Abstract
This chapter offers an analysis of kanji reading and writing error type occurrence tendencies of novice L2 learners of Japanese (Swedish university students) and compared them with those of level-matched L1 learners (Japanese schoolchildren). An experiment was carried out under strictly controlled conditions and the results showed differences in tendencies between reading and writing as well as between L1 and L2 learners. L2 learners made mainly phonological reading errors, whereas L1 learners made mainly circumstantial reading errors. The majority of writing errors were substitution with non-existent pseudokanji for both L1 and L2 learners. The L1 learners demonstrated somewhat better developed phonological awareness. Possible explanations for some of the observed tendencies include L1Writing System transfer and the factors related to the study conditions.
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Notes
- 1.
Current list of the Joyo Kanji issued in 2010 by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology consists of 2136 characters. However, the term here refers to the list of the Joyo Kanji issued in 1981 by the Japanese Ministry of Education, since the participants of the experiments for the present research had been educated before the 2010 list came into effect and in conformity with the 1981 list. The 1981 list of the Joyo Kanji consists of 1945 characters, and the current and the former lists overlap to a great degree; in fact 90.8% of the characters included in the 2010 list (1940 out of 2136 characters) are identical with those in the 1981 list.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Target kanji
90 characters (113 readings)
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Appendix 2
Reading Test
Instruction in Japanese
Instruction in Swedish
Skriv den rätta läsningen av de kanji i fetstil med hiragana i ( ). Försök att fylla i ( ) med din bästa gissning även när du är osäker på den rätta läsningen.
Exempel: 
Tasks (for both Japanese and Swedish participants)
1. | 12. |
2. | 13. |
3. | 14. |
4. | 15. |
5. | 16. |
6. | 17. |
7. | 18. |
8. | 19. |
9. | 20. |
10. | 21. |
11. | 22. |
23. | 35. |
24. | 36. |
25. | 37. |
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27. | 39. |
28. | 40. |
29. | 41. |
30. | 42. |
31. | 43. |
32. | 44. |
33. | 45. |
34. | 46. |
Appendix 3
Writing Test
Instruction in Japanese
Instruction in Swedish
Komplettera meningarna/fraserna genom att fylla i rutorna med det rätta kanji. Försök fylla i rutorna med din bästa gissning även när du är osäker på det rätta kanji.
Exempel: 
Tasks (for both Japanese and Swedish participants)
1. | 17. |
2. | 18. |
3. | 19. |
4. | 20. |
5. | 21. |
6. | 22. |
7. | 23. |
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12. | 28. |
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14. | 30. |
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33. | 40. |
34. | 41. |
35. | 42. |
36. | 43. |
37. | 44. |
38. | 45. |
39. | 46. |
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Ivarsson, F. (2018). Analysis of Kanji Reading and Writing Errors of Swedish Learners in Comparison with Level-matched L1 Learners. In: Hebert, D. (eds) International Perspectives on Translation, Education and Innovation in Japanese and Korean Societies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68434-5_12
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