Japanese Kanji Made Easy

Japanese Kanji Made Easy by Michael L. Kluemper

Learn 1,000 Kanji and Kana the Fun and Easy Way (Includes Audio CD)

Make character memorization a breeze with Japanese Kanji Made Easy!

Learning the fundamental kanji characters used to write Japanese can be challenging, but this book is designed to speed up learning by presenting the 1,000 most common characters using a mnemonic approach. In a fun and accessible way to learn Japanese, each kanji is associated with memorable visual and verbal clues. For example, the Japanese character for person is superimposed over a sketch of a smiling man. The visual clue is "a person standing on two legs". By seeing the distinctive shape of the kanji, learners create a mental image of its meaning.

As well, each character is presented as part of a group of characters which share similar traits. These groups use common root symbols known as radicals; they are also categorized by themes such as colors, numbers, animals, or body parts. Pronunciations, meanings and common vocabulary compounds are provided for each character in the group. Mnemonic clues are also given for the basic 92 hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols. A free audio CD helps you learn pronunciation for all of the characters and vocabulary in this book. The short introduction explains the basic history and structure of the kanji.

Key feature of this Japanese kanji book include:

• Hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols
• Easy-to-remember drawings and stories for ALL characters
• Thousands of vocabulary words
• Audio CD for pronunciation practice

A highly visual book, Japanese Kanji Made Easy is a powerful learning tool for both the serious student of the Japanese language, and those simply curious about kanji.

Japanese Kanji Made Easy by Michael L. Kluemper - About the Author

Michael L. Kluemper was a JET Program participant from 1990–93, and has been teaching about Japanese language and culture since then. As a board member for the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers from 2001–08, Kluemper served on national task forces for the implementation of the Japanese AP course, National Board Certification for teachers, and various advocacy campaigns. He now teaches Japanese at Ballard High School in Louisville, KY.