Book Description
The Kanji Dictionary has been hailed as a revolution in Japanese language reference materials. Including over 47,000 character compounds, it employs a unique multiple-reference compound system: every compound is listed under each of its component characters. This unique, time-saving feature makes finding compounds fast and easy. Entries are arranged according to a simplified radical-based reference system; comprehensive on/kun readings index and a handy radical overview lists add other parameters for searching for entries. Newly coined terms, particularly those in new technical fields, are added to the most common and most important terms and expressions currently in use.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2007-06-02
This book is awesome. It helps me so much everyday as I am trying to teach Japanese to myself. I have a passion for languages, and this really is a great accent for my passion.
Great Tool!!.......2007-04-02
I found it very usefull in learning japanese. It's a very versatile tool.
Binding concerns.......2006-09-30
I hesitated ordering this book because a previous reviewer reported that he had found the binding to be inferior. Perhaps this was true in previous bindings, but the copy I recently obtained looks fine in this regard and should stand up to heavy use for some years to come.
I'm finding this an excellent disctionary in all regards, though as a beginner I have not put it to lots of use. Basically I use the New Nelson, with this dictionary as a supplement, especially for compounds. And there are times when this alternate system of radical identification is just easier than the traditional system.
HIGLY RECOMMENDED.......2006-04-05
when I did an internet search to locate this, I found a number of negative reviews. Basically the consensus seemed to be that the character lookup system is new and therefore bad.
I disagree. The system the authors developed is the first "rational" approach in that it does not require that you know what the important radical is in order to look up a kanji. Morever, the ability to look up compounds using any character in the compound is very useful.
However, there are some negatives:
(1) the authors are not entirely consistent within their own approach.
E.g., the characters under the radical for hand are grouped under the three character radical, which is the way it is written except when it is written as a single character. However, the character for hand is written with four strokes, and you must know that in order to find it under the three stroke index.
this is the example that comes to mind most immediately, although I believe there are others.
(2) the binding is not of a very high quality. if you use this frequently (which you will), it will eventually break the spine.
i gave away my first version after it split in two. my current version is in four pieces.
on the positive side: this is so extremely useful that I am going to order a third copy.
HIGHLY RECOMENDED.
One big lump of knowledge.......2005-08-23
I bought this dictionary just when I was beginning my fourth semester of japanese lessons, to help me with my future translations and with the learning of new kanji (which is always a useful thing, since many tend to get disappointed when they know they have to learn about 2,000 to read the newspaper).
I have always thought that with any given dictionary, there are two main issues you have to keep in mind: how complete it is, and just how easy it is to use.
I have not as of yet searched for any kanji I have not been able to find, so I'd say it is fairly complete. This is an extremely thorough dictionary, covering not only an incredible amount of individual kanji, but a whole lot of compunds (the dictionary claims over 47,000. I'll take their word.), so there is a very good possibility of you too finding the character you are looking for.
As for the second issue, I must say I'm surprised at how easy it is to find kanji. When i first heard of the system kanji dictionaries used for listing them, I was appalled. I was pleased to find, nevertheless, a full two-page-and-a-half brief manual on how to use the dictionary that gave me all the preparation I needed: I was succesfully looking up kanji in now more than 10 minutes.
Basically, there are two ways in which you can find a given kanji in this dictionary: by their readings (either the on-yomi, or the kun-yomi), and by their stroke count. The 79-radical system can be a little confusing at first, but is fairly simple to get used and not at all as illogical as one might think.
The only complaint I have so far is the lack of internal references made in the dictionary. For instance, one of the appendices lists the 1006 "gakushuu kanji" (the kanji taught in elementary school), but their are numbered straight from 1 to 1006, without the reference to the dictionary entry for each of those kanji. The same thing happens to the kanji in "the 100 most frequent kanji", "the most frequent kanji used in family names", "the 284 extra kanji for use in given names", etc. Adding that would be a real time saver if you are planning, as I am, in using the dictionary as a learning tool.
Still, it's a great tool, and I'm really convinced that this was one of my truly great buys. Definitively 5 stars.
Customer Reviews:
NOT WORTH IT AND AMAZON CANNOT GET THIS TITLE.......2007-04-08
Just want to say. Amazon cannot get this book. the 4-6weeks is complete waste of time. I have waited months and motnhs and months. I forked over the $200 for my own copy. Expenisive and all it really is is a dictionary. Don't be fooled by it. It is no different in explanation than a simple dictionary is. All dicionaries (if well made) will group kanji by radicals. Many books for less are more effective.
Heisig vs. Halpern.......2007-03-28
This is a review of the Fourth Edition:
Remembering the Kanji I: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters Vol. 1 4th Edition,
which has just been reprinted:
Remembering the Kanji: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters (Manoa)
I have a certain familiarity with the spoken Japanese language but I realized a couple of years ago that if I were ever to develop a useful level of skill at Japanese I would have to learn the written language as well. The Kana are not a problem, no more difficult than learning the Greek alphabet, for example, but the Kanji are another matter. After trying Japanese for Busy People (Kana version) Vol. II and some of the on-line kanji sites, I realized that I would need something a bit more organized and thoughtful if I were ever to learn the Kanji in my lifetime.
First a word about ideographs versus alphabets. Alphabets were originally ideographic symbols that represented meaning as well as sound. Over time the symbols lost the original semantic content and became purely phonetic representations. Kanji retain much of the semantic content alphabets have lost and thereby add great richness, as well as difficulty, to the written languages that use them. As I have progressed through Heisig's book I have come to appreciate the depth of insight the Kanji offer into Japanese culture and the Chinese culture from which so much of it is derived.
James Heisig is a teacher of philosophy and religion living in Japan, and has translated several works of the Kyoto School of Philosophy. His description of how he developed his method of learning the kanji, given in the introduction, is fascinating.
His method is simple, belying its underlying sophistication:
1. First he assigns each character a unique English reading.
2. He then anchors that character in memory with a vivid mnemonic. (After the first 500 characters he leaves it up to the learner to make up the mnemonics.)
3. Lastly, the characters are learned in a specific order that is based on their internal logic.
The sophistication of this method is that it taps into the emotional and associational aspects of learning rather than relying just on the brute force of repetition. Repetition of course has its place, but it is inefficient when used alone.
His mnemonics are sometimes cheesy, sometimes weird, and sometimes quite interesting, illuminating the inner poetry of the characters. For example, Heisig #299 "fall" (Halpern #2318, also "fall") is composed of the radicals "flower", "water", and "each". His mnemonic: "When WATER falls, it splats and splashes; when FLOWER petals fall, they float gently in the breeze. To EACH thing its own way of falling." Another interesting one is Heisig #163 "anxiety" (Halpern #1022 "vexed"), composed of the radicals "fire" and "head": "The existential condition of ANXIETY that arises from the inevitable frustration of our worldly passions is contained in this character. The HEAD is set AFIRE, causing deep torment of spirit (and a whopper of a headache)."
Heisig points out that Chinese students learning Japanese have a great advantage because of their knowledge of the Kanji, even though spoken Chinese and Japanese have virtually nothing in common. He adds that Japanese methods of learning the Kanji ignore the internal logic of the characters and rely mostly on brute force repetition. This works reasonably well for Japanese students who are immersed in a Kanji culture, but it is punishing for foreigners. The goal of his method is to bring the English-speaker up to level of the Chinese-speaker who knows the kanji, both beginning to learn Japanese. He feels it is best to first learn a solid English reading for all the most common characters and then to go back later as one learns the spoken Japanese language and pin down the Japanese and Chinese readings.
As I progressed through the book making flash cards according to Heisig's directions, I became curious about the Japanese meaning of the Kanji. After all, if I were going to learn all these characters, I might as well make sure I was learning them in a way that would ultimately be useful. So I ignored Heisig's advice and began to check his English readings with a couple of dictionaries and began finding descrepancies. I eventually decided to be more systematic and purchased NTC's New Japanese-English Character Dictionary edited by Jack Halpern. (Halpern also edited the The Kodansha Kanji Learners Dictionary (Japanese for Busy People), which I think is a more condensed version of the NTC dictionary.)
I started keying Heisig's characters to Halpern's dictionary for future reference, and have tabulated the first 463 of Heisig's readings in this manner, comparing each of them to the "core" meaning given by Halpern. I have divided them into four categories and listed the numbers of characters in each category:
1. Heisig reading identical with Halpern: 203
2. Heisig reading related to Halpern: 243
3. Heisig reading unrelated to Halpern: 10
4. Heisig reading unlisted in Halpern: 17
The "related" meanings are sometimes very close synonyms, sometimes archaic readings, occasionally fairly tangential. Some representative examples with fairly close but not identical meanings:
Heisig #313: "refreshing"...Halpern #521: "cool"
Heisig #434: "vie"..........Halpern #1847: "compete"
Heisig #187: "perfect"......Halpern #2201: "complete"
Some anomalies and curiosities:
Heisig's #460 "plum" is listed by Halpern as #925 "Japanese apricot". Heisig does not list a character for "plum" that corresponds with Halpern's #2398 "plum". However, they both agree on the character for "apricot", Heisig #203, Halpern #2397.
Heisig #208 "town" is the same as Halpern #834 "village", while Halpern #1113 "town" is the same as Heisig #92 "village". My "NOAD" The New Oxford American Dictionary: Book and CD-ROM package (New Look for Oxford Dictionaries)says a "town" is larger than a "village" but smaller than a "city", so Halpern would appear to have the correct English reading for these two characters.
Heisig identifies two very similar characters as unnumbered "primitives" he calls "mending" and "zoo". Halpern doesn't distinguish between the two, gives the reading for the single character as #3480 "animal counter".
Heisig and Halpern are both very intelligent and dedicated individuals who have worked hard to make the Japanese writing system more accessible to English-speakers. They both express the same frustrations with the methods available to them in the 1970's when they were both first struggling with the Japanese language. While Halpern has the advantage of modern linguistics and computer technology, Heisig using his own intuition and the dictionaries available to him at the time has better insight into the actual technique of learning.
What is the upshot of all this? Clearly, however you do it, learning the Kanji takes time. I can't yet read written Japanese, but I know a lot more about the Kanji than I used to. I plan to stick with Heisig since I see little down-side to his method. There is so much more to learning the Kanji than just memorizing a reading that having a firmly anchored English reading, even if it's not a precise one, is better than floating aimlessly in a sea of random symbols. Heisig at least offers a method that pins things down. Halpern's dictionary complements Heisig by giving a translation based on modern linguistics and database analysis. Together they may help me to eventually achieve a minimum level of Japanese literacy. In the meantime, I can at least decipher the meaning of "crazy lunatic" on the Kanji tattoo vending machine in my local supermarket: A "dog" who thinks he's "king".
epops
Note: The Wikipedia article "Remembering the Kanji I" gives a critique of Heisig's method and several interesting links, including one to a PDF sample of the first 200 of Heisig's kanji readings. The prospective student can use this to try his method out without buying the whole book.
Simply Excellent.......2007-03-25
After living in Japan for one year, I decided to jump in and study Kanji. I had studied Chinese over 25 years ago and still knew SOME (perhaps 20) of the characters, but not many. After getting this book, and starting to study, it became obvious that the method used is so superior to anything I have seen anywhere else, that it must simply be tried to be believed. I was able to write, easily from memory over 2 weeks later, over 75 new Kanji which I only studied for a few hours. The title of the book really does say it all... the secret is in the meaning, and remembering it becaomes easy once you begin to use the technique offered by Heisig.
My friend here in Japan can read well over 1000 Kanji from using this book. Of course the problem is the book is out of circulation... and I only found my in a TINY bookstore in Yokohama... Gambatte finding a new one.
As memory buff..........2007-03-15
This book is worth more than gold. I fancy the idea of learning to speak, read, and write Japanese someday.. but until then I am approaching this book as a memory practitioner than as a linguist. Simply put, not knowing the Kanji makes me feel deficient as a learner of Japanese language.. and I can tell you I quit learning Japanese so many times because every time I study a Japanese book and see those Kanjis it just irritates me.
With the Heisig system I have no reason to doubt that a person with acceptable discipline can acquire these Kanjis within 4-6 month.. even under a month if really disciplined. As a memory practitioner, I will say that the imagery used is just a tool (or "crutch" as someone else put it). With enough repetition one will get to a point where imagery is not necessary. This is a simple truth proven in many different context. In essence, results are same as in the case of those who learn Kanji via repetition of writing.. but the advantage of using Heisig system over repetition [of writing] is, of course, the ability to recite it in your head as you're headed off for sleep or on the road (and repetition in writing requires sitting up straight and.. well for any person you can only sit still for so many hours). And the fault of writing is that if you forget.. that's it. You have to go back to the reference book and look it up. But using Heisig system you can "think" your way back to what that Kanji means until you acquire independence from imagery.. which you will want to develop as you can't afford to spend time thinking about them (too inefficient).
You won't learn how to pronunciate.. you won't learn how to use read these characters in their Japanese equivalents.. in short you won't know the usage of these Kanjis. Once again, this book teaches English speakers how to remember just the Kanjis in English equivalents (which I am sure is bad exercise).. and nothing more (hence my claim of using this book as just memory exercise).
Heisig really deserves a special praise. It takes a lot of time to come up with these imageries... I know because I have applied this technique to other subjects. It's time consuming when we have to come up with it. $42 bucks (as the time of this writing) is really a small price to pay... buy this book if you're looking for a lazy way to learn Kanji. Otherwise... nothing wrong with doing it the old-fashion way of repetition, repetition, repetition.. but if you learn Heisig system you're .25-.5 of your way there into mastering the first 2,000 Kanjis or so.
Good Second Round.......2006-03-21
This is an excellent book for learning the Kanji characters. But I call it a good second round because you should learn Kana first (meaning hiragana and then katakana) and some basic Japanese phrases first, and the book makes much more sense. Read some books on the japanese culture also to learn even more and making it easier (since you will know honorific ideas etc).
The books only downfall is that it takes you a while to realize the characters on impact. I mean you see the symbol then translet it into what it looks like, idetify it, and then understand it, as opposed to just seeing it and knowing it.
To get around the only downfall, buy some books with Japanese writing (ones that Japan would sell to kids and young adults), and read them. The more you read, the more you understand them. You can even import DVD's of english movies you love, and just use the Japanese subtitles! (Requires a different DVD player than the US version). All in all, no better way to learn on your own.
Book Description
The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary answers the urgent need for an easy-to-use kanji dictionary compact enough to be easily carried around, yet detailed enough to satisfy the practical needs of the beginning and intermediate learner.
Its basic goal is to give the learner a thorough understanding of kanji by providing instant access to a wealth of useful information on the meanings, readings, and compounds. Normally, the learner must memorize numerous compounds as unrelated units. A unique feature of this dictionary that
overcomes this difficulty is the core meaning, a concise keyword that defines the dominant sense of each character, followed by detailed character meanings and numerous compounds that clearly show how thousands of building blocks are combined to form countless compound words.
Another unique feature is the System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns (SKIP), an indexing system that enables the user to locate characters as quickly and as accurately as in alphabetical dictionaries.
Modern linguistic theory has been effectively integrated with sophisticated information technology to produce the most useful kanji learner's dictionary ever compiled. For the first time, learners have at their fingertips a wealth of information that is linguistically accurate, easy to use, and
carefully adapted to their practical needs.
FEATURES
o 2,230 entry characters, including all the kanji in the Joyo and Jinmei Kanji lists
o 41,000 senses for 31,300 words and word elements show how each character contributes to the meanings of compounds
o 1,200 homophones with core meanings explain differences between closely related characters
o 386 variant forms used in prewar literature and in names
o 1,945 stroke order diagrams show you how to write each kanji stroke by stroke
o 7,200 character readings, including name readings
o Over 2,000 cross-references and five appendixes give instant access to a mass of useful reference data
Customer Reviews:
LOVE IT!!.......2007-06-24
I have several kanji dictionaries and so far this book is the best. Highly recommended!!
kanji lovers paradise.......2007-05-13
the book arrived quickly and safely. and my boyfriend, who i ordered it for, has all but devoured it already. :) thank you so so very much. :)
The best kanji dictionary for beginners!.......2007-03-14
Amazingly easy and quick to use. This dictionary uses a unique SKIP system which works by dividing an unknown character in parts and then counting the strokes for each. It takes some practice at first but once you start to get a hang of how kanji are written it newer fails. Besides single kanji characters the dictionary also contains a nice collection of some of the most common kanji combinations. Just brilliant!
The SKIP Method.......2007-01-20
You can locate Kanji characters by one of the following routes: 1)by frequency, 2) by pronunciation, 3) by radical, and 4) by pattern. The frequency table gives you a list of frequently used characters. If you know the pronunciation of the character, you can find it in the pronunciation table. The entries in this table are in Romaji (pronunciation in English letters). If you know the radical of the character, you can find it by referring to the radical table. However, the radical index is not very convenient. So, if you prefer the radical method, you should look elsewhere. The pattern method is the essence of this dictionary, which is known as SKIP. According to the SKIP method, each character can be divided into either left-right portion, a top-bottom portion, center, or miscellaneous. For example, if you know the number of strokes of the left side of the character, and the number of strokes of the right side, you go to the right-left section, then to the number of strokes of the left side, and then to the number of strokes of the right side. A downside of this dictionary is that it lists the pronunciation of each character in Romaji (English letters), and not in the genuine Hiragana or Katakana. Other than that it gives you a lot of options to locate Kanji characters, which saves a lot of time.
A wonderful character dictionary for Japanese students........2007-01-20
This book has made looking up Japanese kanji something that I no longer dread. While some of the more traditional methods of stroke-counting and radical lookup *should* be learned, using the SKIP method in this book is a breeze. Kanji can sometimes be difficult to get the exact number of strokes perfect, which can leave you lost many pages away from where you need to be in other dictionaries. The same goes for looking up by radical. Sometimes the radicals are so deformed/stretched/squashed, that they are hard to determine which is which accurately. The SKIP method in this book attempts to get around all these difficulties.
It groups the kanji into 4 main "types", based on how they are drawn. These types are Left-Right, Top-Bottom, Enclosed, and other. Then you count the strokes in the first part, count the strokes in the second part, and end up with a number. A simple example is the kanji for the numeral 2. It looks pretty much like an equals sign in math ( or = if you can't see the Japanese character). This is clearly seperated into 2 parts, a "top" and a "bottom" part. That is the second "type" in the SKIP system. It has one stroke in the top section, and one in the bottom section. The SKIP number would thusly be 2-1-1 (2 for the type, 1 for the strokes in the top, 1 for the strokes in the bottom). If you open the book to second section, and go to 1-1 page, and you'll find the kanji almost immediately.
While this book does not have a very exhaustive list of compounds, it *does* list a vast majority of the compounds you'll actually see on a day to day basis. The SKIP system is fast and easy to use, and if you want a kanji-lookup dictionary that you can actually carry with you without destroying your shoulders and lower back, this is a great choice. Bear in mind though, it is *just* a kanji-lookup dictionary. If you need to translate English words into Japanese this book will be of very little help. I'd suggest one of Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary options.
Book Description
Whether full-time students, business people, or casual readers, all have felt the need for a compact, up-to-date, practical kanji dictionary. Something that would fit into a shoulder bag or briefcase, could be taken to class, or would sit unobtrusively on a desktop.
Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary is precisely that dictionary, designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern man and woman. It includes all of the 1,945 Joyo Kanji, the core kanji recommended by the Japanese Ministry of Education for use in Japanese newspapers and magazines. Knowing
these kanji, the student can recognize virtually every Chinese character appearing in the daily press.
And that is not all. This dictionary also features some 18,000 kanji compounds, both those with Chinese readings (on-yomi) and those with Japanese readings (kun-yomi). These compounds have been carefully selected for practicality, usefulness, and timeliness. The living language has received
exclusive priority, including such words as "favoritism," and "statute of limitations."
For those interested in securities, stocks and bonds, and the diverse terminology of the business world, related terms and jargon are clearly marked for easy reference. Simply open the book and look for the Yen sign. There you will find "current price," "aggregate market value," "issue at market
price," and a great deal more.
For those who want to write kanji, the stroke order of each and every character has been duly noted. But more important, the Essential Kanji Dictionary does its utmost to help the reader locate the needed character. Aside from the traditional radical chart on the back endpaper, there are three
invaluable indices as well. The first is by the reading of the kanji, either Japanese (kun) or Chinese (on). The second is by radical, but not by traditional radical alone. Also included are variants and near-misses, directing the reader precisely to the right page. The third is by stroke number-if
all else fails, count the strokes and track the character down.
With a copy of Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary close at hand-with its definitions, stroke order, Chinese compounds, Japanese compounds, business terminology, and three helpful indices - the life of the typical student of Japanese should take a decided turn for the better.
FEATURES
o 1,945 Essential (Joyo) Kanji
o 18,000 Common Compounds
o 2,000 Practical Business Terms
o Three Indices for Finding Kanji
o Compact for Handy Reference
o Functional, Up-to-Date, Timely
Customer Reviews:
No Complaints.......2007-10-05
Perfect book. Everything I look up is in here and then some. I have absolutely no complaints. This book has helped me tremendously in my studying.
All the nearly 2000 kanji are arranged by radical and then by number of strokes in the radical. There is a stroke index and on and kun reading index in the back. As well as a stroke index for the radicals. However, you will need to learn kana, because there is no romaji, but kana are very easy to learn and you can find a chart anywhere and learn them in 2-3 weeks easily.
Beginning through advanced readers will find this astronomically helpful, especially those with a focus on becoming literate.
Missing Several Kanji.......2007-09-01
This is a very well designed layout and dictionary. It has a lot of kanji too, but the only problem is it is missing a few.
Quick Way to Locate Kanji Characters.......2007-01-20
This dictionary focuses on the Radical method, which is the traditional method in Japan. You can locate a Kanji character by referring to 1) a table which classifies the characters according to the number of strokes of the radical, 2) the ON (Chinese reading), or KUN (Japanese reading) of the character, 3) according to the number of strokes of the Kanji character, or 4) by referring to a radical chart in the back cover of the book. I personally prefer to use the radical chart, which is the traditional method and it will help me to use Japanese-Japanese dictionaries in the future. Other than that it is more fun and rewarding than the other methods, like the SKIP. However, you can still go to the other tables if you are in a hurry. The content for the characters is right to the point and not cluttered with unnecessary information, like different classifications, and character numbers. The stroke is also presented more clearly than other dictionaries, and the explanation is given in an orderly manner.
Horrible.......2006-09-26
Difficult to read, minimum of information, and no sample usage. Only an english definition and a kana pronounciation to go with each word. This is my least favorite Kanji dictionary.
Instead, check out the Kodansha's Kanji Learner's Dictionary (ISBN 4-7700-2855-5) which is easy to read, with great explanations, wonderful lookup systems, and demonstrates the kanji as used in REAL words. Each kanji has meaning, but are rarely used by themselves in Japanese. Instead, this dictionary gives you a handful of words in which each kanji appears, a definition, and an example sentence or phrase.
Great!.......2006-06-08
This dictionary is great. It doesn't have every single kanji, so if you are a kanji master, this isn't the dictionary for you. But if you are a student who knows 15 - 1500 kanji, and you can read hiragana and katakana, this is the best choice for a dictionary.
Just to correct one thing that Nihongoohanaseru said:
The dictionary does list the readings. After they list the kanji, first they list the onyomi, then the compounds, and then the kunyomi (each set is seperated by a marker on the left hand side). For those who don't know kanji too well, the onyomi is the reading used when the kanji is used in a compound. The kunyomi is used when the kanji is by itself, or with certain okurigana (certain hiragana or katakana that goes along with the kunyomi).
Amazon.com
How does one learn kanji, the characters of written Japanese? The traditional approach is rote memorization. Japanese children write each kanji hundreds of times at their desks, and eventually they are acquired. Michael Rowley offers a different way, a mnemonic-association approach that provides a hook on which to hang the meaning and retrieve it easily when the kanji comes into view. The concept is simple: each character is represented under the word or concept it stands for (such as turf, bamboo, eat, or duty), followed by the pronunciations of the word in Chinese and Japanese, and a drawing that captures the meaning and resembles the character enough so that it'll come to mind whenever the kanji is seen.
Organized thematically in chapters such as "Power," "Places," "Tools," "The World," "Food," "People," and "The Body," Rowley's book lets you learn the root symbols before teaching the words that add to them for further meanings. For example, the character for water is a splatter of three dashes that Rowley pictures as three splashing water drops. Later, you see that steam, float, boil, dirt, and bathe all build on the water character. For steam, there's the water character plus a series of lines that Rowley exaggerates to resemble swirling, vapory tendrils, and the association helps. Building on units of memory and relationship, recall is aided considerably by the simple yet evocative drawings. Rowley even manages to help with the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, providing appealing pictures that look a bit like the letters in question and begin with the same sounds. So the na letter looks like a knot, nu resembles Rowley's drawing of noodles held by chopsticks, and it's easier to remember which symbol means te when you picture a telephone pole.
It's hard to do Rowley's book justice with words, since the visual element is what makes it tick. He does a wonderful job, blending insight, imagination, and drawing technique, in a book that far surpasses the old rote method, making kanji learning both appealing and accessible. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
"Kanji Pict-o-Graphix offers an engaging way to learn and memorize Kanji."-Rocky Mountain Region Japan Project
"A fun book for studying kanji. The illustration reveals more of its contents and method than any description ever could."-Japan Times
"It is a very nice book, simple and pretty effective. A useful addition to the library of all beginners who aspire to learn Japanese. Recommended."-
Protoculture AddictsÃ,Â
Learn more about kanji from Stone Bridge Press:
KanaÃ, Pict-o-Graphix,
Designing with Kanji,Ã,Â
Kanji Starter 1&2, and
Crazy for Kanji
Customer Reviews:
again with the ideographic myth.......2007-09-03
Like far too many books about Kanji, this one chooses to focus on the "meanings" conveyed by the characters rather than the phonetic and morphological information they supply which is their real function. I will give this an extra star though, because some of the illustrations and mnemonics are clever.
Ivan Rorick
Great Book for learning Kanji.......2007-08-27
I have been using this book for little more than a week now, and I must say, the amount of kanji I now know has significantaly increased from what I already knew.
This book as all the kanji plus more for the beginners, intermediate and experienced Kanji expert, with both easy and more difficult kanji to learn, i will find this book a treat.
easy kanji is a breeze to learn with pictures that directly correspond, and even tell a little story as to the make up and structure of the kanji. Though the more complicated kanji may take a bit of getting used to (sometimes the pictures do grasp at straws a little) It still is a book that every student of Japanese should have.
The pictures contain all the On/Kun readings and seperate particles that make up the kanji itself, so it's easy to break down and then build it up.
****/*****
Good Idea, Poor Execution.......2007-04-29
This book presents approximately 1,000 kanji characters, along with mnemonics designed to help you memorize the meanings. For example, on the cover, the book suggests that the character for "stop" looks like a policeman saying "stop!"
It's a good idea, but the bottom line is that most of the entries just are not that good. For example, the character for "horse" really looks like a horse. You shouldn't need any help noticing that. The book twists the character into a different, and much less plausible, horse.
Try "Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference" instead. It is much more useful.
The easiest way to learn Kanji.......2007-04-22
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/07)
Kanji, the written form of Japanese characters, is very difficult to try to figure out. The author of this book, Michael Rowley, used "mnemonic devices" as memory aids to simplify the process. Mnemonics are used to create associations. I used this method to visually learn to read Braille and I found it worked. Mr. Rowley does an even better job with the mnemonics that he has created to help with this process. I found the characters much easier to memorize than when I learned Braille.
He provides you with pictures (pictographs) that are drawn in a manner closely resembling the kanji character. Your mind makes an association between the two and the next time you see the kanji, you remember the picture and what it represents. In this book, he provides the means for you to learn over 1,000 kanji characters. This is about 50% of the kanji characters that are commonly used in print today.
The chapters are well-organized and have an extensive index the end of the book, which also includes the kanji characters for a quick reference. I also found his choice of kanji characters to be very meaningful and most likely to be encountered. Mr. Rowley has the distinction of earning both the International Typographic Design Award and the HOW International Design Award. I can see why he would earn these awards.
In addition to recognizing the meaning behind many of the kanji tattoos that you commonly see today, I also think that martial artists would enjoy this book. In the Japanese styles we see a great deal of kanji characters and it would be nice to be able to recognize their meanings. I also hope that when I return to Japan, I will have a much easier time understanding what the signs mean over there. I was clueless on my first trip over there and I look forward to this challenge. Of course, "Kanji Pict-o-graphix" will be going with me!
A great buy for every Japanese students........2007-03-08
The bane to every Japanese student is kanji. Nobody likes to learn them, but they do make you look cool when you read them to friends. This book can easily teach you kanji if you spend a bit of time studying it.
Book Description
Essential Kanji is an integrated course for learning to read and write the 2,000 basic Japanese characters. It introduces the kanji that are now in everyday use, a mastery of which makes it possible to read most modern Japanese. Devised for either home or classroom use, the book has been tested and refined by years of use in university classes taught by the author.
Customer Reviews:
The only Kanji book you'll need! A must for any Japanese student!.......2007-10-16
First off, this is not a dictionary. As titled, it is 2,000 of the most commonly used kanji you'll need to understand Japanese. I used this book during college (my major was Japanese and World Business, Univ. of TN) and I somehow lost it and did miserably in my classes without it. The book has two ways to reference the kanji; the first is the onyomi or hiragana spelling, the second is by stroke count. Like I said, get this book if you're taking Japanese classes, it will make your life much easier as the course gets more advanced.
too much western style, but a classical.......2007-10-07
Don't trust too much about ethimologies, they are not so accurate, but they are ther to help the reader to memorize.
There is something better now, but this was for ages the only sensible book to try to master Kanji.
Every student had one, and it's still very good, more for reharsal then to learn from the scratch
Useful and Practical.......2007-09-18
I like this book! It's so easy to study kanjis with this book!
A list of 2000 kanji containing relevant information on each of them like sound, meaning, reading examples, etc
Also, easy to find kanji by number of strokes, by radical or english aphabetical.
Even gives you ideas of how to designing your own flashcards...
I am learning japanese and i've been able to memorize easy kanji with it. Summing up, you won't regret buying this 2000 kanji book! :)
nice book.......2007-09-03
I found this book fun to browse through. The calligraphy is great (much nicer than the otherwise superior Henshall book), and I like how the Chinese readings were included (comparing them with the Japanese readings is amusing). The information is a bit outdated since the book only covers the old Toyo Kanji and some others instead of the revised Joyo Kanji in current use.
Ivan Rorick
a good book.......2007-09-01
havent paid much attention to it lately.
but from what i did read. its good.
Book Description
The comic book that teaches you how to read and write Japanese! This brand-new series from Manga University uses original comic artwork to teach readers how to identify and write the most common Japanese kanji ideographs. Volume 1 introduces 80 basic kanji that all Japanese schoolchildren are required to learn before entering the third grade. Subsequent volumes in the series will focus on more difficult kanji and kanji compounds. Each page features its own comic strip, kanji pronunciation guide, stroke order, and English explanations.
Customer Reviews:
Kanji de Manga.......2007-04-02
I own the first three volumes of kanji de manga and I also own kana de manga, and I do think they are useful. They allow for quick learning and show stroke order in detail for everyone of the characters. The problem is that they do not give enough information, like how use verbs in sentences when they have been conjugated. Also, they are not very good for people who aren't very fluent in the language because of the Japanese used in the examples. I do appreciate that all of it is in Hiragana and Katakana, which provides good practice, but would pose a problem for people who do not now kana. This is good book for people who are interesting in Japanese, but I would not recommend it for people who intend on becoming fluent in the language, not to mention as of now there is only 4 volumes, and a fifth one on the way. I would suggest going for the White Rabbit or Tuttle flash cards.
Good books, but weird organization of the volumes.......2007-01-20
While I do like these books, and I have found them to be useful in my and my families learning of kanji, they are organized in a completely non-sensical way. At the back of each book, they proclaim that they are useful in studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficieny Test) exams. They are useful.. just not comprehensive.
For example, Volume 1, which has 80 kanji in it to learn, (despite what the paragraph at the back of the book says) is NOT the full list of kanji you would need to learn to pass the first level exam (JLPT4). The JLPT4 test requires 103 kanji at the current time, as well as like 700 vocab words, and basic grammar and listening skills. If you were to just study this book, and nothing else, you would surely fail.
At first I thought maybe the authors had just made an error and meant to say that the books were organized loosely based on the elementary school grade level. However, this is also not true. An example of this is ±(oj"hana") which is a grade level 1 kanji taught to first graders, but is in fact in Volume 2.
The only other glaring problem I've found with these books is the lack of any sort of English definition lookup or table of contents. While you can look the kanji up if you know the spelling in kana, being able to look it up in English would've been really nice. However, the books are cheap and fun and pretty easy to use.
Quite Useful.......2006-11-03
A good workbook for learning Kanji. It shows each character, what it means, and how to draw it. I wish it would have the meaning of each character written in Romagi as well, I found myself adding that myself, but that's not a big deal. My only serious complaint is regarding the last half of the book which is for practicing drawing the characters. There is no suggestion as to how this section should be used. A character or two to copy from on each page would have helped tremendously. As it is there isn't even a single line suggesting how to use the section effectively, just 50 pages of graph paper. You can flip back and fourth between the page in the front displaying the character you want to learn and the back where you try to draw it, but this is extremely awkward. Especially for someone who is left handed such as myself. I ended up practicing each character on the page describing it.
Recommended Book for those who already know their Hiragana and Katakana........2006-07-13
This isn't the best book for those who are total beginners. Of course, you learn 80 kanji and 160 combination kanji, but it's hard for beginners to read the manga inputs because it contains each one drawn out scene that contains the newly learned kanji. But, in there... it's written in hiragana and katakana along with the kanji. Of course, there's an english translation. But, it's written at teh buttom of teh page and doesn't pacifiy each hiragana and katakana combination's meaning.
Though, if you know your katakana and hiragana already it's fun to write out what everything says and figure out the english meaning later, or maybe you already know it. So, it's also good to work around with if you're not a complete beginner.
Kanji De Manga is good to follow for those who are determinded to learn kanji, you can practice your kanji and make little flash cards. (like I did.. and it's REALLY helpful for memorization and in my opnion, quite fun.)
And for those who don't know their hiragana nor katakana I only knows 1 or the other, I suggest "Kana de Manga", it's a REALLY good book to learn your hiragana and katakana, along with their meanings. Which is good for future translating. I'm still only a begginer myself. ^^; But this helps me get ever so much closer.
Have fun.
<3
Kanji de Manga .......2005-12-28
Kanji de Manga is a good book because it has 80 kanji - enough to pass level 4 of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficency Test)even though on cover it says that it teaches you to read and write, it's best used with another book on pronunciation.
Customer Reviews:
A USEFUL REFRENCE BOOK.......2007-08-26
I've been studying Japanese language for five years already, and I've learned that there's neither an easy method nor a method for everyone. To me, mnemonics are the best, and this book is the second best supplement I've found to my own learning idiosyncrasies. I owned a copy when I lived in Japan, and now that I'm back in my country I ordered another as a companion to James W. Heisig's Remembering The Kanji. I use Heisig's book a lot more though, because it has an arrangement that's particularly helpful to learn kanji by association, something Kanji&Kana doesn't have. On the other hand, all the introductory chapters about the history of kanji in Japan and the developement of the kana syllabaries are concise and informative, and the Jinmei-yo kanji section really helps to read names, something particularly tricky to foreigners. All in all, this book alone won't give you a method, but it's an excellent back up, and gives you a lot for the money. I wouldn't suggest it for beginners, but who knows.
A great book to start learning Kanji with.......2006-11-10
I originally picked this book up in a bookstore with the intention of learning a few random kanji so I could practice writing; I basically thought kanji were just really cool to look at. However, not long after that, I came to the conclusion that it would really be more useful to learn what the characters actually meant. So, with no prior knowledge of Japanese, I began to study kanji, meaning, pronunciation and stroke order, and this book proved to be a great tool. In the introductory pages, a brief history of the development of the Japanese writing system is given, along with a stroke order explanation, hiragana/katakana tables, and examples of Japanese punctuation marks.
The main body consists of the standard 1,945 Jouyou-kanji and 285 Jinmeiyou-kanji. For each Jouyou-kanji, the stroke order, pronunciation, meanings and up to five compound words are given. You can look up kanji through pronunciation, stroke order, or radical system. Although there are officially 214 radicals in Japanese, this book reduces the number to 79 by the reasoning that the remaining radicals aren't so common.
I learned 200-300 kanji with this book, and then picked the Kodansha Kanji Learner Dictionary, which is also good, for a good price. However, I prefer the character order in Kanji and Kana to the learner dictionary. In fact when studying from the learner dictionary, I still referred to and followed the order as listed in Kanji & Kana. I believe one of the reviews for this book says that there is no logical order to the characters, and that he prefers the order as learned in Japan. I don't think the order is illogical; in the first several pages, you will learn the kanji for person, sun/Japan, the elements, numbers, directions, etc. Throughout the book, in most cases the subsequent kanji is related to the previous either in pronunciation, a shared radical, or theme/meaning. A non-native speaker of Japanese shouldn't be expected to learn the same way as Japanese children do. Not only can they speak before they learn to read, but they will continue to learn for the next several years up through high-school.
I really can't think of many complaints about this book. Perhaps that there aren't enough compounds given for each character. But owning a Japanese dictionary or another kanji dictionary should fulfill that purpose.
I have been studying kanji for a few years now, and I still refer to this book. It is great not only for the beginner to start learning, but also for the advanced learner who needs to review. The price is great, too; you should be able to pick it up for ten dollars or less.
Very handy kanji reference.......2006-09-19
It is true this book is more for beginners. But as such, I found it to be the best tool for learning all the common kanji. Yes, there are other more exhaustive references, but it is a LOT harder to find the kanji you are looking for in those books. I have Nelson's character dictionary with about 5000 kanji and I hardly use it.
Kanji & Kana has plenty of examples, 4-5 for each character, but the main characters are used many other times subsequently in compounds with other kanji characters. So, for example, there may be 4 examples using the character for PERSON, but many other more advanced kanji also form compound words with PERSON, so you will find additional examples throughout the book. Both ON (Chinese) and KUN (Japanese) readings are given. The characters are ordered so that the most commonly used ones appear first, so that compound words you encounter later always reference only characters that have already been covered. This ordering may bother some who like to look up characters by radicals. Never fear, you have 3 indices in the back to look up characters based on reading, or radicals, or stroke count. Very handy.
This was my only Kanji dictionary while I studied Japanese for 2 years in college, and it is still my favorite.
It's Great.......2006-02-02
I Bought this 4 book my husband I got on 1/30/06 and he has read more then half of it and it's great it tells him everything he needs... but he would also subjest getting a Japanese to English English to Japanese dictionary to go with along with sentence structure, grammer, and Particles. so you can learn it all and go back and forth (well for him learning is better that way) depending on how you learn... and he's beginner and he's learning alot!!!! soon he should be able to construct sentences
Excellent Beginner's Learning Tool.......2005-06-27
This book includes the entire Jouyou Kanji list (1,945 characters), as well as complete hiragana and katakana, all of which are required to be considered literate in Japanese. This alone makes the book an excellent learning tool for any beginner ready to tackle the written language. Each kanji symbol is followed with romanized readings, as well as several common compound words it may be found in. Every symbol even provides stroke order, to aid in proper writing techniques.
The book pushes beyond the basics, however, also including a list of nearly 300 kanji that can be found in names. The first section of the book provides comprehensive reading for any level student, featuring history, styles, rules, punctuation, and more, for the written language. The indexes in the back give the learner three methods of searching for kanji: by radical, by stroke count, or by reading.
While this book will not provide the reader with a complete list of the thousands of kanji that exist, it is an excellent tool with which to start at the basics and help you work your way towards fluency.
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. =)
Customer Reviews:
A good book for intermediate Japanese speakers.......2007-09-27
This book gives easy to follow instructions for how to write kanji and gives good examples of words in which the kanji is used. When giving examples, it gives the page numbers of the other kanji used for quick reference, which is really useful. The downside is that it does not give the hiragana that follows the kanji, so you have to already be familiar with the various forms the word takes by itself. Thus, I would not suggest it for any new speakers or people just wanting to learn how to write Japanese.
Learn to write Japanese.......2007-06-21
I tried many books, and this is the best I could find. It starts with hiragana. With each character you learn, it teaches you words using combinations of characters you previously learned. The next section is katakana, and it's the same thing: combinations of previously learned characters. The last 75% of this book is kanji, and once again, the combinations are only with kanji characters you have previously learned. The order of the characters differs from the way many text books teach you, but it is well structured.
Some kanji books I've used tried to teach by relating the character to a picture. This might work for young children, but it doens't work for me. I learn by structured lessons.
The majority of the space on each page is made up of empty squares for you to practice writing. This is useful because you should be attempting to mimic the example character. With every square, you will write more like the example. This book will cause your kanji to be complimented by Japanese people because of how neat it is. Also, the more times you write a character, the more times it will be cemented into your head.
Using the index in the back of the book, you can find any character in the book. When I'm writing my homework assignment and I come across a kanji character I don't know (or don't know very well), I look it up in the index and practice writing it about 5 times. Then I move on with my assignment. Look up a character 3 or 4 times and it is yours to keep.
This book will not teach you Japanese. It is designed to accompany a text book, and it's best used side by side with your homework assignments. I recommend this for beginners, and also for those aspiring a 3 or 2 on the JLPT. Do not attempt to learn Japanese without this book. The price is justified.
Logical, comprehensive approach to kanji self-study.......2006-09-04
After hitting a plateau in my Japanese studies, I realized that a solid grounding in kanji was really holding back my progress. I knew that I needed a systematic approach to the 1,945 jyouyou characters and recalled that this series had been used as the kanji textbook at my alma mater, Princeton University, in the Japanese language study curriculum. I worked this two textbook series for about 4.5 years and it has really paid off (e.g., JLPT kanji tests are a snap, even level 1). The ordering, while different from most other kanji instruction orderings, flows nicely and doesn't overwhelm the student with too many similar kanji in a row (e.g., it doesn't group by radical and present every character containing that radical). Granted, some fairly common characters aren't introduced until much later in the series, but this is a small sacrifice for an ordering that flows and supports systematic recall.
If you can speak basic Japanese and can read some characters -- but are coming to terms with the fact that you are going to have to learn the jyouyou sooner or later -- don't hesitate: by this series and get going. If you have zero experience with Japanese and are looking for survival skills in kanji and are living in Japan, I'd suggest using the Helsig approach, which has you learning basic kanji meanings before readings and written style. After all, what good does knowing the readings for "danger: slow down" characters on a sign if you don't know what they mean?
BTW, I often hear students asking why bother investing in learning how to write the characters by hand given that most writing is done on computers anyway. Don't fall into this trap: there is no better way to cement a characters morphology and meaning in your memory than learning to write. It has worked for students of the graphology for millenia -- it will work for you, too.
I love it!.......2006-05-15
This book was very helpful in my Japanese studies in that it shows relationships between calligraphy and typed symbols and gave phrase examples to show the meaning and, in some cases, origin of words and symbols.
Great book!!!.......2005-10-14
I am 20, and I have been trying to learn Japanese off and on since I was 16. Recently I have tried to get back into learning it and this book has been the most useful so far, for one main reason, it has spaces for you to write the kanji, the hiragana, and the katakana. For years I have been trying to learn the Kanji by just looking at them, that did not work so well, but this system in the book of drawing them out has finally help me to remember them. Maybe I should of just got a kanji dictionary and some loose leaf paper. Then again, most other kanji dictionaries don't have stroke order and also the box shapes did help me to keep my kanji from being to sloppy.
The book also has samples of words the kanji are used in, which also helped me. Since most Japanese words are hard to remember, knowing the kanji that make them up helps make me learn the words.
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English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary: Japanese-English English-Japanese
Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference
The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary: Based on the Classic Edition by Andrew N. Nelson
The Handbook of Japanese Verbs
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns (Kodansha Dictionary)
