Kanji Mnemonics

Picture-book mnemonics for every JLPT kanji, N5 to N1, with a Today's Kanji widget.

Kanji Mnemonics runs on iPhone and iPad. The app is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

Kanji mnemonics: how a picture and a short story make a kanji stick

A kanji mnemonic links the shape to a meaning with a small scene. How they work, examples, when to write your own, and who they don't suit.

How to learn kanji as a beginner

Where to start with kanji, how many a day, and why meanings first works for most beginners. A simple plan you can keep up with a busy week.

JLPT N5 kanji list, grouped by theme

The JLPT N5 kanji, grouped into numbers, days, people, verbs and more. Why there is no official list, and how to learn the set in a month.

JLPT N4 and N3 kanji: how many there are and how to study them

N4 adds roughly 200 kanji to N5, N3 another 350 or so. What changes at these levels, how to pace them and how to handle look-alike kanji.

Remember the Kanji: the method, the criticism, and the alternatives

Heisig's Remember the Kanji teaches a keyword and a story for each kanji before any readings. What it does well, the common complaints, and other options.

Kanji flashcards: how to use them well

Flashcards help when you test yourself in both directions and keep sessions short. What to put on a kanji card, how often to review and app options.

WaniKani alternatives, free and paid

WaniKani is popular but fixed-pace and paid after level 3. The alternatives learners actually recommend, what each does differently and who it suits.

Kanji of the day widget: a small daily habit

A Home Screen or Lock Screen widget shows a new kanji each day. How to set it up on iPhone, and how to turn a glance into something you remember.

Kanji radicals and components: learn the parts, then the kanji

Most kanji are built from a few hundred recurring parts. Which components to learn first, how they hint at meaning or sound, and how they help mnemonics.

JLPT kanji prep: how long each level takes

How many months to plan for each JLPT level's kanji, what to do in the last six weeks and how the test checks kanji. Built around the July and December dates.

How many kanji do you need to know?

There are 2,136 jōyō kanji, but you do not need all of them to start reading. What each stage lets you read, and why vocabulary matters as much.

How do you tell similar-looking kanji apart?

人 and 入, 土 and 士, 未 and 末: why look-alike kanji trip you up and how to tell them apart with one distinguishing detail and a story built around it.

What is the difference between on'yomi and kun'yomi?

On'yomi is the reading that came from Chinese, kun'yomi the native Japanese one. How to guess which one a word uses, the common exceptions, and how to learn both.

Should you learn kanji reading or writing first?

For most adult learners, reading first is the faster route: the JLPT doesn't test handwriting and your phone types kanji. When writing still matters, and how to add it.

Why do I recognize kanji but forget the reading?

You know what a kanji means but can't say how it's read. Why meaning sticks faster than sound, and how to attach readings through words you actually meet.

How do you study kanji without burning out?

Review piles grow, motivation drops, and the app icon starts to feel like homework. Why kanji burnout happens and how to cut the load without losing progress.

Are kanji and Chinese characters the same?

Kanji came from Chinese characters, so many look and mean the same. But shapes were simplified differently, readings differ, and some meanings drifted.

What's the difference between hiragana, katakana and kanji?

Japanese mixes three scripts in one sentence: kanji for meaning, hiragana for grammar, katakana for foreign words. What each does and which to learn first.

How many kanji do you need for JLPT N2 and N1?

N2 is usually put at about 1,000 kanji and N1 at about 2,000, close to the full jōyō list. Why there's no official list, and how to study at the top levels.

Should you learn the jōyō kanji or follow JLPT levels?

The jōyō list is Japan's official 2,136 kanji for general use; JLPT levels are learning stages. How they relate, and which order suits which learner.

What do the JLPT levels N5 to N1 mean?

The JLPT has five levels, N5 easiest and N1 hardest. What each level tests, section times and how they map to CEFR, from the official JLPT site.

How many points do you need to pass the JLPT?

Official JLPT pass marks: overall 100 for N1, 90 for N2, 95 for N3, 90 for N4, 80 for N5, plus a minimum in every section. What that means for kanji study.

How are kanji tested on the JLPT?

The JLPT tests kanji through kanji reading at all levels, orthography at N2 to N5 and word formation at N2. What each task asks and how to practise it.

How do you learn kanji compounds?

Most kanji you meet on the JLPT sit inside two-kanji compounds. How jukugo work, why they usually use on'yomi, and a simple way to study them.

What is okurigana?

Okurigana are the kana written after a kanji, like the る in 食べる. What they do, how they differ from furigana, and why they matter for JLPT spelling questions.

What are phonetic components in kanji?

Many kanji pair a meaning part with a sound part. Learn to spot phonetic components like 青 in 晴, 清, 精 and use them to guess on'yomi, with honest limits.

How should you review kanji before JLPT test day?

What to review in the final week before the JLPT, how kanji questions look on the day, and official test-day facts: multiple choice, set section times.

How do you make your own kanji mnemonics?

A practical method for writing your own kanji mnemonics: fix one keyword, name the parts, build a short vivid scene, and test it. With worked examples.

Are kanji mnemonics better than writing kanji over and over?

Writing a kanji 20 times or remembering it through a story? What each method is good at, where each fails, and how to combine them for the JLPT.