---
language:
- ja
tags:
- japanese
- kanji
- educational-grades
- jlpt
- joyo
- character-classification
task_categories:
- text-classification
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
license: mit
configs:
- config_name: default
  data_files:
  - split: train
    path: "japanese_character_difficulty.csv"
dataset_info:
  features:
  - name: character
    dtype: string
  - name: grade
    dtype: int64
  splits:
  - name: train
    num_examples: 3003
---

# Japanese Character Difficulty Dataset

A comprehensive dataset of 3,003 Japanese kanji characters with their educational difficulty grades, sourced from official Japanese educational standards and kanjiapi.dev.

## Dataset Overview

- **Total Characters**: 3,003 kanji
- **Source**: Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) Joyo Kanji list + kanjiapi.dev
- **Coverage**: Elementary grades 1-6, plus secondary education and advanced characters
- **Format**: Character-grade pairs for easy lookup and analysis

## Grade System

The dataset uses the Japanese educational grade system:

- **Grades 1-6**: Elementary school kanji (Joyo Kanji for primary education)
- **Grade 8**: Secondary school kanji (middle/high school level)
- **Grade 9**: Advanced kanji (beyond standard education, JLPT levels, Jinmeiyō kanji)

### Grade Distribution

| Grade | Count | Description |
|-------|-------|-------------|
| 1 | 80 | First grade elementary |
| 2 | 160 | Second grade elementary |
| 3 | 200 | Third grade elementary |
| 4 | 200 | Fourth grade elementary |
| 5 | 185 | Fifth grade elementary |
| 6 | 181 | Sixth grade elementary |
| 8 | 1,134 | Secondary school level |
| 9 | 863 | Advanced/specialized characters |

## Usage Examples

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

# Load the dataset
dataset = load_dataset("ronantakizawa/japanese-character-difficulty")
df = dataset['train'].to_pandas()

# Find elementary school kanji (grades 1-6)
elementary_kanji = df[df['grade'] <= 6]
print(f"Elementary kanji count: {len(elementary_kanji)}")

# Get all grade 1 kanji
grade1_kanji = df[df['grade'] == 1]['character'].tolist()
print(f"Grade 1 kanji: {''.join(grade1_kanji)}")

# Check difficulty of a specific character
char_grade = df[df['character'] == '漢']['grade'].iloc[0]
print(f"漢 is grade {char_grade}")
```

## Applications

- **Language Learning**: Curriculum design and progression planning
- **Text Analysis**: Automatic difficulty assessment of Japanese texts
- **Educational Tools**: Kanji learning applications and games
- **Research**: Japanese language complexity studies

## Data Quality

- Sourced from official Japanese educational standards
- Cross-referenced with kanjiapi.dev comprehensive database
- Includes both Joyo (常用) and Jinmeiyō (人名用) kanji
- Covers JLPT levels N5-N1 characters

## Related Datasets

- [Japanese Text Difficulty Dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/ronantakizawa/japanese-text-difficulty) - Full text analysis using this character data