What are the 漢字 that aren't jouyou or jinmeiyou for?


When you search them up, they have readings, and meanings sometimes, but
they're non standard and can't even be used anywhere, neither do I know if
they were used in old Japanese.




Maybe it makes sense to look at the question from a different angle. That is
to say, what are the purposes of the classification of kanji as [常用]{jouyou}
and [人名用]{jinmeiyou} (and possibly others)?

[From Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_kanji):

> The [jouyou] list is **not a comprehensive list of all characters and
> readings in regular use** ; rather, it is intended as a literacy baseline
> for those who have completed compulsory education, as well as a list of
> permitted characters and readings for use in official government documents.

So, it doesn't mean that non-jouyou kanji are non standard or that they can't
be used anywhere. In fact, some non-jouyou kanji are even in regular use, if
we are to believe the explanation in Wikipedia.

A similar point can be made of [jinmeiyou
kanji](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinmeiy%C5%8D_kanji), i.e. they serve a
particular purpose (labeling people's names) but they aren't more "valid" or
more "standard" than non-jinmeiyou kanji.

Going back to your question, we can say that the basic purpose of non-jouyou
(or non-jinmeiyou) kanji is exactly the same as that of jouyou and jinmeiyou
kanji. They are used to write in Japanese, if not in certain scenarios (i.e.
in official government documents).




Maybe it makes sense to look at the question from a different angle. That is
to say, what are the purposes of the classification of kanji as [常用]{jouyou}
and [人名用]{jinmeiyou} (and possibly others)?

[From Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_kanji):

> The [jouyou] list is **not a comprehensive list of all characters and
> readings in regular use** ; rather, it is intended as a literacy baseline
> for those who have completed compulsory education, as well as a list of
> permitted characters and readings for use in official government documents.

So, it doesn't mean that non-jouyou kanji are non standard or that they can't
be used anywhere. In fact, some non-jouyou kanji are even in regular use, if
we are to believe the explanation in Wikipedia.

A similar point can be made of [jinmeiyou
kanji](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinmeiy%C5%8D_kanji), i.e. they serve a
particular purpose (labeling people's names) but they aren't more "valid" or
more "standard" than non-jinmeiyou kanji.

Going back to your question, we can say that the basic purpose of non-jouyou
(or non-jinmeiyou) kanji is exactly the same as that of jouyou and jinmeiyou
kanji. They are used to write in Japanese, if not in certain scenarios (i.e.
in official government documents).

