A : It really depends on the situation.

For example, if you need to read a document out loud in a meeting and you don't know how to read kanji correctly, it can be quite embarrassing.

If you are with your friends, your friends might make fun of you, especially if you can’t read kanji that’s considered easy but it’s not a big deal because they might struggle with the same kanji too.

In formal situations like filling out forms at a bank or city hall, not knowing how to write kanji, especially easy ones, can be embarrassing, and some people might even judge you as uneducated.

But nowadays, many things are done online so you don’t really find yourself in this kind of situation as often.

So, while it can be embarrassing for Japanese people not to know kanji, we can often find a way to avoid this kind of situation.

And if you're not a native Japanese speaker, don't worry!

People don't expect you to know kanji at all, but if you do, they will be impressed!