How many Kanji do you know?

[Kinsao]

I only know about 100 kanji! Still, I've been really slacking off on my study recently. Time to get back into gear, methinks.

 

[JimmySeal]

The Langage departments need to make language acquision more level, and this game of golf handicaps are only put on the native speakers, and Nikkeijin. This I feel is not good enough.

I'm having trouble understanding your thinking, and that of your school. Where is this place, and specifically, in what type/level course is this happening?

A class should treat all of its students equally. People with Japanese blood have no genetic disposition for learning the Japanese language, and certainly not kanji, and anyone who says differently doesn't belong outside the Japanese borders. The same goes for Koreans, Chinese, and anyone else inside the kanji culture sphere. If Koreans and Chinese happen to know kanji ahead of time from learning their own respective languages, they shouldn't be penalized for it.

If people are coming to the class with some extra prior knowledge of the material, they shouldn't be given a grading handicap for the benefit of the other students. Imagine someone trying to pull that in a literature or computer science class.

Sheesh.

 

[Yoko_Kisaragi]

Unfortunately, I only know about 700 or so >O< I wish I knew more!!!!

 

[Ghik]

If "knowing kanji" means to know their meanings - I know about 300-400.
But if you ask me about kanji readings - muuuuch less.
About stroke order and ability to write - only a few.

 

[jonathancameron]

In the classes I took, everyone was treated the same. There were no nikkei in my classes; everyone was Japanese except for myself. I'm sure you know my opinion of using the gaijin card.This would never have worked anywhere I have worked.
I see you strive for mediocrity. Godspeed, sir!

Mikawa, so how many Nikkei did you beat out in your class? You must have had a tough time in a class that has all Japanese. But I doubt a Japanese majoring in Japanese would not get much respect. You know the jump they make from second to third year really messed me up as there should be two grades or so in between. When I see that, I wonder to myself if these programs are designed for the Japanese or Nikkei students who want to take courses in their own mother tounge rather than lets say study french. I see many Japanese coming in as first year students taking Japanese at the third year level if they speak Japanese. Many begin by knowing less Kanji, but their vocabularies are often exceptional. I have heard many times, when this is the case, that because they are only needing to work their kanji and learn the terminology for grammar (In english and Japanese) the teachers have told them to go to the bookstore and learn the Kanji on their own time and catch up the 2 years that we had to learn. Amazingly, by the end of the term, most have not only caught up, but write kanji more naturally than I could after 7 years (counting high school).
Some have actually not learn the kanji, but because the marks are weighed only 7-8 percent on the actual writing of it, they manage to get through. A Japanese who is fluent and can has natural command of grammar can get even as high as an A- writing all his exam material in hiragana and katakana, using no kanji, as long as he or she can read it.
I have seen one fellow who took Japanese because he didnt want to learn french or something, and did it and beat me by 5%. I knew way more Kanji than he, and he even told me that growing up in Canada, it is too hard. He even commented how I am finding it, and told him that I forget it usually, and it takes too long to write the exam often. Satoshi told me to not worry about it as no one in Japan is going to laugh to a white guy for not knowing Kanji, and only he would be laughed at. Remebering what he did, I felt that I could relax with the actual writing of Kanji as recognition is enough to type in Kanji, and to date, I discovered that I could only write 213 kanji, if I go from memory. (I took a pen, and paper, and counted it).

I was assured by other Japanese that these days, many Japanese can't write kanji just like how many of us can't spell that well because of the spellchecker. Japanese IME has destroyed them too. So as a foreigner, I am more than excused. I feel that being able to speak and comprehend the Japanese is more important. So what if I write in hiragana lots?

I did hear however, in the Japanese educational system, however, students are more heavily weighed for the actual writing of kanji much more so than we are in the west relying mostly on being able to produce prestine translations.

The Japanese taking Japanese while they know more words, I see that many are less precise (kichomen) in their translation, as they are more careless about translating every word precisely. I still think in English and speak and write in Japanese, so I have to translate in my mind anyway, but the Japanese are less used to translating.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I'm sorry. I really need to stop feeding the trolls.

 

[IgotitallJp]

A little over 400 but I'm still learning. Ganbarima~su ne.

 

[Khoi]

Hi,Ghik

If "knowing kanji" means to know their meanings - I know about 300-400.
But if you ask me about kanji readings - muuuuch less.
About stroke order and ability to write - only a few.

Morever me,i haven't known yet 'bout kanji letter,i've just known 9 kanji letters,,ha..ha..i've been joining japanese course and i've already learned 'bout hiragana and katakana and will move kanji in the next level.
By the way,ur state's flag is just the reverse of mine...r u from polland?
Hai,ganbatte kudasai.

 

[Chabichou]

I can write over 300 kanji, and know their meanings too, but I haven't learned all of their readings. In the course I am taking, we were only expected to know how to know a few words with the kanji were were taught, and hence, never used all the readings. The book, did list all the readings for each kanji, but I didn't bother to remember them all. It helps to learn vocab along with the kanji to cement the readings into your memory, but I have trouble remembering vocab.

 

[Niedy]

depends on how "knowing" is defined... for myself "knowing" means to know at least one meaning and one possible reading... in that context 1500 is where I am at the moment... though I was just recently studying up to 2000 (Joyo Kanji exam)... I tend to loose some shortly after ^^;;; I can write around 200 probably... maybe less... I don't need to write Kanji often...

Edit: I obviously didn't know all Joyo Kanji as I failed my exam... got the mark today... well I have one try left at the end of this term... ganbarimasu...

 

[Oats]

I know roughly 50ish which is absolutely ridiculous given that I'm supposed to be JLPT2-3, it really cripples me to the point where I essentially can't read. I'm starting to really focus specifically on the kanji at the moment though

 

[Arc2004]

I only know like 70 kanji, but im still learning

 

[Wladimir]

I know to write myself about 30 kanjis and I can maybe recognize about hundred. I'm still biginner

 

[dark_secrester]

Barely Any, about 35 I can write and 50 I can read, (that goes for multimeanings)

I haven't even got kana down fully yet

Must try harder * must..... beat..... maci....a...mo........ * doubt that'll ever happen

 

[りすの肉]

For me knowing a Kanji means being able to write it, knowing the the meanings, and knowing at least some of the kun and on readings. That said, I probably know about 二百 漢字 right now. I try to learn at least one a day, but sometimes that doesn't happen. Whoa do I have a way to go.

 

[TuRbOxChAz]

its so hard....only took 2 years of high school japanese, kind of tried to memorize some kanji from the back of the book, took a break off of japanese in my first semester in college, and forgot a bunch of japanese as well as kanji
guess if i ever want 2000+ i'd need to practice kanji writing and reading it everyday...

btw i probably only can write like 30, but recognize 50-60 lol.....

 

[Arachanox]

I know and recognize no kanji. And I wish to keep it that way. Hiragana first.





Of course, I'll have to learn some kanji eventually...but seriously. 40,000 useless symbols that you could easily write in hiragana with a few more strokes? Lazy kanji-makers.

 

[JimmySeal]

I know and recognize no kanji. And I wish to keep it that way. Hiragana first.

Of course, I'll have to learn some kanji eventually...but seriously. 40,000 useless symbols that you could easily write in hiragana with a few more strokes? Lazy kanji-makers.

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[White Rose]

I recognize and can more or less give the general meanings of 200.

But as for readings? Probably about 5 . Maybe less i couldn't say offhand.

 

[Mirai Naza-kun]

Maybe... 50? Not really sure.

 

[orochi]

I put myself down for 1500-2000.
I can probably read well over 2000, but I can only write (most of ) the Joyo Kanji.

 

[Tsumetai]

Right now I am somewhere between 800-1000. I really need to get around to study kanji again.

 

[northsider1983]

Maybe... 50? Not really sure.

About the same for me. I'm getting there....

 

[northsider1983]

I know people say that 2000 is the magic kanji number, enough to read newspapers and such. Does that mean 2000 single kanji? Or does that include compound kanji?

 

[JimmySeal]

It means 2000 separate characters.