Japanese Homophone Dictionary

• A comprehensive and convenient dictionary of Japanese Homophones.
• Each entry is given in bold black kanji.
• The Furigana is supplied for each set of homonyms.
• Each term is clearly defined in Japanese.
• Full index with listings under both kanji and hiragana headings
• 1,850 easily confused words are covered.

• A comprehensive overview of kanji and kanji combinations used in daily life.
• Each entry has furigana next to it for ease of reading.
• The kanji rendering is supplied in red.
• Homophones are placed next to each other for instant comparison.
• Over 26,400 entries - a MASSIVE listing, over 20,000 more combinations than in the previous dictionary featured here!

• This is a dictionary of words and their application and usage.
• Headword is given in kanji form with furigana readings.
• Every word is followed by one, two or three example phrases to show the word in context.
• 5,000 entries.

This new edition, published in JUNE 2007, brings you right up to date on the latest Katakana coinages that reflect developments in new technology etc.

The dictionary measures a little under 7" x 7" so it is highly portable and is packed with the following features:

• Katakana headwords clearly set off in cool blue.
• Word derivations are given in square brackets in their original language.
• Phrases coined in Japan are clearly marked with the kanji for "wa" - all those weird "Japlish" combinations get nailed!
• The latest neologisms are included.
• 6,500 words are dealt with - that's a whopping 1,500 more words covered than the previous Katakana dictionary featured here.

• Proverbs are divided into 15 thematic headings.
• Proverb entries are in Japanese with furigana.
• Detailed explanation of the proverb follows in plain Japanese, with hiragana renderings of difficult kanji following in brackets.
• Alternative proverbs with similar or opposite meaning are shown.
• Where appropriate, historical and etymological notes are provided.
• Over 1,100 proverbs listed.
• Listings follow Japanese syllabary order for ease of reference.
• A short appendix of English proverbs, with Japanese translation and explanations, has been added.

Here is a small selection of the proverbs discussed in the dictionary:

• Au wa wakare no hajime. - Meeting is the beginning of separation.
• Akuji senri o hashiru. - Bad news travels fast.
• Onna wa Sangai ni ie nashi. - Women are homeless in the Three States of Existence.
• Shiranu ga hotoke. - Not to know is to be a Buddha
• Sannin yoreba monju no chie. - Three people together have the wisdom of Monju (a Buddhist god).

Heisig's method differs markedly from traditional root-memorization techniques practiced in most courses. When you study with Heisig you utilize all the constituent parts of a kanji's written form, and develop your "imaginative memory" via a series of easily remembered mnemonics.

In Volume I of REMEMBERING THE KANJI each element that makes up a kanji and each complete kanji is assigned a unique keyword. A kanji's written form and its keyword are associated by imagining a scene or story connecting the meaning of the given kanji with the meanings of all the elements used to write that kanji. You will be able to write kanji easily and with the correct stroke order by virtue of this method.

The basic primitives are introduced throughout Volume I, just as they are needed to learn the kanji that use them. This order is designed to introduce the kanji efficiently, from the primitives and kanji already learned, rather than the order of their frequency or the dictates of the joyo grading.

Volume II of REMEMBERING THE KANJI takes you step by step through the varieties of phonetic pattern and offers helpful hints for learning kanji that resist systematization.

Kanji Study Cards are a must have tool The cards come in a convenient carrying case for ease of management. There are 2042 kanji cards and almost 60 empty cards for you to add less common kanji to the set. The set compliments the Remembering the Kanji series and follows its order. There is also cross-reference to Nelson's Japanese-English Character Dictionary and P.G.O'Neill's Essential Kanji. The cards use both katakana and hiragana for on and kun readings respectively. At least one compound example is given, with space to add more.

Yasuko Mitamura's Let's Learn Kanji goes to the heart of the problem: the learning of kanji. It teaches the student how to write the basic strokes, how to put these together into full-fledged kanji, and how kanji function in the context of example sentences. Progress is continually checked, and the student is encouraged through quizzes and exercises. The result: 250 fundamental characters learned almost painlessly.

Once you have mastered the 250 most basic kanji you will be keen to move up a level and there is no better book to take you there than P. G. O'Neill's Essential Kanji.

In the first section, Remembering the Hiragana, shows you how to learn the Japanese Hiragana syllabary in three hours of self-study.

The course is available in both romaji and kana versions but I recommend that students study the kana versions, especially once they have got beyond volume 1. The Romaji Version is suitable for people who are less interested in learning to read Japanese, or who are simply in a hurry to get started. Getting the Compact Discs would also be advisable to make sure your pronunciation is accurate.

The Kana Version of Japanese for Busy People is the ideal textbook for anyone who wishes to learn real, natural, conversational Japanese and actually communicate with native Japanese speakers. It also provides a solid foundation and a valuable resource for those who would like to go further with their study of the Japanese language.

Shin Nihongo no Kiso 1

Shin Nihongo no Kiso 2