Basic Japanese Kanji Volume 1. Timothy G. Stout

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      Introduction

      Welcome to the study of Japanese kanji characters—a most challenging and rewarding part of the Japanese language. The aim of this book is to help you master the most important kanji for beginners. The kanji in this book are included on many important national and international exams—from the International Baccalaureate to the Advanced Placement Japanese Exam—and reflect a synthesis of all of the most commonly used college level beginning Japanese textbooks. Whether you are a college student, high school student, or simply interested in Japanese, this book can help you.

      This book is designed for students who have completed a basic level of Japanese study, equivalent to one year of high school or one semester of college. Romaji is used, but you will get much more benefit from this book if you master hiragana and katakana, as well as beginning level vocabulary and grammar.

      There are 1,945 common use kanji characters in Japanese, and 410 of them are often considered core for Japanese exams. Although large in number, these 410 kanji can be learned in a relatively short time with good instruction and consistent effort. Japanese elementary and secondary students spend many years learning the kanji characters by rote learning. This book, however, teaches them in a way that reduces study time and monotony.

      This book uses both traditional as well as unique new methods to make the kanji characters easier to learn. The traditional methods include extensive writing practice, drills, and quizzes. The methods unique to this book include over one hundred reading passages and comprehension questions similar in format to those on many Japanese exams; numerous and engaging practice sections; and original mnemonics, illustrated by a Japanese artist, presented with each kanji.

      Mnemonic illustrations associate the shape of the kanji characters with things already known to most learners, making the kanji easier to learn and remember. Using mnemonics is a proven, though often ignored, method of foreign language instruction. Some kanji characters are complex, so it makes sense to use mnemonics to ease the burden on memory, and improve the pace and quality of learning.

      How to Use this Book

      This book is organized into 22 lessons, each containing 5 to 15 kanji characters, beginning with the most basic and simple to write kanji, and reflecting the general progression of typical Japanese programs. There are abundant exercises in each lesson to help reinforce the newly learned kanji. Naturally, these exercises promote reading and writing proficiency, but some also provide speaking and listening practice as well (see the “Review Questions” at the end of each lesson). The key to mastering kanji is to learn to write them, study the most useful vocabulary, and practice them extensively in a variety of interesting and comprehensible contexts.

      Write, Write, Write!

      One of the best ways to learn kanji characters is simply to write them repeatedly. Nearly every page in this book provides extensive opportunities to write the kanji. There are simple drills and engaging exercises that promote kanji proficiency. Don’t be tempted to skip over these valuable chances to improve your handwriting as well as to really learn and internalize the kanji.

      Vocabulary Building

      Since most kanji vocabulary are compound words (with two or more kanji characters), rather than learn them in isolation, it is best to learn kanji through actual vocabulary. This book presents between three and six useful words for each kanji character. Try to learn them all. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your Japanese proficiency is to steadily increase your vocabulary.

      Read, Read, Read!

      This book teaches 205 kanji characters (plus 18 additional non-core kanji), and provides reading passages related to each one. The reading passages are level-appropriate for the ability and interests of high school students. Take the time to read these passages, and try to answer the comprehension questions that follow them. Learning to read, after all, is one of the main purposes for studying the kanji characters.

      In the back of the book you will find answers to the reading comprehension questions. The table of contents also lists all of the kanji characters, grouped by common theme, for easy reference.

      Two Ways to Pronounce Kanji Characters

      Kanji characters often have multiple meanings and pronunciations, because the Japanese language has changed considerably in the past 1,500 years. Students often express anxiety over having to learn more than one meaning and pronunciation for kanji characters, but on the other hand, this also means there are one half or fewer kanji characters to learn than would otherwise be the case.

      There are two basic ways that kanji characters can be read: the on-yomi or Chinese pronunciation, and the kun-yomi or Japanese pronunciation. Before the Japanese began to borrow Chinese characters, there was no written language of Japan. By the 6th century, Chinese characters were widely used in Japan. They became known as kanji, “kan” meaning the Han