kovachev.xyz/kanken/index.html

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    <h1>Kanji Kentei</h1>
    <p>The <em>Kanji Kentei</em> is an exam available in Japan to test the examinee's knowledge of Chinese characters (kanji)
        as they appear in Japanese. The test comes in 12 levels, spanning from level 10 (the easiest) to level 1 (the hardest),
        with levels 2 and 1 have easier versions called pre-1 and pre-2.
    </p>
    <p>It's said that the hardest level, level 1, is also functionally the hardest credential to achieve
        among the Japanese culture's rich array of similar exams (such as on geography, cultural heritage, etc.),
        lining up with the <em>Nihongo Kentei</em> as the top of the hardest Japanese-language-testing exams.
    </p>
    <p>Evgeny Uskov, via his website <a href="https://roshiajin.jp">Roshijin.jp</a>, has been my ambassador in learning
    more about this exam through his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@EvgenyUskov">YouTube channel</a> and website expounding details of the exam in English.
    Thanks to Evgeny, it's become clear to me that I, too, wish to take up the gauntlet and achieve a pass (80% or more)
    on the hardest exam of its kind, namely level 1. At this time (15 August 2024), only 5 non-Sinosphere foreigners
    appear to have passed it, according to Evgeny's most recent information, so I aim to hopefully line up somewhere
    in the top 10 my the time I eventually finish! :)</p>
    <h2>My resources</h2>
    <p>
        Due to the illumination of people who came before me, the task of passing the exam has, in my opinion,
        been significantly lessened in ardour, because I am able to view comprehensive details about each part of the
        exam and its precise details ahead of time, as well as the fact that many resources have already been
        made widely available that weren't as accessible before.
    </p>
    <p>In keeping with this trend, I would like to also share my own offering in the Kanken resource space,
        namely a massive dataset adequate for comprehensive study of the Kanken level 1 material,
        all in one centralized location. I'm still working on this in various aspects, but for now,
        an Anki deck and a general data sheet (in CSV/spreadsheet-friendly form) are in the works.
    </p>
    <p>
        These will contain the contents of the Kanken Kanji Jiten, i.e. the (relatively) exhaustive authority on the
        Kanken level 1 (and below) exam, to whose contained kanji the exam will be constrained, in Japanese.
        Ultimately, the exam may feature some vocabulary outside the scope of the dictionary, but the large part of
        the exam should come from the contents of the dictionary. I will also, over the course of my personal studies,
        build up the English Wiktionary's coverage of the Kanken material, with the late-stage goal of
        transforming Wiktionary into an adequate resource for Kanken study, albeit allowing you to study the same
        material in English for more efficiency for us English-speakers. However, if the deck itself is to take a while
        to be produced, then the English version I prepare only after I've basically finished studying will take
        literal years. Please be patient if waiting for this one!
    </p>
    <p>I also intend to provide the following extra resources for help in Kanken study: </p>
    <ul>
        <li>A copy of the chart in the Kanken Kanji Jiten listing the kanji radicals (as used on the exam)</li>
        <li>A list of all phonetic series for helping to remember the <em>on</em> readings for the characters</li>
        <li>A list of all undecomposable characters out of the 6300, which effectively breaks down recognition and writing into a simple game of composition</li>
        <li>Along with the data and Anki deck: differentiated <em>go-on</em> and <em>kan-on</em> readings, to help learners grasp the connection between the two, as well as predictably use one or the other, e.g. to read an already-analysed Buddhist term</li>
    </ul>
    <h2>Personal study</h2>
    <p>
        As for my own course of study, I intend to work through the 42,000 vocabulary entries and 6300 kanji
        over a course of a bit less than 2 and half years, with the hope of getting a high coverage of the full
        exam material. This would equate to 50 cards a day, which, from my experience of prior study in Anki,
        would amount to several hours of study a day by a year in; however, thanks to the "FSRS" algorithm's
        recent development, which vastly improves scheduling in Anki, it may be possible to push back that
        inevitable inkstone-grinding labor a year or so, so that only towards the end will the study truly
        reach any laborious heights.
    </p>
    <p>
        Additionally, once the deck and data have been prepared, I would like to offer a website to provide
        (a) practice exams, and (b) the ability to perform online practice ad-hoc in each of the exam categories,
        and have the computer tell you if you're right, etc.
        Since the Kanken exam always follows the same format, it's possible to make this generation very
        programmatically, and this will allow one to gauge one's own progress with a quite satisfactory degree of accuracy.
    </p>
    <p>Perhaps if I'm feeling up to it, I might also consider offering a tracker to let you note which kanji you've
        learnt, and which words, etc. you now "know", or even expand the service to a live online SRS like Anki,
        but ultimately these functions would be largely unneeded given the reasonable efficiency of Anki itself.
        It can at most be a fun game if a leaderboard, etc. were to be implemented.
    </p>
    
</body>
</html>
Add kanken beginnings 2024-08-15 20:43:36 +00:00			`<!DOCTYPE html>`
			`<html lang="en">`
			`<head>`
			`<meta charset="UTF-8">`
			`<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">`
			`<link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css">`
			`<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">`
			`<title>Kanken</title>`
			`</head>`
			`<body>`
			`<h1>Kanji Kentei</h1>`
			`<p>The <em>Kanji Kentei</em> is an exam available in Japan to test the examinee's knowledge of Chinese characters (kanji)`
			`as they appear in Japanese. The test comes in 12 levels, spanning from level 10 (the easiest) to level 1 (the hardest),`
			`with levels 2 and 1 have easier versions called pre-1 and pre-2.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>It's said that the hardest level, level 1, is also functionally the hardest credential to achieve`
			`among the Japanese culture's rich array of similar exams (such as on geography, cultural heritage, etc.),`
			`lining up with the <em>Nihongo Kentei</em> as the top of the hardest Japanese-language-testing exams.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>Evgeny Uskov, via his website <a href="https://roshiajin.jp">Roshijin.jp</a>, has been my ambassador in learning`
			`more about this exam through his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@EvgenyUskov">YouTube channel</a> and website expounding details of the exam in English.`
			`Thanks to Evgeny, it's become clear to me that I, too, wish to take up the gauntlet and achieve a pass (80% or more)`
			`on the hardest exam of its kind, namely level 1. At this time (15 August 2024), only 5 non-Sinosphere foreigners`
			`appear to have passed it, according to Evgeny's most recent information, so I aim to hopefully line up somewhere`
			`in the top 10 my the time I eventually finish! :)</p>`
Organise content better; add section on provision of further resources 2024-08-15 22:27:25 +00:00			`<h2>My resources</h2>`
Add kanken beginnings 2024-08-15 20:43:36 +00:00			`<p>`
			`Due to the illumination of people who came before me, the task of passing the exam has, in my opinion,`
			`been significantly lessened in ardour, because I am able to view comprehensive details about each part of the`
			`exam and its precise details ahead of time, as well as the fact that many resources have already been`
			`made widely available that weren't as accessible before.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>In keeping with this trend, I would like to also share my own offering in the Kanken resource space,`
			`namely a massive dataset adequate for comprehensive study of the Kanken level 1 material,`
			`all in one centralized location. I'm still working on this in various aspects, but for now,`
			`an Anki deck and a general data sheet (in CSV/spreadsheet-friendly form) are in the works.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>`
			`These will contain the contents of the Kanken Kanji Jiten, i.e. the (relatively) exhaustive authority on the`
			`Kanken level 1 (and below) exam, to whose contained kanji the exam will be constrained, in Japanese.`
			`Ultimately, the exam may feature some vocabulary outside the scope of the dictionary, but the large part of`
			`the exam should come from the contents of the dictionary. I will also, over the course of my personal studies,`
			`build up the English Wiktionary's coverage of the Kanken material, with the late-stage goal of`
			`transforming Wiktionary into an adequate resource for Kanken study, albeit allowing you to study the same`
			`material in English for more efficiency for us English-speakers. However, if the deck itself is to take a while`
			`to be produced, then the English version I prepare only after I've basically finished studying will take`
			`literal years. Please be patient if waiting for this one!`
			`</p>`
Organise content better; add section on provision of further resources 2024-08-15 22:27:25 +00:00			`<p>I also intend to provide the following extra resources for help in Kanken study: </p>`
			`<ul>`
			`<li>A copy of the chart in the Kanken Kanji Jiten listing the kanji radicals (as used on the exam)</li>`
			`<li>A list of all phonetic series for helping to remember the <em>on</em> readings for the characters</li>`
			`<li>A list of all undecomposable characters out of the 6300, which effectively breaks down recognition and writing into a simple game of composition</li>`
			`<li>Along with the data and Anki deck: differentiated <em>go-on</em> and <em>kan-on</em> readings, to help learners grasp the connection between the two, as well as predictably use one or the other, e.g. to read an already-analysed Buddhist term</li>`
			`</ul>`
(minor) Add 'Personal study' title 2024-08-15 22:45:19 +00:00			`<h2>Personal study</h2>`
Add kanken beginnings 2024-08-15 20:43:36 +00:00			`<p>`
			`As for my own course of study, I intend to work through the 42,000 vocabulary entries and 6300 kanji`
			`over a course of a bit less than 2 and half years, with the hope of getting a high coverage of the full`
			`exam material. This would equate to 50 cards a day, which, from my experience of prior study in Anki,`
			`would amount to several hours of study a day by a year in; however, thanks to the "FSRS" algorithm's`
			`recent development, which vastly improves scheduling in Anki, it may be possible to push back that`
			`inevitable inkstone-grinding labor a year or so, so that only towards the end will the study truly`
			`reach any laborious heights.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>`
			`Additionally, once the deck and data have been prepared, I would like to offer a website to provide`
			`(a) practice exams, and (b) the ability to perform online practice ad-hoc in each of the exam categories,`
			`and have the computer tell you if you're right, etc.`
			`Since the Kanken exam always follows the same format, it's possible to make this generation very`
			`programmatically, and this will allow one to gauge one's own progress with a quite satisfactory degree of accuracy.`
			`</p>`
			`<p>Perhaps if I'm feeling up to it, I might also consider offering a tracker to let you note which kanji you've`
			`learnt, and which words, etc. you now "know", or even expand the service to a live online SRS like Anki,`
			`but ultimately these functions would be largely unneeded given the reasonable efficiency of Anki itself.`
			`It can at most be a fun game if a leaderboard, etc. were to be implemented.`
			`</p>`
Organise content better; add section on provision of further resources 2024-08-15 22:27:25 +00:00
Add kanken beginnings 2024-08-15 20:43:36 +00:00			`</body>`
			`</html>`