TIER · By frequency
Top 2,000 most frequent
The top ~2,000 by frequency — the characters that cover about 99% of Japanese text, effectively the threshold of adult literacy.
448 characters
- 國countrycountry
- 事mattermatter
- 本bookbook
- 年yearyear
- 時timetime
- 出exitexit
- 自oneselfself
- 行goinggo
- 見seesee
- 社companycompany
- 家househouse
- 會meetingmeet
- 來comecome
- 分partpart
- 氣spiritspirit
- 主lordlord
- 地groundground
- 經scripturescripture
- 生lifelife
- 員employeemember
- 業businessbusiness
- 發departuredeparture
- 間intervalinterval
- 對vis-a-visvis-a-vis
- 高talltall
- 要needneed
- 東easteast
- 用utilizeuse
- 者someoneperson
- 同samesame
- 合fitfit
- 内insideinside
- 相intermutual
- 方directiondirection
- 性naturenature
- 法methodlaw
- 定determinedetermine
- 新newnew
- 今nownow
- 情feelingsfeeling
- 文writingwriting
- 長longlong
- 所placeplace
- 回timesturn
- 治rulegovern
- 萬ten-thousandten thousand
- 金goldgold
- 縣countyprefecture
- 學studystudy
- 著donwear
- 開openopen
- 代substitutesubstitute
- 明brightbright
- 思thinkthink
- 場locationplace
- 實realityreality
- 期periodperiod
- 立stand-upstand
- 部sectionsection
- 作makemake
- 決decidedecide
- 天heavensheaven
- 問questionquestion
- 取taketake
- 持holdhold
- 全wholewhole
- 表surfacesurface
- 言saysay
- 北northnorth
- 起riserise
- 市citycity
- 知knowknow
- 動movemove
- 外outsideoutside
- 多manymany
- 力powerpower
- 民peoplepeople
- 制systemsystem
- 理logiclogic
- 調tunetune
- 體body-2body
- 化changechange
- 受acceptreceive
- 感emotionfeel
- 當hithit
- 道wayway
- 名namename
- 使erranduse
- 住livelive
- 題topictopic
- 圓circlecircle
- 入enterenter
- 少fewfew
- 番turnturn
- 意ideaidea
- 通trafficpass through
- 仕attendserve
- 活alivelive
- 政governgovern
- 重heavyheavy
- 度degreesdegrees
- 質substancesubstance
- 車carcar
- 界boundaryboundary
- 教teachteach
- 百hundredhundred
- 考ponderthink
- 命fatelife
- 和harmonyharmony
- 平eveneven
- 步walkwalk
- 運carrycarry
- 世generationgeneration
- 送escortsend
- 都metropolismetropolis
- 海seasea
- 個individualindividual
- 強strongstrong
- 進advanceadvance
- 正correctcorrect
- 安relaxpeace
- 終finishend
- 想imagineimagine
- 書writewrite
- 公publicpublic
- 料feefee
- 必mustmust
- 數numbernumber
- 記scriberecord
- 院instinstitution
- 乘rideride
- 果fruitfruit
- 近nearnear
- 午noonnoon
- 空emptyempty
- 號nicknamename
- 野plainsfield
- 愛lovelove
- 第noordinal number
- 始commencebegin
- 千thousandthousand
- 切cutcut
- 點spotdot
- 室roomroom
- 畫imagepicture
- 原meadoworigin
- 話taletalk
- 南southsouth
- 路roadroad
- 際between-edgebetween
- 線threadline
- 交minglemingle
- 因causecause
- 豫beforehandbeforehand
- 向yondertoward
- 先beforebefore
- 勝victoryvictory
- 面maskface
- 門gategate
- 京capitalcapital
- 元beginningorigin
- 區wardward
- 助helphelp
- 白whitewhite
- 費expenseexpense
- 組associationgroup
- 西westwest
- 信faithfaith
- 聞hearhear
- 米ricerice
- 待waitwait
- 引pullpull
- 色colorcolor
- 歸homecomingreturn
- 何whatwhat
- 計plotplan
- 賣sellsell
- 黨partyparty
- 紀eraera
- 級gradegrade
- 店storestore
- 食eateat
- 美beautybeautiful
- 議discussdiscuss
- 司managemanage
- 直straightawaystraight
- 夜nightnight
- 服clothesclothes
- 親parentparent
- 令orderorder
- 案proposalplan
- 神godgod
- 修cultivatecultivate
- 渡transitcross
- 段rankstep
- 村villagevillage
- 樂musicmusic
- 讀readread
- 才geniustalent
- 臺pedestalplatform
- 朝morningmorning
- 廣widewide
- 試testtest
- 週weekweek
- 夫husbandhusband
- 廳agencygovernment office
- 府prefectureprefecture
- 無nothingnessnothing
- 値valuevalue
- 指fingerfinger
- 早earlyearly
- 義righteousnessrighteousness
- 有possesshave
- 働work-2work
- 太thickthick
- 形shapeshape
- 答answeranswer
- 官officialofficial
- 町towntown
- 校schoolschool
- 古oldold
- 禮courtesycourtesy
- 走runrun
- 工craftwork
- 語wordword
- 首neckneck
- 覺perceiveperceive
- 春springtimespring
- 顏face-2face
- 弟younger-brotheryounger brother
- 善goodgood
- 歲year-endyears old
- 益profitprofit
- 止stopstop
- 買buybuy
- 急urgenturgent
- 音soundsound
- 驛stationstation
- 富richrich
- 味flavorflavor
- 布clothcloth
- 油oiloil
- 域regionregion
- 惡evilevil
- 屋roofroof
- 肉meatmeat
- 驗verificationtest
- 拂paypay
- 德virtuevirtue
- 算calculatecalculate
- 每everyevery
- 飛flyfly
- 漢chinese-hanHan
- 則law-rulerule
- 帶sashsash
- 限limitlimit
- 座sitsit
- 酒liquorliquor
- 聲voicevoice
- 降descenddescend
- 苦sufferingbitter
- 速fastfast
- 笑laughlaugh
- 税taxtax
- 階class-stepfloor
- 福fortunefortune
- 血bloodblood
- 律legal-rulelaw
- 寺buddhist-templetemple
- 半halfhalf
- 好fondgood
- 赤redred
- 頭head-2head
- 衣garmentclothing
- 紙paperpaper
- 遠farfar
- 青blueblue
- 街street-bustlestreet
- 票voteticket
- 茶teatea
- 夢dreamdream
- 字charactercharacter
- 輕lightlight
- 皮skinskin
- 歌songsong
- 菜vegetablevegetable
- 谷valleyvalley
- 喜rejoicejoy
- 腦brainbrain
- 妻wifewife
- 光raylight
- 魚fishfish
- 科departmentdepartment
- 昨yesterdayyesterday
- 寒coldcold
- 夏summersummer
- 秋autumnautumn
- 圖mapmap
- 寫photocopy
- 君rulerruler
- 丸roundround
- 馬horsehorse
- 季seasonseason
- 貨goodsgoods
- 橋bridgebridge
- 燒broilgrill
- 背spineback
- 黑blackblack
- 友friendfriend
- 齡age-yearsage
- 戶doordoor
- 花flowerflower
- 仁benevolencebenevolence
- 招inviteinvite
- 損lossloss
- 祭festivalfestival
- 冬winterwinter
- 細thinthin
- 森forestforest
- 飯mealmeal
- 悲grievesad
- 葉leafleaf
- 候climateclimate
- 港portport
- 園parkgarden
- 休restrest
- 晚nightfallevening
- 短shortshort
- 林grovegrove
- 怒angryangry
- 王kingking
- 皇sovereignemperor
- 臣vassalvassal
- 緣connectionconnection
- 船ship-2ship
- 晝daytimedaytime
- 骨bonebone
- 牛cowcow
- 脈pulsepulse
- 玉jeweljade
- 錢coincoin
- 句phrasephrase
- 筆brushbrush
- 羽feathersfeather
- 帝emperoremperor
- 筋musclemuscle
- 罪sinsin
- 暗darknessdark
- 弱weakweak
- 岩boulderboulder
- 角anglehorn
- 暑hothot
- 祝congratulatecelebrate
- 池pondpond
- 鳥birdbird
- 星starstar
- 犬dogdog
- 雷thunderthunder
- 忙busybusy
- 佛buddhaBuddha
- 草grassgrass
- 鏡mirrormirror
- 孫grandchildgrandchild
- 髮hair-of-the-headhair
- 夕eveningevening
- 貧poorpoor
- 曜weekdayday of the week
- 胸chestchest
- 肩shouldershoulder
- 齒toothtooth
- 刀knifeknife
- 飲drinkdrink
- 冰iceice
- 竹bamboobamboo
- 暖warmwarm
- 繪picturepicture
- 腰loinswaist
- 肝liverliver
- 腕armarm
- 寢sleepsleep
- 蒸steamsteam
- 晴clear-upclear up
- 詩poempoem
- 壽longevitylongevity
- 辛spicyspicy
- 里rivillage
- 淚tearstears
- 腸intestineintestine
- 胃stomachstomach
- 勉exertionexertion
- 怖fearfear
- 旗flagflag
- 毛furfur
- 霧fogfog
- 窗windowwindow
- 舌tonguetongue
- 机deskdesk
- 肺lunglung
- 蟲insectinsect
- 旬ten-daysten days
- 黃yellowyellow
- 眠slumbersleep
- 凍freezefreeze
- 甘sweetsweet
- 鹽saltsalt
- 泳swimswim
- 鳴chirpcry
- 矢dartarrow
- 貯savingssavings
- 伯uncle-eldereldest
- 嫁bridebride
- 涼coolcool
- 霜frostfrost
- 泣crycry
- 袋sackbag
- 綿cottoncotton
- 妹younger-sisteryounger sister
- 肌textureskin
- 姉elder-sisterelder sister
- 鍵keykey
- 帽hathat
- 絲silkthread
- 叔uncle-youngeruncle
- 靴shoeshoe
- 姑mother-in-lawmother-in-law
- 麥barleybarley
- 嵐stormstorm
- 牙tooth-fangtooth
- 煮simmersimmer
- 曆calendarcalendar
- 唇liplip
- 貓catcat
- 汁soupsoup
- 餅rice-cakerice cake
- 膝kneeknee
- 麵noodlenoodle
- 貝shellfishshellfish
- 弓bowbow
- 腎kidneykidney
- 傘umbrellaumbrella
- 絹silk-fabricsilk
- 婿son-in-lawson-in-law
- 喉throatthroat
- 羊sheepsheep
- 肘elbowelbow
- 汽vaporsteam
- 顎jawjaw
- 舅uncle-maternalmaternal uncle