Anyone studying Kanji has wished for a reference that would enable them to look up a character by its shape alone. Now, Japanese Kanji Fast Finder delivers precisely that: A new study aid that lets users look up Japanese Kanji quickly and intuitively, without having to know their reading, radical or stroke count, and without having to learn yet another system. This easy-to-use reference book has been designed for dedicated learners of Japanese who know some Kanji, as well as general readers with interest in the written Japanese language. Japanese Kanji Fast Finder features: A thumb-index that allows for rapid access to any of the Kanji characters by their shapes Large fonts and an easy-to-read layout to facilitate rapid scanning Pronunciations and core English meanings at a glance All 1,945 General Use Kanji as prescribed by the Japanese Ministry of Education Comprehensive information for each Kanji, with the following: the core English meaning, ON (Chinese-derived) and KUN (native Japanese) readings, stroke count, and radical

This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly efficient and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made more accessible by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. Fundamental principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is a comprehensive book intended for students, it can be used by anyone with an interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China) but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with clear lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.