Crazy for Kanji: A Student's Guide to the Wonderful World of Japanese Characters |  | Author: Eve Kushner
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 48312
Media: Paperback
Edition: Bilingual
Pages: 212
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 1933330201
Dewey Decimal Number: 495.611
EAN: 9781933330204
ASIN: 1933330201
Publication Date: July 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"Crazy for Kanji" provides the context sorely missing from most classes and books about kanji. Jam-packed with exhibits, the book supplies background information, explores fun themes, and challenges readers with games. Novices will gain the basic knowledge needed to grasp kanji, and advanced students will come to understand the system of kanji as they've never understood it before. Students often stop learning Japanese because of kanji. If teachers present kanji as a random collection of characters, it leaves students feeling hopeless about understanding and mastering this system. Above all, they don't have the slightest inkling that kanji can be fun. What a shame! They'll feel differently once they read "Crazy for Kanji" and realize the following: The immense challenge of kanji can lure you on, much as Mt. Everest beckons to intrepid mountaineers. You can love kanji, not in spite of its being difficult but because of that. Japanese words abound in puns that you can understand if you grasp the kanji. Hanabi, "fireworks," breaks down as "flower" + "fire"--a perfect, poetic way of describing fireworks! Understanding kanji affords a wonderful feeling of being in the know, as when you can decipher characters on restaurant signs, tattoos, and T-shirts. The child in us longs to decode. That's why kids spend hours solving puzzles. And that's why you'll enjoy unlocking the door to a hitherto sealed-off area. Kanji study has proven effective as an antidepressant! This "drug" works because it gives endless entertainment to overactive minds. Studying kanji brings you into contact with old Japan--with a pure form of the culture and the Japanese mind--as well as with ancient China. Dating back several thousand years, kanji provide a time capsule, giving us insight into the way people once made sense of the world. As timeless human symbols, kanji characters can evoke the deepest feelings, above all joy.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
A joy May 17, 2009
Dave Deppen (SF bay area)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
"Crazy for Kanji" is the perfect title for this book. The author's enthusiasm and personal stories of the ups and downs of her quest to learn kanji sparkle from cover to cover. In this way she makes the vast, mysterious world of Japanese characters intriguing, accessible and fun. Along the way we learn the structure of the characters, variability, stories of origins, double meanings, puzzles, aids to study and much more. I liked the constant cultural insights about Japan (and sometimes China.) This is one of those special book experiences that is playful - and yet still infused with as many layers of depth as the reader wants to dive.
You'll Go Crazy for Crazy for Kanji May 15, 2009
Wendy Tokunaga (San Francisco Bay Area)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Author Kushner's enthusiasm is contagious in this attractive, well designed guide to Japanese characters. I only wish I'd had a book like this when I was studying kanji back in the day. Crazy for Kanji actually makes learning fun with its interesting facts, photos of kanji in action, cultural clues, games, puzzles and more. This book will please both the serious student of Japanese or anyone fascinated with these characters for both their beauty and practicality.
fun way to study kanji May 18, 2009
Etsuko Wright (San Francisco, CA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The author's thorough analysis of kanji is amazing. Not only does she possess a vast knowledge of kanji, but she also is able to use this knowledge to help other learners. I have been teaching Japanese at the college level for many years, and this is the kind of book I have been looking for, not only for my students, but also for myself. Many students struggle to learn kanji and Crazy For Kanji can greatly facilitate their learning in a fun way. The information and style is up-to-date so that many young learners will relate to it. This book will also appeal to students with a wide variety of learning styles. I strongly recommend Crazy for Kanji for all Japanese students who are starting to learn kanji. It is sure to spark their interest and encourage them to continue studying Japanese at a higher level.
Extremely helpful May 15, 2009
Alberto Sanz Orive (Spain)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a must-have in your library, should you feel serious about mastering Japanese. I wish I had it much before to allow me have a broader view of all aspects; etymology, construction, similarities, memorisation techniques... even the complementary chapters where Chinese and Korean is treated makes a lot of sense so as to understand many of the implications in the current written Japanese ideograms. It is a perfect complement to your learning material and it is very nicely written even for the non native English speaking people. 5 starts!
worth a look May 20, 2009
AmericanMan (san francisco bay area)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
'CRAZY FOR KANJI' is a wonderful surprise because it takes what someone might expect, and even fear, is a complex subject and makes it simple, fun and ultimately enriching. As someone with an interest in Asian and Japanese culture as well as a concern over the disappearing aspects of both, 'Crazy For Kanji' does a great job in addressing those areas. Author Eve Kushner keeps it simple yet never oversimplifies. The world of Japanese characters comes alive and the reader not only learns but, I believe, is enlightened through the many layers that are ultimately revealed through this close, enjoyable guide.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
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