One thing I noticed when doing the lessons of Level 10 was that the kanji for open (開) was taught, but the kanji for close (閉) isn’t taught until Level 33. Is this intentional? I just feel like it would make sense to teach those antonyms in the same level, especially since 始める and 終わる (to start and to end) and 開始 and 終了 (start and end) are also taught on that level.
Thank you
Yeah, that is kind of odd, especially considering its component radicals have both been taught by level 14. I couldn’t hope to understand why some of their decisions were made (like, what’s so important about 淀川 that they teach it in level 50?) but this one seems particularly curious.
You can try sending an e-mail to hello@wanikani.com to suggest a change, but I’m not really sure how often such suggestions are implemented.
P.S.
Close. 
It’s actually not that different from elementary school in Japan. 開 is a 3rd grade kanji (so taught in the first 440 kanji). And 閉 is taught in 6th grade (so within the first 1006).
Not that WaniKani is aiming for that, or that they should, but just thought it was interesting.
oops, yeah, its pretty late here lol
If you believe WKstats’ frequency stats :
閉 is the 951th most frequent kanji.
開 is around rank 59.
(edit: rephrased)
Couldn’t have been 10 more?
円 is number 69… take that as you will
Nice.
That’s… really odd. I would think they would be no more than a couple hundred apart.
This doesn’t account for the entirety of the difference, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
If I gave you the sentence お開きにしましょう and told you it was something that is said at an event, when would you expect to hear it? Most people assume it means “let’s begin” because of 開. But it actually means “let’s finish” or “let’s wrap up.”
The explanation given is usually that the people are going to spread out move away from the event, so that’s a kind of “opening” action, but it’s basically a euphemism. People don’t like to say something that would use 閉 or be related to “ending” at something like a party or wedding reception, so they use a euphemism instead.
Well that explains a lot.
I was thinking “surely everything that opens will close again”, but no, if it’s opening and then opening again…
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