抄録
In this research, I examined how the knowledge of kanji characters in their first language influences the processing of Japanese kanji characters for Korean learners. Two tests were given for each of the two levels of participants, determined by language proficiency. The first involved kanji characters whose written shapes are similar in Korean and Japanese and the second, characters that are similar phonologically. The results showed that in the first case, learners with higher proficiency require more time to read, but there is no difference in the lower group; in the second case, learners of both levels require less time to read. In can be included that learners with higher proficiency can read Japanese kanji characters more quickly, but their rich knowledge of kanji characters in their first language may sometimes affect the processing of Japanese kanji.
