Jisho.org Forum

Here's the list for elementary school students.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%8Diku_kanji

Some kanji come at very different times to JLPT. For example 岩 comes in second grade, but is Level 2 on JLPT.

I think it's worth noting that although first grade kids learn, for example, the kanji 上, they only learn two of its readings in the first grade which is a point that sometimes gets lost in teaching materials for foreigners.

I never took the JLPT (or studied for it), so I know nothing about this, but it looks like the list is roughly ordered by radical/parts (e.g., 口 comes before any character that contains this shape, like 右 or 国), and perhaps to a secondary extent stroke order.

However, looking at the list of compounds given with each kanji, I doubt you're expected to know each of those compounds. For instance, 小雨 (which should probably be listed こさめ not こあめ) shouldn't be on the JLPT 4 test. Most kanji lists (including this one) include some compounds, some of which are common, and some of which are not, which is why I've never found it so helpful to try and memorize each compound listed--just pay attention to the ones I've heard before. There are several compounds on this list I don't know and I bet I could pass JLPT 1---certainly JLPT 2.

If you cross reference with the vocab list on that page, a lot of the compounds listed don't come up, so I think it might be better to try and study the vocab list. Personally, the way I learned kanji was just as the came up in the Japanese textbooks I was using. I think this is a pretty good way (if you find a book you like), and should get you all around prepared for the JLPT 4. (I remember the final exam for one of my intermediate level classes was a practice JLPT 3, and though I never specifically studied for JLPT, it was no problem.)

Ah, those were some helpful responses.

Richard, as much as I've searched around for learning materials, this is the first time I've seen that list. I have no idea how I managed to miss it, but I did. Thanks for that link! As I looked down through the list, I realized that I am already familiar with many of the kanji on it, as many of them appear in the JLPT list as parts of compounds.

tamatama, I think I follow what you mean. I seem to have a difficult time memorizing the readings out of context, which is why I originally liked the idea of the compound list. However, as I've studied more of the compounds, I have doubted the usefulness of words like 先天的. I just fret over not learning the readings that I will need for each kanji.

All that said, I think that the info y'all (if you'll forgive a bit of colloquialism) have provided has convinced me to use the order that Japanese children use, especially since it's an easily available resource. I'll probably finish up the current list that I am working on before making the switch, since, even though I won't use some of the compounds, it is useful for quick exposure to a number of different radicals... and I now want the satisfaction of finishing this sucker!

Learning kanji in the same order as Japanese learn them makes sense in another way, now that I think on it; I can buy grade-appropriate books for additional grammar practice. I have trouble learning from textbooks because there often seems to be a drought of examples; there will be one or two examples followed by a block of exercises. That's kind of a criticism I have of textbooks in general, not just Japanese textbooks. Doing is important, but I prefer to learn through observation first. I learned English by reading books (not textbooks); it makes sense to learn Japanese the same way. Sooooo I better get back to working on Kanji.

Cheers y'all.

If you're in Japan, then study materials are cheap and readily available, provided you can find what you want in the bookshop OK. I went the JLPT route first, so I'm not sure how it would have been to work through a lot of elementary school materials. Recently I've been reading junior high school materials though, which has been really interesting, and I feel I've been making good progress with my Japanese for the first time since passing JLPT1. There's quite a big gap between JLPT1 and native level!

I would still suggest browsing through some Japanese textbooks. Particularly if there's a big Japanese bookstore around you, there is a large selection of texts and you may find one you like. Even better would be taking classes in Japanese, if that's an option, partly for the reasons you mentioned yourself.

I also used Japanese children's books to help me learn (and still do), and I think it's good, but there are a couple of issues which make it challenging if you're not using other resources also: (i) they use a large range of vocabulary (ii) they already assume you can understand--to a fair extent--Japanese grammar and colloquialisms. (Also, it's not the best way of preparing for JLPT if that's an issue for you.) Still, I think it's a good way to learn--particularly if you can find books appropriate for you--but you'll probably need to consult some other resources to understand them. (I started off with 1st-3rd grade level story books & some picture books after about a semester or two of Japanese---some were fairly easy, and some were not---but all of them required a fair amount of patience looking up vocab. I also remember going through some 1st or 2nd grade activity books, but I don't remember much about them.)

I don''t mean to discourage you from using the JLPT list (or using childrens books)---I'm just trying to make you aware of some caveats, and suggest you browse through as many resource options as possible to help you find what works best for you. In any case, whenever you have specific questions you can ask around here and someone will help you out.

Incidentally, I just stopped at a bookstore today and saw a book called "kanji power," that goes over the 1st and 2nd grade kanji. The compounds listed with each character actually seem to be pretty common, it's got example sentences and quizzes. So it may be what you're looking for.

Personally I learned all the jouyoukanji and a few extra jinmeiyou kanji (more than enough needed for JLPT1) in 4 months using Remembering the Kanji by Heisig, simply because I realized learning kanji as you're learning words using them is a huge timesink and slows down your learning and makes your retention stink.

Now I'm just learning words instead since I already know all the kanji used in them. Not only that, I completely ignore readings since I realized a fun fact: You learn readings automatically as you learn words using kanji you already know.

I probably should have mentioned sooner that I have had about 12 college credits in Japanese, so I have a basic grasp of grammar and a modest vocabulary. My primary deficiency is kanji. The textbook that I used in class and for self-study is Japanese for Everyone (http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Everyone-Functional-Approach-Communication/dp/0870408534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270055360&sr=8-1). In addition to that, I've been listening exclusively to Japanese radio for several months now to aid in the development of my listening comprehension. I would say I am in that painful intermediate stage of understanding about 1/3rd of what I hear.

When I first posted this topic, I was really focused on preparing for the JLPT as a resume credential, until I read an interesting rant about the test that drew comparisons to the TOEFL. I know plenty of people who have done the TOEFL thing and struggle mightily with English. I've rethought and re-focused my goals. My motivation for studying kanji now is to reach the point where I can practice Japanese in a functional manner. The previous comments in this topic lead me to realize exactly how important reading was to my development in English and that I need to establish basic literacy in Japanese.

Really, it's amazing to me how much my perspective on kanji has changed in the past two months. From "Impossible!" to "Could be useful..." to "Hey, I NEED to learn this." To that extent, I have already begun studying 教育漢字.

Currently, I am simply using the wikipedia version of the list with some supplemental info from Denshi Jisho. I am unfortunately in the rural deep South with nary a decent bookstore for miles and miles, so whatever additional materials I purchase more or less have to come from online. I've heard of Remembering the Kanji before, and I am seriously considering purchasing it now. I just wish I could thumb through it first.

Also, I am grateful for the responses to this thread, as they have helped me to develop a better understanding of the tasks ahead of me and how I should approach them. Sincerely, thank you all.

Hopefully I won't make a mistake here and look like an ass, as my practice so far is more on the comprehending than producing side of the language:
これからもよろしくおねがいします。

nary--that's a good word I haven't heard in awhile. But no bookstores nearby, that's horrible. I found this page, which has a pdf of the first 125 pages of Heisig:

http://www.kanjiclinic.com/reviewheisigwiig.htm

I never tried using it, but it looks interesting. Tobbes learned them all in 4 months? Impressive. I might check it out too next time I see it in a bookstore, though I mostly try to use books entirely in Japanese nowadays.

Incidentally, if you ever make it to NY or LA, there are some Japanese bookstores there, which have have a large selection of books to help English speakers learn, and a lot of books intended for Japanese children.

がんばってください。(Don't worry, your Japanese was かんぺき.)

I ordered Heisig's books, and while I was doing some looking around on the net I stumbled upon the following site that has a pdf file of printable flash cards designed to supplement Remembering the Kanji. I've contacted the local print shop and hopefully they'll hook me up on Monday morning. Things are becoming much more convenient by the minute.

http://www.polarcloud.com/kanji

plz could someone teach me kanji from the beginning..thanks! my email is tifftiffanietifftif@yahoo.com..

Well, first there`s 一. Then comes 二. Next is 三.

I`ll let you figure out the rest.

hey there is a greate source of Kanji by grades at http://japanese.about.com/library/blkodarchives.htm and http://www.saiga-jp.com/kanji_dictionary.html . hope it helps you guys