sci.lang.japan FAQ / 1. Writing / 1.3. Other questions on writing

1.3.5. How is Japanese writing taught to Japanese children?

The Japanese education system teaches children characters in the following order:

Children begin officially learning reading and writing at the age of six, when they enter elementary school. Many children can already read hiragana and katakana at this age, but this is not part of the official curriculum.
They learn hiragana and katakana during the first year of elementary school (shōgakkō (小学校)).
They learn 1006 kanji over six years of elementary school, divided into six one year grades, of 80, 160, 200, 200, 185, and 181 characters in years one to six. These are commonly known as the kyouiku kanji (教育漢字) or gakushuu kanji (学習漢字), although their official name is gakunenbetsu kanji haitouhyou (学年別漢字配当表).
They learn calligraphic writing using a brush in the kaisho form (see 1.3.9.3. Handwritten styles) during their third year of school.
They learn romanized Japanese using the Kunrei system (see 1.3.4. What are the systems of romanization of Japanese?) in their fourth year.
The rest of the jōyō and jinmei kanji (see 1.2.4. What are the jouyou kanji? and 1.2.2. How many kanji are there?) are taught at junior high or high school level.
Further non-jōyō kanji may be taught at high school level.

There is no set list of grades for how to teach the jouyou kanji of junior high school or high school. The grades for elementary school can be found in kanji learning books or in kanji dictionaries. They may also be found in Kanjidic, under the labels G1, G2, G3, etc.

Many children also study penmanship or calligraphy outside school.

References

Yasuoka, Koichi, 日本の「漢字表」

sci.lang.japan FAQ / 1. Writing / 1.3. Other questions on writing

If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy


Book reviews	Convert Japanese numbers	Handwritten kanji recognition	Stroke order diagrams	Convert Japanese units	Popup dictionary