Read Japanese Kanji Today: The Easy Way to Learn the 400 Basic Kanji [JLPT Levels N5 + N4 and AP Japanese Language & Culture Exam]

This book provides the historic pictorial origins of each of 400 basic kanji. The method permits one to memorize the series of logical concepts associated with the development of the pictograms leading to the final form of the kanji character making it easier to remember. It provides examples including exceptions for the pronunciation under different circumstances, alone or when used with other kanji to make a compound word as well as the stroke sequence. Exceptionally useful for learning and understanding of the individual kanji character and its parts.

I'm a beginner in the Japanese language, so I conducted a thorough research before deciding which Kanji book to purchase. This book is the PERFECT book for learning Kanji. The explanation provided for every single Kanji character is brilliant; perhaps childish and extremely simple, but the story-telling method will make you remember everything with minimum of effort, will also help you tackle this enormous suffering called 'Kanji', and eventually the 2,000+ Kanji characters a person must learn so as to speak, read, and write basic Japanese will not seem to be a challenge at all. The book arrived brand-new, in a wonderful condition and earlier than anticipated, within just 10 days from the day of order placement. As a beginner in Japanese language, I also bought the Hiragana and Katakana syllabary by Carddia. This book along with the Hiragana and Katakana flashcards is the perfect combination of learning materials a beginner in Japanese could possibly purchase. I absolutely strongly recommend you buy this extraordinary book! The best investment you can make!

This Kanji book is nice, however I thought it would be more of a workbook, where you write each Kanji many times. It's not that. Pros: It has 400 Kanji, with the proper readings. There are short descriptions about each Kanji, if you are interested to learn. You will also see the stroke order clearly. Cons: The book has very little boxes to write each Kanji in. Maximum spaces are 8 and certain Kanji with longer strokes, only have 1-2 spaces to write in...To ne, this is disappointing. The size of the book is smaller in size than I imagined 9 (L) x 6 (W). Also, there were mistakes! Which is a big deal if you use this book for JLPT. On page 43, for exit, the kanji is correct for the word "exit", however the author wrote: iriguchi. That means the opposite, which is entrance. It's a good Kanji book, just not what I was expecting, in hopes of more of a writing book.

At first I was concerned the Kanji in this book would be too similar to Wanikani (earlier levels) but that hasn't been the case at all! There's as much new as overlap! And the overlap is good for practicing in a different "environment" I also really like the historical mnumonic system. It's very effective for me. It makes so much sense to my brain to know what the picograms originally were and how they evolved. The only downside is that he gives no mnumonics for Readings (how you say them). But, I'm using this book to build comprehension for a trip to Japan in a few months, so I want to focus on meanings anyway. Great book! You really could learn them all in a few weeks (with flashcards)!

I picked up this book ahead of a trip to Japan and I must say it was invaluable. Of course in the time since I got back from Japan I've forgotten everything I learned for lack of use, but I'll come back to this book again before my next trip and pick it all up again! The learning technique makes it easy to understand and quick to pick up on, as well as easy to remember. Romaji spelling guides and pronunciation tips are super helpful as well. If you need to learn kanji fast this is a great way to do it!

Fun book! I first saw it at the public library and then ordered a copy to have at home. It has interesting and memorable descriptions of the Chinese characters, thus making it easier to remember them. Although it's for Japanese, it can help those who are trying to learn Chinese. The Japanese characters are more "phonetic" in that there are limited sounds associated with each character so once you learn the you can actually read Japanese words, especially names. The book uses mostly examples of names of public places and other objects one is likely to encounter often in Japan.

When trying to open this book on Kindle application on IPAD pro 11 inch, the application shows only the circle that says that it’s is busy all the time. I have read this book without any problem on the IPAD pro 10.5 inch. I do not see the problem opening the other books from my library.

For me personally the first book which really motivated me to start learning kanji. I enjoyed the stories about the history and evolution of kanji characters. It may not suite everyone, but it really worked for me. But do not expect any miracles, you have to study hard! That is the only way how to master kanji.

Nutze dieses Buch seit etwa einem Monat und bin immer noch begeistert davon, ob man es von vorn bis hinten durchgehen will oder wie ich mittlerweile als Nachschlagewerk verwenden will, ich würde es allen Japanisch/Kanji-Interessierten empfehlen. Die Darstellung ist relativ vollständig mit Onyomi, Kunyomi, Strichfolge, Bedeutung und ein paar Beispielwörtern hat man eigentlich alles was man zu einem Kanji verlangen kann. Die etymologisch aufgebauten aber darüber hinaus für das Lernen und Merken der Kanji erweiterten Beschreibungen machen dieses Buch jedoch für mich bisher einzigartig gut. Optimal für Self-Study aber sicher auch für andere Zwecke eine sehr gute Ergänzung.

Great book

But i gave only 4 stars because there are only 400 Kanji. Wish that we have the full 2125 ones

Good explanations

This is, for me, going to take a little while to assimulate all the characters and their combinations, but each on its own seems to be clearly represented and easy to read.