This compact book is a lively collection of contemporary memory aids (mnemonics) that teaches you the shapes and sounds of hiragana and katakana, the two basic syllabaries used in written Japanese. Combining clever drawings and text memory aids, each hiragana and katakana pair is presented on a single page for comparison, with separate visual and text mnemonics. Fits handily into any pocket....

Japanese written characters, or kanji, have their origin in a picture-language developed in ancient China. Over time this language evolved into stylized abstract forms that are difficult to memorize. This delightful book presents 1,200 kanji with readings, main definitions, standard printed forms, and visual and text mnemonics to make them easier to remember. Fully indexed and cross-referenced. Winner of several international design awards....