Regular reviews are driven by the SRS algorithm — it decides what you see and when. Extra Study flips that around. You pick the kanji, you pick the question types, and you practice on your own terms. No progress saved, no pressure — just targeted drilling.
Five Ways to Study
1. Critical Condition Kanji
This pulls every kanji where your accuracy is below 50%. These are the ones that keep tripping you up, and they need extra attention.
The system scans your review history and surfaces up to 100 of your weakest kanji, each displayed with its current accuracy percentage. If nothing shows up here — congrats, you're doing great.
2. By OniKanji Level
Pick which levels you want to drill. All your unlocked levels are selected by default — tap any to exclude it. Want to just grind Level 3? Deselect everything else.
Great for revisiting earlier levels you haven't touched in a while, or doubling down on the level you're currently working through.
3. By JLPT Level
Studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test? Filter kanji by N5, N4, N3, N2, or N1. You can select multiple levels at once.
This maps OniKanji's kanji library directly to the official JLPT categories, so you can target exactly what you'll be tested on.
4. By Kanji Status
Filter by mastery stage — Awakened, Explorer, Mastery, Ascension, Slayed, or Cooked. Multi-select is supported.
Want to reinforce everything that's still in the early stages? Select Awakened and Explorer. Want to make sure your "Slayed" kanji are truly locked in? Drill those specifically.
5. Premade Lists
Curated, themed kanji collections — like sumo terminology or other specialized vocabulary sets. Each list shows the kanji count, estimated question count, and genre tags.
Some premade lists are organized into Acts and Scenes (like chapters), so you can work through them in order or jump to a specific section.
Customize Your Quiz
Before starting, you can fine-tune exactly how you want to practice:
Question Types — Include or exclude:
- Primary Kanji Meanings
- Kunyomi Readings
- Onyomi Readings
Question Style — Include or exclude:
- Fill in the Blank (text input)
- Multiple Choice
- Sentence Builder
Flashcard Display — Toggle whether a flashcard with the full answer breakdown shows after every question. Great for active learning — you see the kanji, readings, vocabulary, and example sentences immediately after answering.
The system estimates how many questions your configuration will generate before you start, so you know what you're getting into. Max is 250 kanji per session.
How It Differs from Regular Reviews
| Extra Study | Regular Reviews | |
|---|---|---|
| Progress saved? | No | Yes |
| Affects SRS schedule? | No | Yes |
| XP / Coins earned? | No | Yes |
| Can skip questions? | Yes | No |
| Challenge answers? | Yes | Yes |
| Flashcard explanations? | Yes (toggleable) | After Show Answer only |
The key difference: Extra Study is pure practice. Nothing gets saved to your progress, nothing affects your SRS schedule, and you can skip freely. It's a zero-stakes environment for drilling weak spots or testing yourself on new material.
When to Use Extra Study
- Before a JLPT exam — Filter by the test level you're targeting and grind
- After a rough review session — Hit Critical Condition to focus on what you just missed
- Revisiting old levels — Make sure the early kanji are still solid
- Trying a new question style — Want to practice sentence builders without it affecting your stats? This is the place
- Quick warm-up — Knock out a few questions before your real reviews
Find it from the Extra Study card on your Home Dashboard, or navigate directly to the Extra Study page.