The aim of this book is to provide the student of Japanese with a simple method for correlating the writing and the meaning of Japanese characters in such a way as to make them both easy to remember. It is intended not only for the beginner, but also for the more advanced student looking for some relief from the constant frustration of how to write the kanji and some way to systematize what he or she already knows. The author begins with writing because--contrary to first impressions--it is in fact the simpler of the two. He abandons the traditional method of ordering the kanji according to their frequency of use and organizes them according to their component parts or ''primitive elements.'' Assigning each of these parts a distinct meaning with its own distinct image, the student is led to harness the powers of ''imaginative memory'' to learn the various combinations that result. In addition, each kanji is given its own key word to represent the meaning, or one of the principal meanings, of that character. These key words provide the setting for a particular kanji's ''story,'' whose protagonists are the primitive elements.
In this way, students are able to complete in a few short months a task that would otherwise take years. Armed with the same skills as Chinese or Korean students, who know the meaning and writing of the kanji but not their pronunciation in Japanese, they are now in a much better position to learn to read (which is treated in a separate volume).
Author(s): James W. Heisig
Edition: 4
Publisher: Japan Publications Trading Company
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 522
Table of Contents......Page 3
Introduction......Page 4
Note to the 4th Edition......Page 11
Stories......Page 16
一......Page 17
五......Page 18
八......Page 19
口......Page 20
田......Page 21
Lesson 2......Page 22
冒......Page 23
唱......Page 24
呂......Page 25
旭......Page 26
旦......Page 27
亘......Page 28
Lesson 3......Page 29
(rad)a drop of......Page 30
白......Page 31
舌......Page 32
丸......Page 33
専......Page 34
(rad)divining rod......Page 35
下......Page 36
朝......Page 37
(rad)human legs......Page 38
(rad)horns......Page 39
貝......Page 40
児......Page 41
頁......Page 42
負......Page 43
肌......Page 44
首......Page 45
Lesson 5......Page 46
乙......Page 47
直......Page 48
真......Page 49
左......Page 50
財......Page 51
刀......Page 52
召......Page 53
昭......Page 54
Lesson 6......Page 57
Lesson 7......Page 61
Lesson 8......Page 69
Lesson 9......Page 85
Lesson 10......Page 95
Lesson 11......Page 110
Lesson 12......Page 118
Part Two - Plots......Page 128
Lesson 13......Page 129
Lesson 14......Page 137
Lesson 15......Page 144
Lesson 16......Page 153
Lesson 17......Page 159
Lesson 18......Page 166
Lesson 19......Page 188
Part Three - Elements......Page 197
Lesson 20......Page 198
Lesson 21......Page 200
Lesson 22......Page 216
Lesson 23......Page 227
才......Page 233
携......Page 234
丈......Page 235
又......Page 236
双......Page 237
Lesson 24......Page 248
Lesson 25......Page 253
Lesson 26......Page 269
Lesson 27......Page 278
Lesson 28......Page 289
Lesson 29......Page 293
Lesson 30......Page 299
Lesson 31......Page 306
Lesson 32......Page 318
Lesson 33......Page 325
Lesson 34......Page 330
Lesson 35......Page 338
Lesson 36......Page 344
Lesson 37......Page 353
Lesson 38......Page 359
Lesson 39......Page 368
Lesson 40......Page 377
Lesson 41......Page 386
Lesson 42......Page 391
Lesson 43......Page 397
Lesson 44......Page 403
Lesson 45......Page 408
Lesson 46......Page 416
Lesson 47......Page 420
Lesson 48......Page 425
Lesson 49......Page 429
Lesson 50......Page 433
Lesson 51......Page 438
Lesson 52......Page 443
Lesson 53......Page 448
Lesson 54......Page 457
Lesson 55......Page 462
Lesson 56......Page 465
Indexes......Page 470
index i - Kanji......Page 471
index ii - Primitive Elements......Page 489
index iii - Stroke Order......Page 493
index iv - Key Words and Primitives......Page 504
