How many kanji are there? Is it even possible to learn all of them? Some people who admire Japanese culture and would like to learn Japanese are discouraged in front of the enormous number of kanji to learn.
One of the most comprehensive kanji dictionaries in Japan Dai Kanwa Jiten counts about 50000 kanji. But most of them are not used archaic forms. A list of 2136 joyo kanji (commonly used kanji) is officially recognized to be necessary for functional literacy in Japanese. Japanese people learn 1026 kanji in elementary school, and the rest of 1110 kanji – in secondary and high school.
What about the foreigners?
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test divides learning Japanese in 5 steps. To pass the easiest level N5 you must know 100 kanji. Next level N4 requires 300 kanji. N3 – 600, N2 – 1000 and N1 – 2000 kanji. Now what can you do at each of these levels? Here is my personal perspective based on my own experience. It may vary depending on your personality. The first 2 levels N5 and N4 are mostly to encourage you for further learning. You start to understand something in the natural Japanese environment starting from level N3. When you are N2 you understand a lot and you can live and be fully functional in Japan. If you have passed N1 you are a Japanese.