The intelligent approach to learning the Japanese writing system that has helped thousands!Japanese characters may seem mysterious and difficult, but Read Japanese Today explains the writing system in a way that's clear and easy to understand. This proven approach teaches you the essential characters you need to know, how they developed and what their basic components are, so you can quickly decipher and learn new characters that you encounter later!This new edition includes:An introduction to the 142 hiragana and katakana phonetic characters every Japanese learner needs to knowDetailed, easy-to-understand descriptions of the 400 most common kanji characters complete with phonetic pronunciations, stroke order diagrams, and common words written with the characterSimple drawings that introduce each character to help you to remember it, explaining how it developed and what its various components areWriting practice problems so you can test yourself on the new characters and wordsA complete index to the English meanings and a summary table for all the characters is included at the backThis is definitely the book to get if you want to learn the Japanese writing system quickly and easily!

This is the quickest way to learn written Japanese effectively. Japanese characters, called kanji, often intimidate potential students of the language with their complex and mysterious appearance. Read Japanese Today is a comprehensible and story-like approach to an often difficult language. This book will teach you to recognize and read the 400 most commonly used Japanese kanji characters. Completely revised and expanded and featuring 25 percent more kanji than previous editions, Read Japanese Today is a fun way to demystify the beautiful Japanese language. Far from being complex and mysterious, Japanese kanji are actually a simple and fascinating pictographic system, easily understood and readily mastered. With the approach used in this easy-to-read, entertaining book, you''ll soon be able to recognize and read more than 400 kanji, whether or not you have any knowledge of Japanese grammar or the spoken language. The kanji characters stick in your mind thanks to an engaging text and illustrations that show how each character developed and what it represents. The description for each kanji explains its origin, its modern meaning, and how it is pronounced. Many examples of everyday usage are included. Read Japanese Today also includes: A brief history of the Japanese writing system. Explanations for how the parts of each kanji are related to the whole. Guidelines for writing Kanji and pronouncing words using them. An introduction to the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries. A complete index to English meanings and a summary table for all of the kanji that are introduced in the book.

The intelligent approach to learning the Japanese writing system that has helped thousands!Japanese characters may seem mysterious and difficult, but Read Japanese Today explains the writing system in a way that's clear and easy to understand. This proven approach teaches you the essential characters you need to know, how they developed and what their basic components are, so you can quickly decipher and learn new characters that you encounter later!This new edition includes:An introduction to the 142 hiragana and katakana phonetic characters every Japanese learner needs to knowDetailed, easy-to-understand descriptions of the 400 most common kanji characters complete with phonetic pronunciations, stroke order diagrams, and common words written with the characterSimple drawings that introduce each character to help you to remember it, explaining how it developed and what its various components areWriting practice problems so you can test yourself on the new characters and wordsA complete index to the English meanings and a summary table for all the characters is included at the backThis is definitely the book to get if you want to learn the Japanese writing system quickly and easily!

This is the quickest way to learn written Japanese effectively. Japanese characters, called kanji, often intimidate potential students of the language with their complex and mysterious appearance. Read Japanese Today is a comprehensible and story-like approach to an often difficult language. This book will teach you to recognize and read the 400 most commonly used Japanese kanji characters. Completely revised and expanded and featuring 25 percent more kanji than previous editions, Read Japanese Today is a fun way to demystify the beautiful Japanese language. Far from being complex and mysterious, Japanese kanji are actually a simple and fascinating pictographic system, easily understood and readily mastered. With the approach used in this easy-to-read, entertaining book, you''ll soon be able to recognize and read more than 400 kanji, whether or not you have any knowledge of Japanese grammar or the spoken language. The kanji characters stick in your mind thanks to an engaging text and illustrations that show how each character developed and what it represents. The description for each kanji explains its origin, its modern meaning, and how it is pronounced. Many examples of everyday usage are included. Read Japanese Today also includes: A brief history of the Japanese writing system. Explanations for how the parts of each kanji are related to the whole. Guidelines for writing Kanji and pronouncing words using them. An introduction to the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries. A complete index to English meanings and a summary table for all of the kanji that are introduced in the book.