Kanji Kentei

The Japanese Kanji Aptitude Test (日本漢字能力検定試験, Nihon Kanji Nōryoku Kentei Shiken), also known as Kanji Kentei (漢字検定), or Kanken (漢検), is a test of kanji ability.

There are 12 levels (levels 10 through 3, pre-2, 2, pre-1 and 1) with level 10 being the easiest and level 1 the most difficult. The test examines ability to read and write kanji, to understand their meanings and use them correctly in sentences, and to identify correct stroke order. It was developed for native Japanese speakers.

Native speakers pass levels 10 through 7 at better than an 80% rate, whereas level 1 is so difficult that fewer than two thousand people take it each time it is offered, and fewer than 15% of those examinees pass. A college-educated native speaker of average ability could be expected to pass level pre-2 with a slight amount of studying. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)

For levels 10 through 8, the test is 40 minutes long. For levels 7 through 1, it is 60 minutes long. A 70% score is required to pass levels 7 through pre-2, and all other levels require an 80% score.

Levels 10 through 4, kids those who are kindergarten to elementary school ages (up to 12 year olds) are the main examinees. From level 3, they are the levels where high schoolers and also grownups start to take tests.

Level 2 is the maximum point where many Japanese even with higher education bother to take. Therefore having level 2 is a plus and an advantage in such as hiring, pre-1 and 1 are something special.

Test levels and skills

Level 10

Pass rate for this level: 96.3% (in 2010)
Tests the 80 kanji learned in the first grade of elementary school(age 7); see Level 10 kanji.

Level 9

Pass rate for this level: 90.6% (in 2010)
Tests the 240 kanji learned up to the second grade of elementary school (age 8); see Level 9 kanji.

Level 8

Pass rate for this level: 83.6% (in 2010)
Tests the 440 kanji learned up to the third grade of elementary school (age 9), including on readings and kun readings, stroke order, writing ability, ability to use in sentences, and the names of radicals.
Tests knowledge of antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms

Level 7

Pass rate for this level: 84.3% (in 2010)
Tests the 640 kanji learned up to the fourth grade of elementary school (age 10), including on readings and kun readings, stroke order, writing ability, ability to use in sentences, and the names of radicals.
Tests knowledge of antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests idiomatic phrases and kanji compound words

Level 6

Pass rate for this level: 76.0% (in 2010)
Tests the 825 kanji learned up to the fifth grade of elementary school (age 11), including on readings and kun readings, stroke order, writing ability, ability to use in sentences, and the names of radicals.
Tests knowledge of antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests idiomatic phrases and three-kanji compound words

Level 5

Pass rate for this level: 72.0% (in 2010)
Tests the 1006 kanji learned up to the sixth grade of elementary school (age 12) (the kyōiku kanji), including on readings and kun readings, stroke order, writing ability, ability to use in sentences, and the names of radicals.
Tests knowledge of antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests idiomatic phrases and four-kanji compound words

Level 4

Pass rate for this level: 52.0% (in 2010)
Tests the kanji learned up to the sixth grade of elementary school, plus an additional 300 daily use kanji (常用漢字 jōyō kanji)
Tests on readings and kun readings, and the ability to use kanji in sentences
Requires the ability to read about 1300 characters, and write about 900
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests idiomatic phrases and four-kanji compound words
Tests knowledge of radicals required to use a kanji dictionary

Level 3

Pass rate for this level: 47.5% (in 2010)
Tests the kanji learned up to the sixth grade of elementary school, plus an additional 600 daily use kanji
Tests on readings and kun readings, and the ability to use kanji in sentences
Requires the ability to read about 1600 characters
Tests special or unusual kanji readings
Tests ateji (当て字), phonetic readings of characters
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests idiomatic phrases and four-kanji compound words
Tests knowledge of radicals required to use a kanji dictionary

Level pre-2

Pass rate for this level: 36.6% (in 2010)
Tests the kanji learned in the first two years of high school (approximately 16-17 years of age)
Tests on readings and kun readings, and the ability to use kanji in sentences
Requires the ability to read all of the daily use kanji (1945 characters)
Tests special or unusual kanji readings
Tests ateji
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests special compound words
Tests complex radicals

Level 2

Pass rate for this level: 23.9% (in 2010)
Tests the kanji learned through high school: requires the ability to read and write all of the 1945 daily use kanji (jōyō kanji), and knowledge of the 284 kanji used in names (jinmeiyō kanji, 人名用漢字)
Tests on readings and kun readings, and the ability to use kanji in sentences
Tests special or unusual kanji readings
Tests ateji
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests special compound words
Tests complex radicals and composition of kanji

Level pre-1

Tests the ability to read and write approximately 3000 kanji, with their on readings and kun readings
Requires the ability to use the kanji in sentences and to choose the most appropriate kanji for a given context
Tests special or unusual kanji readings
Tests ateji
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests special compound words
Tests complex radicals
Tests kanji unique to the Japanese language (kokuji)
Tests classical Japanese proverbs and idiomatic expressions

Level 1

Tests the ability to read and write approximately 6000 kanji, with their on readings and kun readings
Requires the ability to use the kanji in sentences and to choose the most appropriate kanji for a given context
Tests special or unusual kanji readings
Tests ateji
Tests knowledge of synonyms and antonyms
Tests ability to differentiate between homonyms
Tests special compound words
Tests complex radicals
Tests kanji unique to the Japanese language
Tests classical Japanese proverbs and idiomatic expressions
Tests place and country names
Tests the ability to recognize the relationship between modern and ancient or old character forms

References

漢字検定 (2009). 平成２１年度日本漢字能力検定協会 (Heisei 21 Kanji Kentei registration form and information packet).

External links

http://www.kanken.or.jp - Official page of the kanji kentei (Japanese)
http://www.kentei.co.jp - Online kanji kentei test (Japanese)
Free writing exercise sheets for kyōiku, jōyō and JIS-X-0208-1990 kanji. Additionally, JLPT writing exercise sheets and exercise sheets for the Kanji kentei test.