Picture this: You open your Japanese learning app, excited to tackle some kanji. The app presents you with 矢 (arrow), a simple-looking character that seems perfect for beginners. You think, "Great! This looks easy!"

But then you discover something frustrating. Despite being taught in 2nd grade to Japanese children, this "beginner" kanji is actually JLPT N1 level, the most advanced Japanese proficiency test level. Meanwhile, you haven't learned 忙 (busy), a character you'd actually use in daily conversation, because the app decided to teach you "arrows" first.

This is the problem with random kanji ordering, and why JLPT-based organisation changes everything.

The Chaos of Random Kanji Learning

Most kanji learning approaches fall into one of two traps:

The "Looks Easy" Trap: Apps teach kanji based on visual simplicity or stroke count. Simple shapes first, complex ones later. This seems logical until you realise you're memorising characters like 矢 (arrow) and 弓 (bow) while essential daily words like 忙しい (busy) remain untaught.

The "Japanese School" Trap: Some resources follow the Jōyō kanji order, the sequence Japanese children learn in school. The problem? Japanese people naturally learn most of the JLPT N1 vocabulary before they turn 10, and even if they don't know many kanji, they have no trouble communicating because they learned how to speak before they could read. Native speakers and second-language learners have completely different needs.

The result? You end up learning kanji that are practically useless for communication while missing the characters that would actually help you read Japanese content or have conversations.

Why JLPT Organisation Makes Perfect Sense

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) wasn't designed arbitrarily. N5 and N4 measure the level of understanding of basic Japanese mainly learned in class, N2 and N1 measure the level of understanding of Japanese used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life and N3 is a bridging level between N5/N4 and N2/N1.

Each JLPT level represents a practical communication milestone:

N5 (Beginner): It covers around 600 words, 100 kanji and around 100 grammar points. At this level, you will learn mostly about the building blocks of Japanese grammar, the particles which are essential characters for basic survival Japanese.

N4 (Elementary): To pass N4, you will need to know about 300 Kanji and about 1,500 vocabulary words. Characters you need for simple daily life situations.

N3 (Intermediate): At the N3, you'll be forced to start increasing your reading speed and comprehension. A lot of the grammar points introduced at this level are more advanced phrases and expressions as well as things used mostly in reading or prepared speaking. It covers around 5000 words and 600 kanji.

N2 (Upper-Intermediate): Characters needed for most workplace and social situations.

N1 (Advanced): Characters for academic and professional Japanese.

This progression isn't just theoretical, it's based on real communication needs. If you want to acquire communication skills as quickly as possible, a practical vocabulary list by frequency and difficulty is essential. It's usually efficient to learn the word 忙しい along with its kanji. And JLPT levels are designed exactly for this purpose.

The Communication-First Advantage

Here's what changes when you learn kanji by JLPT level instead of random ordering:

Immediate Practical Value

Every kanji you learn at N5 level appears in words you'll actually use. Characters like:

• 日 (day) → 今日 (today), 日本 (Japan)

• 人 (person) → 人々 (people), 日本人 (Japanese person)

• 時 (time) → 時間 (time), 何時 (what time)

Logical Progression

The highest level, N1, is expected to take students with no prior kanji knowledge about 3100-4500 hours of study. The JLPT structure provides clear milestones. You can actually measure your progress and know when you're ready for more complex material.

Context Makes Memory Easier

When you learn kanji that appear in words you're already studying, memory formation is much stronger. The character 忙 becomes memorable because you're actively using 忙しい (busy) in conversation, not because you've practiced writing it 50 times in isolation.

Real-World Application

Any kindergartener who can't even write hiragana knows the word 誕生日 ("birthday"), and it's naturally classified as a JLPT N5 word. However, it has a rather difficult (and not very versatile) first kanji, and the kanji 誕 itself is supposed to be learned in the 6th grade.

This illustrates the difference perfectly. A communication-focused approach teaches you 誕生日 at N5 level because it's an essential word, even though the individual kanji 誕 is visually complex. A random-order approach might teach you simple-looking but rare kanji first, leaving essential words like "birthday" for later.

The Kann Approach: JLPT Done Right

This is exactly why Kann organises all kanji by JLPT levels (N5-N1). Instead of overwhelming you with arbitrary ordering or meaningless complexity rankings, you get:

Clear Progression

• N5 Kanji: ~100 essential characters for basic communication

• N4 Kanji: ~200 characters for elementary conversations

• N3 Kanji: ~700 characters for intermediate reading

• N2 Kanji: ~1100 characters for advanced communication

• N1 Kanji: ~7000+ characters for near-native proficiency

Practical Priority

Every character you learn serves an immediate communication purpose. No random arrows or ancient archaic characters until you've mastered the kanji that actually matter for daily life.

Multiple Question Types

Kann tests your kanji knowledge from every angle:

• "What's the reading of …?" (recognition)

• "What does … mean?" (comprehension)

• "What's the onyomi/kunyomi of...?" (specific reading types)

Radicals Foundation

Understanding that kanji are built from common components, Kann teaches radicals systematically, so you understand why characters look the way they do.

Breaking the Complexity Myth

One of the biggest myths in kanji learning is that "simple-looking = beginner level." Frequency was one of the factors, but the simplicity of a kanji shape was also considered. And that's why the grade-by-grade 教育漢字 list sometimes seems impractical to you.

The truth is more nuanced:

• Some visually simple kanji are rare in modern communication

• Some complex-looking kanji appear in essential daily words

• Communication value trumps visual complexity

JLPT organisation recognises this reality and prioritises functional utility over arbitrary simplicity.

Why Random Ordering Fails

Just like the JLPT levels, there is no official order for the Jōyō kanji. Kanji books authors, software editors (myself included) and teachers are free to introduce the kanji in the order they wish.

This freedom sounds good in theory, but it creates chaos in practice:

• No coherent progression: Random difficulty spikes

• Poor practical value: Learning rare characters before common ones

• Weak motivation: No clear milestones or achievements

• Inefficient memory formation: Characters learned without context

The Communication Reality Check

The situation is different for a Japanese-as-a-second-language learner. If you want to acquire communication skills as quickly as possible, a practical vocabulary list by frequency and difficulty is essential.

This is the fundamental insight that drives JLPT-based learning. You're not a Japanese child growing up surrounded by the language. You're an adult learner who wants to communicate effectively as quickly as possible.

JLPT organisation respects this reality by providing a communication-first pathway through the seemingly chaotic world of kanji.

Your Kanji Learning Revolution

Stop learning characters that serve no immediate purpose. Stop memorising rare kanji while essential daily characters remain unknown. Stop following random ordering that leads nowhere.

Start with JLPT N5 kanji, the 100 characters that unlock basic Japanese communication. Master them completely. Then move to N4, then N3, building systematically toward real-world proficiency.

Every character you learn should serve a purpose. Every level you complete should unlock new communication abilities. Every milestone should bring you closer to actually using Japanese, not just studying it.

That's the power of JLPT-based kanji learning. That's why it works. And that's why scattered, random approaches don't.

Your Japanese communication skills are too important to leave to chance. Learn kanji by JLPT level, and watch your ability to actually read and understand Japanese accelerate dramatically.

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Ready to learn kanji that actually matters? Kann organises all kanji by JLPT levels (N5-N1), giving you clear progression toward real communication skills. Start with the 100 N5 kanji that unlock basic Japanese, then build systematically toward fluency.