"This is the best kanji book available today. Designed for beginners with a basic knowledge of Japanese to use in the classroom or for self-study."—Modern Language Journal

Everyday tasks like finding a street address or buying a train ticket can be an ordeal in Japan if you don't read kanji-the system of Japanese writing based on Chinese characters. Unfortunately, the kanji characters taught in most textbooks are not always those that you'll encounter in everyday situations. To fill this gap, a group of teachers from the prestigious University of Tokyo have pooled their talents to create 250 Essential Japanese Kanji Characters in two volumes: a practical way to learn the kanji most frequently used in daily life in Japan. Each lesson helps you master a new group of kanji, using an extremely effective approach that focuses on you, the learner, taking an active part.

• Introductory Quizzes introduce everyday situations where you encounter kanji.
• Vocabulary sections help you understand the readings and meanings of the kanji.
• New Character Charts teach you new kanji systematically—for each character you'll learn its meanings, its basic on-kun readings, its stroke order, common compounds, and derivations.
• Practice sections help you improve your skills in recognizing and using the kanji.
• Advanced Placement Exam Practice Questions for each lesson follow the format of the College Boards Japanese Language and Culture examination.

You'll also encounter authentic and practical materials that help you understand how kanji are used in real-life situations. Emails and texts, choosing the best dictionary in a library, understanding the weather report, navigating floors in a Tokyo department store—all are easier when you know kanji. After studying this book together with its companion 250 Essential Japanese Characters, Volume 1 you will have learned 500 of the most important characters in Japanese and thousands of words in which they appear.