| The best advice I've received about learning kanji is from a Chinese friend who had the highest score in her class on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. She said children learned the characters by creating stories for each of them, which is one way you can view mnemonics. (NOTE: This kanji page is an ongoing project to help me study, which means there could be some mistakes though I try not to make them.) • Readings in capital letters = ON-YOMI (Chinese readings; Sino-Japanese pronunciation) • Other readings = kun-yomi (Japanese readings; indigenous Japanese pronunciation) Recommended Resources • Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged for Learning and Reference  by P.G. O'Neill. Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill, 1973, 12th printing, 2003. The beautiful calligraphy in this book is recycled from the late Takatsuka Chikudō's earlier books.• A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters 
by Kenneth G. Henshall. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 1998. This book includes the origins of the pictographs, which might help you understand why a word concept is represented a certain way.• University of Chicago's Kanji Alive, a free learning tool for beginner to intermediate learners. |
 Japanese study aids and more at J-List |
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| Description i-adjectives (-ai, -ii, -ui, -oi): -KU (-ly, adverb form), -KUte (-te form), -katta (past), -KUnai (neg.), -KU arimasen (polite neg.), -KUnakatta (neg. past) na-adjectives (-ei, non-i ending, exceptions like "kirai"): 1) + de (-te form), + datta (past), + de wa nai (neg.), + de wa nakatta (neg. past), 2) + deshita (polite past), + de/ja* wa arimasen (polite neg.), de/ja* wa arimasen deshita (polite neg. past) *"ja" = informal form | ||||
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| Numbers, or How many? (Ikutsu?) AGE (Nan SAI? Ikutsu?): NijusSAI desu ne? You're 20 years old, right? — isSAI (1 year old), niSAI (2 years old), sanSAI (3 years old) APPLES & ORANGES (Nan KO?): HakKO katta. I bought 8. — ikKO (1 apple), niKO (2 apples), sanKO (3 apples) BUILDING FLOORS (Nan KAI?): SanGAI kudasai. 3rd floor, please. — ikKAI (1st floor), niKAI (2nd floor), sanGAI (3rd floor) CARS, COMPUTERS, TVs (Nan DAI?): IchiDAI hoshikatta. I wanted one. — ichiDAI (1 car), niDAI (2 cars), sanDAI (3 cars) CATS & DOGS (Nan BIKI?, pron. "nambiki"): RopPIKI mita. I saw six. — ipPIKI (1 dog), niHIKI (2 dogs), sanBIKI (3 dogs, pron. "sambiki") GLASSES OF BEER (Nan BAI?, pron. "nambai"): IpPAI nomu? Wanna go out for a drink? — ipPAI (1 drink), niHAI (2 drinks), sanBAI (3 drinks, pron. "sambai") PENCILS (Nan BON?, pron. "nambon"): GoHON kudasai. 5, please. — ipPON (1 pencil), niHON (2 pencils), sanBON (3 pencils, pron. "sambon") PEOPLE (Nan NIN?): NanaNIN kuru/kimasu. 7 people will come. hitori (1 person), futari (2 persons), sanNIN (3 persons), yoNIN (4 persons), goNIN (5 persons) TICKETS, PAPER (Nan MAI?): YonMAI kudasai. 4, please. — ichiMAI (1 ticket), niMAI (2 tickets), sanMAI (3 tickets) MAGAZINES, BOOKS (Nan SATSU?): HasSATSU kudasai. 8, please. — isSATSU (1 mag), niSATSU (2 mags), sanSATSU (3 mags) | ||||
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