Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (Kanken) study guide
Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (Kanken) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (Kanken) is a Japanese-language credential that measures how well a candidate can read, write, and use kanji across a graded scale from beginner to advanced. It is taken by schoolchildren, university students, adults refreshing their literacy, and non-native learners who want an external benchmark for character knowledge. The test is delivered in Japanese and answers are handwritten, so recognition alone is not enough: you must produce the correct character, reading, or compound from memory. Preparation is best built around writing, not passive review. Work level by level with a kanji drill book that follows the Kanken band, keep a notebook for characters you miss, and write each item several times in context sentences rather than in isolation. Official past problem sets are useful for format familiarity, but avoid memorising answers; aim to explain why a character fits. Study readings and written production first, then add radicals, compound structure, four-character idioms, antonyms and synonyms, and okurigana conventions. Candidates often underestimate small details: extra or missing strokes, homophone selection, and okurigana attached to the stem. Check the official Kanken website for the current administration schedule, level descriptions, and any published figures, since these change by session. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with the administering body. Topics on this exam: 読み (reading kanji in context, including okurigana-assisted readings), 書き取り (writing kanji from context sentences), 同音・同訓異字 (homophonic and same-reading character discrimination), 熟語の構成 (structure of two-character compounds), 四字熟語 (four-character idiomatic compounds), 対義語・類義語 (antonyms and synonyms), 同音異義語 (homophones in context), 誤字訂正 (identifying and correcting erroneous characters), 部首 (radicals), 送り仮名 (okurigana conventions), and 筆順・画数 (stroke order and stroke count; lower levels). The Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (Kanken) study guide has 11 sections and about 284 words.
01