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    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1: (JLPT Level N5) Learn the Essential Kanji Characters Needed for Everyday Interactions in Japan
    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1: (JLPT Level N5) Learn the Essential Kanji Characters Needed for Everyday Interactions in Japan
    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1: (JLPT Level N5) Learn the Essential Kanji Characters Needed for Everyday Interactions in Japan
    Ebook413 pages2 hours

    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1: (JLPT Level N5) Learn the Essential Kanji Characters Needed for Everyday Interactions in Japan

    By University of Tokyo, Kanji Research Group

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    About this ebook

    Essential Japanese Kanji uses a natural approach to learning the most basic kanji encountered in everyday situations in Japan.

    This new edition is packed with fun quizzes and useful exercises for those wishing to improve their Japanese ability. It has been repackaged in a more compact, value-for-money size while losing none of the content that has made it a long-selling favorite. Key features of Essential Japanese Kanji include:
    • Introductory quizzes to introduce everyday situations in which the Kanji are used
    • A vocabulary section to help you understand the readings and meanings of each Kanji
    • New character charts presenting all the Kanji clearly and systematically
    • Definitions, readings, stroke orders and compounds for each character
    • Practice sections help you to improve your skills
    • Advanced Placement Exam practice questions follow the format of the College Board exam
    Everyday tasks like finding a street address or buying a train ticket in Japan require a basic working knowledge of kanji--the Japanese system of writing based on Chinese characters. Essential Japanese Kanji, teaches you the kanji you'll need in everyday situations in lessons prepared by teachers from the prestigious University of Tokyo.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTuttle Publishing
    Release dateFeb 10, 2015
    ISBN9781462915026
    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1: (JLPT Level N5) Learn the Essential Kanji Characters Needed for Everyday Interactions in Japan

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    Book preview

    Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1 - University of Tokyo, Kanji Research Group

    THE KANJI TEXT RESEARCH GROUP

    UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

    TUTTLE Publishing

    Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore

    Dear Reader: In order to view all colored text and non-English text accurately, please ensure that the PUBLISHER DEFAULTS SETTING on your reading device is switched to ON. This will allow you to view all non-English characters and colored text in this book. —Tuttle Publishing

    Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

    www.tuttlepublishing.com

    Copyright © 2015 by Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Data for this title is in progress.

    ISBN 978-4-8053-1340-4

    ISBN 978-1-4629-1502-6 (ebook)

    Distributed by

    North America, Latin America & Europe

    Tuttle Publishing

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    Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930

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    info@tuttlepublishing.com

    www.tuttlepublishing.com

    Japan

    Tuttle Publishing

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    Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171

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    20 19 18 17 16 15 14     10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1     1409FP

    Printed in Singapore

    TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

    TO THE LEARNER

    Do you like learning kanji? Or do you wish that kanji would disappear from the face of the earth—or at least from the Japanese language? Well, learning kanji can be fun, if you are motivated. And this kanji book was created to motivate you, with practical learning methods that really work, and which will enable you to enjoy studying kanji.

    The first edition of this book was published in 1993, and a second volume was published in 1997. Since then, they’ve helped countless learners master kanji. In later editions, we revised the books to include the 410 kanji required for the College Board Advanced Placement Japanese Language and Culture Course Exam.

    Taking an Active Approach

    An important feature of this book is the active approach it takes to introducing kanji. By using authentic materials, periodic quizzes, and memory aids, it gradually helps learners acquire the ability to understand and use kanji in natural contexts—that is, in everyday life.

    Another key aspect of Essential Japanese Kanji Volume 1 is the presentation of authentic materials, for instance the actual instructions written on the medicine envelopes you might receive from the doctor in Japan. We also use photographs, many of which were taken by our foreign students during their adventures in Japan. The kanji taught here are, clearly, based on everyday use. (Please note that prices mentioned in these authentic materials may have changed.)

    Also, for each kanji we include either etymologies or memory aids, which will help students to understand and memorize the kanji systematically. The list of kanji compounds will also help learners understand how new words are created by combining the familiar kanji, and to realize the power that mastering kanji offers them.

    Each lesson helps you master a new group of kanji, and consists of several sections.

    Introductory Quizintroduces some familiar, everyday situations where the kanji is likely to be used.

    Vocabularycontains the readings and meanings of the kanji that you’ve encountered in the Quiz.

    New Charactersteaches you the kanji systematically, by introducing the meaning, the basicon-kunreadings, the etymologies or memory aids, and compound words.

    Practicewill help you improve your kanji reading and writing skills.

    Advanced Placement Exam Practice Questionswill test your competence in reading and writing semi-authentic natural Japanese. These questions reflect the format of the College Board’s Japanese Language and Culture examination.

    We wish to thank Yuichi Ikeda for the illustrations, and also Koichi Maekawa, Michael Handford, Su Di, Sandra Korinchak, and Cathy Layne. Junko Ishida and Akiyo Nishino revised the 2008 edition; Junko Ishida, Kaori Kaieda, Mikiko Shibuya, and Akiyo Nishino revised the 2015 edition.

    We received funding from the Japan Foundation to publish the original edition of this book.

    The following books were useful in compiling the kanji charts: Reikai Gakushu Kanji Jiten, published by Shogakukan, and Kanjigen published by Gakushu Kenkyusha.

    We sincerely hope that this book will help all learners—yes, even you who have been stymied by kanji before!—begin to enjoy learning kanji.

    Kanji Text Research Group 漢字教材研究グループ

    Japanese Language Class 日本語教室

    Department of Civil Engineering 社会基盤学専攻

    The University of Tokyo 東京大学大学院

    Authors: 著者:

    Junko Ishida 石田 順子

    Kaori Kaieda 海江田 香

    Kazuko Nagatomi 長富 和子

    Akiyo Nishino 西野 章代

    Junko Sagara 相良 淳子

    Mikiko Shibuya 渋谷 幹子

    Masako Watanabe 渡辺 雅子

    Yoshiko Yamazaki 山崎 佳子

    CONTENTS

    To the Learner

    Introduction

    Understanding Kanji

    Understanding Kana

    A Sample Kanji Chart

    1:   Let’s Eat! なにか たべましょう

    Numerals and Prices

    Kanji: 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 円

    2:   Going Skiing スキーに いきます

    Times and Dates

    Kanji: 休 月 日 週 間 千 万 午 前 後 時 半 分

    3:   What Day Is Today? きょうは なん曜日ですか

    Days of the Week

    Kanji: 曜 火 水 木 金 土 平 成 年 祝 祭

    4:   It’s Nice to Meet You はじめまして、どうぞよろしく

    University Majors and Street Addresses

    Kanji: 大 学 東 京 留 生 工 部 科 専 攻 先 本 語 都 市 入 式 文 区 丁 目

    5:   Buying a Commuter Pass 定期券を かいます

    Application Forms

    Kanji: 定 期 券 申 込 書 氏 名 男 女 歳 駅 使 用 開 始 住 所 電 話 通

    Review Exercise: Lessons 1–5

    6:   Which Line Do You Take? 何線に のりますか

    How to Use the Subway in Tokyo

    Kanji: 何 線 地 下 鉄 手 上 新 田 代 丸 内 西 営

    7:   Buying Tickets きっぷを かいましょう

    How to Buy Train Tickets

    Kanji: 山 中 央 連 絡 自 動 小 人 全 行 回

    8:   Taking the Train 電車に のりましょう

    Train Routes and Stations

    Kanji: 車 口 出 方 面 番

    9:   Inside the Station 駅の 中

    Finding Your Way Around in Train Stations

    Kanji: 北 南 案 洗 子 事 故 不

    10: On the Platform 駅の ホーム

    Types of Trains to Take, and Timetables

    Kanji: 各 停 普 準 急 速 快 特 表 終 着 発

    Review Exercise: Lessons 6–10

    11: At the Bank 銀行

    Using ATMs

    Kanji: 銀 引 預 押 号 暗 証 確 認 訂 正 残 高 記 帳 取 扱 止

    12: At the Post Office 郵便局

    Mailing Letters and Packages

    Kanji: 郵 便 局 切 外 国 際 航 空 常 料 他 様

    13: Which Way Should I Go? どの道を通ったらいいでしょうか

    Reading Road Signs

    Kanji: 道 歩 者 禁 立 注 意

    14: Where Is the Emergency Exit? 非常口はどこですか

    Reading Signs in Public Places

    Kanji: 気 危 険 非 消 煙 左 右

    Review Exercise: Lessons 11–14

    15: Campus Map キャンパス・マップ

    Finding Your Way Around Using a Map

    Kanji: 講 堂 食 門 館 会 協 図 閉

    16: At the University 大学のたてものの中

    Reading Signs to Get Where You Need to Go

    Kanji: 階 義 議 室 研 究 務 実 験

    17: Announcements 何のお知らせですか

    Reading Bulletin Board Information

    Kanji: 知 場 教 見 費 院 修 士 博 明 届

    18: Going to the Hospital 病院へ行きます

    Hospital and Medical Terms

    Kanji: 病 医 歯 児 産 保 受 付 来 薬 診 察 計 支 払 法 毎

    Review Exercise: Lessons 15–18

    19: Shopping at the Supermarket スーパーでセールがあります

    Buying What You Need

    Kanji: 店 売 肉 牛 豚 鳥 魚 割 品 安 買 物 業

    20: Eating Out 食堂に入りましょう

    Reading Restaurant Signs and Menus

    Kanji: 和 洋 汁 飲 茶 湯 予 約 席 備

    21: At the Real Estate Agency 不動産屋で

    Finding a Place to Live

    Kanji: 屋 貸 有 無

    Review Exercise: Lessons 19–21

    Appendix A: Japanese Names

    Appendix B: Main Radicals

    Appendix C: Kanji Compounds

    Answers to the Introductory Quizzes, Review Exercises, and Advanced Placement Exam Practice Questions

    On-Kun Index

    Vocabulary Index

    INTRODUCTION

    This book contains 21 lessons introducing 250 kanji. Each lesson focuses on an everyday situation in Japan.

    There is a short explanation of kanji and kana before the lessons begin. You will also find the Appendices, the On-Kun Index and the Vocabulary Index useful to refer to as you learn.

    From Lesson 1 through Lesson 10, the Japanese is written with a space between words except in the Advanced Placement Exam Practice Questions at the end of every chapter. A modified Hepburn system of romanization has been used.

    Each lesson is composed of the following sections.

    1.  Introductory Quiz — This section describes situations that you may encounter in daily life, and is followed by a quiz. By

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