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Grade 6 Jōyō Kanji (小6): All 191 Sixth-Grade Kanji with Readings, Stroke Counts, and JLPT Mapping
The grade 6 jōyō kanji are the 191 characters Japanese students learn in the sixth and final year of elementary school. They are set by MEXT, Japan's Ministry of Education, in the 学年別漢字配当表 (gakunenbetsu kanji haitōhyō), the official grade-by-grade allocation that organises the 教育漢字 (kyōiku kanji) subset of the jōyō list.12
Finishing this grade closes the full 1,026-character kyōiku set: 80 + 160 + 200 + 202 + 193 + 191 = 1,026.134
Overview
Grade 6 sits at the closing edge of compulsory elementary kanji and at the point where the curriculum turns decisively constitutional, judicial, scientific, and philosophical.1 Where grade 5 opened the door to civics-and-economics vocabulary, grade 6 supplies the kanji a learner needs for the body of a newspaper article: 憲法 (constitution), 政権 (political power), 内閣 (cabinet), 裁判 (trial), 法律 (law), 議論 (argument), 派閥 (faction), 純粋 (pure), 異常 (abnormal), 系統 (system), 推論 (inference).56
The grade-6 total of 191 characters is the post-revision figure. The 平成29年（2017年） 告示 (2017 public notice) of the 小学校学習指導要領 (elementary school curriculum guidelines) raised the count from 181 to 191, effective 2020-04-01.17 The whole-elementary set expanded from 1,006 to 1,026 in the same revision.14
The JLPT centre of gravity for this grade settles on N2, with a substantial N1 tail.8910 In the JLPTsensei reconstruction, grade 6 is the first elementary year where N1 exceeds N2 by character count. It is also the year where N3 finally retreats to a minority share.8910
Working through grade 6 alongside the five earlier grade-level articles gives you every character a Japanese student finishes elementary school with: 1,026 characters. This is equivalent to the 漢検5級 (Kanji Kentei level 5) cumulative set under the H29 distribution.11 The natural next stop is the 1,110-character secondary-school jōyō remainder.
What changes between grade 5 and grade 6
Learners usually feel three qualitative shifts in year 6.
First, the JLPT mapping moves into the N1 band in volume for the first time. Roughly 70 of the 191 grade-6 characters sit on the JLPTsensei N1 page, 59 on N2, and 43 on N3. Another 19 are unmapped on those pages and are conventionally placed at N1 or above-frequency in the Tanos reconstruction.128910
Second, the vocabulary turns strongly constitutional and judicial. 権, 憲, 党, 律, 裁, 閣, 派, 衆, 諸, 議 (a grade-4 carryover anchored here), 論, 推, and 否 generate much of Japanese civics, constitutional law, and political-reporting vocabulary within elementary kanji.56
Third, the abstract-philosophical and scientific load reaches its kyōiku peak. 善, 厳, 純, 異, 簡, 系, 推, 論, 障, 補, 至, 革, 創, 値, 操, 担, and 模 fill out the concept-noun column. 染, 蚕, 縦, 縮, 灰, 鋼, 磁, 樹, 穀, 蒸, 源, and 層 anchor scientific-reading ability.56
What gets learned in year 6
The 191 characters break into roughly seven overlapping thematic clusters. These mirror the constitutional, philosophical, and scientific maturation expected of an 11-to-12-year-old. MEXT issues no official grouping; the clusters below follow common Japanese elementary textbook ordering and the dominant English-language reference tables.1314
Grade 6 also completes the cumulative inheritance-and-tradition reading layer that earlier grades only hinted at: 宗教, 礼拝, 聖書, 尊敬, 忠誠, 孝行, 自我, 自己, 戒律, 諸君.56
The 2017 redistribution viewed from grade 6
The 平成29年 告示 of the 小学校学習指導要領 was published on 2017-03-31 and took full effect in elementary schools on 2020-04-01.17 It raised the elementary 教育漢字 set from 1,006 to 1,026 characters and redistributed roughly 39 characters across the six grade-level allocations.47
Grade 6's net change: +11 in, −1 out
Grade 6's net change in this revision was +10 characters: 11 characters moved in (2 from grade 4 and 9 from grade 5), 1 character moved out (城 → grade 4).7 Grade 6 is a net winner with a single outbound transfer.
The 11 IN and the 1 OUT are verified verbatim against the Colorless Green Ideas tracking document, the main policy-analysis record of the H29 grade-allocation moves.7 The 181-to-191 arithmetic (+11 IN − 1 OUT = +10) matches the headline expansion.47
Kanji that moved into grade 6 from grade 4 (胃, 腸)
The 2 characters transferred IN from grade 4 are the deep-anatomy pair 胃 and 腸.7
| Kanji | Strokes | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Dominant compound(s) | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 胃 | 9 | イ | (none) | 胃腸 (いちょう) "stomach and intestines"; 胃酸 (いさん) "stomach acid" | N2 |
| 腸 | 13 | チョウ | (none) | 大腸 (だいちょう) "large intestine"; 小腸 (しょうちょう) "small intestine" | N1+ |
The 2017 告示 moved them as a pair because they form the standard 胃腸 (gastrointestinal) compound. At grade 4, they had been the only deep-interior anatomy characters in a year otherwise dominated by surface anatomy and prefecture geography.7 Reclassifying them to grade 6 puts them with the rest of the body-interior set (脳, 胸, 腹, 肺, 骨, 筋, 背).114
Kanji that moved into grade 6 from grade 5 (恩, 券, 承, 舌, 銭, 退, 敵, 俵, 預)
The 9 characters transferred IN from grade 5 are predominantly legal, ethical, and commercial.7
| Kanji | Strokes | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Dominant compound(s) | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 恩 | 10 | オン | (none) | 恩恵 (おんけい) "favour, blessing"; 恩師 (おんし) "one's teacher" | N1 |
| 券 | 8 | ケン | (none) | 入場券 (にゅうじょうけん) "admission ticket"; 旅券 (りょけん) "passport" | N2 |
| 承 | 8 | ショウ | うけたまわ-る | 承認 (しょうにん) "approval"; 継承 (けいしょう) "succession" | N2 |
| 舌 | 6 | ゼツ | した | 舌戦 (ぜっせん) "verbal battle"; 弁舌 (べんぜつ) "eloquence" | N1+ |
| 銭 | 14 | セン | ぜに | 金銭 (きんせん) "money, cash"; 銭湯 (せんとう) "public bath" | N1 |
| 退 | 9 | タイ | しりぞ-く、しりぞ-ける | 退職 (たいしょく) "retirement"; 引退 (いんたい) "retirement" | N3 |
| 敵 | 15 | テキ | かたき | 敵対 (てきたい) "antagonism"; 匹敵 (ひってき) "rivalry, comparison" | N1 |
| 俵 | 10 | ヒョウ | たわら | 土俵 (どひょう) "sumo ring"; 米俵 (こめだわら) "rice bale" | N1+ |
| 預 | 13 | ヨ | あず-ける、あず-かる | 預金 (よきん) "deposit, savings"; 預ける (あずける) "to entrust" | N2 |
Several carry clearly N2-flavoured compounds (承認, 退職, 預金, 入場券, 金銭). Others carry N1-flavoured compounds (匹敵, 継承, 恩恵, 敵対). This is why grade 6's JLPT centre of gravity sits between N2 and N1 rather than at N3.8910
Kanji that moved out of grade 6 in 2017 (城 → grade 4)
| Kanji | Moved to | Strokes | Dominant compound(s) | Reason (inferred from policy goal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 城 | Grade 4 | 9 | 城 (しろ) "castle"; 城下町 (じょうかまち) "castle town" | Prefecture-relevant: 城 anchors 茨城, 宮城, 結城. The 2017 告示 added 20 prefecture-name kanji to grade 4; 城 was reclassified to grade 4 in the same revision to consolidate the geography cluster.7 |
The grade-4 article covers 城 from the receiving side. Total verified moves OUT of grade 6 in 2017: 1 character.7
Why this matters for L2 learners
Any English-language kanji list, deck, app, or textbook built on data older than April 2020 may reflect the pre-H29 181-character grade-6 set.7 The mismatch at grade 6 is different from grade 5: grade 5 both gained and lost characters, while grade 6 gained 11 and lost only 1. The churn is smaller in absolute terms, and the headline +10 reveals most of it.7
A grade-6 list missing 胃, 腸, 恩, 券, 承, 舌, 銭, 退, 敵, 俵, 預 is showing the pre-2020 roster. A grade-6 list still including 城 is also pre-2020 (城 has been at grade 4 since 2017). The Kanjicards listing is one example of a pre-2017 roster: 181 characters, 城 present, all 11 transfer-ins absent.15
Practical guidance: use the 191-character list when matching current school-year cohorts or 漢検5級 (which tracks the H29 grade boundaries).11 Keep the old 181-character list only when cross-referencing legacy materials.
The 191 grade 6 kanji
How to read the table
The master table below splits the 191 characters into nine teaching clusters that mirror common Japanese elementary textbook grouping.1314 Each character appears exactly once. The cluster headings are for learning, not MEXT-issued. A few characters could equally sit in two clusters (系 in science and concept nouns, 派 in civics and inheritance), so the table places each in its dominant cluster.
Column conventions:
- Kanji: the character in its standard 常用漢字表 form.2
- Meaning: dominant English gloss; secondary senses omitted.
- On'yomi (katakana): primary Sino-Japanese reading from the 常用漢字表 reading set;
(none)marks characters with no on'yomi listing.2 See On'yomi vs. Kun'yomi for the two-reading convention. - Kun'yomi (hiragana, okurigana hyphenated): primary native reading;
(none)marks characters with no kun'yomi listing.2 - Strokes: stroke count per KANJIDIC2 and the Benricho and Ieben post-2020 references, all matching MEXT-endorsed counts.11614
- Top-2 vocabulary: high-frequency compounds from JMdict frequency-tagged headwords and standard dictionaries. Where possible, the examples prefer compounds built from grade-1-through-grade-6 kanji.1756
- JLPT: level per the combined JLPTsensei N3 + N2 + N1 reconstruction, cross-checked against Tanos.
N1+marks characters absent from all three JLPTsensei pages and conventionally placed at N1 or above-frequency in Tanos.128910
The JLPT has published no official kanji list since the 2010 revision.18 All level assignments here are the "Wikibooks / JLPTsensei reconstruction" cross-checked against Tanos. Disagreement between unofficial lists is common. Treat the column as orientation rather than authoritative placement.18128910
Master table: all 191 sixth-grade kanji
Constitution, government, and law (15)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 権 | right, authority | ケン、ゴン | (none) | 15 | 権利 (けんり) "right"; 政権 (せいけん) "political power" | N3 |
| 憲 | constitution | ケン | (none) | 16 | 憲法 (けんぽう) "constitution"; 立憲 (りっけん) "constitutionalism" | N1 |
| 党 | party, faction | トウ | (none) | 10 | 政党 (せいとう) "political party"; 与党 (よとう) "ruling party" | N2 |
| 律 | law, rhythm | リツ、リチ | (none) | 9 | 法律 (ほうりつ) "law"; 規律 (きりつ) "discipline" | N2 |
| 裁 | judge, cut out | サイ | た-つ、さば-く | 12 | 裁判 (さいばん) "trial"; 裁断 (さいだん) "cutting; judgement" | N1 |
| 閣 | cabinet, tower | カク | (none) | 14 | 内閣 (ないかく) "cabinet"; 閣僚 (かくりょう) "cabinet minister" | N1 |
| 派 | faction, dispatch | ハ | (none) | 9 | 派閥 (はばつ) "faction"; 派遣 (はけん) "dispatch" | N2 |
| 衆 | masses, populace | シュウ、シュ | (none) | 12 | 衆議院 (しゅうぎいん) "House of Representatives"; 大衆 (たいしゅう) "the masses" | N1 |
| 諸 | various, several | ショ | (none) | 15 | 諸国 (しょこく) "various countries"; 諸君 (しょくん) "gentlemen, all of you" | N1 |
| 論 | argument, theory | ロン | (none) | 15 | 議論 (ぎろん) "argument"; 論文 (ろんぶん) "thesis, paper" | N3 |
| 推 | infer, push | スイ | お-す | 11 | 推進 (すいしん) "promotion, propulsion"; 推論 (すいろん) "inference" | N1 |
| 否 | deny | ヒ | いな | 7 | 否定 (ひてい) "denial"; 安否 (あんぴ) "safety" | N3 |
| 庁 | government office | チョウ | (none) | 5 | 県庁 (けんちょう) "prefectural office"; 庁舎 (ちょうしゃ) "government building" | N2 |
| 署 | signature; police station | ショ | (none) | 13 | 警察署 (けいさつしょ) "police station"; 署名 (しょめい) "signature" | N2 |
| 厳 | strict, stern | ゲン、ゴン | おごそ-か、きび-しい | 17 | 厳格 (げんかく) "strict"; 厳重 (げんじゅう) "rigorous" | N1 |
Abstract qualities, ethics, and concept nouns (22)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 善 | good, virtue | ゼン | よ-い | 12 | 善悪 (ぜんあく) "good and evil"; 改善 (かいぜん) "improvement" | N1 |
| 純 | pure, genuine | ジュン | (none) | 10 | 純粋 (じゅんすい) "pure"; 単純 (たんじゅん) "simple" | N2 |
| 異 | different, strange | イ | こと | 11 | 異常 (いじょう) "abnormal"; 異議 (いぎ) "objection" | N1 |
| 簡 | simple, brief | カン | (none) | 18 | 簡単 (かんたん) "simple"; 簡素 (かんそ) "plain, simple" | N2 |
| 系 | system, lineage | ケイ | (none) | 7 | 系統 (けいとう) "system, lineage"; 体系 (たいけい) "system" | N1 |
| 障 | obstruct, hinder | ショウ | さわ-る | 14 | 障害 (しょうがい) "obstacle, disability"; 故障 (こしょう) "breakdown" | N1 |
| 補 | supplement, mend | ホ | おぎな-う | 12 | 補足 (ほそく) "supplement"; 補助 (ほじょ) "assistance" | N2 |
| 至 | reach, utmost | シ | いた-る | 6 | 至上 (しじょう) "supreme"; 必至 (ひっし) "inevitable" | N1 |
| 革 | leather, reform | カク | かわ | 9 | 改革 (かいかく) "reform"; 革新 (かくしん) "innovation" | N2 |
| 創 | create, originate | ソウ | つく-る | 12 | 創造 (そうぞう) "creation"; 創立 (そうりつ) "founding" | N1 |
| 値 | value, price | チ | ね、あたい | 10 | 価値 (かち) "value"; 数値 (すうち) "numerical value" | N3 |
| 操 | operate, manipulate | ソウ | みさお、あやつ-る | 16 | 操作 (そうさ) "operation"; 体操 (たいそう) "gymnastics" | N1 |
| 担 | bear, shoulder | タン | かつ-ぐ、にな-う | 8 | 担当 (たんとう) "person in charge"; 負担 (ふたん) "burden" | N2 |
| 模 | imitation, model | モ、ボ | (none) | 14 | 模型 (もけい) "model"; 模様 (もよう) "pattern" | N1 |
| 域 | region, area | イキ | (none) | 11 | 地域 (ちいき) "area, region"; 区域 (くいき) "zone" | N2 |
| 著 | conspicuous, write | チョ | あらわ-す、いちじる-しい | 11 | 著名 (ちょめい) "famous"; 著作 (ちょさく) "literary work" | N2 |
| 認 | recognise, approve | ニン | みと-める | 14 | 承認 (しょうにん) "approval"; 確認 (かくにん) "confirmation" | N3 |
| 疑 | doubt, suspect | ギ | うたが-う | 14 | 疑問 (ぎもん) "doubt"; 疑惑 (ぎわく) "suspicion" | N3 |
| 誤 | mistake | ゴ | あやま-る | 14 | 誤解 (ごかい) "misunderstanding"; 錯誤 (さくご) "error" | N3 |
| 危 | dangerous | キ | あぶ-ない、あや-うい、あや-ぶむ | 6 | 危険 (きけん) "danger"; 危機 (きき) "crisis" | N3 |
| 揮 | wield, brandish | キ | (none) | 12 | 指揮 (しき) "command, direction"; 発揮 (はっき) "demonstration" | N1 |
| 貴 | precious, noble | キ | たっと-い、とうと-い、たっと-ぶ、とうと-ぶ | 12 | 貴重 (きちょう) "precious"; 高貴 (こうき) "nobility" | N1 |
Scientific and biological systems (14)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 染 | dye, infect | セン | そ-める、そ-まる、し-みる、し-み | 9 | 染色 (せんしょく) "dyeing"; 感染 (かんせん) "infection" | N1 |
| 蚕 | silkworm | サン | かいこ | 10 | 養蚕 (ようさん) "sericulture"; 蚕糸 (さんし) "silk thread" | N1+ |
| 縦 | vertical | ジュウ | たて | 16 | 縦横 (じゅうおう) "vertical and horizontal"; 縦断 (じゅうだん) "traversing lengthwise" | N1 |
| 縮 | shrink | シュク | ちぢ-む、ちぢ-まる、ちぢ-める、ちぢ-れる、ちぢ-らす | 17 | 縮小 (しゅくしょう) "reduction"; 短縮 (たんしゅく) "shortening" | N1 |
| 灰 | ash | カイ | はい | 6 | 灰色 (はいいろ) "grey"; 火山灰 (かざんばい) "volcanic ash" | N2 |
| 鋼 | steel | コウ | はがね | 16 | 鋼鉄 (こうてつ) "steel"; 製鋼 (せいこう) "steel-making" | N1 |
| 磁 | magnet | ジ | (none) | 14 | 磁石 (じしゃく) "magnet"; 磁気 (じき) "magnetism" | N1+ |
| 樹 | tree | ジュ | (none) | 16 | 樹木 (じゅもく) "trees"; 植樹 (しょくじゅ) "tree-planting" | N1 |
| 穀 | grain | コク | (none) | 14 | 穀物 (こくもつ) "grain, cereal"; 雑穀 (ざっこく) "miscellaneous grains" | N1+ |
| 蒸 | steam, evaporate | ジョウ | む-す、む-れる、む-らす | 13 | 蒸気 (じょうき) "steam"; 蒸発 (じょうはつ) "evaporation" | N2 |
| 宇 | universe, eaves | ウ | (none) | 6 | 宇宙 (うちゅう) "universe, cosmos"; 気宇 (きう) "magnanimity" | N2 |
| 宙 | space, mid-air | チュウ | (none) | 8 | 宇宙 (うちゅう) "universe"; 宙吊り (ちゅうづり) "suspension in mid-air" | N1 |
| 源 | source, origin | ゲン | みなもと | 13 | 資源 (しげん) "resources"; 源泉 (げんせん) "fountainhead" | N1 |
| 層 | layer, stratum | ソウ | (none) | 14 | 高層 (こうそう) "high-rise"; 階層 (かいそう) "stratum, layer" | N2 |
The body's deep anatomy and chemistry (12)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 胃 | stomach | イ | (none) | 9 | 胃腸 (いちょう) "stomach and intestines"; 胃酸 (いさん) "stomach acid" | N2 |
| 腸 | intestine | チョウ | (none) | 13 | 大腸 (だいちょう) "large intestine"; 小腸 (しょうちょう) "small intestine" | N1+ |
| 臓 | viscera, organ | ゾウ | (none) | 19 | 内臓 (ないぞう) "internal organs"; 心臓 (しんぞう) "heart" | N2 |
| 肺 | lungs | ハイ | (none) | 9 | 肺 (はい) "lung"; 肺炎 (はいえん) "pneumonia" | N1 |
| 脳 | brain | ノウ | (none) | 11 | 脳 (のう) "brain"; 頭脳 (ずのう) "brain, intellect" | N2 |
| 骨 | bone | コツ | ほね | 10 | 骨 (ほね) "bone"; 骨格 (こっかく) "skeleton" | N2 |
| 筋 | muscle, sinew | キン | すじ | 12 | 筋肉 (きんにく) "muscle"; 筋道 (すじみち) "logic, reason" | N1 |
| 胸 | chest, breast | キョウ | むね | 10 | 胸 (むね) "chest"; 度胸 (どきょう) "courage" | N2 |
| 背 | back; betray | ハイ | せ、せい、そむ-く、そむ-ける | 9 | 背中 (せなか) "back"; 背景 (はいけい) "background" | N3 |
| 腹 | belly, abdomen | フク | はら | 13 | 腹 (はら) "belly"; 空腹 (くうふく) "hunger" | N3 |
| 舌 | tongue | ゼツ | した | 6 | 舌 (した) "tongue"; 毒舌 (どくぜつ) "sharp tongue" | N1+ |
| 乳 | milk, breast | ニュウ | ちち、ち | 8 | 牛乳 (ぎゅうにゅう) "cow's milk"; 母乳 (ぼにゅう) "breast milk" | N2 |
Cultural, religious, and historical inheritance (12)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 宗 | religion, sect | シュウ、ソウ | (none) | 8 | 宗教 (しゅうきょう) "religion"; 改宗 (かいしゅう) "conversion" | N1 |
| 拝 | worship, bow | ハイ | おが-む | 8 | 礼拝 (れいはい) "worship service"; 拝見 (はいけん) "humbly looking" | N2 |
| 聖 | holy, sacred | セイ | (none) | 13 | 聖書 (せいしょ) "Bible, scripture"; 神聖 (しんせい) "sacred" | N1 |
| 尊 | revere, respect | ソン | たっと-い、とうと-い、たっと-ぶ、とうと-ぶ | 12 | 尊敬 (そんけい) "respect"; 尊厳 (そんげん) "dignity" | N2 |
| 忠 | loyalty, faithfulness | チュウ | (none) | 8 | 忠誠 (ちゅうせい) "loyalty"; 忠実 (ちゅうじつ) "faithful" | N1 |
| 孝 | filial piety | コウ | (none) | 7 | 孝行 (こうこう) "filial piety"; 親孝行 (おやこうこう) "devotion to parents" | N1 |
| 我 | I, self, ego | ガ | われ、わ | 7 | 我々 (われわれ) "we"; 自我 (じが) "ego, self" | N1 |
| 己 | self, oneself | コ、キ | おのれ | 3 | 自己 (じこ) "self"; 知己 (ちき) "intimate friend" | N1 |
| 恩 | favour, debt of gratitude | オン | (none) | 10 | 恩人 (おんじん) "benefactor"; 恩師 (おんし) "one's teacher" | N1 |
| 仁 | benevolence | ジン、ニ | (none) | 4 | 仁義 (じんぎ) "humanity and justice"; 仁愛 (じんあい) "benevolence" | N1 |
| 朗 | bright, clear | ロウ | ほが-らか | 10 | 朗読 (ろうどく) "reading aloud"; 明朗 (めいろう) "cheerful" | N1 |
| 誠 | sincerity | セイ | まこと | 13 | 誠実 (せいじつ) "sincerity"; 忠誠 (ちゅうせい) "loyalty" | N1 |
Industry, labour, commerce, and money (16)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 賃 | wages, rent, charge | チン | (none) | 13 | 賃金 (ちんぎん) "wages"; 家賃 (やちん) "rent" | N1 |
| 株 | stock; tree stump | (none) | かぶ | 10 | 株式 (かぶしき) "stock, share"; 株主 (かぶぬし) "shareholder" | N1 |
| 銭 | coin, money | セン | ぜに | 14 | 金銭 (きんせん) "money, cash"; 銭湯 (せんとう) "public bath" | N1 |
| 預 | deposit, entrust | ヨ | あず-ける、あず-かる | 13 | 預金 (よきん) "deposit, savings"; 預ける (あずける) "to entrust" | N2 |
| 券 | ticket, certificate | ケン | (none) | 8 | 入場券 (にゅうじょうけん) "admission ticket"; 旅券 (りょけん) "passport" | N2 |
| 俵 | straw bag, bale | ヒョウ | たわら | 10 | 土俵 (どひょう) "sumo ring"; 米俵 (こめだわら) "rice bale" | N1+ |
| 蔵 | storehouse | ゾウ | くら | 15 | 蔵書 (ぞうしょ) "book collection"; 冷蔵 (れいぞう) "refrigeration" | N2 |
| 困 | be troubled | コン | こま-る | 7 | 困難 (こんなん) "difficulty"; 貧困 (ひんこん) "poverty" | N3 |
| 班 | squad, group | ハン | (none) | 10 | 班長 (はんちょう) "squad leader"; 救護班 (きゅうごはん) "rescue team" | N1+ |
| 訳 | translate, reason | ヤク | わけ | 11 | 翻訳 (ほんやく) "translation"; 通訳 (つうやく) "interpreter" | N1 |
| 郵 | postal | ユウ | (none) | 11 | 郵便 (ゆうびん) "mail"; 郵送 (ゆうそう) "mailing" | N2 |
| 策 | plan, scheme | サク | (none) | 12 | 政策 (せいさく) "policy"; 対策 (たいさく) "countermeasure" | N2 |
| 勤 | duty, work | キン、ゴン | つと-める、つと-まる | 12 | 勤務 (きんむ) "work, duty"; 勤勉 (きんべん) "diligence" | N3 |
| 就 | settle, take a job | シュウ、ジュ | つ-く、つ-ける | 12 | 就職 (しゅうしょく) "finding employment"; 就任 (しゅうにん) "inauguration" | N1 |
| 退 | retreat, withdraw | タイ | しりぞ-く、しりぞ-ける | 9 | 退職 (たいしょく) "retirement"; 引退 (いんたい) "retirement" | N3 |
| 拡 | extend, broaden | カク | (none) | 8 | 拡大 (かくだい) "expansion"; 拡張 (かくちょう) "extension" | N1 |
Roles, status, and people (17)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 皇 | emperor | コウ、オウ | (none) | 9 | 皇帝 (こうてい) "emperor"; 皇室 (こうしつ) "imperial family" | N1 |
| 后 | empress | コウ | (none) | 6 | 皇后 (こうごう) "empress"; 皇太后 (こうたいごう) "empress dowager" | N1+ |
| 陛 | imperial stairs | ヘイ | (none) | 10 | 陛下 (へいか) "Your Majesty"; 天皇陛下 (てんのうへいか) "His Imperial Majesty" | N1+ |
| 将 | general; future | ショウ | (none) | 10 | 将来 (しょうらい) "future"; 将軍 (しょうぐん) "shogun" | N2 |
| 俳 | actor; haiku | ハイ | (none) | 10 | 俳優 (はいゆう) "actor"; 俳句 (はいく) "haiku" | N1 |
| 優 | superior, gentle | ユウ | やさ-しい、すぐ-れる | 17 | 優先 (ゆうせん) "priority"; 優秀 (ゆうしゅう) "excellent" | N3 |
| 警 | warn, guard | ケイ | (none) | 19 | 警察 (けいさつ) "police"; 警備 (けいび) "security guard" | N3 |
| 私 | I, private | シ | わたくし、わたし | 7 | 私 (わたし) "I"; 私立 (しりつ) "private (institution)" | N1+ |
| 敬 | respect | ケイ | うやま-う | 12 | 尊敬 (そんけい) "respect"; 敬意 (けいい) "respect, esteem" | N2 |
| 宣 | proclaim, announce | セン | (none) | 9 | 宣言 (せんげん) "declaration"; 宣伝 (せんでん) "advertising" | N1 |
| 専 | exclusive, specialty | セン | もっぱ-ら | 9 | 専門 (せんもん) "specialty"; 専用 (せんよう) "exclusive use" | N2 |
| 紅 | crimson, deep red | コウ、ク | べに、くれない | 9 | 紅茶 (こうちゃ) "black tea"; 口紅 (くちべに) "lipstick" | N2 |
| 絹 | silk | ケン | きぬ | 13 | 絹 (きぬ) "silk"; 絹糸 (けんし) "silk thread" | N1+ |
| 詞 | words, poetry | シ | (none) | 12 | 歌詞 (かし) "lyrics"; 動詞 (どうし) "verb" | N2 |
| 誌 | record, magazine | シ | (none) | 14 | 雑誌 (ざっし) "magazine"; 誌面 (しめん) "magazine page" | N2 |
| 視 | look at, regard | シ | (none) | 11 | 視覚 (しかく) "vision"; 重視 (じゅうし) "emphasis" | N1 |
| 姿 | figure, form | シ | すがた | 9 | 姿勢 (しせい) "posture, attitude"; 姿 (すがた) "figure" | N1 |
Action verbs and process (45)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 射 | shoot | シャ | い-る | 10 | 射撃 (しゃげき) "firing, shooting"; 注射 (ちゅうしゃ) "injection" | N1 |
| 捨 | discard, throw away | シャ | す-てる | 11 | 捨てる (すてる) "to throw away"; 取捨 (しゅしゃ) "choice, selection" | N2 |
| 従 | follow, obey | ジュウ、ショウ、ジュ | したが-う、したが-える | 10 | 従う (したがう) "to follow, obey"; 従事 (じゅうじ) "engaging in" | N1 |
| 除 | remove, exclude | ジョ、ジ | のぞ-く | 10 | 除外 (じょがい) "exclusion"; 除く (のぞく) "to remove" | N3 |
| 針 | needle | シン | はり | 10 | 針 (はり) "needle"; 方針 (ほうしん) "policy" | N2 |
| 垂 | hang down | スイ | た-れる、た-らす | 8 | 垂直 (すいちょく) "perpendicular"; 懸垂 (けんすい) "pull-up" | N1+ |
| 盛 | flourish, prosper | セイ、ジョウ | も-る、さか-る、さか-ん | 11 | 盛大 (せいだい) "grand, magnificent"; 全盛 (ぜんせい) "height of prosperity" | N1 |
| 奏 | play (music), report | ソウ | かな-でる | 9 | 演奏 (えんそう) "musical performance"; 合奏 (がっそう) "ensemble" | N1 |
| 窓 | window | ソウ | まど | 11 | 窓 (まど) "window"; 車窓 (しゃそう) "train window" | N3 |
| 装 | dress, equip | ソウ、ショウ | よそお-う | 12 | 装置 (そうち) "device"; 服装 (ふくそう) "clothing, attire" | N2 |
| 熟 | mature, ripen | ジュク | う-れる | 15 | 熟練 (じゅくれん) "expertise"; 成熟 (せいじゅく) "maturity" | N1 |
| 頂 | summit, receive | チョウ | いただ-く、いただき | 11 | 頂上 (ちょうじょう) "summit"; 頂く (いただく) "to receive (humble)" | N3 |
| 潮 | tide | チョウ | しお | 15 | 潮流 (ちょうりゅう) "tidal current"; 風潮 (ふうちょう) "tendency, trend" | N1 |
| 敵 | enemy | テキ | かたき | 15 | 敵 (てき) "enemy"; 強敵 (きょうてき) "formidable opponent" | N1 |
| 展 | unfold, exhibit | テン | (none) | 10 | 展示 (てんじ) "exhibition"; 発展 (はってん) "development" | N1 |
| 討 | attack, discuss | トウ | う-つ | 10 | 検討 (けんとう) "examination"; 討論 (とうろん) "debate" | N1 |
| 納 | pay, store | ノウ、ナッ、ナ、ナン、トウ | おさ-める、おさ-まる | 10 | 納入 (のうにゅう) "payment, delivery"; 納得 (なっとく) "consent, satisfaction" | N1 |
| 批 | criticise | ヒ | (none) | 7 | 批判 (ひはん) "criticism"; 批評 (ひひょう) "criticism, review" | N1 |
| 秘 | secret | ヒ | ひ-める | 10 | 秘密 (ひみつ) "secret"; 神秘 (しんぴ) "mystery" | N1 |
| 奮 | rouse, exert | フン | ふる-う | 16 | 奮起 (ふんき) "rousing oneself"; 興奮 (こうふん) "excitement" | N1+ |
| 閉 | close, shut | ヘイ | と-じる、と-ざす、し-める、し-まる | 11 | 閉じる (とじる) "to close"; 閉店 (へいてん) "closing of a shop" | N3 |
| 宝 | treasure | ホウ | たから | 8 | 宝物 (たからもの) "treasure"; 国宝 (こくほう) "national treasure" | N2 |
| 幕 | curtain | マク、バク | (none) | 13 | 幕 (まく) "curtain, act"; 幕府 (ばくふ) "shogunate" | N1 |
| 密 | dense, secret | ミツ | (none) | 11 | 秘密 (ひみつ) "secret"; 密接 (みっせつ) "close, intimate" | N1 |
| 盟 | alliance | メイ | (none) | 13 | 同盟 (どうめい) "alliance"; 加盟 (かめい) "affiliation, joining" | N1+ |
| 欲 | desire, want | ヨク | ほっ-する、ほ-しい | 11 | 欲望 (よくぼう) "desire"; 食欲 (しょくよく) "appetite" | N3 |
| 覧 | view, look at | ラン | (none) | 17 | 一覧 (いちらん) "list, overview"; 観覧 (かんらん) "viewing" | N1+ |
| 裏 | inside, reverse | リ | うら | 13 | 裏 (うら) "reverse side"; 裏面 (りめん) "reverse side" | N2 |
| 臨 | face, attend | リン | のぞ-む | 18 | 臨時 (りんじ) "temporary"; 臨床 (りんしょう) "clinical" | N1 |
| 難 | difficult | ナン | かた-い、むずか-しい | 18 | 困難 (こんなん) "difficulty"; 難民 (なんみん) "refugee" | N3 |
| 誕 | birth, nativity | タン | (none) | 15 | 誕生 (たんじょう) "birth"; 生誕 (せいたん) "birth, nativity" | N1 |
| 遺 | bequeath, leave behind | イ | (none) | 15 | 遺産 (いさん) "inheritance"; 遺跡 (いせき) "ruins" | N1 |
| 劇 | drama, play | ゲキ | (none) | 15 | 演劇 (えんげき) "theatrical performance"; 悲劇 (ひげき) "tragedy" | N2 |
| 激 | violent, intense | ゲキ | はげ-しい | 16 | 激しい (はげしい) "intense, violent"; 感激 (かんげき) "deep emotion" | N1 |
| 傷 | wound, injure | ショウ | きず、いた-む、いた-める | 13 | 傷 (きず) "wound"; 負傷 (ふしょう) "injury" | N1 |
| 幼 | young, childish | ヨウ | おさな-い | 5 | 幼児 (ようじ) "infant"; 幼稚 (ようち) "childish" | N2 |
| 刻 | engrave, time, moment | コク | きざ-む | 8 | 時刻 (じこく) "time, moment"; 深刻 (しんこく) "serious" | N3 |
| 供 | offer, accompany | キョウ、ク | そな-える、とも | 8 | 供給 (きょうきゅう) "supply"; 子供 (こども) "child" | N3 |
| 降 | descend, fall | コウ | お-りる、お-ろす、ふ-る | 10 | 降りる (おりる) "to descend"; 降雨 (こうう) "rainfall" | N3 |
| 座 | seat, sit | ザ | すわ-る | 10 | 座る (すわる) "to sit"; 座席 (ざせき) "seat" | N3 |
| 済 | finish, settle | サイ | す-む、す-ます | 11 | 経済 (けいざい) "economy"; 返済 (へんさい) "repayment" | N3 |
| 郷 | hometown | キョウ、ゴウ | (none) | 11 | 郷里 (きょうり) "hometown"; 故郷 (こきょう) "homeland" | N1 |
| 承 | accept, agree | ショウ | うけたまわ-る | 8 | 承認 (しょうにん) "approval"; 継承 (けいしょう) "succession" | N2 |
| 穴 | hole, pit | ケツ | あな | 5 | 穴 (あな) "hole"; 墓穴 (ぼけつ) "grave" | N1 |
| 机 | desk | キ | つくえ | 6 | 机 (つくえ) "desk"; 机上 (きじょう) "on the desk; theoretical" | N2 |
Daily-life, household, and everyday-completion (38)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Strokes | Top-2 vocabulary | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 砂 | sand | サ、シャ | すな | 9 | 砂糖 (さとう) "sugar"; 砂漠 (さばく) "desert" | N2 |
| 糖 | sugar | トウ | (none) | 16 | 砂糖 (さとう) "sugar"; 糖分 (とうぶん) "sugar content" | N1+ |
| 卵 | egg | ラン | たまご | 7 | 卵 (たまご) "egg"; 産卵 (さんらん) "egg-laying" | N2 |
| 暮 | dusk, live | ボ | く-れる、く-らす | 14 | 暮らし (くらし) "livelihood, life"; 歳暮 (せいぼ) "year-end" | N3 |
| 訪 | visit | ホウ | おとず-れる、たず-ねる | 11 | 訪問 (ほうもん) "visit"; 来訪 (らいほう) "visit (incoming)" | N3 |
| 届 | reach, deliver | (none) | とど-ける、とど-く | 8 | 届ける (とどける) "to deliver"; 届け (とどけ) "notification" | N2 |
| 沿 | along, follow | エン | そ-う | 8 | 沿岸 (えんがん) "coast"; 沿線 (えんせん) "along a railway line" | N1 |
| 並 | line up, ordinary | ヘイ | なみ、なら-べる、なら-ぶ、なら-びに | 8 | 並木 (なみき) "row of trees"; 並行 (へいこう) "parallel" | N2 |
| 干 | dry, interfere | カン | ほ-す、ひ-る | 3 | 干渉 (かんしょう) "interference"; 干潮 (かんちょう) "low tide" | N2 |
| 看 | watch over | カン | (none) | 9 | 看護 (かんご) "nursing"; 看板 (かんばん) "signboard" | N1 |
| 宅 | home, residence | タク | (none) | 6 | 自宅 (じたく) "one's home"; 住宅 (じゅうたく) "housing" | N3 |
| 棒 | rod, stick | ボウ | (none) | 12 | 棒 (ぼう) "rod, stick"; 鉄棒 (てつぼう) "iron bar" | N2 |
| 枚 | counter for flat objects | マイ | (none) | 8 | 枚数 (まいすう) "number of sheets"; 一枚 (いちまい) "one sheet" | N2 |
| 巻 | scroll, roll | カン | ま-く、まき | 9 | 巻く (まく) "to roll, wind"; 圧巻 (あっかん) "highlight" | N2 |
| 翌 | next, following | ヨク | (none) | 11 | 翌日 (よくじつ) "the next day"; 翌年 (よくねん) "the next year" | N2 |
| 晩 | evening, late | バン | (none) | 12 | 今晩 (こんばん) "tonight"; 晩年 (ばんねん) "later years" | N3 |
| 映 | reflect, project | エイ | うつ-る、うつ-す、は-える | 9 | 映画 (えいが) "movie"; 反映 (はんえい) "reflection" | N1+ |
| 延 | extend, postpone | エン | の-びる、の-べる、の-ばす | 8 | 延長 (えんちょう) "extension"; 延期 (えんき) "postponement" | N2 |
| 割 | divide, ratio | カツ | わ-る、わり、わ-れる、さ-く | 12 | 割合 (わりあい) "ratio, proportion"; 役割 (やくわり) "role" | N3 |
| 呼 | call, summon | コ | よ-ぶ | 8 | 呼吸 (こきゅう) "breathing"; 呼ぶ (よぶ) "to call" | N3 |
| 吸 | suck, inhale | キュウ | す-う | 6 | 吸収 (きゅうしゅう) "absorption"; 呼吸 (こきゅう) "breathing" | N3 |
| 痛 | pain | ツウ | いた-い、いた-む、いた-める | 12 | 痛み (いたみ) "pain"; 頭痛 (ずつう) "headache" | N3 |
| 段 | step, grade | ダン | (none) | 9 | 階段 (かいだん) "stairs"; 段階 (だんかい) "stage, phase" | N3 |
| 暖 | warm | ダン | あたた-か、あたた-かい、あたた-まる、あたた-める | 13 | 暖房 (だんぼう) "heating"; 温暖 (おんだん) "warm" | N1 |
| 泉 | spring, fountain | セン | いずみ | 9 | 温泉 (おんせん) "hot spring"; 源泉 (げんせん) "fountainhead" | N2 |
| 洗 | wash | セン | あら-う | 9 | 洗濯 (せんたく) "laundry"; 洗面 (せんめん) "washing face" | N3 |
| 探 | search | タン | さぐ-る、さが-す | 11 | 探す (さがす) "to search"; 探検 (たんけん) "exploration" | N3 |
| 忘 | forget | ボウ | わす-れる | 7 | 忘れる (わすれる) "to forget"; 忘年会 (ぼうねんかい) "year-end party" | N3 |
| 若 | young | ジャク、ニャク | わか-い、も-しくは | 8 | 若い (わかい) "young"; 若者 (わかもの) "young person" | N3 |
| 乱 | disorder, riot | ラン | みだ-れる、みだ-す | 7 | 混乱 (こんらん) "chaos"; 反乱 (はんらん) "rebellion" | N2 |
| 亡 | death, perish | ボウ、モウ | な-い | 3 | 死亡 (しぼう) "death"; 亡命 (ぼうめい) "exile" | N3 |
| 収 | obtain, store | シュウ | おさ-める、おさ-まる | 4 | 収入 (しゅうにゅう) "income"; 収穫 (しゅうかく) "harvest" | N3 |
| 処 | dispose, deal with | ショ | (none) | 5 | 処置 (しょち) "measures, disposal"; 処理 (しょり) "processing" | N3 |
| 存 | exist | ソン、ゾン | (none) | 6 | 存在 (そんざい) "existence"; 保存 (ほぞん) "preservation" | N3 |
| 寸 | sun (unit), measure | スン | (none) | 3 | 寸法 (すんぽう) "measurement, dimensions"; 寸前 (すんぜん) "just before" | N1+ |
| 尺 | shaku (unit), measure | シャク | (none) | 4 | 尺度 (しゃくど) "measure, scale"; 縮尺 (しゅくしゃく) "scale of a map" | N1+ |
| 片 | one side, piece | ヘン | かた | 4 | 片方 (かたほう) "one of a pair"; 紙片 (しへん) "scrap of paper" | N2 |
| 冊 | counter for books | サツ、サク | (none) | 5 | 冊子 (さっし) "booklet"; 一冊 (いっさつ) "one volume" | N2 |
Cluster totals: 15 + 22 + 14 + 12 + 12 + 16 + 17 + 45 + 38 = 191. Each character appears in exactly one row.
Patterns within grade 6
Constitution, government, and law
This cluster brings the elementary kanji curriculum up to constitutional-reading capability for the first time. Compounds built entirely from grade 1–6 kanji include 憲法 (けんぽう), 主権 (しゅけん), 政権 (せいけん), 政党 (せいとう), 内閣 (ないかく), 法律 (ほうりつ), 裁判 (さいばん), 衆議院 (しゅうぎいん), 議論 (ぎろん), 推論 (すいろん), and 否決 (ひけつ).56
Three-kanji compounds inside the elementary set include 三権分立 (さんけんぶんりつ) "separation of powers".5 The civics-reading payoff is concrete. This is the practical reason a learner closes elementary kanji at grade 6 rather than at grade 5.
日本国憲法は1947年に施行された。5
"The Constitution of Japan was put into effect in 1947."
内閣は法律を執行する。6
"The cabinet enforces the law."
Abstract philosophical and ethical concepts
The cluster delivers the concept-noun layer that anchors philosophical and editorial vocabulary: 善悪 (ぜんあく), 厳密 (げんみつ), 純粋 (じゅんすい), 異常 (いじょう), 簡素 (かんそ), 系統 (けいとう), 推論 (すいろん), 障害 (しょうがい), 補足 (ほそく), 否定 (ひてい), 至上 (しじょう), 革新 (かくしん), 派遣 (はけん), 創造 (そうぞう), 価値 (かち), 操作 (そうさ), 担当 (たんとう).56
Many of these are 形声 (phono-semantic) characters that reward the reading-prediction trick.19
純粋な動機があれば成功できる。5
"If your motives are pure, you can succeed."
系統的な調査が必要だ。5
"A systematic investigation is required."
Scientific and biological systems
Grade 6 layers scientific-reading capability over the body-and-medicine vocabulary opened at grade 5. The biology set (蚕, 染, 穀, 樹) lets a learner read agricultural and natural-history vocabulary. The materials-science set (鋼, 磁, 灰) supports chemistry and industrial reporting, while the systems-vocabulary set (系, 縦, 縮, 純, 層) anchors quantitative textbook reading.56
蚕が桑の葉を食べて絹糸を作る。6
"Silkworms eat mulberry leaves and produce silk thread."
鋼鉄の橋は重量を支える。5
"The steel bridge supports the weight."
Cultural and religious inheritance
The cluster unlocks Buddhist, Confucian, and broader religious-and-ethical vocabulary that earlier grades only hinted at: 宗教 (しゅうきょう), 礼拝 (れいはい), 聖書 (せいしょ), 尊敬 (そんけい), 忠誠 (ちゅうせい), 孝行 (こうこう), 善悪 (ぜんあく), 自我 (じが), 自己 (じこ), 諸君 (しょくん), 仁愛 (じんあい).56
宗教は文化の根底にある。6
"Religion lies at the foundation of culture."
親孝行を心がける。5
"Make a point of being devoted to your parents."
Industry, labour, commerce, and money
The cluster fills in the language of labour and ownership. Key examples include 賃金 (ちんぎん), 株式 (かぶしき), 金銭 (きんせん), 預金 (よきん), 入場券 (にゅうじょうけん), 米俵 (こめだわら), 庁舎 (ちょうしゃ), 警察署 (けいさつしょ), 蔵書 (ぞうしょ), 困難 (こんなん), 班長 (はんちょう), 担当 (たんとう), 創造 (そうぞう), 区域 (くいき), and 翻訳 (ほんやく).56
Most of this cluster sits on the JLPT N2 list with a small N1 tail, which is consistent with the grade-6 JLPT-distribution headline.8910
The body's deep anatomy and chemistry
Grade 6 completes the body-interior set started at grade 5. Together, the deep-organ characters (胃, 腸, 臓, 肺, 脳, 骨, 筋, 胸, 背, 腹) and the body-chemistry kanji (染, 灰, 蒸, plus 乳 for biofluids) let a learner read a Japanese health-class textbook end-to-end by the close of elementary school.11314
The にくづき pattern is the cluster's most useful insight. 胃 腸 臓 肺 脳 胸 背 腹 all share the 月 (にくづき, "flesh") radical. The key is to distinguish にくづき, which classifies body and meat, from つき, the moon-月 in 明, 朝, 期, and 服. This is the standard grade-6 radical-disambiguation exercise.19
胃腸の調子が悪い。6
"My digestion is off."
心臓は休まずに動いている。5
"The heart works without ever resting."
Daily-life and household kanji
The daily-life cluster is smaller than at any earlier grade because grade 6 leans constitutional, scientific, and philosophical rather than everyday. The elementary set's everyday vocabulary is largely complete by the end of grade 5. Grade 6 fills in the remaining gaps with 砂糖, 食卵 / 卵, 牛乳, 暮らし, 訪問, 届け, 沿線, 並木, and the measurement-and-counter set (寸, 尺, 片, 冊).1314
Phonetic and semantic series at grade 6
By the end of grade 6, every multi-member phonetic series that uses a high-frequency phonetic component (寺, 工, 古, 反, 包, 主, 青, 生, 司) has nearly all of its elementary members in place. If you have internalised the phonetic-component prediction trick, you get close to full coverage at this point.
Multi-member phonetic series that close at grade 6
For the constitutional cluster specifically, the phonetic-prediction trick gives heavy yield: 憲 carries ケン and 系 carries ケイ as a high-frequency standalone phonetic in 系統 (けいとう), 体系 (たいけい), and 系列 (けいれつ).19
Semantic radicals that dominate grade 6
Grade 6 is the year the 心 (heart) radical cluster matures, with 忠 (loyalty), 恩 (favour), and adjacent characters anchoring ethical and emotional vocabulary. The 言 (word) radical cluster crowns the editorial-and-translation vocabulary in 論, 訳, 誌, 詞, 認, 諸, 誤, 誕, and 誠. The にくづき 月 radical extends from grade 5's body-interior to grade 6's deep anatomy in 胃, 腸, 臓, 肺, 脳, 胸, 背, and 腹. The 糸 (thread) radical clusters in 純, 系, 縦, 縮, 絹, and 紅.19
The 言 cluster alone yields nine grade-6 members, the highest single-radical concentration of any grade.1314
Component recycling at the kyōiku-set close
The cumulative-set arithmetic is 80 + 160 + 200 + 202 + 193 + 191 = 1,026, exactly the post-2020 教育漢字 count under the H29 配当表.13411 Almost every high-frequency phonetic component the jōyō set uses (青, 工, 古, 寺, 包, 司, 主, 反, 生, 正, 寸, 干) is now visible inside this cumulative set. A learner who finishes grade 6 already has the phonetic-component recognition that the secondary-school 1,110-character remainder will build on rather than redefine.19
How grade 6 maps to JLPT N2 and N1
The N2-majority and the N1 tail
The JLPTsensei reconstruction places 70 of the 191 grade-6 characters at N1, 59 at N2, and 43 at N3. Another 19 are unmapped on those pages and are conventionally placed at N1 or above-frequency in the Tanos reconstruction.128910 The combined N2 + N1 share is roughly 68% (129 of 191). The N1 share (37%) is the first time N1 outnumbers N2 by character count at any kyōiku grade. This confirms the headline that grade 6 is where N1 finally appears in volume rather than as a stray entry.
N4 and N5 are effectively absent. Tanos would push roughly a dozen "N1" calls down to N2, including 染, 系, 純, 推, 担, and 暖. The unmapped 19 mostly resolve to N1 or N2 in Tanos.12 All per-character JLPT placements remain unofficial-list reconstructions because the JLPT publishes no kanji list.18
Where it diverges: kyōiku ordering vs. JLPT frequency
The cumulative grade-1-through-grade-6 set now covers the full JLPT N5, N4, and N3, the bulk of N2, and a meaningful portion of N1.410 The rest of N1 (roughly 600 to 700 characters of the JLPTsensei N1 page) sits in the secondary-school 1,110-character jōyō set rather than in the elementary 1,026.410
The kyōiku ordering does not match JLPT frequency in either direction. Several N1 kanji a learner might expect at grade 6 (賢, 慮, 唆, 妥, 戯, 妊, 暫, 廃) wait for the secondary set. Conversely, a small number of N2 kanji a learner might expect at grade 5 or earlier (権, 律, 党, 憲, 裁) wait for grade 6 because their constitutional-and-legal vocabulary is treated as the most abstract layer of the elementary curriculum.110
Good to know
Grade 6 is the year you can read a Japanese newspaper article end-to-end
The cumulative-coverage curve crosses the 1,026-character threshold at grade 6. The constitutional-and-judicial vocabulary that dominates newspaper-body coverage (政権, 内閣, 議会, 法律, 裁判, 派閥, 主権, 民主, 憲法, 衆議院) is built almost entirely from grade-1-through-grade-6 kanji.56 NINJAL (National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics) corpus data shows kyōiku-set coverage of editorial and broadcast Japanese well above 90% of all non-name running text.20
Where grade 5 unlocked headlines and lead paragraphs, grade 6 unlocks the article body: legal and political quotes, editorial commentary, and scientific reporting.
The 181-to-191 trap in legacy materials
Any kanji deck, textbook, or app whose grade-6 list is missing 胃, 腸, 恩, 券, 承, 舌, 銭, 退, 敵, 俵, 預 is showing the pre-2020 list. Any list with those 11 characters at grade 6 is showing the current list. Any list that still includes 城 at grade 6 (rather than at grade 4) is also pre-2020.715
The grade-6 mismatch differs from the grade-4 and grade-5 mismatches. Grade 6 lost only one character in the redistribution (城), so legacy lists are smaller and include 城. They do not lack a character that has since moved away to a later grade. They are incomplete on the IN side and stale on the OUT side, rather than structurally wrong.
If you use WaniKani, Anki, RTK, or any vendor-curated deck older than 2020, check whether the 11 added characters and 城 appear with the correct grade tags. Re-tag them if needed.7
Confusing にくづき 月 with つき 月
The にくづき (flesh) radical and the つき (moon) radical look identical after centuries of stroke simplification, but they classify very different families. Almost every body-organ kanji at grade 6 (胃, 腸, 臓, 肺, 脳, 胸, 背, 腹) carries にくづき. It derives from 肉 (flesh) and means "body / organ".19
The contrast set is the moon-月 family: 明 (bright), 朝 (morning), 期 (period), 服 (clothes). Treating 胃 as a moon-related character misses the radical's meaning entirely. Distinguishing にくづき from つき on sight is the standard kyōiku-completing radical exercise.
Mixing 机 (desk) with 機 (machine)
Writing 机会 for "opportunity" mixes up two visually similar characters: 机 (grade 6, つくえ, "desk") and 機 (grade 4, キ, "machine, opportunity, mechanism"). The two share キ as their on-yomi and echo each other in shape. But 机 is restricted to つくえ "desk" senses (机上 きじょう "on the desk; theoretical"), while 機 carries the "machine, opportunity, mechanism" senses (機械, 機会, 機関).56
The correct form for "opportunity":
機会を逃す。5
"To miss an opportunity."
Imperial-family vocabulary is register-restricted
陛 下 (へいか), 皇 后 (こうごう), and adjacent terms are used only for the Japanese imperial family or, in formal coverage, analogous heads of state abroad. Using them outside that register is jarring. For ordinary "wife of a ruler", use 妻 or 夫人, never 后.56
This is part of why 皇, 后, and 陛 sit at grade 6 rather than earlier. Their natural compounds (皇帝, 皇室, 皇后, 天皇陛下) presuppose civics and history vocabulary that grade 6 is the first year to support.
承知 and 承認 sit on different formality lines
承知しました (しょうちしました) is the standard business-Japanese reply for "understood; acknowledged". 承認 (しょうにん) is the noun "approval" and carries no honorific weight on its own.56 Mixing the verbal 承知 acknowledgement with the noun 承認 in spoken business contexts is a common L2 slip.
承知しました。5
"Understood." (formal acknowledgement)
The full form 承認 fits in written approvals (社長の承認を得る "obtain the president's approval") but sounds jarring as a spoken reply to a request.
革 (leather; reform) and the hide-stretching root
革 originally depicts a stretched animal hide.19 The "reform / renew" sense ("to change the skin of something") is the metaphorical extension behind 革命 (かくめい, revolution), 改革 (かいかく, reform), and 革新 (かくしん, innovation). Knowing the hide-stretching root makes the unusual top-bottom-radial 9-stroke shape memorable. It also helps a learner not confuse 革 with the visually echoing 莫 (in 漠, 模, 幕).
干 is the three-stroke pictograph of a forked weapon
干 (3 strokes, "dry; interfere") is the ancient pictograph of a hunting fork or shield-pole.19 The modern senses ("dry", as in 干渉 かんしょう "interference", 干満 かんまん "ebb and flow", 干潮 かんちょう "low tide") all derive from "to push aside or strike with a weapon" to "to push out, to dry out, to interfere with".
Knowing the original weapon root makes the unusually short 3-stroke shape memorable. It also links 干 to its appearance as the right-hand element of 刊 (g5) and 軒 (jōyō, secondary).
Stroke counts push into the 14-to-18 band
Grade 4 extended the upper tail with 議 (20), 競 (20), 願 (19), and 観 (18). Grade 5 added 講 (17), 識 (19), and 護 (20). Grade 6's modal stroke-count range moves up to 13–17 with 憲 (16), 権 (15), 厳 (17), 縦 (16), 縮 (17), 簡 (18), 蔵 (15), 臓 (19), 警 (19), 難 (18), and the 18-stroke 臨 alongside the 19-stroke 臓 / 警. Grade 6 has no 20-stroke entries, in contrast to grade 4 (議, 競) and grade 5 (護).1614
The 2017 transfer from grade 5 adds a few low-stroke surprises: 舌 (6), 券 (8), 承 (8), 退 (9), 恩 (10), 俵 (10), 預 (13), 銭 (14), 敵 (15). The modal band stays intact, but 舌 and 券 in particular may catch learners who expect all grade-6 characters to be visually heavy.
Constitutional vocabulary as a unified study block
The grade-6 constitutional-and-legal cluster (権, 憲, 政, 党, 律, 裁, 閣, 派, 衆, 諸, 議, 論, 推, 否) is the densest and most thematically unified study block in the kyōiku curriculum. It is also the most rewarding to treat as one mini-deck.5 The same twelve-or-so characters generate much of Japanese civics, constitutional law, and political-reporting vocabulary (憲法, 主権, 政権, 政党, 内閣, 法律, 裁判, 派閥, 衆議院, 議論, 推論, 否決).
If you block these together and drill them against NHK political-coverage transcripts, vocabulary acquisition is noticeably faster than with character-by-character mixed review. Every new compound reuses a character from the same small set.
The N1 floor (and where the rest of N1 lives)
Grade 6 introduces the first elementary block where JLPT N1 appears in volume rather than as a stray entry. Roughly 70 of the 191 characters carry N1-flavoured compounds in the JLPTsensei reconstruction.10 This is the structural floor of N1 inside the elementary set. The bulk of N1 sits in the 1,110-character secondary-school remainder.410
An N1 candidate checking kyōiku coverage should treat grade 6 as the article that locks in the elementary N1 tail. After that, progress to the secondary-school set rather than re-drilling earlier grades.
Finishing grade 6 means finishing the 1,026-character kyōiku set
This is the threshold the article marks: 80 + 160 + 200 + 202 + 193 + 191 = 1,026 kanji. That is exactly the post-2020 教育漢字 count under the 学年別漢字配当表 in the 平成29年告示 学習指導要領, effective 2020-04-01.13411
If you have worked through this article and its five siblings, you control the complete kyōiku kanji set: every kanji a Japanese student finishes elementary school with, and the cumulative cohort tracked by 漢検5級.11 The natural next step is the secondary-school jōyō set, which adds 1,110 characters (2,136 jōyō minus 1,026 kyōiku) across the six years of middle and high school.4
How to actually study this list
Grade 6 brings 191 characters in a year, the full JLPT N2 burden, the first real N1 tail, and a strong constitutional-philosophical-scientific bias. That makes vocabulary-first learning the only practical path. At this volume, theme-block review beats character-by-character review most strongly.
Use three suggested sub-decks: the constitutional cluster (権, 憲, 政, 党, 律, 裁, 閣, 派, 衆, 諸); the abstract-philosophical cluster (善, 厳, 純, 異, 簡, 系, 推, 論, 障, 補); and the deep-anatomy cluster (胃, 腸, 臓, 肺, 脳, 骨, 筋, 胸, 背, 腹, 染, 灰, 蒸). Treat these as three themed mini-decks rather than mixing them character-by-character into the daily review pipeline. The start of each block may feel slightly bumpier, but the compound-acquisition rate inside the block is much higher.
See also
- Jinmeiyō Kanji (人名用漢字): The 863 Name-Use Characters Beyond Jōyō
- Hyōgaiji (表外字): The Kanji Beyond Jōyō and Jinmeiyō
- Grade 1 Jōyō Kanji (小1): All 80 First-Grade Characters with Readings, Stroke Counts, and JLPT Mapping
- Should You Learn Kanji in Frequency Order, School Order, or Pedagogical Order?
- Kanji Mnemonics That Work: Principles, Templates, and When to Stop Inventing Stories