The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: (JLPT All Levels) Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Characters

It was very difficult to find a book that included all (or at least most) Kanji, as almost all of them were divided into different books, including only 200 Kanji or so each (which comes to being more expensive). So when I found this book, which is relatively new, I had to buy it. The book is divided very nicely and includes a well presented section on each Kanji. It gives the writing of the Kanji, different readings (which is very important), translation of the word in English, a small historical text about the Kanji (as well as a fun way to remember it), and most importantly some examples of words with that Kanji (with another Kanji), so you can familiarise yourself with different mixes of Kanji, or even learn these words as you go, and most importantly see how different readings are used in different words. Each Kanji also has the stroke number, but not the stroke order, which some may find a disadvantage. However, at the beginning, the book has a section on the stroke order in general, such as top to bottom, left to right etc. with examples, so you will not find it difficult to know what the stroke order is in a particular Kanji if you understand the explanation at the beginning. Overall, I am super happy with the book. It is an absolutely amazing book, perfect for those trying to learn Kanji in one source that has everything it needs to have. It's definitely worth your money, as it's going to take a long time to go through it all, but you won't need another source! Highly recommended!

Muy completo y en partes, aún así le hace falta los Hiragana

Va muy bien

Ottima guida che permette di apprendere i kanji con i riferimenti storici/accademici. Utile per chi ha una conoscenza più approfondita.

This book summarizes the origins of all 2136 Joyo Kanji required for learning Japanese. It also provides a short mnemonic for each character. The consensus of advice I got was to use this book as a supplement to the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Course, which has a better learning order and mnemonic system but doesn’t have much information about etymologies. KKLC organizes all the Joyo Kanji in a logical learning order with an efficient system for remembering each kanji and its main vocabulary, while this book gives you thorough background information that adds another dimension to your learning. With these two books for kanji, plus a good textbook like Nakama, plus Rikai-kun/chan/sama, the Makino grammar books and some kind of reading material, you are in good shape to teach yourself how to read Japanese. You can’t really teach yourself kanji from this book by itself, because you would learn the characters in a mostly random order with no blueprint. Also the mnemonics are not always very helpful, and don’t add up to a structured and consistent system (this is where KKLC is in a class by itself). Still, I like that the mnemonics in this book provide a different perspective, with some useful insights that KKLC doesn’t have. Some people might find the etymologies a bit too much, since they go into discussions of different academic interpretations of where a character came from and how it developed over time. Personally I like having access to this information, even if it’s mostly just for curiosity. Although most of the etymologies are not easy to apply for mnemonic purposes, many of them are interesting in themselves. Also they can be very helpful for understanding the nuances of a kanji, which you can't get from a dictionary. The etymologies cram in a lot of information and citations, but they’re written in a compact style, as are the mnemonics. I like how neither talks down to you or wastes your time with silly nonsense or cuteness. To get the most value out of this book, use it as a reference book rather than as a textbook. Be purposeful in drawing out the information that helps you, and ignore the rest.