While aimlessly searching the Internets as I so often do, I came across a Japanese Kanji test aimed at Japanese natives. The quiz purports to test “difficult readings” of certain Kanji, and it doesn’t disappoint. Click here to check it out.
The game is simple enough: a word will appear on screen and you have to enter the correct reading within ten seconds, in Hiragana, to play. There are a grand total of five levels, with five questions each. In other words, get 25 questions correct in a row and you win. Answer a question wrong and the game ends.
Let’s begin:
Quick, you’ve only got 5 seconds left! What’s the answer?
It’s おかみ, of course, meaning a female proprietress of some kind, such as a restaurant or inn owner. But you knew that, right? Perhaps not. Let’s try again.
Haha, why that’s しにせ (although ろうほ is also acceptable), meaning a trustworthy or long-established store that has been passed down for generations. I learned that in my freshman year Japanese 101 class, didn’t you?
I hope my deep sarcasm by now has penetrated through the Internet and into your brain, as these are not “everyday” words, or even words that an average Japanese person would be likely to know without a little effort. And remember that these are level 1 words, with the words getting (supposedly) harder with each level.
The great thing about this particular Kanji test is that it is popular among Japanese internet folks, with quite a few videos appearing online (check out a YouTube search for 漢字テスト) where Japanese people attempt the test in real time, recording their thought process and reactions. I find these fun to watch. For example, the following video is titled “A student preparing for (college) examinations attempts the ogre-level Kanji Test (so hard you’ll laugh)”
He gets fairly far and knows quite a few words without much thinking, but there are still more than a few words in the test that are simply not common knowledge.
The next video (link below) is from Niconico, a popular video sharing site in Japan. In this case the female test-taker in question is, let’s just say, a bit “dumber” than average. You may need a free account to view the video, but I promise you it will be worth it. Be sure to enable Japanese language comments so you can watch her get a Japanese verbal smack-down in real time.
The screen shot below explains what I mean by “verbal smack-down:”
At about 3 and a half minutes into the video the girl taking the test proudly exclaims that the answer is かいせき, only to be completely wrong. The comments that follow include things like「ドヤ顔で間違えんなwww」and 「せめてかいせつじゃないかw」, which mean “don’t act all confident and then get it wrong lmao” and “at the very least you could have guessed kaisetsu lol” respectively (my usage of “lol” and “lmao” here is pretty loose, I’m just translating based on the number of w’s, which indicate laughter in text form).
Of course, if you’re like me, meaning you’re not native in Japanese and not some insane Kanji master dude named Bret Mayer who was the first non-Chinese/Korean person to pass the Kanji Kentei Level 1, then you probably won’t do much better than the girl in the Niconico video. If you attempt the test in front of your Japanese friends or teachers, chances are you’ll only hear things like 漢字が難しいね (Kanji sure is hard) to soothe your pain, which of course it will not.
So how do you beat this test? Well, the obvious answer is “study Kanji,” but getting to the level necessary to answer the kind of questions on a test like this would take years. Unless, of course, you studied all the questions and just all the questions on the test instead.
In which case, Behold! See the following list (warning, it’s 504 vocabulary words):
嗚呼 ああ Ah! Oh!
生憎 あいにく unfortunately, Sorry, but ….
阿吽 あうん Aun (chanting)
紫陽花 あじさい hydrangea
渾名 あだな nickname
斡旋 あっせん mediation
天晴 あっぱれ Well Done! Admirable
海女 あま woman diver
殺める あやめる to wound, to murder
行脚 あんぎゃ pilgrimage, walking tour
杏 あんず (food) apricot
塩梅 あんばい seasoning, condition
許嫁 いいなずけ fiance, fiancee
意気地 いくじ self-respect, self-confidence
生け贄 いけにえ sacrifice, scapegoat
意固地 いこじ obstinate, stubborn
漁火 いさりび fire for luring fish at night
悪戯 いたずら tease, prank
稲荷 いなり Inari (god of harvests)
息吹 いぶき breath
苛々 いらいら getting nervous, irritation
刺青 いれずみ tattoo
曰く いわく according to …,
所謂 いわゆる so-called
自惚れ うぬぼれ hubris
云々 うんぬん and so on
餌食 えじき prey, victim
冤罪 えんざい false charge
花魁 おいらん prostitute-entertainer during Edo period
押捺 おうなつ sealing (document)
嗚咽 おえつ sobbing, weeping
女将 おかみ landlady, proprietress
奢る おごる to treat (someone)
驕る おごる be proud and arrogant
雄叫び おたけび a war cry
億劫 おっくう a bother, hassle
仰る おっしゃる to talk
囮 おとり lure, decoy
介錯 かいしゃく assist (someone) in doing hara-kiri
凱旋 がいせん triumphant return
却って かえって on the countrary, rather
案山子 かかし scarecrow
鑑 かがみ a paragon, model
匿う かくまう to shelter, hide (a criminal)
陽炎 かげろう heat, haze
呵責 かしゃく blame, tortue
且つ かつ yet, moreover
恰幅 かっぷく physique, bodily build
割烹 かっぽう cooking (Japanese style)
黴 かび mold
南瓜 かぼちゃ pumpkin
瓦礫 がれき rubble
鑑みる かんがみる to take into account
諫言 かんげん to warn, admonish
癇癪 かんしゃく temper
干瓢 かんぴょう dried gourd used in Japanese cooking
帰依 きえ to embrace Buddhisim
義捐金 ぎえんきん donation money, contribution
祇園 ぎおん entertainment district in Kyoto
毀損 きそん damage, injury
忌憚 きたん reserve, modesty
奇譚 きたん mysterious story
牛車 ぎっしゃ ox carriage (for Heian era nobles)
生粋 きっすい pure, native
気っ風 きっぷ character, disposition
奇天烈 きてれつ very strange
華奢 きゃしゃ delicate, slender
脚立 きゃたつ stepladder
教唆 きょうさ instigation
均衡 きんこう equilibrium, balance
銀杏 ぎんなん ginko tree
曲者 くせもの ruffian, suspicious (thing, person)
口説く くどく to hit on, seduce
倶楽部 くらぶ club, fraternity
胡桃 くるみ walnut
玄人 くろうと expert (professional)
繋留 けいりゅう mooring (ship)
稀有 けう rare, uncommon
逆鱗 げきりん imperial wrath
袈裟 けさ Kasaya, robes worn by Buddhist preist
解脱 げだつ liberation from ignorance to enlightenment
健気 けなげ brave, gallant
研鑽 けんさん devoting oneself to study
語彙 ごい vocabulary
好悪 こうお likes and dislikes
好々爺 こうこうや good-natured old man
恍惚 こうこつ ecstasy, trane
膠着 こうちゃく adhesion (stick), deadlock
更迭 こうてつ reshuffle (cabinet, staff)
蝙蝠 こうもり bat (animal)
此処 ここ here (location)
忽然 こつぜん sudden, unexpected
権化 ごんげ incarnation
困憊 こんぱい exhaustion, fatigue
幸先 さいさき good omen
些細 ささい trivial, slight
流石 さすが as one would expect…
颯爽 さっそう gallant, dashing
五月雨 さみだれ early-summer rain
白湯 さゆ plain hot water
晒す さらす to bleach, expose to (weather, danger)
秋刀魚 さんま pike (fish)
潮騒 しおさい roar of the sea
栞 しおり bookmark, guidebook
時雨 しぐれ drizzle, shower in late autumn
四股 しこ sumo-style leg stomp
嗜好 しこう taste, liking
雫 しずく drop (of water)
叱咤 しった scolding, rebuke
老舗 しにせ shop passed down through generations
鯱 しゃち killer whale
洒落 しゃれ joke, pun
終焉 しゅうえん demise
呪詛 じゅそ curse, hex
憔悴 しょうすい to be worn out, exhausted
贖罪 しょくざい to atone (for sins)
不知火 しらぬい will-o’-the-wisp (lights)
師走 しわす December
西瓜 すいか watermelon
推敲 すいこう polish, revise (written work)
素性 すじょう birth, lineage
統べる すべる to control, supervise
殺生 せっしょう destruction of life (Buddhism)
刹那 せつな smallest unit of time in Buddhism
台詞 せりふ one’s lines (script)
羨望 せんぼう envy
殲滅 せんめつ extermination, annihilate
巣窟 そうくつ den (of robbers, etc), hangout
造詣 ぞうけい deep knowledge
相殺 そうさい offset (something)
草鞋 わらじ straw sandals
遡行 そこう going upstream
咀嚼 そしゃく chew, comprehend
醍醐味 だいごみ (something’s) true charm, meaning
長ける たける to excel at
山車 だし Japanese festival float
嗜む たしなむ have an interest in
殺陣 たて sword battle
辿る たどる to follow (a road, course)
足袋 たび tabi, Japanese socks
拿捕 だほ capture, seize
団欒 だんらん sitting together in a circle
知己 ちき acquaintance
因む ちなむ be associated/connected with
鋳造 ちゅうぞう cast (statue), mint (coin)
躊躇 ちゅうちょ hesitate
弔意 ちょうい condolence, sympathy
釣果 ちょうか a catch (fishing)
椿事 ちんじ strange occurrence
美人局 つつもたせ extortion scheme involving adultery
丁稚 でっち an apprentice
天婦羅 てんぷら tempura
慟哭 どうこく wail, lament
淘汰 とうた select, weed out
陶冶 とうや training, education
咎める とがめる to blame for an error
朱鷺 とき Crested Ibis (bird)
常夏 とこなつ everlasting summer (tale of Genji)
土壇場 どたんば last minute
兎に角 とにかく anyhow, at any rate
銅鑼 どら gong
乃至 ないし or, from … to (cost, numbers)
生業 なりわい occupation, livelihood
捏造 ねつぞう fabrication, forgery
暖簾 のれん curtain hung at shop entrance
呑気 のんき carefree
育む はぐくむ to raise, rear
博打 ばくち gambling
梯子 はしご ladder
範疇 はんちゅう category
般若 はんにゃ Buddhist wisdom
頒布 はんぷ distribution
凡例 はんれい explanatory notes, legend
贔屓 ひいき to favor, support
非道い ひどい cruel, awful
雲雀 ひばり Japanese skylark
向日葵 ひまわり sunflower
顰蹙 ひんしゅく to frown upon
吹聴 ふいちょう to make public, spread a rumor
風靡 ふうび dominate, influence
福音 ふくいん the Gospel
払拭 ふっしょく wipe out
葡萄 ぶどう grape
辟易 へきえき to wince, be fed up by
布袋 ほてい Laughing Buddha
不如帰 ほととぎす Lesser Cuckoo (bird)
不味い まずい bad taste
瞬く またたく to twinkle (stars, etc)
神輿 みこし portable shrine in festivals
未曽有 みぞう unprecedented
禊ぎ みそぎ purification ceremony (standing under waterfall)
貪る むさぼる to devour, indulge
蝕む むしばむ to eat into, spoil
寧ろ むしろ rather, better
目眩 めまい dizziness
猛者 もさ man of valor
悶える もだえる to be in agony
尤も もっとも quite right, naturally
揶揄 やゆ tease, make fun of
遊説 ゆうぜい election tour, stumping
浴衣 ゆかた Yukata
委ねる ゆだねる to entrust everything
寄席 よせ variety theater, music hall
蘇る よみがえる to be resurrected
駱駝 らくだ camel
掠奪 りゃくだつ plunder, loot
林檎 りんご apple
流布 るふ circulate, disseminate
煉瓦 れんが brick
蝋燭 ろうそく candle
狼狽 ろうばい panic, confusion
呂律 ろれつ articulation
賄賂 わいろ bribe
若人 わこうど young person
和える あえる to dress vegetables (salad)
崇める あがめる to reverse, worship (the sun, Buddha)
欠伸 あくび yawn
阿漕 あこぎ ruthless, greedy
褪せる あせる to fade (color, skin, power)
軋轢 あつれき friction, discord
数多 あまた a large number of
予め あらかじめ beforehand
安穏 あんのん (live in) peace and quiet (used mostly in writing)
烏賊 いか squid
諍い いさかい quarrel, dispute
何れ いずれ anyway, which
勤しむ いそしむ to work hard, dilligently
徒に いたずらに in vain
悼む いたむ to grieve, lament
厭う いとう to dislike, mind (a job)
海豚 いるか dolphin
穿つ うがつ to dig into, hit the mark,
蠢く うごめく to squirm
疼く うずく to ache
唸る うなる to growl (at), groan (stomach)
海栗 うに sea urchin
倦む うむ get tired of (literary term)
憾み うらみ resentment, regret
閏年 うるうどし leap year
蘊蓄 うんちく great knowledge, draw from~ (〜を傾ける）
似非 えせ false, sham
逢瀬 おうせ secret meeting of lovers (old fashioned term)
概ね おおむね in general
大童 おおわらわ strenuous effort
厳か おごそか solemnly
煽てる おだてる to flatter (into doing something)
嚇す おどす to threaten
諧謔 かいぎゃく humor, joke (not used in daily conversation)
邂逅 かいこう chance meeting (only used in written language)
灰燼 かいじん ash, embers (used in written language)
乖離 かいり divergence (between ideas, opinions)
牡蠣 かき oyster
翳す かざす hold one’s hands out
下賜 かし bestowal, imperial grant
河岸 かし fish market by a river bank
姦しい かしましい noisy, boisterous
瓦斯 がす gas
固唾 かたず saliva in one’s mouth while nervous
蝸牛 かたつむり snail
刮目 かつもく careful observation
蝦蟇 がま Japanese toad
硝子 がらす glass
搦め手 からめて rear gate
鰈 かれい flounder
艱難 かんなん hardships
麾下 きか troop’s under one’s command
気障 きざ pretentious, showy
僥倖 ぎょうこう fortuitous
矜持 きょうじ pride, honor
煌めく きらめく to glitter, sparkle
公達 きんだち young noblemen
久遠 くおん eternity
口伝 くでん oral tradition
与する くみする to side with, support
海月 くらげ jellyfish
薫陶 くんとう discipline, education
啓蟄 けいちつ day when dormant insects emerge (around March 6)
怪訝 けげん perplexed, puzzled
貶す けなす to speak ill of
言質 げんち commitment, pledge
剣呑 けんのん risky, dangerous
嚆矢 こうし whistling arrow used to signal the start of battle
好事家 こうずか dilettante
叩頭 こうとう a deep bow; a kowtow
虚仮 こけ folly, fool
強面 こわもて scary/tough-looking face
苛む さいなむ to torment
遡る さかのぼる to trace back
殺戮 さつりく slaughter
仙人掌 さぼてん cactus
彷徨う さまよう to loiter
作務衣 さむえ work clothing of Japanese Zen Buddhist monks
残滓 ざんし remains (of a kind of thinking), dregs
恣意 しい arbitrariness
弑逆 しいぎゃく regicide, killing of a king
弛緩 しかん relaxation (of muscles)
時化 しけ stormy weather
市井 しせい the street, town (written language)
疾病 しっぺい illness
東雲 しののめ daybreak
飛沫 しぶき a splash (of water)
娑婆 しゃば corrupt world, outside world (Buddhist term)
蹂躙 じゅうりん trampling down
収斂 しゅうれん convergence
入内 じゅだい imperial bridal party’s entry into the court
出奔 しゅっぽん run away, elope
上梓 じょうし wood-block printing
饒舌 じょうぜつ talkative
招聘 しょうへい invite (to a post, position)
進捗 しんちょく progress
誰何 すいか asking a person’s identity
趨勢 すうせい tendency, trend (of society, an era, etc)
縋る すがる to rely on, cling to (sympathy, etc)
杜撰 ずさん careless
煤 すす soot
廃る すたる go out of use
拗ねる すねる to sulk
所為 せい cause, fault
雪隠 せっちん toilet
齟齬 そご disagreement, discrepancy
算盤 そろばん abacus
蛇蠍 だかつ serpent and scorpion
逞しい たくましい burly, strong
筍 たけのこ bamboo shoot
湛える たたえる to fill (to the brim)
質す ただす to question (about something)
忽ち たちまち at once, suddenly
荼毘 だび cremation (original Buddhist term)
容易い たやすい easy, simple
耽溺 たんでき indulgence (in alcohol, women) (written language)
蒲公英 たんぽぽ dandelion
知悉 ちしつ know throughly
凋落 ちょうらく wither and fall (plant, fortune, etc)
猪口 ちょこ sake cup
終ぞ ついぞ never, not at all
土筆 つくし Horsetail (plant)
鶴嘴 つるはし pickax
木偶 でく wooden doll
手練 てだれ skill, dexterity
読経 どきょう sutra chanting
髑髏 どくろ skull (weatherbeaten)
心太 ところてん noodle shaped jelly made from seaweed (Japanese food)
団栗 どんぐり acorn
蔑ろ ないがしろ to slight (someone), neglect
亡骸 なきがら remains, corpse
均す ならす to level (ground)
睨む にらむ to glare at
窺く のぞく to peek
宣う のたまう to say, be pleased to say (with sarcasm)
罵る ののしる to speak ill of
狼煙 のろし signal fire
莫迦 ばか stupid (old kanji spelling)
憚る はばかる to hesitate, be afraid to do
嵌まる はまる be fit for
食む はむ to eat
柊 ひいらぎ Hiiragi (Holly) tree
彼我 ひが he and I, oneself and one’s opponent
僻む ひがむ feel one has been wronged, envy
罷業 ひぎょう strike, walkout
鄙びた ひなびた become rustic, countryside-like
怯む ひるむ to falter
河豚 ふぐ blow fish
梟 ふくろう owl
耽る ふける indulge (in reading, study)
不躾 ぶしつけ ill-bred, rude
不束 ふつつか unrefined, impolite
反吐 へど vomit (substance)
反故 ほご scrap paper, scrap
蝮 まむし pit viper
微塵子 みじんこ water flea
看做す みなす to consider as
百足 むかで centipede
虫酸 むしず heartburn, ~be disgusted （〜が走る）
狢 むじな badger
目処 めど aim, goal
瑪瑙 めのう agate, type of ornamental stone
耄碌 もうろく (become) senile
土竜 もぐら mole
百舌 もず Bull-headed Shrike (bird)
八百万 やおよろず countless things
所以 ゆえん reason, cause
夢現 ゆめうつつ half asleep state
漸く ようやく finally, at last
他所 よそ another place
世迷言 よまいごと grumbling, muttering
辣腕 らつわん efficient, quick but effective
罹災 りさい suffer from (a disaster) (written language)
栗鼠 りす squirrel
坩堝 るつぼ pot, crucible
山葵 わさび wasabi
轍 わだち wheel track
蕨 わらび Bracken (fern)
隘路 あいろ narrow path
贖う あがなう to compensate for (damages, etc)
灰汁 あく scum (from boiling meat, food)
胡坐 あぐら sitting cross-legged
嘲る あざける to deride, ridiculue (a person)
海豹 あざらし seal (animal)
家鴨 あひる duck (animal)
遍く あまねく widely, extensively (known, etc)
抗う あらがう fight against
些か いささか a little bit, somewhat
諫める いさめる protest against
労る いたわる to pity, sympathize with
嘶く いななく to neigh
訝る いぶかる to wonder, to puzzle oneself
燻す いぶす to smoke (out)
謂れ いわれ a reason; a cause
況や いわんや not to speak of, to say nothing of
慇懃 いんぎん courtesy, intimacy
嗽 うがい gargle
窺う うかがう to peep
泡沫 うたかた bubble on the surface, transient
俯く うつむく to hang one’s head in shame,
首肯く うなずく to nod
呻く うめく to moan, groan
演繹 えんえき deduction
大鋸屑 おがくず sawdust
貶める おとしめる to look down on
澱 おり sediment, dregs
膾炙 かいしゃ be well-known to all
開闢 かいびゃく beginning of the world
罹る かかる to fall ill, suffer from
馘首 かくしゅ to be fired (written language)
瑕疵 かし flaw, defect
齧る かじる to chew, bite
騙る かたる to swindle
嘗て かつて before, formerly
稀覯本 きこうぼん a rare book
旗幟 きし flag, (party) platform
煙管 きせる khsier, Oriental pipe
侠客 きょうかく gangs acting under the pretense of chivalry
炯眼 けいがん penetrating eyes, insightful
頃日 けいじつ recently, these days
蓋し けだし perhaps, probably
悉く ことごとく altogether, entirely
牛蒡 ごぼう Burdock plant, used in Japanese dishes
蠱惑 こわく to enchant, fascinate
賢しら さかしら knowingly, impertinent
山茶花 さざんか Camellia plant, found in China/Japan
讒言 ざんげん slander, false charge
顰める しかめる to grimace (face), frown
忸怩 じくじ feel ashamed, blush
奢侈 しゃし luxury, extravagance
浚渫 しゅんせつ to dredge (a river, etc)
馴致 じゅんち gradual habituation, get used to
瀟洒 しょうしゃ simple but elegant
虱 しらみ Lice
滲出 しんしゅつ to ooze, exude (liquid, etc)
鼈 すっぽん soft-shelled turtle
須く すべからく by all means, ought to do
寸毫 すんごう very little, a bit
蠕動 ぜんどう wriggle, crawl like a worm
嫉む そねむ be jealous, envious
躊躇う ためらう to hesitate
弛む たるむ to sag, slack
啄む ついばむ (bird) to peck at (corn, bread)
衒う てらう to show off, make a display
猫糞 ねこばば play dumb (after stealing), pocketing (something)
謀 はかりごと plot, strategy
跋扈 ばっこ infested with, be rampant
餞 はなむけ parting gift
蔓延る はびこる grow thickly, spread (weeds, something bad)
腹癒せ はらいせ retaliation, out of revenge
跪く ひざまずく to kneel
人熱れ ひといきれ stuffy air (from many people in a small space)
人集り ひとだかり crowd of people
為人 ひととなり temperament, personality
睥睨 へいげい to glare (at an audience, troops, etc) (written language)
匍匐 ほふく to crawl flat on the ground (towards an enemy, etc)
小火 ぼや small fire
襤褸 ぼろ tattered, rag
微酔い ほろよい slightly drunk
澪標 みおつくし sea course/route marker
身動ぎ みじろぎ slight movement
目眩く めくるめく to dazzle, blind
娶る めとる to marry, take a wife
悖る もとる be inhuman, to go against
吝か やぶさか reluctant, hesitant (often used in negative)
所縁 ゆかり connection, relation (between people)
御伽噺 おとぎばなし fairy-tale
蒐集 しゅうしゅう gathering up, collection
有耶無耶 うやむや hazy, unsettled
四方山話 よもやまばなし talk about various topics
減り張り めりはり modulate, control (one’s voice)
猛々しい たけだけしい ferocious
禍々しい まがまがしい ominous, ill-omened
太々しい ふてぶてしい shameless, bold
跳梁 ちょうりょう run wild, be rampant (something bad)
面映ゆい おもはゆい feel embarrassed, self-conscious
蝶番 ちょうつがい a hinge
相応しい ふさわしい appropriate
狼狽える うろたえる to be flustered
唯々諾々 いいだくだく obediently, willingly
十姉妹 じゅうしまつ Society Finch (bird)
気色ばむ けしきばむ show one’s anger
緘口令 かんこうれい impose a gag order
有象無象 うぞうむぞう the (unimportant) masses, rabble
凛々しい りりしい gallant, brave
胡散臭い うさんくさい suspicious looking, shady
呆気ない あっけない disappointingly brief
小賢しい こざかしい clever, smart-aleck
忌々しい いまいましい annoying, provoking
五月蠅い うるさい noisy, loud
Just to be clear, I didn’t play the quiz a million times to compile this list. Rather, using a simple .swf (Flash file) decompiler I extracted the list of words used in the quiz and added English definitions for each of them. While it’s easy to look up the definition of a word on your own, I used a combination of not only EDICT, but also 英和／英和辞典, 国語辞典, 類語辞典, and Wikipedia to come to a “more accurate” English definition, or at least one I understood based on the dictionary-provided example sentences and explanations. Your millage may vary, and looking up example sentences or Wikipedia articles is probably your best bet in order to come to your own understanding of an unknown word.
If you were to actually memorize all the words in the list (all 504 of them), you would then be able to totally ace the Kanji test, thereby freaking the shit out of any Japanese person you know as you casually blast through a list of extremely difficult words without breaking a sweat. I know I would spend the hours necessary just for that reaction.
Finally, while the two videos above featured Japanese people struggling with the test, I did find one person who breezed through the test (multiple times) with extreme ease. Some people are scary…
I ended up finding this guy’s blog where he mentions filming himself taking the test—see this link. It turns out he likes to blog about studying Kanji specifically for the Kanji Kentei, and keeps detailed notes about his progress. Not only that, he’s also rather good at Rubik’s cubes, which should clue you in that the guy enjoys memorizing stuff and is good at it too. In short: he’s a bit better than the average Japanese guy when it comes to Kanji. Fear not.
EAS Student 