Personally I find the mnemonic style of the RTK system more in line with how I learn and subsequently retain information but I also began my Japanese learning with JLPT so I know both sides of the story.

If you’re new to Japanese or have just moved up from learning Katakana and Hiragana then you might be wondering what exactly is RTK and JLPT?

RTK

RTK or Remembering The Kanji was a system developed by James Heisig in the mid-1970′s as an alternative to the rote learning style that was common in most methods of teaching Japanese at the time.

RTK focuses on the meaning of the individual smaller parts that make up each kanji, which can be the traditional radicals or other parts and groupings of strokes unique to the RTK method.

Each kanji (or part of the kanji) is assigned a story, otherwise known as a mnemonic, that the student can use to help recall the kanji meaning. RTK forgoes learning the kanji readings (on and kun) until after the meanings and written forms of all kanji are fully mastered.

This is not a learning style that will work for everyone but if you’re a visual learner, and you’ll know if you are, then this may be just the thing you need to speed up your Japanese learning.

JLPT

JLPT, known officially as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, is a standard way to test the Japanese language for non-Japanese students and has been used worldwide since its introduction in 1984.

Following a major overhaul in 2010, JLPT now has 5 levels (N1-N5) and each of those contain a certain number of kanji (plus grammar and vocabulary) that must be mastered for a pass at that level.

It’s approach is polar opposite to RTK as its focus is all about the kanji meanings as well as the readings. Very little, if anything, is mentioned about radicals or smaller parts of the kanji, which are so much a part of RTK.

Both methods fully cover the Joyo kanji, which now numbers 2136, and will give you the knowledge to be able to decipher the meanings of most everyday kanji.

By the way, it is worth mentioning that only the JLPT method has an official testing system. So if you’re looking to earn a certificate to use for employment in a field that requires a certain level of Japanese then JLPT is one of your only choices.

Please note that if you really know your kanji (plus the grammar and vocab), then you won’t have any problem passing a JLPT exam ^_^

Want to find out more about either method? I’ve listed below some of the more popular sites covering each system.

RTK and Mnemonic-based Links

• Reviewing The Kanji
  Great website for user uploaded mnemonics and general kanji study
• Remembering The Kanji – Volume 1
  The most popular of the series (I own and recommend)
• Japanese Mnemonic Blog
  No longer active but tons of great articles
• Kana Pict-o-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese
  Kana Mnemonics (I own and recommend)
• Kanji Pict-o-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese
  Kanji Mnemonics (I own and recommend)
• RTK on Wikipedia

JLPT Links

• JLPT Study
  Detailed website covering all levels of the JLPT
• Official JLPT Website
• JLPT on Wikipedia

• Remembering the Kanji: One Year Later
• Mnemonics: Learn Japanese Faster
• Book Review: Tokyo On Foot
• Historic Japan: The World of Albert Kahn
• Canon debuts ground-breaking EOS 7D

I have listed below an overview of my top 5 Kanji learning apps, which is based solely on the trial and error of hundreds of applications since the iPhone debut in 2007. I download and test almost every Japanese learning app as they are released and most of them end up rarely used and/or deleted.

Please note all apps have been paid for by me and used extensively since their release.

1. iKanji Touch

iKanji Touch from ThinkMac Software is, without a doubt, the most fully featured of the iPhone kanji apps. If aesthetics mean much to you, you’ll also appreciate the stunning design – a rarity in the current crop of iPhone kanji apps.

Features

• Kanji are grouped by grade/JLPT and divided into sets of 20 for easy practice
• Reference cards for each kanji with readings, stroke count, radical etc
• List of example compounds for each kanji
• Leitner System based spaced repetition Teach Me mode
• Reading test to quiz you on kanji readings (onyomi and kunyomi)
• Meaning test to practice your ability to recognise English meanings
• Compound test to complete words by filling in the missing kanji
• Stroke order test to practice writing most kanji
• Search for kanji by readings, stroke count or meaning
• Ability to create a practice set and track wrongly answer kanji

How It Works

iKanji touches on all areas of the kanji learning process with the ability to study the onyomi, kunyomi, stroke orders (currently 700 kanji covered) and English meanings of over 2000 kanji.

Having downloaded more than my fair share of Japanese Learning apps over the past couple of years, I would safely say that this is the only iPhone app that will teach you all aspects of the JLPT kanji. It is by no means perfect but it’s the closest I have seen if you want an all-in-one kanji learning app.

2. Kanji

Kanji’s simplicity is immediately obvious with little in the way of screen bling, however underneath the hood it has everything you need to become a kanji ninja.

The app covers all JLPT levels with over 2000 kanji plus the standard on and kun readings along with the English meanings.

Features

• A complete set of 2040 kanji characters from any level of the the JLPT
• Over 4000 example words with readings in hiragana and English meaning
• Select which kanji you want to learn and create your own custom lists
• Search for kanji by entering a meaning or drawing the kanji
• Intuitive, clean, and simple interface
• Your kanji selection is saved when you exit the application
• Shake to restart going through the list
• Does not require internet connection

How It Works

You work your way through each kanji by guessing the meaning and readings and then tapping the screen to reveal the answer. Much like Kanji Flip, this method requires you to be very honest with yourself. If you get it right, you tick the card as done otherwise you leave it and it will continue to appear until you master it.

The feature I enjoy most is the example words on each kanji card. These are very helpful in giving some context to the meaning of each kanji, which I find helps me to memorise them more quickly.

Although the app comes preloaded with most of the kanji you will ever need, you can add your own in and also create custom lists from existing or new kanji.

The custom list feature comes in handy if you use the Remembering The Kanji method rather than the included JLPT lists or you may simply want a targetted list of kanji to practice for your next class or to make a note of any kanji with which you are constantly struggling.

While it’s not the most exciting app to use, it does what it does very well and in the end that’s really all that matters.

3. NihongoUp

I first came across NihongoUp as a Flash-based desktop application and loved its clean design and of course the actual Japanese learning software part of it too. Eventually an iPhone version was released, which I quickly purchased and still enjoy using almost every day.

Some parts of the game don’t translate well to the smaller iPhone screen (eg Vocabulary) but overall this is a superb little app, which no kanji learner should be without.

How It Works

The app has four main parts: Kana, Kanji, Vocabulary and Grammar. All games work on the same basic premise; a question (in the form of a sentence or word) at the bottom of the screen and multiple choice answers floating down in balloons from the top of the screen. You have to choose the correct answer before the balloons hit the ground and the quicker this happens, the more points you get.

You also accumulate extra points with the more consecutive correct answers.

With regards to kanji, it’s strength is testing your knowledge of the readings of JLPT 3 and 4 kanji. A sentence appears at the bottom of the screen and you have to choose the correct kanji with the reading.

Although simple in premise, I have found it invaluable in testing my ability when it comes to on and kun readings – admittedly a weak point in my Japanese – one of many. ^_^

While I have only focussed on kanji, this app tests many core aspects of your Japanese knowledge and turns it in to a bit of fun.

The iPhone and desktop version are highly recommended.

4. KanjiPop

KanjiPop is another app that is deceptive in its simplicity featuring 16 squares each containing one kanji and an English word at the top of the screen with its On and Kun readings below it.

How It Works

The aim of the game is to choose one kanji from the grid whose meaning correctly matches the English word at the top.

Seems pretty simple, huh?

Well, the kicker is that there is a time limit of two minutes, which is displayed at the very bottom of the screen and ticks away relentlessly as you fumble your way through each level.

If you finish a level and beat the clock, you are automagically taken to the next level where sixteen new kanji await you.

This cycle continues until you eventually reach a level where your kanji knowledge fails to beat the clock. Here you are presented with the option of choosing a lower level to re-try or you can simply test yourself on the same level again until you master it and can move on.

With over 2000 kanji across 127 levels, KanjiPop has something to offer everyone from newbies to advanced students of Japanese. Beginners can use it to revise and learn while more advanced students can use it as a fun way to keep their kanji knowledge fresh.

View my full review video review of KanjiPop

5. Kanji Flip

Kanji Flip was one of the first ever Japanese learning app I downloaded and I used it extensively at the time and still do.

It works like a standard paper-based flashcard system but with the added advantage of a spaced repetition system, that automagically tracks your progress and shows the cards you need to work the most on, while hiding the ones you have successfully learnt.

Features

• 2230 Kanji & 255 Kana
• 4700 Example Words
• Hiragana & Katakana Study Set
• Progress Tracking With Stats & Auto Save
• Browse Mode Lets You Review All Words
• Add Your Own Kanji To Customize All Sets
• “How To” Guide Inside The Program
• Completely Offline
• Four Difficulty Levels As In The JLPT
• Meanings In English
• Readings In Hiragana & Katakana

How It Works

In the screenshots, you’ll notice a list of numbers at the right of the screen, which gives you an indication of how many cards you have mastered and what you have left to do on that level and also how long ago you were last tested.

Cards that have not been tested in a while will randomly reappear to make sure nothing is forgotten over longer time periods.

As per the Kanji app I mentioned previously, Kanji Flip relies on the user honesty system. You are shown a kanji, then you click “Show Answer” and choose “Right” or “Wrong” depending on your answer. If you choose “Right” when you were “Wrong” then you are only cheating yourself and this type of app may not be right for you.

Kanji Flip stores your answers in its database and builds up a list of what you know and don’t know and focuses on the problem kanji, while only showing the ones you already know at longer intervals.

While development work seems to have slowed in recent times as the company focusses on other languages, it works really well and will definitely help any serious kanji student.

Review Summary

• Kanji Touch – Best overall app that covers all aspects of kanji learning.
• Kanji – Basic but very usable. Its strength is in the ease of use and example kanji usage.
• NihongoUp – Beautifully designed app. Great overall app for JLPT 3 and 4 students.
• KanjiPop – Simple, easy to use. Fun way to test your Kanji/English meanings.
• Kanji Flip – Best kanji SRS app. Relies on user honesty to work well.

Any questions or suggestions of apps you like, please leave a comment below.

• App Review: KanjiPop
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• App Review: Japanese 101 – Particles
• JLPT versus RTK: It’s Your Choice
• Review: Kodansha Kanji Dictionary

If you spend any time reading around the interwebs this time of year, you’ll notice the great unwashed coming out of their caves and denouncing the JLPT as a waste of money and/or time.

While it is true that neither JLPT N4 or JLPT N3 are going to get you a job labelling life-saving pharmaceuticals in Japan, they do provide a consistent and relative summation of your Japanese skills. You take exactly the same test as everyone else in the world – it doesn’t get much fairer than that.

Of course, the JLPT on all levels is clearly lacking in some areas – particularly speaking and writing – but it is the best that is available outside of Japan so we can’t be too picky.

There’s really no simple answer as to why you should (or shouldn’t) take the JLPT, as everyone has a different reason for putting themselves to the test.

If you’re like me, you need a solid goal to get your arse in to gear.

As a full-time member of Procrastinators Anonymous, a tight, immovable deadline coupled with the fear of being mocked by my peers for coming up short would be reason enough for me to take it and to do well.

Perhaps your motivations are far less self-centred than mine, you may actually be looking at the JLPT certification for something important, like a job in Japan.

If you’re trying to secure any type of professional job, your employers will require at least JLPT N2 and more than likely JLPT N1.

Depending on the company, they may waive the JLPT requirement if you can prove in an interview that you are fluent. However, having that JLPT certificate in your hands confirms, at least on paper, that you have the required skills.

In a recent job ad on www.dannychoo.com, the ubiquitous Mr Choo posted his requirement for a new developer as:

You need to be well versed in Japanese – at least JLPT level two or equivalent speaking/reading and writing skill. If you can read most of the Japanese version of this post then you qualify for this requirement.

While JLPT N2 was used in the ad to set a benchmark that most understand, in reality if you knew your stuff and could prove your Japanese fluency then the job was yours. Unfortunately it counted me out of the race on both counts (^_^).

As with most things in life, it is best to do what you think is best for you and your future and not what others believe is best.

If you want a piece of paper hanging on the wall to tell your friends and family that you know 100 kanji and that your Japanese rocks, then do it.

If you’re eyeing off a future that includes well-paid employment in Japan then do it.

Take it for what it is, a simple test of skills. If you find the idea abhorrent then don’t apply.

What have you got to lose?

It’s a few hours out of your life and costs less than you’ll spend on beer at the pub this Saturday night.

• Do you have a J-CLUE?
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Use Twitter To Improve Your Japanese
• Review: My Top 5 Kanji iPhone Apps
• Download: Free Kanji Graph Paper

The current list consists of 1,945 kanji that are officially allowed to be used in newspapers and government publications as well as being required learning for all Japanese school children.

The Council for Cultural Affairs has announced an additional 191 kanji that are being considered for inclusion, which will take the official list to 2,131 characters. Five characters are being removed from the current list: 銑, 錘, 匁, 勺 and 脹.

Via Japan Times

• Japanese Terms Explained for Beginners
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Minitube: Immerse Yourself in Japanese
• Review: My Top 5 Kanji iPhone Apps
• Review: Kodansha Kanji Dictionary