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>Kanji (at least the first 3-4000), counters, word-level pitch accent, etc are all totally learnable and I wouldn't consider them "advanced" topics.

For reference, the Kanji Kentei test[1] has 12 levels.

> Level 2 is as high as many Japanese, even those with higher education degrees, tend to go. Passing level 2 can be used as leverage when applying for jobs, etc. Passing levels pre-1 and 1 is especially rare even among native speakers.

Level 2 has 2136 daily use kanji. Pre-level 1 has 2965 kanji, Level 1 (the highest) has 6355.

Learning 3000 kanji is definitely "advanced".

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji_Kentei



The Kanji Kentei tests production. I probably couldn't even produce 500 kanji without a computer/phone), and I don't think I will ever make it much further than that, because why bother? When would I ever need to handwrite kanji without access to a digital dictionary?

Recognition, however, is an entirely different story. To be able to recognize 98% of words, which is approximately the amount you need to be able to deduct the meaning of the remaining words from context, in the average novel you need something like 3000-3500 kanji.

The good news is recognition is much easier to achieve than production. With Heisig you can learn the first 2000 kanji (recognition only) in about 3 months, the next 1000 are more difficult because they're less common, but still it's nothing compared to passing even the lower levels of the Kentei.




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