Kanji are the third part of the Japanese writing system. Taken from China hundreds of years ago, kanji have evolved in a number of ways to make it sometimes considerably different from its Chinese ancestors. For example the Japanese word that means, 'postal letter' is made of the kanji, 'hand' and 'paper' in Japanese. That makes sense. But if you took the Chinese meaning of the same two kanji, you would get 'toilet paper.' That also makes sense.

There are about 2000 kanji needed to be literate in Japan. Very few foreigners have mastered kanji. Could you be one of them?

How do I study kanji?

You gotta love 'em! If you don't decide from the beginning to love kanji, I am sure you will end up hating kanji. There are many, many kanji with various meanings and readings, so without a desire to explore, you will become quickly discouraged.

Write them! Speak them! and Look for them!

My suggestions when studying kanji (as humble as they may be) are to 1) start by copying each individual kanji several times while speaking and thinking the readings. Also write the kanji combos in the same way. 2) Continue until you feel like you can recognize the kanji's reading, meaning, or shape in an outside situation. 3) finally read! Begin with the reading practice on this page and then search for the newly learned kanji in other contexts. It is an exciting feeling to come across kanji that you have just studied.

What does this site have?

Some (very good) kanji sites present their kanji around the order Japanese school kids learn them. But you are probably not a Japanese school kid nor will you be one in the future, so I am looking at kanji based on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. The JLPT is the standard test both here in Japan and abroad to measure your Japanese ability. There are other tests but this is the most recognized. The test comes in 4 levels. The 4th being the easiest and the 1st being the hardest. [don't ask me why they did it that way!] Anyway, I presently have typed in all the 4th grade kanji [80 kanji] and all the 2nd grade kanji [755] with examples and memory aids. I hope to type in the 3rd grade sometime soon, but...

LASTLY, gambatte (do your best) on your kanji studies. I sincerely hope this site can be helpful for you. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. Have fun! - Clay

Books and Materials to aid your studies

I recommend for beginners to get a book that lists all of the kanji for reference as well as study. A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese is just such a book. (click for a picture and info) There are many other good books that the learner can use, but having a guide helps to keep a systematic order of things.

I also recommend an electronic dictionary. I use the Canon Wordtank IDX-9500. I think most people agree this is THE tool for learning Japanese. In Japan it sells for about $200 (US) I have seen it advertised for twice that in America!

Also just read anything! (that is, in Japanese) Read manga! Grab a newspaper and search for kanji you can recognize! If you have access to Japanese subtitled movies - watch them and read the subtitles!

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