1.
regular-use kanji; standard kanji list
The official list of 2,136 kanji designated by the Japanese government as those sufficient for everyday use in newspapers, official documents, and general communication.
常用漢字は2136字ある。
There are 2,136 regular-use kanji.
この漢字は常用漢字に含まれていない。
This kanji is not included in the regular-use kanji list.
新聞では常用漢字以外の漢字にふりがなを付ける。
Newspapers add furigana to kanji that are not on the regular-use kanji list.
The official list of kanji designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education for general use. The current list (常用漢字表) was revised in 2010 and contains 2,136 characters.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 常用漢字表: the regular-use kanji chart/list
- 常用漢字に含まれる: to be included in the regular-use kanji
- 常用漢字以外: kanji outside the regular-use list
- 常用漢字の読み: readings of regular-use kanji
RELATED TERMS:
- 教育漢字: educational kanji — the 1,026 kanji taught in elementary school, a subset of 常用漢字
- 人名用漢字: kanji approved for use in personal names
- 当用漢字: the predecessor list (1946-2010), containing 1,850 characters
CULTURAL NOTE:
Kanji outside the 常用漢字 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.