory are separate skills.
Understanding Kanken: a guide for newcomers ↗I. Foundations
First, learn the sounds.
Two syllabaries. Start with hiragana, then learn its angular counterpart. Each collection includes 46 basic forms and 25 marked forms.
II. Elementary kanji
Build a reading vocabulary.
The official six-grade sequence, with a new set at every level. Grades describe Japan’s school curriculum; adults can begin wherever they feel comfortable.
III. Junior-high sequence
Read further. Complete the set.
Three more collections bring the library to all 2,136 jōyō kanji. Every character has one home in the sequence; none repeats at a later grade.
07廊Open study board ↗08郊Open study board ↗09濯Open study board ↗
Grade 7
392 new kanji
Grade 8
397 new kanji
Grade 9
321 new kanji
Our selected Grades 7–9 draw on Mitsumura’s 2025 lesson worksheets; they are not a national per-grade allocation. Grade 9 combines a 241-character core with an 80-character EAJ completion set. Read the curriculum notes ↗
A little, often.
Three ways to make it stick.
Recall both ways
Switch between Japanese and its reading or meaning. Turn on questions when you want a score.
Follow the strokes
Watch a character take shape, advance one stroke at a time, or trace it yourself.
IV. Beyond jōyō
A wider world of characters.
Continue with 3,500 new written forms. Three Pre-1 parts and nine Level 1 parts extend the library to 5,636 distinct kanji. These are EAJ collections, not official Kanken sublevels.
What do Pre-1 and Level 1 mean? Explore the Kanken level guide ↗
Kanken Pre-1 準1級
849 new characters · Three parts of 283
A嬉Open study board ↗B柁Open study board ↗C肴Open study board ↗
Pre-1 · Part A
283 new kanji
Pre-1 · Part B
283 new kanji
Pre-1 · Part C
283 new kanji
Kanken Level 1 1級
2,651 new characters · Nine parts of 294–295
A綺Open study board ↗B垓Open study board ↗C懈Open study board ↗D檣Open study board ↗E瓸Open study board ↗F紿Open study board ↗G蕭Open study board ↗H跋Open study board ↗I鞏Open study board ↗
Level 1 · Part A
295 new kanji
Level 1 · Part B
295 new kanji
Level 1 · Part C
295 new kanji
Level 1 · Part D
295 new kanji
Level 1 · Part E
295 new kanji
Level 1 · Part F
294 new kanji
Level 1 · Part G
294 new kanji
Level 1 · Part H
294 new kanji
Level 1 · Part I
294 new kanji
The parts begin with selected useful words, then follow radical and stroke order with selected compounds kept together. These are new-character reference collections, not complete exam syllabuses. Counts, ordering & dictionary notes ↗