Count Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Romaji, and more
What is Japanese Character Counter?
This Japanese character counter is an easy to use tool that counts and categorizes Japanese text characters. It provides detailed statistics about the distribution of different writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji) and other character types in your text.
This helps language learners, translators, and educators understand text composition and complexity at a glance.
Features
- Real-time analysis of text as you type
- Detailed breakdown of Japanese writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji)
- Character counts for Romaji, English, and punctuation
- Visual representation of character distribution
- Light and dark modes for comfortable viewing
Getting Started
Basic Usage
- Find the Japanese Character Counter on the page (it appears as a card with input area)
- Type or paste your Japanese text into the text box
- The analysis happens automatically as you type
- View the results in the statistics section below
Sample Text
If you’re new to the tool or want to see a demonstration:
Click the Sample Text button to load a pre-defined Japanese text sample
The tool will immediately analyze the sample and display results
You can then modify this text or clear it to input your own
How Japanese Characters Are Counted
Character Categories
The analyzer breaks down Japanese text into these categories:
- Hiragana (ひらがな): The basic phonetic script used for native Japanese words
- Katakana (カタカナ): The angular phonetic script primarily used for foreign loanwords
- Kanji (漢字): Chinese characters adapted for Japanese writing
- Romaji: Latin letters used to represent Japanese sounds (typically single letters)
- English: Sequences of Latin letters forming English words
- Punctuation & Symbols: Japanese punctuation and other symbols
Statistics Display
For each category, you’ll see:
- Total count: The number of characters in each category
- Percentage: The proportion of each character type in your text
- Visual bars: Graphical representation of the character distribution
Tips for Effective Use
- Analyze textbook passages to understand the mix of writing systems at different learning levels
- Compare different text types (news articles, novels, manga) to see how character usage varies
- Check your own writing to ensure you’re using an appropriate balance of writing systems
- Study the composition of difficult texts to better understand their complexity
Common Questions
How many characters are in Japanese?
The Japanese writing system consists of:
- Hiragana: 46 basic characters + variations with diacritical marks
- Katakana: 46 basic characters + variations with diacritical marks
- Kanji: Over 50,000 characters exist, but:
- 2,136 characters are designated as “Jōyō kanji” (common-use kanji) taught in schools
- Around 3,000 kanji are required for general literacy
- Typical Japanese adults know 3,000-4,000 kanji
This tool helps you understand which characters appear in your specific text and in what proportion.
How many words are in Japanese?
The size of the Japanese vocabulary is difficult to precisely quantify because:
- New words are continuously created (especially katakana loanwords)
- Many kanji can be combined to form new compound words
- The largest Japanese dictionaries contain 100,000-500,000 entries
- An educated Japanese adult typically knows 25,000-30,000 words
This tool doesn’t count words directly (as Japanese doesn’t use spaces between words), but analyzing character distribution can give insights into text complexity.
Why is the tool distinguishing between Romaji and English?
In Japanese writing, single Latin letters are often used for specific purposes (like marking options or in abbreviations), while sequences of Latin letters typically represent English words or phrases. The tool attempts to differentiate between these uses based on context.
How accurate is the character classification?
The classification is based on Unicode character ranges and contextual analysis. While it’s highly accurate for most standard Japanese text, some edge cases (particularly with specialized characters or unusual formatting) might be classified differently than expected.
Can I analyze very long texts?
Yes, the tool can handle texts of substantial length. However, for best performance, consider breaking extremely long texts (thousands of characters) into smaller segments.
Does the tool count spaces?
Yes, spaces are counted in the “Other Characters” category, as they’re not part of the standard Japanese writing system but are often used in modern digital text.