Japanese Kanji Made Easy - by Michael L Kluemper (Mixed Media Product)

Book Synopsis

This highly-visual book introduces an effective new method to learn over 1,000 Japanese kanji characters using visual stimuli and pictographs.

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.

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. The free audio download available online helps you learn pronunciation for all of the characters and vocabulary in this book. The 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
• Online audio for pronunciation practice

All audio content is alternatively accessible on the Tuttle Publishing website

Review Quotes

"I already know all of the kanji (and of course, kana) in this book, but I can tell that it would make learning them easier than the straight memorization way that I did! If you're interested in learning Japanese, this book would be immensely helpful to you!" --Tokyo Five blog

"Kluemper uses a system of drawings to help you remember both the meaning and the pronunciation of kanji phrases and kana phonemes. For example, 'ki' looks like a key turning in a lock. When I first looked into studying kana, the idea of using images to aid memory didn't occur to me ... Kluemper's book makes learning Kanji easy." --Japan Powered blog

"Learning kanji is a big challenge and yet an integral part of studying Japanese. This book will help you visualize kanji and have fun learning them." --Masumi Reade, Teacher of the Year, National Council of Japanese Language Teachers

"There are already about as many books on Japanese kanji out there as there are Kanji, so I was skeptical. This one would need to do something inconceivably astounding to stand out from the pack, like teach me how to turn wine into gold. And while it doesn't do that, since it's not a book on divine miracles, it's a book on Kanji, what it does do is provide an exceptional foundation for anyone seriously hoping to learn Japanese." --Seventh Style blog

"Ultimately, Japanese Kanji Made Easy lives up to its promise: by transforming each character into a relevant and simple illustration, it makes the process of memorizing kanji much less intimidating. It's an excellent book for acquainting yourself with the writing systems of Japanese, and will pave the way for your future Japanese-language endeavors." --LanguageTrainers.com

About the Author

Michael L. Kluemper was a JET Program participant from 1990-1993 and has been teaching about Japanese language and culture since then. As a board member of 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.