Product Description
The NEW 3rd Edition of White Rabbit Press' Japanese Kanji Flashcards: The Complete set of Kanji required for Levels 3 & 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
We've gathered all the essential information needed to master kanji into a convenient flashcard format that makes learning and drilling as efficient as possible.
Preferred by thousands of students, in over 25 countries, White Rabbit Press is the recognized world leader in Japanese kanji flashcards.
Each card includes six vocabulary building kanji compounds. We include more vocabulary than other publishers' cards because the essence of a kanji is best grasped by understanding the meanings it forms when combined with other characters.
We only use kana scripts--not romaji--to show kanji readings, and we provide clear and precise definitions in English, so you'll spend less time reaching for a dictionary and more time learning kanji. Each card also includes the kanji's On and Kun readings, stroke order diagrams, look-alike kanji, and more.
Quality Construction
Cards are varnished with rounded corners for durablilty.
Color-Coded
* 103 JLPT Level 4 cards in Green ink
* 181 JLPT Level 4 cards in Blue ink
*Includes a complete index.
*Boxed with plastic tray and shrink-wrapped
What's new in the Third Edition?
In addition to some minor design improvements, we made many changes to the vocabulary. The set now includes more official JLPT vocabulary and indicators to let you know which words are important for the test.
Customer Reviews:
I guess these could be useful for some students..........2007-09-10
But to me, using software instead of paper flashcards makes a lot more sense. So these are collecting dust with other books while I review my vocabulary and kanji in a program.
Well Organized & Great Layout!.......2007-09-05
JLPT grouping complements most Japanese language study materials very well. The stroke order and excellent vocabulary selection of these cards closed me. This product certainly deserves 5 stars, but I would vote "6" if all joyo kanji were covered in subsequent volumes.
okay I guess.......2007-09-03
I would never really recommend using this sort of store-bought flashcards for learning Kanji, since I feel it is more beneficial to make them yourself by hand, but at any rate this is a nice set if you don't feel like making your own.
Ivan Rorick
Top quality product........2007-05-18
I bought this product to aid me in learning the JLPT level 3 Kanji for my Japanese studies. I don't have to use many words to say that this is a top quality product, the cards are of high quality, clear to read, comprehensive and a great way to learn Japanese.
Good Quality Flashcards, absolutely recommended.......2007-05-14
I started learning Kanji a long time ago and recently my wife has been developing an interest in the Japanese language. As a resource for first-time learners, these flashcards are invaluable. Not only are they well-researched and good looking, they are also sturdy enough to allow for a lot of use. The cards have a lot of information on them, including cross-references to other similar-looking characters, examples and kun and on readings. If you're serious on learning Japanese, these are a must have!
Book Description
A boxed set of 2,042 flash cards contains full information on kanji including Chinese and Japanese readings, English equivalents, and hints for vocabulary building.
Customer Reviews:
Useful aid to an excellent method of study.......2007-01-31
James Heisig's method of learning kanji (technically known as component analysis) is the only game in town for adults who want to achieve true literacy in Japanese. These cards are a useful tool for achieving that goal. As another reviewer pointed out, however, they are too flimsily produced to justify the high cost. I expected heavy lamination or outright plastic. When I opened the box and realized that I had paid nearly $100 for 2000 small pieces of heavy paper I felt pretty stupid. Factor in, of course, the time it would take you to make these cards, which contain a lot of information: buying them saves a lot of time. Nevertheless, very expensive. There are free flashcard programs on line that are based on Heisig's book. I use both the cards and the programs.
I have no complaints whatsoever about Mr. Heisig's excellent method of study. There are other books based on the idea of component analysis and I'm sure they are just as helpful, but Heisig's book is the granddaddy of them all.
Low Quality => Low Value.......2006-10-08
Seeing the merchandise in person is not as important if you're buying a book, but it really may change your opinion on whether or not it's worth the purchase if the merchandise is flashcards.
Fortunately for me, a couple of weeks ago I was at the Kinokuniya bookstore and had the opportunity to see the quality of the cards without having to buy the set.
Although I was very happy to have found them, I was immediately disappointed:
-- The cards are printed on very thin, soft cardboard. Since their function involves a lot of handling, these cards will lose their shape really fast.
-- They are tiny. This aspect makes them more difficult to read, and easier to lose.
-- The small size is only emphasized by the amount on information printed on the cards, which is too much. Here, I'd like to make an analogy with fast food restaurants increasing the sizes of the portions: increasing the amount of food allows them to say they give you that much more value, while the actual food is the cheapest component of the meal. Likewise, printing more on the cards allows the publishers to claim you get that much more value, but their cost doesn't increase by much, and you get overloaded.
-- Thinking about the above point makes me feel like the publisher is trying to exploit me & trick me into paying more than I should be. It's not a good feeling.
Anyway, these things really make a difference to me, so I decided not to buy the set, in the end.
I really recommend you try to see the cards in person before you make the decision to buy, as well.
Worth the money!.......2006-02-23
I was put off buying these cards by some of the negative reviews, but went ahead when I saw a sample card in a store. In a Japanese bookshop, they cost about 8500 yen, or $85 in US dollars. They are well worth it, as they are a good size, contain exactly the right amount of information (not too little, not too much) and are cross-referenced to other courses. You can put 100 in your pocket and review them on the train. One wonderful experience I had was in a jam-packed Narita express one night, where all of the Japanese people around me were getting into it, cheering or groaning each time I turned over a card. We had a good-sized group of 'contestants' after half an hour or so! After all, some of Heisig's kanji are not so easy - even for native speakers. I am proud to say that I now know a few kanji that some of my Japanese co-workers don't...and it drives them up the wall. The cards have the Chinese and Japanese readings and the 'real' meanings, which are, 95% of the time, the Heisig one anyway. They also have example compounds - and it is a joy to realize that you can figure these out after a while with a bit of intuition!
They come in a neat filing box and are a good product for the money. If they were more durable, they would be heavier and less convenient to carry. A hundred fit into my small plastic card case that slips into a jacket pocket and protects them from the ravages of everyday life. Buy them if you are doing the kanji course. They will save money and work in the long run. Heisig's methods are about making learning Japanese as easy and intuitive as possible, so, if you want to go easy on yourself without any negative effect, get these. Making your own might help review the writing, but people over here I have spoken to (and lots of people I know have done RTK I&II) don't actually think it makes much of a difference in the long run. Personally, I just sit down with a keyword list and try to write random sections from time to time to test my memory. This keeps my writing in trim and is more convenient.
Can't praise these books and study aids enough.
kanji cards.......2004-12-15
I will admit the cards are helpful, but for the price, not enough. I expected better quality and better kanji information. Yeah, buying them savse time, but making them saves money and I've found that when I write the cards myself, I learn the information better.
Not very durable.......2003-07-11
The main reason I bought these cards was to save myself the time and effort of making my own - and to this end, they serve their purpose. Yet while the information on each card is great, I have a few complaints. First of all, the quality of the box and the cards is basic and not particularly durable. The box is made of light cardboard, and the cards are also made of fairly lightweight card paper. For the price I expected better quality. Another feature I don't like, but which seems to be the standard for Kanji cards, is that rather than turn over the card from left to right (or right to left) like a page, you turn it "up and over". Any more complaints? Yes, a little colour coding on the cards would be nice. However, I do appreciate the effort put into creating these cards, and hopefully future editions will be more durable, more colourful and a little cheaper.
Product Description
White Rabbit Press top-selling Japanese Kanji Flashcards have helped thousands of Japanese language learners, in over 58 countries, master Japanese kanji. For just a few cents per card, our meticulously designed and researched cards save you countless hours by bringing together all the information you need to master Japanese kanji in a convenient flashcard format to make study and drills as efficient as possible. Each White Rabbit Press kanji flashcard includes six commonly used kanji compounds that s more than any other product because we believe that the essence of a kanji is best grasped by understanding the meanings it forms when combined with other characters. Our cards also include the kanji s On and Kun readings, stroke order diagrams, look-alike kanji, the reading of each example word in kana scripts with definitions in English, and more. Additionally, White Rabbit Press kanji cards are the only kanji cards on the market that provide complete preparation for the kanji portion of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
Quality Construction Cards are poker-size, 3.5 x 2.5 (8.89 cm x 6.35 cm), printed on UV coated card stock with rounded-corners for increased durability.
Color-Coded 739 JLPT Level 2 cards printed in purple ink
Includes a Complete Index A consolidated yomi and stroke order index is included which covers all the cards in both Volume 1 and 2 flashcard sets.
Customer Reviews:
Best Kanji Cards Available, Even In Japan!.......2007-10-18
Before this set went on the market, I tried using some other kanji cards that I bought in Japan, and was disappointed. They all have problems, such as useless vocabulary examples, poor durability, or random organization.
These are the best kanji cards on the market, even in Japan, and are designed especially for English speakers. They're highly durable, and are organized by JLPT level. This ensures that you're learning the most important kanji first.
Learning these JLPT level 2 kanji is not a simple thing. There are over 700 cards, and it takes time, effort and patience. I've now completed a "brief introduction" to all of the cards in this set, and I am astonished at how useful it's been at aiding me in my reading comprehension in my everyday life (I live in Japan). As soon as I learn a new card, I start to see that kanji all around me. It was always there, but now I notice and understand it.
If you've found this product and have already decided that you are determined to learn these kanji, don't think twice about buying. You can do it, with the help of White Rabbit Press!
My only complaint is that there are too many of these cards to learn! But that's the fault of the Japanese, not White Rabbit :-)
There are no better flashcards for Kanji.......2007-09-14
I am not usually a review writer, but I have to say something about these cards. I have seen every other popular series of cards. In fact, I've seen every set that advertises itself anywhere that I could find them. I graduated with a major in Japanese for Education K-12, and am currently living and working in Japan. Japanese is my personal hobby, and there is no interest that I spend more time on than on studying Japanese.
And through all of that, I can only recommend White Rabbit Press for Kanji flashcards. No other card set is sufficient for study in my opinion. Why? For many reasons, but the #1 reason: they all use Romaji! Romaji is the use of English letters to represent Japanese characters. For example, Sushi is romaji because it doesn't use the real Japanese characters ( or ). This is unforgiveable, period. You absolutely cannot study Kanji cards with romaji on them. If you do, you are not a serious student of Japanese (or you only do so because you didn't know about these cards).
Second, the other card sets are cheaply made, have few (irrelevant or infrequently used) examples, do not adequately show the stroke order (how to write it), and lack denotations for which character compounds will appear on the JLPT. White Rabbit Press has all of these and more.
And another incredibly stupid thing is that some of the flashcard sets contain the character and the reading on the SAME SIDE! What the heck!? Did they even think about what a flashcard is before they made those lame excuses for study materials?
Don't be fooled. Lots of study materials for Japanese are available, but the vast majority is pure garbage. Can you learn something from them? Sure. Are they good for serious study? Absolutely not. This goes for books, grammar guides, workbooks, tapes, etc. Anything that uses romaji beyond the first or second chapter is pure trash, and not even worthy to be recycled (I'm exaggerating that, of course). Anything that promises quick learning with little effort is a pure lie; it's a sales gimmick to trick you and get a quick buck.
If you're serious, learn the Japanese Kana (katakana, hiragana). Learn them so well that you come to hate romaji. Then, get these Kanji cards and use them like crazy.
This product is the best.......2007-08-31
The White Rabbit Press flash cards are indeed the best. They are the only kanji cards on the market that provide complete preparation for the kanji portion of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). There are easy to use and fit nicely into the storage box. Also, White Rabbit Press offers exceptional customer service. There was a problem with my order and they addressed the problem and had the cards shipped in less than 24 hours from initial time of order. I was most appreciative. I highly recommend!
brilliant.......2007-07-17
I love these cards. Without them, I don't think I would have passed the JLPT Level 2.
Best Kanji Flash Cards.......2007-07-17
Before finding these flashcards, I was making my own (which was very time consuming) because I was unhappy with the kanji flashcards that were currently available. I then discovered this set and am extremely impressed. These cards are excellent and give all of the necessary information for me to easily learn kanji. The cards are also priced very reasonably. I will definitely be picking up the next set as soon as it is released.
Book Description
All 448 kanji in this set are those prescribed by the Japanese Ministry of Education for the first three grades of school. This thorough revision of the 1995 language learning book is designed for travelers and beginning learners of Japanese.
Customer Reviews:
keep in mind.......2007-06-12
The practice of hiragana and katakana is fairly easy and any serious japanese student is going to become used to reading at least hiragana right away, that being said; I think the lack of kana on these cards is highly over-hyped and it is important to realize that cards like these are great for practicing with someone who isnt really interested in learning kana i.e. your spouse, casual friend or anyone else that might be kind enouph to help you study ! Your going to get plenty of practice with kana just reading japanese!!!!
A very useful tool.......2006-03-23
I was a bit hesitant to buy these after reading a lot of negative reviews about this product, but after recieving them found that the cards are great! These are very useful and well set out. They include Radicals, Stroke Order, Kanji useage, Grade Level, and On/Kun readings. These are a MUST for anyone learning Japanese! Thankyou Tuttle Cards!!!
Get the White Rabbit cards.......2005-12-27
I had already purchased the 1,000+ Tuttle (aka Alexander Kask) cards, but I was convinced to try the first set of the White Rabbit cards. I think the White Rabbit cards are far superior:
*I know romaji is in frequent use. However, think about a Japanese person using katakana to learn English long after the novice level. Ridiculous, right? Very.
*The layout makes a lot more sense on the White Rabbit cards. The layout on the Tuttle cards is poorly thought through, the kanji stroke orders are on the back, and the radical meanings are on the front, which means that I need to cover parts up if I want to use them as flash cards. The White Rabbit cards have a much more useful layout, making them better as flashcards.
*The examples are way more relevant on the White Rabbit cards. The Tuttle examples are often so obscure I don't see any reason to learn them. But the examples on the White Rabbit cards are words are phrases I can actually see myself using.
*Also, the White Rabbit cards are ordered to fit the JLPT, while the Tuttle cards fit the grade school levels. There are so many different kanji to learn that it's worth giving thought to which ones are important to learn first. For an adult learner, the JLPT ordering will give you more useful kanji first.
*Not that this is the most important thing, but the White Rabbit cards are also made out of a sturdier material, so they will last much longer.
Pass these up... .......2005-03-07
The pronunciation of kanji in romaji killed the functionality of these cards for me. Why would anyone learning to read Japanese, want to read the pronunciations in anything but hiragana? I also found a number of mistakes with the cards. I've returned the cards and ordered the White Rabbit Press kanji flash cards.
Good review tool.......2005-01-31
I'm using these along with 'Japanese for Everyone' and 'A Guide to Writing Kanji and Kana.' I got a little confused until I rearranged the cards to follow the order in 'Kanji and Kana.' =) Now I use 'Kanji and Kana' to actually learn the kanji, then stick a handful of cards in my purse so I can pull them out and review the ones I've learned during slow times at work, while I'm waiting for seating at a restaurant, etc.
All that to say this: I wouldn't recommend them as your primary way of learning the kanji, but they're a good review tool and easy to carry around with you. Recommended, although my extremely nearsighted eyes wish the compounds were printed a little bit larger. =)
Book Description
Kanji Cards have been a standout bestseller on how to read and write the Japanese language for many years for good reason—they provide ease of use, efficient organization and a large amount of data packed into compact cards. An integral and essential element for anyone serious about the study of Japanese, Kanji Cards Volume 3 picks up where Volumes 1 and 2 left off. There is still a focus on fundamental characters, but Volume 3 covers the more advanced characters learned thereafter, thus completing the study of kanji in the Japanese language.
Consisting of a complete boxed set of flash cards, Kanji Cards Volume 3, along with Volumes 1 and 2, are a perfect investment for anyone interested in learning Japanese quickly and easily.
Customer Reviews:
Serious students only!.......2006-04-30
I've seen many reviews here comparing these cards to white rabbit. I have not used white rabbit, so I cannot compare or contrast them.
I don't think most of the criticisms towards these cards are very warrented. Mostly I don't get the criticisms against the romaji. Yes, they use romaji, but anyone studying kanji should have a firm grasp of kana to begin with. Even going at a fairly fast pace, it takes years to really learn kanji. And if your goal is to be literate, than you'll have a good foundation in kana anyway.
Another criticism is that these cards go in grade order. I've found this is useful because that's what most of the other texts or online tools use for learning kanji, so it's easier to switch between materials without worrying if you're missing something.
One criticism I will say is valid is that they do have errors from time to time. It's not that common, but they exist. In ONE case out of 1006 kanji, I found a kanji that was a duplicate of a previous kanji (they wrote 積 instead of 績). I've found that sometimes vocabulary words use the wrong kanji (writing 競争 instead of 競走 for "走" kanji, for example) but this is rare. Their thin and small nature has ment that I have lost, over the course of the year, one kanji card (士). I don't think this has anything to do with the card design either, as I feel that anytime you have thousands of thin things, you'll either lose something or it'll take up a lot of space.
Yet another criticism is that the vocabulary isn't very useful. I'm not sure the point of the vocab section is to give useful words as much as it is to show how the kanji connects with other kanji. If you're a serious student of Japanese you should have some form of dictionary anyway.
At any rate, it takes a long long time to get through these sets. In my case, I've gotten through Card sets 1-2, memorizing only the On readings and meanings, and it's taken me about a year (I'm lazy). I'll probably have to go through these another time for kun readings, and then after all of that yet another time for vocab. This doesn't have anything to do with the setup of the cards, but the complexity of the subject. And if you're serious about learning kanji (meaning you practice by reading newspapers or other areas in addition to just cards), than these cards can be a huge benefit. Either way, learning kanji is going to take a long, long time no matter what cards you use.
So in short, they get the job done, and do a good job at it.
Book Description
Kanji Cards Volume 4 is the fourth and final installment in the Tuttle Kanji Cards series. It presents the student with the most advanced and complex kanji. Building on the foundation established in the first three volumes, Kanji Cards Volume 4 utilizes a highly acclaimed methodology that has become the gold standard for kanji learning for thousands of students worldwide.
The four volumes in this set present all 1,945 characters that the Japanese Ministry of Education has determined one needs to read and write Japanese (the kanji). On each Joyo card, the basic readings and uses for each character as verbs and adjectives are described in detail along with various meanings of the character as a noun. The radicals used to organize the kanji and the individual graphic elements that make up the remainder of a character are clearly presented for each character—essential information that helps the student master the kanji more effectively. In total, the four volumes also present 7,700 compound vocabulary items—words that have been carefully compiled to reflect the vocabulary most frequently used in everyday conversation, thus enabling the user to greatly increase his vocabulary and
mastery of the Japanese language.
Book Description
The 448 kanji in this set are those prescribed by the Japanese Ministry of Education for the first three grades of school.
Tuttle Flash Cards is a comprehensive series of flash cards designed to help travelers and beginning learners of Asian languages. The series will include Kanji Cards I and II, Kana Cards, Japanese in a Flash I and II , vocabulary-building cards, as well as parallel sets of flash cards for Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
Customer Reviews:
No stroke order.......2006-04-22
Received my Kanji Cards II set yesterday. I'm disappointed to see that unlike the first set the second set does not include the stroke order on the back. Overall, still a great learning aid though. Wish they would come out with a third set.
disappointing box.......2005-10-10
The cards themselves are as they are described on the site.
But the box is somewhat disappointing. Once the set of cards have been taken out, and the little paper band has been removed, it's hard to get them back in without shuffling the cards
Romaji inappropriate for this level.......2004-05-08
This set of 566 cards follows on the first set of 440 cards. I find it highly inappropriate for cards targeted at someone who has studied at least 400 Kanji to use Romaji. Romaji distracts experienced students, misleads beginner students, and serves no real purpose once you have studied the basic forty or so set of Hiragana. I returned these cards after a week because of the Romaji.
Buy both sets, you'll need them........2003-09-10
These cards are a real bargain, so you should definitely buy both sets, which together contain about half of the kanji that you'll need to achieve literacy in Japanese. You will save a lot of time and learn some new compounds by purchasing these cards instead of making your own.
I really like these cards but after number 441 it jumps.......2003-03-06
These set of cards along with the first set is nice but after number 441 it jumps to 582 (my set does I wonder if it is only the one I got that is like that?) and skips from 442 through 581. So now I have a double print of 582 through 722 in my set. Still, they are helpful for study or review. :)
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Japanese
| Instruction
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Kana Flashcards
Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference
Japanese Kanji Flashcards, Volume 2
Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary: Japanese-English English-Japanese
Kana Pict-O-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese Hiragana and Katakana
