Japanese Chinese Proficiency Test (Chuken) - Reading Comprehension Level 3 Analysis

Sep 28, 2026

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Japanese Chinese Proficiency Test (Chuken) is examined through its reading comprehension section for Level 3 across the past three years, focusing on whether test items match specified proficiency criteria and HSK (Hànyǔ Shupíng Kǎoshì) equivalence. The study analyzes vocabulary coverage, comparing items with guidelines from Japan’s official test administrators and the HSK framework. Passages are classified by thematic areas in the official curriculum, aligning with Level 3 cognitive and language targets. Results indicate vocabulary proportions consistent with HSK Levels 4–5 and daily-life contexts that reflect real conversational and reading demands, supporting Chuken Level 3 as a reliable indicator for basic to intermediate learners.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Background and test scope

Chuken’s role in Japanese Chinese learning

Relation to HSK and other Chinese proficiency tests

Method of analysis

Vocabulary analysis and guideline comparison

Thematic classification using official curriculum targets

Findings and implications

Vocabulary coverage and level alignment

Daily-life passage scenarios and competence measurement

National Taichung University of Education Japanese Chinese Pro«ciency Test (Chuken), Japanese learners of Chinese, HSK, Chinese reading comprehension June 11th, 2025 [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6850665/v1](https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6850665/v1) 􀁱 􀅏 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License No competing interests reported. Next to the number of Japanese learners studying English, Japanese learners of Chinese are the second largest group, especially in higher education. Japanese Chinese Pro«ciency Test (􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀, Chuken) has played a role in examining Japanese learners of Chinese language pro«ciency for over 40 years. This study focuses on analyzing the reading comprehension section of the Chuken for Level 3 over the past three years, aiming to evaluate whether the test items align with the speci«ed pro«ciency criteria and the HSK (Hànyǔ Shupíng Kǎoshì) equivalence table. The analysis examines the vocabulary used in the test, comparing it against the guidelines set by Japan’s o cial test administrators and the HSK framework. The reading passages were categorized based on thematic areas from the o cial curriculum, ensuring they re¬ect the cognitive and language pro«ciency targets outlined for Level 3. The results show that the vocabulary used in the reading comprehension tests covers approximately 70–80% of the basic level vocabulary, with advanced vocabulary making up around 6–14%, consistent with the HSK Levels 4 to 5. The passages predominantly center on daily life scenarios, which supports the assessment that the test successfully measures the candidate's ability to handle typical conversational and reading situations in Chinese. These «ndings con«rm that the skills evaluated through the Chuken Level 3 correspond to the o cial ability descriptors, making it a reliable indicator of language competence for learners aiming to engage in basic to intermediate Chinese language communication. In Japan, interest in learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) has grown steadily in recent years, building on a long history of cultural and linguistic ties between Japan and China. Chinese is now one of the most popular foreign languages among Japanese university students, second only to English (Zhao, 2024) . Surveys of Japanese undergraduates indicate a range of motivations for studying Chinese, including integrative motives (e.g. cultural interest and personal enrichment), instrumental motives (career or academic advantages), genuine interest in China and the Chinese language, encouragement from peers or mentors (Cai, 2022), and even the perceived linguistic similarity of Chinese to Japanese (Zhao, 2024) . These «ndings suggest that Japanese learners of Chinese (L2) are driven by a combination of personal interest and practical goals, which may differ in emphasis from learner motivations in other countries. To validate and support this surge in Chinese learning, several Chinese pro«ciency tests are available in Japan. Learners can take international examinations such as China’s Hànyǔ Shupíng Kǎoshì (HSK) or Taiwan’s Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL), as well as domestically developed tests. A notable example of the latter is the Test of Communicative Chinese (TECC/ 􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀), introduced in 1998, which is patterned after the TOEIC and assesses daily conversational skills with level distinctions by scores (Japan Business Communication Association, 2025) . Another most prominent credential for Japanese Chinese learners is the Japanese Chinese Pro«ciency Test (􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀􀀀, commonly known as Chuken), «rst established in 1981 (The Society for Testing Chinese Pro«ciency of Japan, 2007) . Over the past four decades, the Chuken has become the most authoritative and widely taken Chinese language exam in Japan (Jia, 2006; Wang, 2013; Wang, 2018) . It is endorsed by many universities and companies, serving as an important benchmark for acad

FAQs

What does the study analyze in Chuken Level 3?

It analyzes the reading comprehension section items for Level 3 over the past three years, focusing on whether they align with specified proficiency criteria and the HSK equivalence table.

How is vocabulary assessed against proficiency criteria?

The study examines the vocabulary used in the test and compares it with guidelines from Japan’s official test administrators and the HSK framework, reporting coverage proportions across basic and advanced vocabulary.

What do the results suggest about the purpose of Chuken Level 3?

The findings indicate that Chuken Level 3 evaluates skills consistent with official ability descriptors and serves as a reliable indicator of Chinese competence for basic to intermediate communication needs.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by lilac