By default the Component Builder shows the most common Joyo kanji components (ie, components which are themselves Joyo kanji, or which are used in at least 3 other Joyo kanji). Select an alternative set of components below.
For details of all components and their English names, see the Component collections.
Japanese vocabulary in the Routledge 5000 frequency list
The Routledge frequency list of Japanese words is a set of 5000 of the most commonly-used words in Japanese
curated by Routledge ⇗, a respected British
academic publisher. The Routledge frequency dictionary starts with particles and basic terms, and includes grammatical consturctions and
many numbers (beyond 1-10 and the counters), so it is a practical set to learn from.
For those of you studying with Routledge, we've created a set of 50
collections in Kanshudo which map to the Routledge list.
Each collection contains roughly 100 words. In total these collections include 4909 words, as the Routledge list
includes about 100 words which are listed multiple times for different meanings, where Kanshudo shows all meanings for
each word in its main entry. However, Routledge also includes several variants of the same word under the same number, which in
Kanshudo appear as separate entities.
Each word's Routledge ranking is shown in Kanshudo's main details page for the word - look in
the frequency data table for the Routledge entry. For example, see the particle
の (the first word in the Routledge list).
For each collection, you can
automatically create Flashcards to study on your computer or smartphone, download
for use elsewhere, add the items to your Favorites,
or jump right in with Quick Study.
Routlege 5000 Vocab
Numbers correspond to the index of the entry in the Routledge list.
Kanshudo Flashcards are the best way to study and keep track of what you've studied.
Our flashcards use spaced repetition, the most efficient memorization system.
Flashcards are free to use, but you need to be a Registered User of Kanshudo.
Please LOG IN to use Flashcards.
To view mastery data, you must be logged in to Kanshudo. Please LOG IN or REGISTER.
Kanshudo tracks your mastery (knowledge) of every kanji, word and grammar point in Japanese individually. In item searches (Kanji search, Word search and Grammar search), you will see a small circle with a number from 0 - 4 next to each item, where zero means 'no mastery' and 4 means 'absolute mastery'. A summary of your mastery data is displayed in your Kanji, Word and Grammar mastery wheels.
The Kanshudo kanji usefulness rating shows you how useful a kanji is for you to learn.
has a Kanshudo usefulness of , which means it is among the most useful kanji in Japanese.
is one of the 138 kana characters, denoted with a usefulness rating of K. The kana are the most useful characters in Japanese, and we recommend you thoroughly learn all kana before progressing to kanji.
All kanji in our system are rated from 1-8, where 1 is the most useful.
The 2136 Jōyō kanji have usefulness levels from 1 to 5, and are denoted with badges like this:
The 138 kana are rated with usefulness K, and have a badge like this:
The Kanshudo usefulness level shows you how useful a Japanese word is for you to learn.
has a Kanshudo usefulness level of , which means it is among the
most useful words in Japanese.
All words in our system
are rated from 1-12, where 1 is the most useful.
Words with a usefulness level of 9 or better are amongst the most useful 50,000 words in Japanese, and
have a colored badge in search results, eg:
Many useful words have multiple forms, and less common
forms have a badge that looks like this:
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test, 日本語能力試験) is the standard test of Japanese language ability for non-Japanese.
would first come up in level
N.
Kanshudo displays a badge indicating which level of the JLPT words, kanji and grammar points might first be used in:
indicates N5 (the first and easiest level)
indicates N1 (the highest and most difficult)
You can use Kanshudo to study for the JLPT. Kanshudo usefulness levels for kanji, words and grammar points map directly to JLPT levels, so your mastery level on Kanshudo is a direct indicator of your readiness for the JLPT exams.
Kanshudo usefulness counts up from 1, whereas the JLPT counts down from 5 - so the first JLPT level, N5, is equivalent to Kanshudo usefulness level .
Each Joy o' Kanji essay provides unparalleled depth and insight into a single kanji, and is available as a beautifully presented PDF.
The essays are available as an optional part of a Kanshudo Pro subscription, or can be purchased separately. Once purchased, you can download an essay immediately and any number of times in the future.
The pitch accent markings show you how to pronounce a word. A line underneath a kana symbol indicates low pitch, and a line above indicates high pitch. A vertical line at the end indicates the pitch of the next sound in a sentence using the word is different to the last sound of the word. The number(s) to the right of the markings show how this pitch is represented in a Japanese dictionary.
For more information, see our comprehensive guide:
Wherever you see the green star,
you can tag any kanji, word or grammar point for future reference in your
Favorites list, which is accessible from the main menu.
You can automatically create flashcards from your Favorites,
or use Quick Study to study them any time.
