Getting to Know the Kanji:

Marketplace Options for Kanji Learners

by Max Hodges

D ifferent people come to second-language learning

with different goals in mind. A rock climber
traveling in Thailand might just want to know enough
works best for you.
One noteworthy book is Kanji Pict-o-graphics: over
1,000 Japanese kanji and kana mnemonics by Michael
phrases to make her vacation go more smoothly. A Rowley. Rowley has applied his international award
Mexican carpenter working in Texas might only care winning graphic design talents to create a book which
to learn the English names of the various tools and uses image and text mnemonics to help you learn and
hardware needed for his job. Not everyone strives for remember the kanji. Reviews of this title on Amazon
fluency or even proficiency beyond daily conversation are very polarized, so it’s definitely not for everyone.
with friends.
However, if you intend to achieve “Too often the written form a modern kanji is the result
a mastery of the Japanese language of simplifications, historic miscopying of elements,
beyond daily conversation, you are best
components used for phonetic—not symbolic—reasons,
advised to create and diligently follow a
systematic plan to learn kanji. Learning and hosts of other twists, turns, and mutations of which
Japanese presents different challenges scholars themselves are not always in full agreement.”
to different people. Particle usage is a
common difficultly for many, as well as getting the I own it personally and used it to learn hiragana and
verb forms right. Kanji mastery, however, presents a katakana, but it’s not my favorite choice for kanji due
particular challenge because failure to accumulate a to its lack of kanji compounds. I’ll elaborate more on
broad knowledge of kanji becomes a serious barrier to this below.
study at and above the intermediate level. A Guide to Remember Japanese Characters by
While you will find liberal use of hiragana, ruby Kenneth G. Henshall explains the origins and
(a.k.a. furigana) and romaji in beginner and pre- meanings of over 2,000 characters. I consult this book
intermediate level study materials, their use as an aid frequently, but its helpfulness is limited. The problem
in recognizing kanji becomes less and less common with this book is no fault of Henshall, who has done
in intermediate level materials and above. Therefore, a praiseworthy job of researching etymologies and
finding useful learning materials becomes more and suggesting mnemonics. The problem is with the messy
more difficult as you try to make progress without a Darwinism of kanji evolution. Too often the written
sufficient number of kanji in your arsenal. form of a modern kanji is the result of simplifications,
The solution of course is to study kanji. But, how? historic miscopying of elements, components used
Japanese children are required to learn 1,006 for phonetic—not symbolic—reasons, and hosts of
“education kanji” (教育漢字 kyōiku kanji) in other twists, turns, and mutations of which scholars
elementary school. There are 1,945 “daily use kanji” themselves are not always in full agreement. So, while
(常用漢字 jōyō kanji) which consists of all the this book is certainly interesting, and sometimes useful,
kyouiku kanji plus an additional 939 more difficult the study of kanji etymology is probably best saved for
kanji taught in secondary school. In publishing for the advanced level study. There is simply too much here
general public, characters outside of this category are to confuse and distract for this to be a primary text in
often given ruby—small kana written above or beside early kanji study.
kanji to show its reading
reading. We now turn to Remembering the Kanji Vol.1: a
Japanese children learn kanji largely by writing them complete course on how not to forget the meaning and
hundreds of times each throughout their schooling. writing of Japanese characters by James W. Heisig. Heisig
Since we aren’t going to afford ourselves the same takes the unorthodox position that Japanese studies
number of years it takes Japanese children to master should begin with kanji; that is, learn the kanji firstrst,
the kanji, we’re going to need some special tools and and only then proceed to learn grammar, vocabulary
techniques. There are several kanji learning systems on and other forms of usage and expression. This approach
the market, and I urge you to experiment with several is rather academic for those who have already moved
until you find one, or a combination of several, that to Japan and can’t afford to put their entire Japanese
studies on hold. Furthermore, the author says what he
means in the subtitle: this book teaches the writing and
meaning of kanji; you won’t find the pronunciation of a
single character in this book.
Although at first this book may seem too oddball
to be worth consideration, there are many who swear
by the effectiveness of Heisig’s system. I bought this
book rather recently, and sure enough, I was able to
learn a considerable number of kanji in just a few
hours. The secret is his choice of meanings used to
represent PRIMITIVES—kanji
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1. 再開
2. 海開き
報
3. 窓を開ける
聞 meanings a kanji can have.
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4. 開く
5. 開封する 問 can view the kanji and vocabulary on the front and
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6. 開発
12-8-4 ノ 報報
報簿
報母 報倣
報菩 報 報包
俸 報呆
報慕
墓 報暮
報戊
or elements of kanji that
are used to create other kanji. He then builds STORIES
around those meanings which help you invoke your
visual memory.
You can try Heisig’s book for yourself as the first
126 pages are available for free download on the
web: http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/
publications/miscPublications/Remembering_the_
Kanji_1.htm. After buying the book however, I felt a
little cheated. After page 126 he shortchanges you on
the stories and provides only PLOTS. Soon plots give
way to ELEMENTS as he leaves you to create the stories
on your own before the book is even halfway finished.
We now turn to Japanese Kanji Flashcards, Vol. 1,
Revised Edition: the Complete set of kanji for Levels 3
and 4 of the Japanese Proficiency Test published by
White Rabbit Press. (See sample images on this page.)
Disclosure: I am the co-author of Japanese Kanji
Flashcards, but I’m attempting to be as fair as possible
in my reviews here.
Japanese Kanji Flashcards Vol. 1 (JFK1) is the only
set of kanji cards on the market specifically designed
for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
The JLPT consists of four levels with level one (native
level proficiency) being the most difficult. Focusing
on the JLPT, if for no other reason, is a great way to
set study goals and to measure your progress. Level 4
requires about 100 kanji and level 3 requires another
180 kanji.
White Rabbit Press kanji cards include all the jōyō
on-yomi and kun-yomi readings as well as stroke-
by-stroke diagrams, look-alike kanji, and six kanji
compounds per card. This last feature is an important
difference between our flashcards and the other titles
mentioned here. I’ve come to understand that most
kanji can’t be summed up well with one or two English
word definitions. All the aspects of a kanji are best
revealed in the compounds it forms with other kanji.
To that end, we’ve included six kanji compounds
per card, complete with readings in kana scripts
and definitions in English. So you get over 1,700
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vocabulary building kanji compounds in the set, and
plenty of opportunity to understand the variety of
Kanji flashcards offer some methods of testing and
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drilling yourself which aren’t afforded by books. You
test your memory of the readings and meanings.
Or you can use them back-to-front; that is, view
the reading, attempt to write the kanji, and then
check your results. The stroke order diagrams help
you in learning to write the kanji, and we also
offer an audio companion for the product which
contains all the readings on the card read by a
native Japanese voice actress.
カイ
ひら･く/ひら･ける/あ･く/あ･ける
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1. さいかい ���������������������
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2. うみびらき ���������������������������
3. まどをあける ����������������
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4. あく �������������������������������
5. かいふうする ����������������
6. かいはつ �������������������������
For more information and online purchase visit The
Japan Shop web site:
www.thejapanshop.net
Max Hodges is the principal IT consultant of
MAXConsulting and the publisher of White Rabbit
Press. He lives in Tokyo with his wife Tomoko and
their two cats—Wabi and Sabi.
Contact Max by email at max@whiterabbitpress.us