Kanji Memorization Drills, Version One

This is the first version of our series Kanji Memorization Drills. It consists of drills that teach 608 kanji and their pronunciations. Before you start using it, I suggest that you complete our first Japanese Reader, Learn to Read in Japanese, Volume I. After that, please consider alternating between the books, first drilling yourself on the kanji and then re-reading the text in the Reader.

On each of the pages in this book, you will see three columns. In the first column, there is a kanji character followed by a small number that indicates the number of pronunciations that you should try to learn for that character. In the second column, you will see the kanji's unique listing number, taken from the Kanji Catalogue in the Reader. Also in the second column, there are mnemonics (which we also call cues in the Catalogue) that are designed to approximate the Japanese pronunciations and help you to remember them. Finally, in the third column, there are sample Japanese words that contain the actual kanji readings.

Where feasible, I have sorted the kanji into informal groups of similar characters and arranged these characters so that they fit within the confines of a single page, to make it easier for students to compare them.

In order to use this book effectively, I suggest that you use three tools: 1) an index card, about 3 x 5 inches in size, 2) a pen with a fine point and 3) an eraser tool. The purpose of the index card is to conceal the second and third columns while you test yourself on the pronunciations of the kanji characters in the first column. The purpose of the pen is to make small erasable dots in the margin to the left of any kanji whose pronunciations you cannot readily recall. Finally, the purpose of the eraser tool is to erase those dots after you have successfully re-tested yourself on the missed kanji. I recommend that you use the "Pentel Presto Jumbo Correction Pen Fine Point" for the eraser tool.

Studying kanji through memorization drills can have a calming effect on the mind. Sitting away from electronic screens, one holds a drill book and an index card, focusing on a single isolated kanji character while trying to recall its shape and its various pronunciations. When an error is made, the only consequence is a small dot in the margin - a gentle prompt to come back and review the character later. In contrast, the correct identification of a kanji and its readings delivers a brief rush of energy and a renewed sense of confidence.

I hope that the drills in this volume will help you to achieve Japanese reading fluency.