Children usually go to grade 1 at the age of 6 or 7 in China.

According to "[全日制义务教育语文课程标准][1]", the character number that children should learn is:

Grade 1 to Grade 2: can **read 1600** characters, and **write 800** characters;

Grade 3 to Grade 4: can **read 2500** characters, and **write 2000** characters;

Grade 5 to Grade 6: can **read 3000** characters, and **write 2500** characters;

Grade 7 to Grade 9: can **read 3500** characters, and **write 3000** characters.


  [1]: http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=cZYBHWU0lWwY7CQNdLt78ebfXtvuvH_BEYx_vTYJT6IeAIoz8XeBgnvodzb4NAujoor9AbwIxOeAxdVsjobRGa#2_2