常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)

The official list of kanji designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education for general use. The current list (常用漢字表(じょうようかんじひょう)) was revised in 2010 and contains 2,136 characters.

Common collocations

• 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)表(ひょう): the regular-use kanji chart/list
• 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)に含(ふく)まれる: to be included in the regular-use kanji
• 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)以外(いがい): kanji outside the regular-use list
• 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)の読(よ)み: readings of regular-use kanji

Related words

• 教育漢字(きょういくかんじ): educational kanji — the 1,026 kanji taught in elementary school, a subset of 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ)
• 人名用漢字(じんめいようかんじ): kanji approved for use in personal names
• 当用漢字(とうようかんじ): the predecessor list (1946-2010), containing 1,850 characters

Cultural note

Kanji outside the 常用漢字(じょうようかんじ) list are often written in kana or given furigana in official publications and newspapers. The list serves as a practical literacy benchmark for educated adults.