How to Learn Japanese by Simon Reynolde Read Free Book Online Page A

recommended!!!
Heisig's first book only covered the writing of the jouyou kanji ; this one covers the pronunciation. The kanji are arranged into groups with the same or similar pronunciations which makes learning much easier and faster. Well worth a look for those serious students of kanji even those who aren't fans of Heisig's first book. Learning the links between kanji components and pronunciations will even help you guess the pronunciations of unknown kanji.
    Kanji Study Cards
HIghly recommended!!!
This is the complete boxed set of flashcards to accompany Heisig's Remembering the Kanji books. So why should you buy them?
While it is possible to make your own sets of kana flashcards, trying to make your own kanji flashcards is much more difficult and time consuming. Not only is the sheer number of kanji (1945) a problem, but the amount of information that needs to be included on the cards ( on-yomi , kun-yomi , English meaning) is also an obstacle. In my opinion, time spent creating your own kanji cards could be better spent elsewhere (e.g. learning vocabulary). These are sturdy, well made cards that are a pleasure to use and likely to be better than anything you could make yourself.
As far as I know, no other flashcard set covers all 1945 of the jouyou kanji. This means that other sets of flashcards will not give you all the kanji you need to read newspapers or pass the JLPT level 1. Nowadays there are many websites that offer free kanji flashcard programs. These are worth checking out although the major disadvantage is that you cannot simply pop your computer in your pocket and study on the train (with the exception of a pocket PC). These cards are portable and can easily be sorted into piles as needed.
It is perfectly possible to use these flashcards even if you do not own a copy of Heisig's books and in fact if you have to choose which to buy, book or flashcards, I recommend choosing the flashcards. The downside is that this set is expensive. If you are serious about learning Japanese however, I guarantee it will be a worthwhile investment. I for one would not have passed the JLPT 1 without it.
    Japanese Kanji Flashcards: The Complete Set of Kanji for Levels 3 & 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test: 1
I recommend Heisig's flashcard set for the serious student, however, there are other sets on the market. If Heisig's set is a bit too expensive you can test whether flashcard learning is for you with a smaller, cheaper set like this one. A set like this will help you reach beginner level goals like passing the JLPT levels 3 or 4 but you will need more to reach higher levels.
    Kanji Cards, Vol. 1 (Kanji Cards)
(448 Kanji Flashcards)
My main problem with these is the box labels the set “complete”. It's nothing of the kind, containing only 448 of the 1945 jouyou kanji . There is no corresponding textbook to go with these and they do not comprise part of a larger system as Heisig's cards do so be aware that it can be a little confusing to start with these and then go over to Heisig's system. However, it is a nice starter pack that will help you get into kanji learning and pass some of the lower level exams.
    Kanji Cards, Vol. 2
(448 Kanji Flashcards)
Another 448 kanji cards from the makers of the above. If you can master set 1 and 2, you will definitely start to be able to make sense of real Japanese. It's obvious, but please start with set 1 before moving on to set 2!
    Kanji Cards, Vol. 3
(512 Kanji Flashcards)
This third set would take your kanji skills to a fairly high level. If you're going to go this far however, you probably would have been better off using Heisig's cards from the beginning.
    Kanji Pict-O-Graphix: Over 1,000 Japanese Kanji and Kana Mnemonics
This is a quirky little book that provides pictorial mnemonics for over 1000 kanji . The kanji are grouped by theme (often radical) e.g. people, numbers. I don't recommend it as a substitute for flashcard learning but it can make a nice supplement