Kanji is one of the most difficult aspects of passing the JLPT. Despite this, you will definitely need it if you want to have a good grasp of the Japanese language because it comes up in everyday conversation. Additionally, it forms one of the three important language systems of Japanese; hence, you need it.
There is no writing of kanji on the JLPT you don’t literarily have to write kanji on the JLPT. That is, you don’t necessarily have to craft the kanji symbols on a paper or another place during the test. This is because there is no form of writing in the JLPT. All levels of JLPT come in the form of multiple-choice questions (MCQ). Therefore, all you need is the ability to identify each kanji symbol to pass the JLPT. Nevertheless, when you are practicing kanji, writing the characters can play a crucial role in ensuring that you can read kanji.
I will explain how important kanji is to the JLPT, we have to answer the main question of this article. So, do you have to write kanji on the JLPT? Without mincing words, kanji is one of the sections under the JLPT. Other sections include listening, reading, and vocabulary and grammar. So, without a good understanding of kanji, passing any levels of JLPT will be impossible.
In summary, when you are taking the JLPT, you can pass the exam without being about to write kanji literarily. Nonetheless, kanji is a part of the exam.
What does kanji involve?
Now, let’s shed more light on the meaning and history of kanji as you prepare to take the JLPT. Kanji came from Chinese characters and are usually used for words gotten from foreign countries. Although it was first introduced several centuries ago, it has become a vital part of the Japanese language.
Simply put, kanji is an essential Japanese writing system that is basically written in the form of ideographs. This script contains several radicals that are combined to become an individually complete kanji. In other words, different symbols are written together to form a word.
This writing script is often utilized for writing verbs, nouns, adverbs, as well as adjectives. Despite the importance of kanji to your knowledge of the Japanese language, you cannot use it to write a complete Japanese sentence without adding some hiragana and katakana characters.
There are two types of readings in kanji. The first is a native Japanese system that is usually called Kun-yomi whereas the second one is called a conventional Chinese system called on-yomi. Both of these readings come in different forms as read or write kanji.
How many kanji characters do you need to pass the JLPT?
Firstly, we have tens of thousands of kanji characters today. This is because of the various changes that have occurred to this Japanese writing script over the past years. However, you don’t need to learn all these characters as you are taking the JLPT. In fact, the Japanese Ministry of Education only recognizes 2,136 kanji characters (jouyou kanji) as being essential for learners. With these main characters, you can read most Japanese writings.
If you are sitting for the JLPT, here is the number of kanji ideographs you need for each level:
- N1 – 2,000 kanji characters
- N2 – 1,000 to 1,200 kanji characters
- N3 – 600 to 700 kanji characters
- N4 – 300 kanji characters
- N5 – 100 kanji characters
This shows that the higher you go in the test level, the more kanji characters you need to know. However, you don’t have to know how to write these characters. All you need is to be able to identify them and you will not any problem with passing the JLPT.
How to learn kanji to pass the JLPT
Since you don’t need to write kanji on the JLPT to pass the exam, recognizing each character is essential. So, what are the things you can do to ensure that you pass kanji in the test?
- Practice daily
If you are going to pass kanji, you cannot afford to be complacent. So, you have to get started by practicing every day. You may not have to spend more than 15 or 30 minutes daily studying kanji, but you must be consistent. Based on the level of JLPT you want to learn, decide the number of new kanji characters you want to learn every day. Create a note on the characters and always use it to revise from time to time.
- Understand the radicals
Radicals are the smaller parts that form complex kanji characters. Because there are lots of kanji characters, some of them look alike. However, if you understand the radicals, it will be easier for you to know what each kanji character means and how it can be pronounced. Therefore, you must first learn the radicals.
- Get the right resources
Before you start learning kanji for JLPT, you should look for the best resources that can ease your learning. Thankfully, there are tons of resources online, so you have no excuse for not getting materials to read for learning kanji. Getting a dictionary is also a must.
- Read engaging content
To study kanji more, you should look for an engaging book to read. This book will improve your vocabulary and also encourage you to use your dictionary more whenever you come across an unknown kanji character.
- Practice with others
Do you have friends that are also learning kanji or preparing for JLPT? If yes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them to practice. They will not only improve your application of the kanji in day-to-day conversation, but they can also motivate you to learn more. Also, practicing kanji with a friend can come in handy for accountability.
In conclusion, the JLPT only has multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with no writing required. Therefore, you don’t need to write kanji when you are taking the JLPT. You only need to be able to recognize the kanji characters as you answer the questions.