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If, after reading the FAQ, your question still isn't answered, please mail me at kanjisite@kanjisite.com and I'll get back to you sharpish.

  1. Are these the kanji I need for the JLPT exam?
  2. Where are the Level 1 kanji?
  3. Isn't Level 1 the easiest level, then?
  4. How many kanji do I need for each level of the JLPT?
  5. Where did you get the list? Are you sure it's right?
  6. Do you do requests?
  7. Can you tell me how to write my name in kanji?
  8. Why don't you put the readings in kana instead of romaji?
  9. Why don't you have stroke order on the site?
  10. Why isn't the Level 2 vertical format printable list displaying properly?
  11. Can I link to The Kanji SITE?
  12. Is The Kanji SITE a commercial venture?
  13. Would you mind if I translated The Kanji SITE into a language other than English?
  14. How else can I help?
  15. Can I buy you a drink?

1. Are these the kanji I need for the JLPT exam?
Yes, they are. The site contains the required kanji for levels 4, 3 and 2 of the JLPT.

2. Where are the Level 1 kanji?
Um, I haven't done them yet. Sorry. I'm working on it, though, so watch this space.

3. Isn't Level 1 the easiest level, then?
No, it isn't. Level 4 is easiest, followed by Level 3 (tricksy), Level 2 (disturbing) and Level 1 (fiendish).

4. How many kanji do I need for each level of the JLPT?
Level 4: 80 kanji
Level 3: a further 165 kanji (245 cumulative)
Level 2: a further 755 kanji (1000 cumulative)
Level 1: a further 1036 kanji (2036 cumulative)

It's misleading to think in terms of the cumulative numbers of kanji for any particular level, as you won't be directly tested on earlier kanji. Level 3, for example, only tests you on the 165 kanji Level 3 kanji and not the 80 Level 4 kanji.

5. Where did you get the list? Are you sure it's right?
My main reference is the "Kanji Power Handbook for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test", which is published by ALC Publishing of Tokyo. It breaks down all the kanji by their JLPT level and includes all of the on and kun-readings for each kanji, as well as giving a core translation of each kanji into English, Chinese and Korean. I am sure as I can be that it is official. It certainly claims to be. If you have a list that claims to be official but differs from the list on this site, I'd love to hear about it.

6. Do you do requests?
If you had heard me sing karaoke, trust me, you wouldn't ask.

No, I mean can I ask you to send me the kanji for "smartass" or other words?
Ah, I see. I don't mind sending people the kanji for specific Japanese words, but I don't provide a translation service. My Japanese simply isn't good enough. If you have an English word you want translated into Japanese and then written in kanji, try looking for it on the site first of all (you can use the search function on the front page), or try some of the resources listed on my links page (for example, Jeffrey's online dictionary). Then ask me for the Japanese word you've chosen.

7. Can you tell me how to write my name in kanji?
In a nutshell, "no". But I can help you find out how to do so.

To write a foreign (i.e. non-Japanese) name in kanji is quite complex. First of all the name needs to be correctly syllabified so that it can be pronounced using Japanese sounds. This works well for some names ("John" becomes "jon", for example) but not so well for others ("Christopher" becomes "kurisutofaa" and "David" becomes "deibiddo", for example). Then you need to pick kanji that correspond to the Japanese-sounding name. There are a lot of kanji for any particular syllable and, because each kanji has a meaning associated with it, this choice should really be a matter of personal taste.

An alternative is to pick kanji with a similar meaning to your name, rather than a similar sound. For instance, "Lucy" comes from the Latin "lux", meaning "light", so you could just use the kanji for "light" instead of kanji which sounded like "luushi".

There is an excellent book called "How to Write Your Name in Kanji", by Nobuo Sato, which does most of the donkey-work for you. The book lists alternative kanji versions of hundreds of common Western names, along with their meanings. It also has a table of kanji for any particular syllable, allowing you to generate kanji for any name not included in the list. I have this one myself, and it's afforded me and my friends hours of fun. Apparently "Christopher" comes out as "A bird which vomits chestnuts into its nest". Excellent. You can buy it via the bookstore.

8. Why don't you put the readings in kana instead of romaji?
So that the site will be accessible to readers who don't have Japanese-capable machines. And yes, there are a lot of them out there. I'm aware of the arguments against using romaji to approximate Japanese syllables, but the site loses all relevance if it's unreadable.

9. Why don't you have stroke order on the site?
I'm working on it. Watch this space.

10. Why isn't the Level 2 vertical format printable list displaying properly?
Some people have had trouble with this page. Because the Level 2 vertical format is a very large file, it appears that some browsers may time out while waiting for the kanji pictures to download. This will mean that you get "picture not found" placeholders instead of kanji towards the end of the page. To solve this, try reloading / refreshing the page. Because your browser caches images, it should be faster second time around. You might need to refresh the page a couple of times to get all the kanji on screen.

Alternatively, try the batch pages. Each Level 2 batch contains only 25 kanji, breaking them into manageable chunks for study.

11. Can I link to The Kanji SITE?
Of course you can. I'd be delighted. All that I ask is that you mail me to let me know the URL of your page, and that you get the capitalization correct, i.e. "The Kanji SITE", not "the Kanji site" or similar. Banners and buttons will be made available soon.

12. Is The Kanji SITE a commercial venture?
No, not really. There's a bookstore, but that's basically to help recoup some of the costs of having the site professionally hosted, and maintaining the domain name. The Kanji SITE is a member of Amazon's Associate Program. The Kanji SITE receives 15% commission on any Amazon title purchased as the result of a direct link from The Kanji SITE's bookstore, and 5% on other titles purchased later in the same shopping session.

13. Would you mind if I translated the Kanji SITE into a language other than English?
I'm always happy to talk to people who want to set up foreign-language mirrors of the site. A number of such projects are underway at the moment, so mail me and you might find that someone is already working on the language you're interested in. I'll be happy to put you in touch so that you can collaborate. Many hands make light work, etc.

14. How else can I help?
Well, short of asking for my postal address and mailing me wads of cash, you could:

  • offer to build me a search script
  • buy something from the bookstore
  • tell your friends / fellow students / teacher about the site
  • mention the site in discussion forums
  • fill in the feedback form and tell me what you think of the site (good or bad)
  • report any errors you find on the site

I also have an Amazon wishlist. It's something I normally only make available to friends and family, but a number of you have asked specifically so, heck, here it is. If you see something there that you insist on sending my way, then I really don't know what to say except "Thank you." You're too kind. But please don't expect me to do any webcam stripteases in return - trust me, you wouldn't enjoy it.

15. Can I buy you a drink?
If you live in Tokyo and fancy meeting up some time, then sure, why not? Drop me an e-mail and I'll get back to you.