Hanja test grades: characters per grade and study order
Short answer: Korea's Hanja Proficiency Test assigns 50 characters to grade 8, 100 to grade 7, 150 to grade 6, 200 to grade 5 and 500 to grade 4 — 1,000 characters across grades 8 to 4. Building up from the lowest grade is the most natural order.
What are assigned characters?
Assigned characters are the Hanja listed for each grade of the Hanja Proficiency Test. Because each grade has a fixed list, you always know exactly which characters to learn for your target grade.
Characters per grade (8 to 4)
Grades 8 through 4 add up to 1,000 characters.
- Grade 8: 50
- Grade 7: 100
- Grade 6: 150
- Grade 5: 200
- Grade 4: 500
Study order: start at grade 8
Characters from lower grades often reappear as radicals or parts of higher-grade characters. Starting at grade 8 means more and more of each new character looks familiar.
Grade 4 is a big jump in size, so keep working in small sets rather than trying to cover it all at once.
How to work through a grade
The same loop works for every grade.
- Split the grade into sets of about 10
- Learn meaning, reading, radical, stroke count and example words for each set
- Quiz yourself after each set and repeat only the misses
- Track progress per grade, then move on to the next
What about test dates and passing scores?
Dates, registration, question counts and passing criteria can change, so check the official information from the test organizer.
Studying by grade with Hanjaro
Hanjaro includes all 1,000 characters for grades 8 to 4, organized by grade. Pick a grade, study in sets of 5, 10 or 20 with a four-choice quiz after each, and see your progress per grade on the home screen.
Work up to your target grade, one set at a time
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