1st Edition
Kanji Clues: A Mnemonic Approach to Mastering Japanese Characters Volume 2
Kanji Clues: A Mnemonic Approach to Mastering Japanese Characters introduces a novel approach to character acquisition that combines the ancient practice of memory enhancement with a modern appreciation for active learning.
By placing phonology at the center of the reading-writing process, the learner establishes an essential link between sound and meaning before addressing each character’s orthography, much in the way native speakers do. Another prominent feature of these volumes is that the lessons are organized thematically according to components in order to enhance their retention and to distinguish between similar looking kanji. As a result, character order is determined by the frequency of their primary elements or components. Once a character is learned, it retains the same meaning when it appears as an element in other characters. There is thus an internal recycling of components and characters throughout the course that serves as an additional aid to their retrieval. Proceeding from components and characters, each lesson then introduces ten new compounds, half of which appear in sentences. Here again, the learner actively forges meaningful links by responding to the clues provided. Indeed, the entire learning sequence is based upon mnemonic principles, such as attention, association, and elaboration, which, when employed together, comprise a memory-enhancing network that facilitates accurate recall and retention.
Designed for students who wish to master the Japanese reading/writing system, each volume is comprised of a year’s worth of lessons, which can be used alongside a primary textbook, as well as for self-study, reference, or review. Upon completion of the course, the learner will have not only mastered all the 2,136 everyday use characters, but also be familiar with more than 1,200 kanji compounds and the most common sentence patterns in the Japanese language, thereby providing a deep understanding of the inner workings of the language and the tools to decipher new words.
Volume 2 is an ideal supplementary resource for students throughout their second year of Japanese-language study.
Introduction
- Elements of a Mnemonic Network
- From Mnemonic Principles to Practice
- Weekly Course Outline
- Clue Principles as Simple as ABC
- How to Make Best Use of This Book
- For Love of Kanji
Lessons
- Person-To-Person
- Under Water
- With All One’s Heart
- Fire And Ice
- Mouthpiece
- In Other Words
- Hanging By A Thread
- Come To One’s Senses
- For Good Measure
- Color Coded
- Devil’s Claw
- Stop Horsing Around
- Jewelry Box
- Sick Days
- Weather Report
- Make An Entrance
- Plant Oneself
- Weapons Strike
- The High Ground
- Get Moving
- Woman Of The World
- Bend Over Backward
- Easy Money
- Keep One’s Head Above Water
- On The Farm
- Wine And Dine
- Raise The Roof
- Body Language
- Take Wing
- Forest Denizens
- Wait On Hand And Foot
- People Power
- Watering Hole
- In The Wild
- It Takes A Village
- Rice Dish
- Nice Threads
- A Bird In The Hand
- Fishing Boat
- Put Words in Someone’s Mouth
- Metal Detector
- Wetlands
- Dance Steps
- Moon Diviner
- A Well Of Compassion
- Thirst For
- Out Of Hand
- Wooden Words
Review: Lessons 51-55
Review: Lessons 56-60
Review: Lessons 61-65
Review: Lessons 66-70
Review: Lessons 71-75
Review: Lessons 76-80
Review: Lessons 81-85
Review: Lessons 86-90
Review: Lessons 91-95
100. Garden Variety
Review: Lessons 96-100
101. Strange Bedfellows
102. Odds And Ends
Appendixes
- Kanji Components
- Secondary Pronunciations and Acronyms
- Secondary Meanings and Acronyms
Biography
John Esposito is Professor in the School of Global Studies at Chukyo University, Nagoya, Japan.