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Introduction

About this book

This book is designed for students of the Japanese language interested in developing their reading and writing proficiency. Over the years, the popularity of studying Japanese has grown steadily and, at the same time, the number of textbooks and other resources available has also increased. Due to the continued interest in materials to assist learners with the written language, I decided, in consultation with the editors at Tuttle Publishing, that the original Kanji Power would benefit from a complete revision. As a result, this new version of the book is greatly expanded from the original and will, it is hoped, prove to be easier to use and more accessible to beginning students of the language.

The Scope of the Text

There are certain key aspects of the original text that have been preserved in this revision. The number of target characters, though, has been nearly doubled to 464 kanji. This incorporates all the characters included in the first two grades of the kyōiku kanji, being the 240 characters studied in Grades 1 and 2 of Japanese elementary school.

Many readers may wish to use this book to help prepare for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). For this reason, the book covers all the characters you will need to know for the new Level N5 (103 characters) and Level N4 (an additional 181 kanji ) tests, as well as many of those required for Levels N2 and N3. Note that the JLPT switched from 4 to 5 levels in 2010. New levels N4 and N5 were formerly Levels 3 and 4 and merely underwent a name change. The new level N3 exam was introduced at the same time.

In addition, you may wish to use this book to help prepare for the Advanced Placement (AP) Japanese Language and Culture Examination, or as a supplemental resource for university-level Japanese courses. This book includes all 410 kanji recommended for study for the AP Japanese test. Moreover, since the AP Japanese kanji were selected based on the frequency of their inclusion in the leading 1st- and 2nd-year Japanese textbooks used by colleges and universities, learning the AP kanji will also be highly relevant to those studying the language in such courses.

In fact, given that the 464 kanji introduced herein are the most important and commonly seen kanji that you will find in everyday reading materials, mastering these kanji will take you a long way towards fluency in reading and writing Japanese.

The Layout of the Text

The book has been divided into three sections or ‘parts’. Each part has then been sub-divided into a number of sets, with 12 target kanji for each set.

PART ONE	Sets 1–9	108 characters
PART TWO	Sets 10–25	192 characters
PART THREE	Sets 26–39	164 characters

The table located on the inside covers is provided to allow quick access to specific characters.

An important aspect of the presentation of characters herein is that, within each part of the book, the characters appear in order of ascending number of strokes. Characters with the same number of strokes appear according to their on-yomi, or Chinese reading, and are arranged according to the Japanese a-i-u-e-o order.

My choice to present characters in this order, of course, has certain short-comings. It does not allow for a thematic approach to the acquisition of kanji. However, it is my belief that a systematic approach to learning characters, where the kanji become steadily more complex, is somewhat kinder to the uninitiated student of the Japanese language.

As was the case with the original version of Japanese Kanji Power, a set of exercises has been included after every three sets of characters, with a review following, to consolidate the kanji covered in a cumulative way. In order to simplify the process of acquiring new kanji, the reviews have generally been restricted to characters covered up until that particular point. Answers to the exercises and reviews are provided at the back of the book.

An ON-KUN reading index has been added at the back of the book to allow students quick access to particular character readings found herein.

Presentation of the Characters

The figure below shows a typical entry from the book. The circled numbers refer to the numbered explanations provided below the figure.

① The Character Reference Number

The characters are numbered 1 to 464 throughout the book.

② The Target Character

The character being presented is written in bold brush type.

③ The Meaning of the Character in English

A limited number of common meanings are provided to assist with memorization.

④ The Readings of the Character

Most kanji have more than one reading. Firstly, the on-yomi, or Chinese reading(s), is shown in katakana script, followed by the kun-yomi, or Japanese reading(s), written in hiragana script. The jōyō kanji readings, as designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education, have been made as comprehensive as possible, space permitting. Romanized readings are provided as well— ON readings being capitalized, with kun readings being set in lower case. Note that the portion of the reading given after the dot (in hiragana ) and inside the brackets (in Romanized script) constitutes the portion of the Japanese reading referred to as okurigana. Irregular, unusual or rare readings are indicated by an asterisk in the Japanese script.

⑤ Background Information About the Target Character

This may include details about the etymology of the character or a suggestion to aid memorization. Certainly, when it comes to the question of the derivation of characters, there is much speculation. For students interested in furthering their understanding of kanji origins, Kenneth G.. Henshall’s comprehensive work, A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters (Tuttle Publishing, 1998), is highly recommended and, indeed, has been of great assistance to me in compiling this text.

⑥ Kanji List Reference Numbers

Four references are used— GR 1, for example, refers to a first grade character in the Kyōiku Kanji List, the 1,006 commonly used characters recommended by the Japanese Ministry of Education. N5, on the other hand, represents a character in the list of kanji designated for study for Level N5 of the new Japanese Language Proficiency Test (103 kanji ). AP indicates that the character appears in the list of kanji recommended for study for the Advanced Placement Japanese Language and Culture Test. Finally, JK indicates that the character is found in the Jōyō Kanji List, a prescribed list of some 2,000 kanji used in everyday language situations.

⑦ Example Sentences

A number of example sentences are provided to illustrate the various uses of the target character in context. Wherever possible, the various readings of a kanji, both on-yomi and kun-yomi, are introduced in the order in which the readings are given. This method of presentation has been adopted to help simplify the process of kanji acquisition. Each example sentence is written in Japanese script, Romanized letters ( rōmaji ) and accompanied by an English translation. In each example sentence, the word or phrase employing the target kanji is underlined in both rōmaji and English to help you identify it and focus on its usage. The example sentences frequently employ conversational–style Japanese.

⑧ Common Compounds and Phrases

A set of seven common compound words or phrases, each containing the target kanji, is presented here. Japanese and rōmaji scripts and English equivalents are provided. Often, to reinforce familiarization, a kanji compound from a sample sentence will reappear in the ‘Common Compounds and Phrases’ list. Note also that an item marked with an asterisk represents an unusual or irregular reading. The rōmaji reading for the target kanji is underlined in each example.

⑨ Writing Hint

This section gives a brief suggestion about the writing of the character—this may take the form of advice on how to write particular strokes or the order of the strokes. Occasionally, similar characters that can be easily confused with the target kanji are presented.

⑩ Number of Strokes

This figure represents the total number of strokes or stroke count of the target character.

⑪ Stroke-order Diagram

A stroke-by-stroke schematic is presented as a guide to writing the target kanji.

⑫ Writing Practice Grid

A grid is included here to facilitate the practice of writing each new character. I strongly encourage you to use this space for this purpose.

Use of Romanization

You will note that the Hebon style is used throughout the textbook for romanization. In this style, the hiragana ん is written as n or n’ and long vowel sounds appear with a macron, such as ō. While the use of rōmaji certainly makes language acquisition easier in the earlier stages of study, in the long term it can prove to be a hindrance. I encourage you to master the two Japanese syllabararies, hiragana and katakana, as quickly as possible.

Using This Book

Students of the language are often daunted by the study of kanji characters. However, once hiragana and katakana have been mastered, it is surprising how rapidly one can become absorbed in the challenges of learning kanji. A certain degree of patience and discipline is required in order to establish a regular routine of practicing, revising and thinking of innovative ways to memorize the characters.

Japanese Kanji Power has been devised to allow you to develop your own study habits. Once the 12 characters in a particular set have been covered, I recommend that you work through the quizzes, testing yourself and revising when you make mistakes. To assist you with your self-study, a series of Japanese Kanji Power cards and workbooks is planned to accompany this book. These will offer additional opportunities for reading and consolidation of the characters targeted herein.

In the meantime, I trust that this book will provide you with sufficient material to pursue your study of the Japanese language and to develop ‘Kanji Power’!

Rules for Writing Kanji

There are a number of fundamental rules that need to be observed when writing kanji.

1. Write from left to right.

2. Write from top to bottom.

3. Horizontal strokes are usually written before vertical strokes, even when the vertical line is curved.

4. Write the center stroke first, followed by the left and right strokes.

5. Write the outside strokes, except for the bottom one, before the center portion.

6. Write a left-hand sweeping stroke before a right-hand one.

7. A vertical stroke which pierces the center is written last.

8. A horizontal stroke which pierces the center is written last.

9. Write a short left sweeping stroke before a horizontal stroke.

10. Write a long left sweeping stroke after a horizontal stroke.

Please note that there are some exceptions to these rules. For example:

Learning to write a Chinese character with the correct stroke order, giving attention to the appropriate size and balance of the character, will assist you in memorization and when looking up the kanji in a kanji dictionary or index. Of course, knowing either the kun or on reading of the character is a great benefit as well. I encourage you to write kanji using the correct stroke order and to practice counting the number of strokes in any new character being studied.

Origin of Kanji

There are a number of classifications of Chinese characters that describe the way they were formed.

1. Kanji which derive from pictures, or pictographs. These characters were originally pictures of concrete objects which were simplified over time.

2. Kanji which derive from signs. These characters are made up of points and lines and are used to express abstract concepts, such as ‘above’, ‘below’ and ‘in’.

3. Kanji which are made up of a combination of meanings (ideographic characters). These characters are made by combining other simple characters to create a new meaning.

4. Kanji which are a combination of ideographic and phonetic elements. The majority of kanji fall into this category. The important characteristic of these kanji is that one component of the new character represents the meaning of the entire character (often the right-hand or upper part), while the other represents the pronunciation.

Examples

Kanji Radicals

Most kanji are made up of two or more elements and these elements can be combined in different ways. These common components are called radicals, or bushu in Japanese, and are useful in that they are used to classify kanji in dictionaries. Any given kanji will have one radical with a basic meaning. There are over 200 radicals and they are positioned within kanji in the following ways:

1. HEN (on the left) This category is the most common.

2. TSUKURI (one the right)

3. KANMURI / KASHIRA (on the top)

4. ASHI (at the bottom)

5. TARE (at the upper left)

6. NYŌ ( at the bottom left)

7. KAMAE (an enclosure)