According to the Japan times, 191 kanji may be added to the official joyo kanji list next year, which is of course music to the ears of Japanese learners everywhere!

On the other hand, there are also five kanji slated to be taken off of the list, including 勺 (shaku) to the dismay of shakuhachi lovers and players throughout the world.

The good news is that the new kanji are probably ones you need to know if you ever plan on living in Japan. It’s probably good to know the kanji for chopsticks 箸 (hashi,) and several prefectures like Nara (奈良) which are not currently on the joyo list. The revisions, the first since 1981, were prompted by the multiplication of kanji in Japanese everyday life caused by new technological terms. Several semi-vulgar words, like lewd (淫 in) will also be joining the list.

In total there probably will be 2,131 kanji once the revisions take place in the fall. Luckily for those of us who are using Heisig’s Remember the Kanji approach, book three probably covers all of the new ones.

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