Remembering the Kanji is kind of a cult favorite. It’s one of the first kanji textbooks to use mnemonics to help you to “remember the kanji” and it does a really great job. There are three books in the series (the first is the most popular, though) and they guide you through different things. Volume one helps you to learn the meanings of the first 2000-ish kanji you need to know. The way it guides you through kanji to learn their meanings does a really good job (if you’ve never used mnemonics before, you’re missing out), though this book won’t cover other things you eventually need to know, like on’yomi / kun’yomi of the kanji and vocab that use each kanji. Still, it’s a really great start for kanji learning and an excellent way to learn kanji meanings really really fast.
Buy Remembering The Kanji Vol 1 →
Pros
- Uses mnemonics in a way that makes learning the meaning of kanji very simple and easy.
- Well laid out book that does a good job with ordering kanji in a way that makes kanji easier to memorize.
- The use of radicals (not the kind you learn in school, probably) will help you to learn kanji meanings, whether it’s in this book or not.
- Despite it’s age it feel like some cutting edge learning strategies!
Cons
- Although it may seem like a lot, learning just the meanings of kanji is only about 10% of what you need to “learn kanji.”
- Future books aren’t as strong as the first one, though that doesn’t mean this book isn’t a good foundation.
Final Word?
Remembering the Kanji is one of the first kanji books to use mnemonics, and it does it well. Many people use this book and get a lot out of it. Even though I say it only really covers around 10% of what you need to know about each kanji, it doesn’t mean that 10% won’t normally take you a long time. That ten percent can be blasted through in a month using this book (versus years using traditional methods) which is a big plus for anyone looking to learn Japanese. There are other overall better kanji options out there, but when it comes to learning the meanings of all the kanji, I don’t think this book can be beat . . . at least not yet.