Kanji & Kana: A Handbook of the Japanese Writing System » (REV)

Wolfgang Hadamitzky is a librarian of the East Asia section of the Berlin State Library. He has worked in Oslo and Tokyo on the staff of the German Cultural Institute (Goethe Institute).

Mark Spahn has a background in mathematics, engineering, and computer science. He has worked in Japan as a teacher, computer magazine writer, programmer, and translator. He presently resides in the United States, where he is active as a translator and consultant. Other titles by the same authors include A Guide to Writing Kanji and Kana (Tuttle) and The Kanji Dictionary.

Kanji & Kana: Revised Edition is a comprehensive guide to the reading and writing of the Japanese language, providing all the information needed to master the basic characters (kanji) and the syllabaries (kana). Updating the 1981 original, Kanji & Kana: Revised Edition contains all 1,945 Joyo Kanji plus a handy supplement of the 284 Jinmei-yo Kanji used in given names, new to the revised edition.

The first part of the book is a general introduction to the Japanese writing system. Topics discussed include the history, orthography, usage, reading, and writing of kanji and kana, as well as punctuation, romanization, and guidelines for using Japanese reference books.

The body of the text is a convenient listing of the Joyo Kanji with their officially recognized readings and most important definitions. Up to five compounds are given for each kanji, using only kanji that have been introduced earlier. All Joyo Kanji are presented in brush pen, and printed forms, with the stroke order clearly indicated. The kanji are fully indexed by the on-kun readings, by stroke count, and by radical, making it possible to use the book as a concise character dictionary.

Also included are twenty tables, covering such things as the 214 historical radicals, the rules for determining the radical of a kanji, and the derivation of kana.

Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn have revised, updated, and expanded the widely praised Kanji & Kana. The result is one of the most useful Japanese language texts on the market, an indispensable tool for all students of Japanese, from beginning to advanced.

Booknews

A comprehensive guide to reading and writing Japanese, providing the information needed to master the basic characters and the syllabaries. The bulk of the text is a listing of the Joyo Kanji with its officially recognized meanings and most important definitions. Also covered are the history, orthography, usage, reading, and writing of kanji and kana, as well as punctuation, romanization, and guidelines for using Japanese reference books. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.