The Kanji Map
Every Joyo kanji a Japanese learner needs, on one interactive map. Filter by JLPT level, search by meaning, romaji, or stroke count, and split the set eight ways: by JLPT, school grade, structural shape, Kanji Kentei, and more. Tap any character for readings, examples, and family clusters.
Five rings, one per JLPT level, with N5 at the center. Each ring fills clockwise as you learn. The center hub features a different radical every 10 seconds, a quiet reminder of the building blocks beneath every kanji. Hover to pause, tap any kanji to study it.
Eight ways to split the kanji
The Atlas can group kanji by any of the categorisation systems below. Pick whichever maps to how you're studying — JLPT for exam prep, School grade for a Japan-curriculum approach, Halpern structural for shape-based recognition.
JLPT level
readyThe Japanese-Language Proficiency Test grouping: N5 (foundation) through N1 (advanced). The default lens for learners outside Japan and the most common framework for exam prep.
Japanese school grade
readyHow Japanese kids actually learn kanji at school: Grade 1 through Grade 6, then Junior High and beyond. Aligned with the kyōiku kanji curriculum.
Halpern structural
approxJack Halpern's four shape categories: left-right (氵 + phonetic), top-bottom, enclosure (国 enclosing 玉), and solid. We approximate the categories from radical position; not the actual KLD index.
Kanji Kentei (漢字検定)
approxThe 12-level Japanese kanji proficiency certification. 10級 is easiest, 1級 covers 6,000+ characters. Mapped from school grade for the elementary range; higher levels are partial.
Jōyō status
readyWhether the kanji is in the current 2010 Jōyō list (2,136 official everyday-use kanji). The list was last revised in 2010, adding 196 and removing 5.
Remembering the Kanji
comingHeisig's RTK 6th edition orders ~2,200 kanji so each one only uses primitives already taught. Famously effective for adult English learners. Sequence import in progress.
Frequency in media
comingRanked by how often kanji appear in modern Japanese newspapers, novels, and online text. The top ~1,000 cover roughly 95% of everyday reading. Corpus data import pending.
Kanji in Context
comingJapan Times' textbook ordering, optimised for reading authentic material early. Sequence transcription pending.
How to use the Kanji Map
Start in the Compass for an overview
The page opens to the Compass — five rings, one per JLPT level, with progress arcs showing how much you've learned at each level. It's the cheapest view to render so it loads instantly even on slower phones.
Switch to Atlas to dive in
The Atlas shows every Joyo kanji on a single dense canvas. Use the Split button to change how they're grouped — by JLPT, school grade, structural shape, Kanji Kentei, and more. Each split has a one-line explanation in the menu.
Search and combine
Type a meaning (water, human), a reading
in romaji or kana (mizu, スイ), a kanji
itself (学), or a stroke count (5s).
Combine them: 5s tree finds 5-stroke kanji related to
trees.
Tap any kanji to study it
Click for the detail panel: meaning, on'yomi and kun'yomi readings, stroke count, primary radical, and a kanji-family cluster of siblings sharing the same radical. Mark as learned and your progress persists across visits.
Switch views for different jobs
The Atlas is a poster. Compass shows your overall journey with progress arcs per JLPT level. Levels, Strokes, Radicals are larger study tiles grouped a fixed way. Cards shows the meaning alongside each kanji.
Recolor for new perspectives
The Color popover changes how every tile is colored, independently of the split. Try Stroke heat (light = simple, dark = complex) or Radical (each radical gets its own hue) to spot patterns the JLPT coloring hides.
Build the foundation first
Kanji become much easier once you can read every hiragana and katakana. If you haven't yet, start with our visual mnemonic system.
Learn Hiragana →