Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference

This was one of the first books I bought on kanji (20 years ago) and, after trying many others, I'm loyal to it. To clarify what it is not--it is not a kanji dictionary. If I want to know every compound a kanji appears in I look in Spahn and Hadamitsky. Nor is it a mnemonic approach like Heisig's or, to a lesser degree, Henshall's. What it does do is layout the general use kanji in a small book (slightly larger than a US-sized paperback) with a layout which doubles as flashcards for study. The kanji are shown in three formats: brush-written, pencil-written, and typeset. Older variations of the kanji are provided. Examples of readings and compounds are provided, but they are not intended to be comprehensive. They do build on previously presented kanji. Importantly (although it took me awhile to understand how crucial this is) both the radical and phonetic elements of each kanji are identified. One reason some of the mnemonic stories are so wild is because in the majority of kanji not every element means something. Usually part of the element gives a hint to the meaning and part of the element gives a hint to the Chinese reading. If you look a kanji up in Appendix II, the all-cap entries are Chinese readings. Kanji with the same phonetic element are listed together, and kanji with the same element with a variation in reading are listed afterward. Other books like Kanji ABC will help you learn the importance of recognizing the phonetic element. After you realize that, Essential Kanji really does become essential.

If you are a serious kanji learner, meaning you want to know all the 2000 standard kanji and not just +- 200 for travelling purposes, you need this book. Admitted, learning Kanji is a lot of work, but this book sure does help a lot. All the other reviewers summarised the good points of the book, but the one thing I'd like to point out is the fact that in the examples it uses only the kanji the learner already encounterd. This makes it a better book than Kodansha's. True, Kodansha gives a lot more examples for every kanji, but you don't remember a single one of them if they consist of 3 kanji you didn't learn yet. I'd say, teach yourself all 2000 kanji with this book, then go buy Kodansha for the extensive amount of examples they offer. Daniël, The Netherlands

In a somewhat crowded market of Kanji resources, this book serves as an excellent learning tool and resource for 2,000 very useful Kanji. The book is organized according to level of difficulty, and introduces Kanji only based on elements that relate to a prior Kanji learned. A helpful index of readings (ON and kun) helps one identify quickly sound-loans and related Kanji with much ease. Critics of the book harp on the use of roomaji for the readings, but this is a minor quibble for what is otherwise a very worthy and useful tool for the student of Japanese.

A few months ago, I spoke with an Ivy League student who had gone to Japan a year before knowing no Japanese and came out fluent in spoken and written Japanese. When I asked how he learned all the Kanji in such an apparently efficient and effective manner, he pulled out this book and lauded it to the skies. You want this book. I am currently learning Japanese, so I know how all you Kanji learners feel. Whether you like learning Kanji or not (personally, I do), this book is probably perfect for your needs. This is true quite simply because this book has everything. It lists 2000 Kanji that it deems "essential," which are roughly the same Kanji as the Joyo Kanji that the Japanese Ministry of Education has deemed "essential" for reading Japanese (although this book was roughly based on the earlier Toyo Kanji set, from which the Joyo Kanji set was developed). Each Kanji is written in beautiful calligraphy and in what appears to be ballpoint pen, which shows one the beauty of each character while showing how the non-calligraphers of us should draw each Kanji. Stroke order is included, which is a MUST for learning Kanji. The On and Kun (compound/solitary or Chinese/native pronounciations, roughly) pronounciations are included (with all relvant pronounciations), words using the Kanji in question are listed, the English meanings of the Kanji for each reading are given, and the modern Chinese pronounciation and a mneumonic aid for many Kanji are also given. Superb. As if that was not enough, each Kanji only uses radicals and word examples covered in earlier Kanji, and each Kanji's secion could be conveniently cut out to make a great set of flash cards. Indecies of Kanji by reading, stroke number, and English meaning (for radicals, at least) are given, and they are GREAT. The introduction is also informative and interesting. The only book I've seen that can compare to this book is Halpern's Kanji Learner Dictionary, but both books have their advantages and disadvantages- while Halpern's book is more comprehensive, the order in which Kanji are presented seems to make it more of a reference work than a learner's book. This book cannot hurt you and is most definitely worth the money. I cannot vouch for its long-term effectiveness (yet), but it's working just fine now and I think I'll be able to in the future.

Wether for the casual learner or the dedicated student, this reference is excellent. It is an absolute must for anyone who needs a listing of Kanji. This book reads much like a dictionary, but is designed to teach as well as provide a valuable reference. I found the book to be very informative. The course described in the book is very practical and also leaves the reader to learn at their own pase. The calligraphy and writing in the book is of very high quality and with the stroke order marked on each and every character allows for easier learning of each of the 2000 Kanji presented.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a casual glance into Japanese or looking to travel to Japan someday and needs a firm grasp of the written language.