Kanji & Kana: A Guide to the Japanese Writing System

Since 1981, Japanese Kanji & Kana by Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn has been one of the most trusted and popular study guides for beginning and intermediate students of Japanese. This revised edition not only covers the current 1,945 joyo kanji, it also provides a comprehensive overview of the Japanese kanji and kana writing system, including writing, usage, punctuation, and how to use kanji dictionaries. Indexes allow for kanji look-up by pronunciation, radical, and stroke order. A unique feature is a jinmeiyo kanji list covering characters frequently used in personal names but seldom taught in class. Each entry includes on and kun readings, English translations, stroke order, and example vocabulary.

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.