Japanese Language Learning Reviews

Kanji Pict-O-Graphix: Over 1,000 Japanese Kanji and Kana Mnemonics (Paperback) by Michael Rowley

Score:
6 / 10
Pros:
price; 1000+ kanji; alphabetical index; uses character reference numbers; gives bold ink picture for every character with sentence to link image to character; very visual
Cons:
no strokes or indication how to write characters; section on kana very light and less likely to stick; better as a reference (in which case there are better writing references); character explanations are creative but not historically acurate

This book presents a short introduction to kana (Japanese syllabary) and a long intro to more than 1,000 kanji characters that you’ll need to learn to read everyday Japanese.

The kanji are prepared in one or two-page boxes tha group related symbols or related concepts (like family). Each kanji is titled with its meaning, its “on” reading (Sino-Japanese or “Chinese” pronunciation) and “kun” reading (native Japanese pronunciation), and a sentence to connect the accompanying picture to the shape of the kanji character. A tree depicted next to the kanji ? serves as a memory device with the caption “a tree with spreading branches.” This is an ingenious way to get learners to engage kanji, which are historically picture-words of sorts (logographs). But the representations aren’t always historical – they aim to be helpful rather than etymological. The author’s imaginative fancies work against more practical learners.

The black and white ink work in the drawings is bold. Although it’s usually not too detailed, the images create easily identifiable mnemonics. The author is clearly trying to engage your memory and force you to make connections at every turn. This makes the whole book a sort of visual vocabulary list.

The introduction explains kanji in general and the author’s approach in particular. The six pages on katakana and hiragana use pictures and sentence cues that struck me as even more far-fetched than some of the kanji associations, but these are still useful if you have a visual memory.

An alphabetical index covers all on and kun readings used in the book. The stroke count is left out, as well as how to write each character, but the standard kanji reference number is included for each character. Boxes below characters show how each character is constructed.

Kanji Pict-o-Graphix is a handy reference for those with more of a picture brain or visually stimulated memory than this reviewer. Its limits and whims will prevent students from gaining high competency in the written language. A real understanding of kanji will require something more like the Kodansha Essential Kanji Dictionary, which I will review later.