Hi everyone! 
From February 7th to March 27th, 2024, we’ll be making some more adjustments to item levels. As in the past, we’ve carefully considered various factors, like frequency, difficulty, and visual simplicity to make your studying more efficient and enjoyable.
As usual, there won’t be any downtime. You don’t have to take any additional steps either. All the items you’ve already started studying will remain in your review queue, so you can continue making progress without any interruption.
Below, you’ll find a list of the changes we’ve made. Keep up the fantastic work, and happy studying!
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 – Posted
Movements
We are just moving this one radical on February 7th for testing purposes:
- Level 5: Window (radical) - moving down to level 3
Reasoning:
- Window (radical): We are bringing the window radical down to level 3 so that it can be used as the radical for the 母 kanji.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 26: 再建 (vocab) - moving up to level 27
- Level 26: 再来月 (vocab) - moving up to level 27
- Level 26: 再来年 (vocab) - moving up to level 27
- Level 26: 再来週 (vocab) - moving up to level 28
- Level 26: 再び (vocab) - moving up to level 28
- Level 29: 綺麗 (vocab) - moving down to level 28
- Level 48: Mysterious (radical) - moving down to level 29
- Level 51: 玄 (kanji) - moving down to level 29
- Level 51: 玄関 (vocab) - moving down to level 29
- Level 51: 玄米 (vocab) - moving down to level 29
- Level 27: 就く (vocab) - moving up to level 29
- Level 27: 惑う (vocab) - moving up to level 39
- Level 38: 併殺 (vocab) - moving up to level 39
- Level 26: 独創 (vocab) - moving up to level 44
- Level 26: 貯える (vocab) - moving up to level 50
Reasoning:
- 再建 (vocab), 再来月, 再来年, 再来週, and 再び (vocab): All the vocabulary items using the 再 kanji are currently listed at the same level. We think it would be more beneficial to separate them a little more, so that the different readings can be introduced more gradually.
- 綺麗 (vocab): A user very helpfully pointed out that despite 綺 and 麗 both being on level 28 with only 綺麗 as a corresponding vocab, 綺麗 was on level 29 for some reason. So, we’re bringing it down a level.
- Mysterious (radical), 玄 (kanji), 玄関, and 玄米 (vocab): The kanji 玄 is visually simple, and the related vocab words 玄関 and 玄米 are fairly common and useful to know, so we are moving them down. To do so, we also need to move down the 玄 radical.
- 惑う (vocab): 惑う is a less common, more advanced word that is better suited to a higher level.
- 就く (vocab): All the vocabulary items using the 就 kanji are currently listed at the same level. We think it would be better to move 就く up so that the on’yomi reading can be focused on first before introducing the kun’yomi reading.
- 併殺 (vocab): We are spreading the 併 vocab out a little more, and 併殺 is less common than 併合.
- 独創 (vocab): 独創 is a more advanced word that is better suited to a higher level.
- 貯える (vocab): 貯える is very similar to 蓄える, but is less frequently used, so we are moving it up.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 27: 給 (kanji) - moving down to level 25
- Level 27: 給料 (vocab) - moving down to level 25
- Level 27: 減給 (vocab) - moving down to level 25
- Level 27: 給与 (vocab) - moving down to level 26
- Level 25: 与える (vocab) - moving up to level 27
- Level 29: 誘惑する (vocab) - moving down to level 28
- Level 27: 極める (vocab) - moving up to level 28
- Level 27: 誘う (vocab) - moving up to level 29
- Level 27: 昇る (vocab) - moving up to level 29
- Level 16: 園 (vocab) - moving up to level 33
- Level 51: 軒 (kanji) - moving down to level 35
- Level 51: 〜軒 (vocab) - moving down to level 35
- Level 51: 軒 (vocab) - moving down to level 43
- Level 53: 軒並み (vocab) - moving down to level 44
- Level 27: 極楽 (vocab) - moving up to level 54
Reasoning:
- 園 (vocab): This word is more advanced than its current placement, so we’re moving it up. Another reason is that since its nuances and usage are a little more complex, we want to include a few Common Word Combinations, some of which use kanji from higher levels.
- 軒 (kanji), 〜軒, 軒, and 軒並み (vocab): 軒 is fairly simple in appearance and is more common than level 51 would suggest, so we are redistributing it and its vocab according to relative frequency.
- 給 (kanji), 給料, 減給, and 給与 (vocab): The 給 vocab are fairly common so we are moving them down a little. Since 給与 is a more formal version of 給料, we are also moving 給与 down in a way such that it comes after 給料, and are adding a note to explain the difference.
- 与える (vocab): We are moving 与える up a little so that the on’yomi reading for 与 can be consolidated first before moving on to the kun’yomi reading.
- 誘惑する (vocab): We wanted to teach the on’yomi reading for 誘 first, before introducing the kun’yomi reading with 誘う at level 29, so we are moving it down by one level to 28.
- 極める (vocab): We are moving 極める up a little so that the on’yomi reading for 極 can be consolidated first before moving on to the kun’yomi reading.
- 誘う (vocab): Right now, 誘う is taught at the same level as 招待する, but they both mean “to invite,” so this could be confusing. So we’re moving 誘う up a little to help minimize confusion, and have also added to the meaning explanations for both to explain the differences in nuance.
- 昇る (vocab): We are moving 昇る up a little so that the on’yomi reading for 昇 can be consolidated first before moving on to the kun’yomi reading.
- 極楽 (vocab): We want to move 極楽 to after 浄土 (lv 53) because 極楽 is short for 極楽浄土.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 3: Origin (radical) - moving up to level 4
- Level 3: 元 (kanji) - moving up to level 4
- Level 3: 元 (vocab) - moving up to level 6
- Level 3: 元パートナー (vocab) - moving up to level 6
- Level 7: 辺り (vocab) - moving up to level 8
- Level 19: 比 (kanji) - moving down to level 9
- Level 19: 対比 (vocab) - moving down to level 9
- Level 19: 比べる (vocab) - moving down to level 11
- Level 7: 辺 (vocab) - moving up to level 11
- Level 19: 比例 (vocab) - moving down to level 15
- Level 28: 比較する (vocab) - moving down to level 27
- Level 59: 憧 (kanji) - moving down to level 27
- Level 59: 憧れる (vocab) - moving down to level 27
- Level 59: 憧れ (vocab) - moving down to level 28
- Level 58: 蝶々 (vocab) - moving down to level 56
Reasoning:
- Origin (radical), 元 (kanji), 元, and 元パートナー (vocab): We teach the on’yomi reading first with the kanji 元, but don’t have any vocab at that level to reinforce that reading because the other kanji needed haven’t been taught yet. So we’re moving it and the 元 radical up by one level so that 元気 can be introduced with it, and also moving the vocab that use the kun’yomi reading to level 6 to reduce interference.
- 辺り and 辺 (vocab): We teach the on’yomi reading first with the kanji 辺 on level 7, so we are moving the kun’yomi 辺り up a level to reduce interference with the on’yomi vocab on level 7. We are also moving the 辺 vocab up by four levels to spread things out a little more.
- 比 (kanji), 対比, 比例, and 比べる (vocab): We are bringing these down so that they are closer to the radical 比 on level 8.
- 比較する (vocab): When we were considering the 比 items listed above, we also thought it would make more sense to teach the 比較 vocab in a sequence, so it would be 比較 (level 26) → 比較する (level 27) → 比較的 (level 28).
- 憧 (kanji), 憧れる, 憧れ (vocab): The vocab words 憧れる and 憧れ are much more common than level 59 suggests, so we are bringing them and the kanji 憧 down.
- 蝶々 (vocab): Moving 蝶々 down to level 56 to join the kanji 蝶 and the 蝶 vocab.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 46: 涼 (kanji) - moving down to level 25
- Level 46: 涼しい (vocab) - moving down to level 25
- Level 17: 栄 (kanji) - moving up to level 25
- Level 17: 光栄 (vocab) - moving up to level 25
- Level 48: 涼む (vocab) - moving down to level 26
- Level 17: 栄える (vocab) - moving up to level 26
- Level 17: 栄光 (vocab) - moving up to level 27
- Level 27: 招く (vocab) - moving up to level 28
- Level 17: 虚 (kanji) - moving up to level 39
- Level 17: 虚栄心 (vocab) - moving up to level 39
- Level 17: 虚しい (vocab) - moving up to level 40
- Level 17: 虚弱 (vocab) - moving up to level 41
- Level 41: 投棄 (vocab) - moving up to level 42
- Level 60: 狐 (kanji) - moving down to level 44
- Level 60: 狐 (vocab) - moving down to level 44
Reasoning:
- 栄 (kanji), 光栄, 栄える, and 栄光 (vocab): We are moving 栄 kanji and vocab up to better reflect their lower relative frequency. We also want to separate the potentially confusing 光栄 and 栄光 to avoid interference.
- 涼 (kanji), 涼しい, and 涼む (vocab): We are moving the 涼 kanji and the kun’yomi vocab down to better reflect their relative frequency.
- 招く (vocab): Since they share some nuances, we are moving 招く one level higher than 招待する to lessen confusion and interference. This also allows for the on’yomi reading しょう taught with the 招 kanji to be consolidated first.
- 虚 (kanji), 虚栄心, 虚しい, and 虚弱 (vocab): We are moving 虚 kanji and vocab up to better reflect their lower relative frequency.
- 投棄 (vocab): Currently, all the vocab for the 棄 kanji are taught on the same level, so we are moving 投棄, which is a little more advanced, up by one level for better scaffolding.
- 狐 (kanji) and 狐 (vocab): We are moving the 狐 kanji and vocab down to three levels after the melon radical is introduced to better reflect their relative frequency.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 2: 了 (kanji) - moving up to level 10
- Level 21: Peace (radical) - moving up to level 22
- Level 21: 評 (kanji) - moving up to level 22
- Level 21: 評論 (vocab) - moving up to level 22
- Level 21: 書評 (vocab) - moving up to level 22
- Level 23: 判断する (vocab) - moving down to level 22
- Level 23: 検査する (vocab) - moving down to level 22
- Level 21: 評判 (vocab) - moving up to level 23
- Level 21: 審 (kanji) - moving up to level 24
- Level 21: 審判 (vocab) - moving up to level 24
- Level 21: 審査 (vocab) - moving up to level 24
- Level 50: 晶 (kanji) - moving down to level 43
- Level 50: 水晶 (vocab) - moving down to level 43
- Level 50: 液晶 (vocab) - moving down to level 43
- Level 18: 不等 (vocab) - moving up to level 55
Reasoning:
- 了 (kanji): The kanji 了 is currently taught at level 2, but the vocab using the kanji aren’t taught until level 10, so we’re moving 了 up to level 10.
- 晶 (kanji), 水晶 and 液晶 (vocab): On review, the 晶 kanji and associated vocab are visually simple and more common and useful than level 50 suggests, so they’re better suited to level 43 based on their relative difficulty and frequency.
- 不等 (vocab): 不等 is a relatively uncommon word that is better suited to a high level.
- 評判 and 審判 (vocab): On reviewing the 判 vocab, we’ve decided to move 評判, which uses the rendaku’d on’yomi reading ばん, up to level 23 (alongside 裁判 which also uses the ばん reading) so that the regular はん reading can be consolidated first. We’re also moving 審判 (which uses the rendaku ぱん reading) to level 24, since we want to introduce it after the ばん reading.
- Peace (radical), 評 (kanji), 評論 and 書評 (vocab): Since 評判 is moving up two levels, it makes sense to move the 平 radical, 評 kanji, and 評論 and 書評 vocab up by one level, to keep them close together for better reinforcement.
- 判断する (vocab): Since we are moving 評判 and 審判 up, we are moving 判断する down to maintain a more even distribution of 判 vocab and to reinforce the はん reading first.
- 審 (kanji) and 審査 (vocab): Since 審判 is moving up, it makes sense to move the 審 kanji and 審査 vocab up too, to keep them close together for better reinforcement.
- 検査する (vocab): Since 審査 is moving up, we are moving 検査する down to maintain a more even distribution of 査 vocab.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 – Posted
Movements
- Level 2: Stool (radical) - moving up to level 3
- Level 44: 辛 (kanji) - moving down to level 9
- Level 44: 辛い (vocab) - moving down to level 9
- Level 46: 辛口 (vocab) - moving down to level 9
- Level 46: 辛子 (vocab) - moving down to level 9
- Level 15: 区分 (vocab) - moving up to level 25
- Level 33: 似合う (vocab) - moving down to level 32
- Level 31: 真似 (vocab) - moving up to level 33
- Level 33: 物真似 (vocab) - moving up to level 34
- Level 44: 辛抱 (vocab) - moving down to level 39
- Level 44: 香辛料 (vocab) - moving down to level 38
- Level 37: 香り (vocab) - moving up to level 39
- Level 37: 香川県 (vocab) - moving up to level 40
- Level 37: 香港 (vocab) - moving down to level 41
- Level 44: 辛勝 (vocab) - moving up to level 58
Reasoning:
- Stool (radical): We teach the 又 radical on level 2, but don’t teach any kanji using it until 友 on level 3, so we are moving it up to level 3.
- 辛 (kanji), 辛い, 辛口 (vocab), and 辛子 (vocab): We are moving the 辛 kanji down to where the radical 辛 is, since vocab words that use it are fairly common. We also didn’t want to move the radical 辛 higher because it could interfere with learning the very visually similar 幸 on level 16. We are also changing the primary reading to the kun’yomi から and bringing down the relevant vocab, since 辛い is very common and から is also used in common compounds like 辛口 and 辛子.
- 区分 (vocab): 区分 is a more formal and advanced word, so it’s better suited to a higher level.
- 似合う, 真似 and 物真似 (vocab): To avoid interfering with consolidating the に reading for 似, we are moving 真似 and 物真似 that use the ね reading up a little. We are also bringing 似合う (which uses the に reading) down to help with reinforcement.
- 辛抱 (vocab): We are moving 辛抱 to two levels after the kanji 抱 is introduced, so that the (rendaku’d) on’yomi can be taught soon after the kanji and the kun’yomi vocab. You might wonder why we’re not teaching the regular on’yomi first, but that’s because 辛抱 is much more common than 抱擁 and other words that use the on’yomi.
- 香辛料 (vocab): We’re placing 香辛料 at the level before 辛抱 to further reinforce the しん reading for 辛, as well as the こう reading for 香 taught at level 37.
- 香り, 香川県, and 香港 (vocab): Currently, these three 香 vocab are taught on the same level as the kanji. We think this could be confusing though, since they each use readings that are not only different from one another, but are different from the こう one introduced with the kanji. So we are moving them to after 香水 and 香辛料 (to consolidate the こう reading first), and are also spacing them out a little.
- 辛勝 (vocab): 辛勝 is a very advanced word, so it’s better suited to a high level.
Don’t worry, you won’t miss learning it!
and we’re figuring out the exact cause so we can prevent this from happening in a future movement.
Then again, I didn’t even notice that I was writing 2023 for the date in the read every day challenge thread at the beginning of this year 
Anyway, thanks for clearing it up for me!