All booklets from Level 0 through the Level 4 are written in hiragana, along with the appropriate level of kanji mixed within the text.

Furigana is used extensively throughout the series, so as long as you have a good knowledge of hiragana you’ll know enough to at least be able to read through any text at this level.

A Look Inside – ジョンさん日本へ

The feeling you get from being able to read actual Japanese text yourself is a powerful one for beginners.

Even if you only know every third word/kanji, you’re reading in another language and that’s pretty amazing I think.

Each level has several volumes (Level 1 is available in three volumes), which come in multi-booklet packs and as the level number increases, the booklets add more vocabulary, kanji and more complex grammar.

The Level 1 booklets feature a 350 word vocabulary and each story at this level has between 400-1,500 characters.

If you’re currently studying at the N4/N5 level, these booklets are an ideal starting point for you.

Box Set – Front Cover

Basic grammar is covered with conjugations ranging from the -masu, -te and tai forms through to present and past tense, desu and several others.

The five illustrated stories included in the first volume of Level 1 are:

• おんあの子 – The Girl
• ハチの話 – The Story of Hachi
• ジョンさん日本へ – John goes to Japan
• 浦島太廊 – Urashimatarou
• 笑い話 – A Funny Story

Level 1 Volume 1 Booklets

An added bonus is the free CD, which includes the text from each booklet being read by a native speaker, which is a perfect way to improve listening comprehension while reading along with each story.

When I first started the series I ripped the CD and then listened to the booklets while reading along with the text from the booklets.

Having the audio with me wherever I went enabled me to practice my listening comprehension at any time of day.

As you move through the booklets, any new vocabulary you find in a booklet will repeated multiple times throughout the other booklets to reinforce their use and meaning in context.

I found this of particular use in quickly building my arsenal of Japanese words in the early days.

Close Up – Hiragana/Kanji with Furigana

I know I bang the “no romaji” drum quite a lot but it is something I feel strongly about and that’s what I enjoy about these booklets as they are 100% Japanese and therefore there’s no option to cheat yourself with romaji or English.

If you don’t know the hiragana or kanji then you’ll need to look it up and memorise it. It’s a powerful motivator.

While the Japanese Graded Readers Series will introduce you to new words and help to maintain your current reading and listening abilities, I think the biggest plus is to keep you thinking and reading in pure Japanese – there are no crutches whatsoever.

With it’s colourful illustrations and easy to read text, the Japanese Graded Readers Series sure beats the heck out of wading through boring lists of vocabulary and grammar.

Highly recommended.

BTW check out Harvey’s views on Level 0 of the Graded Readers Series over at japannewbie.com

• 3 Ways to Learn Japanese With YouTube
• The Tale of the Little Tsu
• Word Of The Week: Monogatari (物語)
• Hiragana: The S Line
• App Review: Japanese 101 – Particles

Surprisingly there are very few iPhone apps that cover this area of the market and even fewer that do it well.

This is where Japanese 101: Particles steps in to fill the void.

While its feature set is deliberately limited – it does what it does, very well and there is something to be said for that.

The app covers all of the particles you’ll need to master in the beginner to intermediate stages of learning Japanese, including は、が、に、で、と、も、や、を、にも、でも、より、か、まで and から.

Video Review

Study Mode

In Study Mode you choose from over 160 sentences in JLPT N4 and N5. Each level can be reviewed sequentially or via a convenient shuffle mode, which helps to keep things fresh.

Each sentence is presented in Japanese and automagically read to you by a native speaker. The user must study the sentence and guess the missing particle highlighted with red crosses.

If you happen to miss the audio when the screen first loads, clicking the speaker icon replays the sentence audio, which is especially helpful for beginners with very little listening practice – a common issue for beginners who self-study.

When you think you have the answer, you simply tap anywhere on the screen to reveal the full sentence written in Japanese, romaji and English. The correct particle is highlighted with asterisks in the romaji version of the sentence.

If you get the particle wrong, you can choose to click on the “Notes” button at the bottom left of the screen to view a detailed grammatical explanation of why that particle was used in the sentence. This feature alone is worth the price of the app.

Apart from the use of romaji, the Study Mode is an excellent way to sharpen your particle chops before heading over to the Quiz section.

Quiz Mode

The Quiz Mode is where you put your new found particle skills to the test and there are two ways to go at this point – Multiple Choice and Fill in the Blanks.

Multiple choice offers the same sentence groups from the Study Mode plus the choice of two or four particles from which to choose your answer.

Clicking the start button takes you to the test screen and the first sentence is read aloud to you.

This is where things can start to get really tricky as there are no cheat sheets or hidden screens to help – it’s just you and the audio and particles on the screen.

After answering each question, you’re greeted with native Japanese audio feedback based on whether you answered correctly or not. This can range from “Well Done!” to “So close!” and everything in between. A nice touch.

A tally of your right and wrong answers sits at the bottom of the screen and at the end of the quiz you can then review any questions you missed.

The other option in the Quiz Mode is “Fill-in-the-Blank”.

The difficulty meter hits its peak in this challenge as you have to input your answer in Hiragana and there are no multiple choices to help you out here.

While it is far more difficult than multiple choice, this option will give you a very good idea as to whether you know your particles or not.

If you can make it through the Fill-in-the-Blank section without a mistake you’re well on your way to becoming a particles ninja.

Summary

Japanese 101: Particles, as well as most of the other apps Harvey has on sale at www.japannewbie.com, wisely focuses on just one aspect of the Japanese language at a time rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

The result is an app that will definitely help you achieve your goal of mastering particles. It can’t force you to memorise them or make sure you’re doing your revisions – that’s up to you of course.

My only negatives with Japanese 101: Particles are mostly aesthetic.

As some reviewers have already previously noted, the look and feel could do with a bit more polish but I guess that is purely subjective and wouldn’t bother most people.

Something that I do feel strongly about is the use of romaji. I’m not sure it belongs in any app and especially one teaching particles, where you could safely assume that the user is a serious student.

If the romaji must remain, it would be great to have the option to switch between Kana and romaji. End of romaji rant ^_^

At US$5.99, Japanese 101: Particles is great value for money. Most Japanese learning textbooks are in the US$20-$50 range and don’t offer any of the interactivity and feedback of this app.

So if you’re struggling with particles or just starting out, get over to the iTunes store now and grab a copy of Japanese 101: Particles – you won’t be disappointed.

Disclosure: I only review applications that I own and pay for myself. Hopefully this means you get a review without any hidden catches.

• Review: My Top 5 Kanji iPhone Apps
• App Review: KanjiPop
• App Giveaway: Japanese 101 Particles
• 3 Ways to Learn Japanese With YouTube
• Learning Japanese: Do It Your Own Way

Halpern, a serial author, polyglot and 30 year resident of Japan, devised the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary, which is based on his own world-renowned New Japanese-English Character Dictionary, in response to the need for “an easy-to-use kanji dictionary small enough to be easily carried around yet detailed enough to satisfy the practical needs of serious beginners and intermediate learners.”

The result of his work was a totally new kanji dictionary system that enabled students to “quickly locate the meanings, readings, and compound words for about 98% of the most frequently used kanji.”

SKIP

A large part of its ease of use stems from the use of Halpern’s pioneering SKIP (System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns).

SKIP works by organising kanji based on pattern rather than radical.

The kanji are divided into sections and grouped into four main categories: Left-Right (1), Up-Down (2), Enclosure (3), and Solid (4). A user then counts the number of strokes in each segment, and uses them to determine the kanji’s SKIP number.

Core Meaning

Outside of the obvious benefits of SKIP, my favourite feature is the listing of a core meaning for each kanji. Quite often one kanji can have several different meanings, which can be very confusing for beginners of Japanese.

For example 辞, which is listed in Japanese dictionaries as having the meanings – resign, word, term and expression.

Halpern narrows down the options by highlighting its primary meanings in red below the main kanji listing.

Compounds

One of my favourite ways to learn new kanji is to view them in the context of a compound. Kanji compounds are where two or more kanji join together to form another word.

The resultant word can either be an obvious union of the two meanings or something different altogether.

Halpern lists over 30,000 compounds throughout the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary, which are invaluable in cementing the primary meaning of the kanji plus pushing your knowledge forward by introducing new words based on the kanji.

Lookup Methods

As noted previously, Kanji are ordered according to their SKIP numbers, which allows any level of student to look up characters with ease.

• The Pattern Index allows characters to be quickly located from their SKIP numbers
• The SCAN Method is a powerful shortcut for locating some characters almost instantly
• The On-Kun Index lists the characters alphabetically by both their on and kun readings
• The Radical Index lists the characters by their traditional radicals
• The Direct Method for locating characters without using any index

What You Get

• 2,230 entry characters, including all the kanji in the Joyo and Jinmei Kanji lists
• 41,000 senses for 31,300 words and word elements show how each character contributes to the meanings of compounds
• 1,200 homophones with core meanings explain differences between closely related characters
• 386 variant forms used in prewar literature and in names
• 1,945 stroke order diagrams show you how to write each kanji stroke by stroke
• 7,200 character readings, including name readings
• Over 2,000 cross-references and five appendixes give instant access to a mass of useful reference data

It Just Feels Good

While aesthetics aren’t usually at the top of the list when it comes to shopping for a dictionary – that’s exactly what is special about the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary.

Everything just feels good; from the clean layout to the beautiful type-setting and the wafer-thin paper. This is a dictionary that will make searching for kanji a visceral experience.

Recommended

I love this dictionary. I love the way it looks, feels and how it helps take away some of the pain along the path to memorising 2000+ kanji.

It is a dictionary that no beginner or intermediate Japanese student should be without. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary is available from all good book stores.

NB – Please note that this is not an advertisement. I only recommend products that I have bought and used myself.

• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Review: My Top 5 Kanji iPhone Apps
• Japanese Terms Explained for Beginners
• Word Of The Week: Toshokan (図書館)
• Word Of The Week: Monogatari (物語)

I have listed below an overview of my top 5 Kanji learning apps, which is based solely on the trial and error of hundreds of applications since the iPhone debut in 2007. I download and test almost every Japanese learning app as they are released and most of them end up rarely used and/or deleted.

Please note all apps have been paid for by me and used extensively since their release.

1. iKanji Touch

iKanji Touch from ThinkMac Software is, without a doubt, the most fully featured of the iPhone kanji apps. If aesthetics mean much to you, you’ll also appreciate the stunning design – a rarity in the current crop of iPhone kanji apps.

Features

• Kanji are grouped by grade/JLPT and divided into sets of 20 for easy practice
• Reference cards for each kanji with readings, stroke count, radical etc
• List of example compounds for each kanji
• Leitner System based spaced repetition Teach Me mode
• Reading test to quiz you on kanji readings (onyomi and kunyomi)
• Meaning test to practice your ability to recognise English meanings
• Compound test to complete words by filling in the missing kanji
• Stroke order test to practice writing most kanji
• Search for kanji by readings, stroke count or meaning
• Ability to create a practice set and track wrongly answer kanji

How It Works

iKanji touches on all areas of the kanji learning process with the ability to study the onyomi, kunyomi, stroke orders (currently 700 kanji covered) and English meanings of over 2000 kanji.

Having downloaded more than my fair share of Japanese Learning apps over the past couple of years, I would safely say that this is the only iPhone app that will teach you all aspects of the JLPT kanji. It is by no means perfect but it’s the closest I have seen if you want an all-in-one kanji learning app.

2. Kanji

Kanji’s simplicity is immediately obvious with little in the way of screen bling, however underneath the hood it has everything you need to become a kanji ninja.

The app covers all JLPT levels with over 2000 kanji plus the standard on and kun readings along with the English meanings.

Features

• A complete set of 2040 kanji characters from any level of the the JLPT
• Over 4000 example words with readings in hiragana and English meaning
• Select which kanji you want to learn and create your own custom lists
• Search for kanji by entering a meaning or drawing the kanji
• Intuitive, clean, and simple interface
• Your kanji selection is saved when you exit the application
• Shake to restart going through the list
• Does not require internet connection

How It Works

You work your way through each kanji by guessing the meaning and readings and then tapping the screen to reveal the answer. Much like Kanji Flip, this method requires you to be very honest with yourself. If you get it right, you tick the card as done otherwise you leave it and it will continue to appear until you master it.

The feature I enjoy most is the example words on each kanji card. These are very helpful in giving some context to the meaning of each kanji, which I find helps me to memorise them more quickly.

Although the app comes preloaded with most of the kanji you will ever need, you can add your own in and also create custom lists from existing or new kanji.

The custom list feature comes in handy if you use the Remembering The Kanji method rather than the included JLPT lists or you may simply want a targetted list of kanji to practice for your next class or to make a note of any kanji with which you are constantly struggling.

While it’s not the most exciting app to use, it does what it does very well and in the end that’s really all that matters.

3. NihongoUp

I first came across NihongoUp as a Flash-based desktop application and loved its clean design and of course the actual Japanese learning software part of it too. Eventually an iPhone version was released, which I quickly purchased and still enjoy using almost every day.

Some parts of the game don’t translate well to the smaller iPhone screen (eg Vocabulary) but overall this is a superb little app, which no kanji learner should be without.

How It Works

The app has four main parts: Kana, Kanji, Vocabulary and Grammar. All games work on the same basic premise; a question (in the form of a sentence or word) at the bottom of the screen and multiple choice answers floating down in balloons from the top of the screen. You have to choose the correct answer before the balloons hit the ground and the quicker this happens, the more points you get.

You also accumulate extra points with the more consecutive correct answers.

With regards to kanji, it’s strength is testing your knowledge of the readings of JLPT 3 and 4 kanji. A sentence appears at the bottom of the screen and you have to choose the correct kanji with the reading.

Although simple in premise, I have found it invaluable in testing my ability when it comes to on and kun readings – admittedly a weak point in my Japanese – one of many. ^_^

While I have only focussed on kanji, this app tests many core aspects of your Japanese knowledge and turns it in to a bit of fun.

The iPhone and desktop version are highly recommended.

4. KanjiPop

KanjiPop is another app that is deceptive in its simplicity featuring 16 squares each containing one kanji and an English word at the top of the screen with its On and Kun readings below it.

How It Works

The aim of the game is to choose one kanji from the grid whose meaning correctly matches the English word at the top.

Seems pretty simple, huh?

Well, the kicker is that there is a time limit of two minutes, which is displayed at the very bottom of the screen and ticks away relentlessly as you fumble your way through each level.

If you finish a level and beat the clock, you are automagically taken to the next level where sixteen new kanji await you.

This cycle continues until you eventually reach a level where your kanji knowledge fails to beat the clock. Here you are presented with the option of choosing a lower level to re-try or you can simply test yourself on the same level again until you master it and can move on.

With over 2000 kanji across 127 levels, KanjiPop has something to offer everyone from newbies to advanced students of Japanese. Beginners can use it to revise and learn while more advanced students can use it as a fun way to keep their kanji knowledge fresh.

View my full review video review of KanjiPop

5. Kanji Flip

Kanji Flip was one of the first ever Japanese learning app I downloaded and I used it extensively at the time and still do.

It works like a standard paper-based flashcard system but with the added advantage of a spaced repetition system, that automagically tracks your progress and shows the cards you need to work the most on, while hiding the ones you have successfully learnt.

Features

• 2230 Kanji & 255 Kana
• 4700 Example Words
• Hiragana & Katakana Study Set
• Progress Tracking With Stats & Auto Save
• Browse Mode Lets You Review All Words
• Add Your Own Kanji To Customize All Sets
• “How To” Guide Inside The Program
• Completely Offline
• Four Difficulty Levels As In The JLPT
• Meanings In English
• Readings In Hiragana & Katakana

How It Works

In the screenshots, you’ll notice a list of numbers at the right of the screen, which gives you an indication of how many cards you have mastered and what you have left to do on that level and also how long ago you were last tested.

Cards that have not been tested in a while will randomly reappear to make sure nothing is forgotten over longer time periods.

As per the Kanji app I mentioned previously, Kanji Flip relies on the user honesty system. You are shown a kanji, then you click “Show Answer” and choose “Right” or “Wrong” depending on your answer. If you choose “Right” when you were “Wrong” then you are only cheating yourself and this type of app may not be right for you.

Kanji Flip stores your answers in its database and builds up a list of what you know and don’t know and focuses on the problem kanji, while only showing the ones you already know at longer intervals.

While development work seems to have slowed in recent times as the company focusses on other languages, it works really well and will definitely help any serious kanji student.

Review Summary

• Kanji Touch – Best overall app that covers all aspects of kanji learning.
• Kanji – Basic but very usable. Its strength is in the ease of use and example kanji usage.
• NihongoUp – Beautifully designed app. Great overall app for JLPT 3 and 4 students.
• KanjiPop – Simple, easy to use. Fun way to test your Kanji/English meanings.
• Kanji Flip – Best kanji SRS app. Relies on user honesty to work well.

Any questions or suggestions of apps you like, please leave a comment below.

• App Review: KanjiPop
• App Review: Japanese 101 – Particles
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Review: Kodansha Kanji Dictionary
• Word Of The Week: Choushoku (朝食)

Lima Sky, the two man iPhone development team responsible for the imaginatively titled Kanji (one of the first kanji iPhone learning apps), has unleashed yet another gem with the wonderfully addictive KanjiPop.

KanjiPop is deceptive in its simplicity featuring 16 squares each containing one kanji and an English word at the top of the screen with its On and Kun readings below it.

The aim of the game is to choose one kanji from the grid whose meaning correctly matches the English word at the top.

Seems pretty simple, huh?

Well, the kicker is that there is a time limit of two minutes, which is displayed at the very bottom of the screen and ticks away relentlessly as you fumble your way through each level.

For a competitive bloke like myself I have found it a great way to keep my kanji knowledge up to speed while satisfying my inner need to always beat the clock. ^_^

If you finish a level and beat the clock, you are automagically taken to the next level where sixteen new kanji await you.

This cycle continues until you eventually reach a level where your kanji knowledge fails to beat the clock. Here you are presented with the option of choosing a lower level to re-try or you can simply test yourself on the same level again until you master it and can move on.

Screenshots

Set Options Screen

Choose Kanji Screen

Levels In Action

Wrong Kanji Popup

Choose Level Screen

My only real gripe is that you can’t choose what level to start from at the beginning of the game. If you are up to level 21 but decide you want to refresh yourself with a few simpler kanji, you have to play level 21 and deliberatley not finish it on time or wait for two minutes and then KanjiPop will present you with the screen where you can choose what level you want to play next.

It seems like a strange omission to me so maybe I am missing something. Of course, the smart thing would be to email the guys and let them know rather than expecting them to read my mind and fix it!

With over 2000 kanji across 127 levels, KanjiPop has something to offer everyone from newbies to advanced students of Japanese. Beginners can use it to revise and learn while more advanced students can use it as a fun way to keep their kanji knowledge fresh.

Igor Pusenjak, one half of the Lima Sky team, said in an interview, “With KanjiPop we wanted to bring some fun to reviewing, practicing, and learning the Japanese Kanji characters.”

And they succeeded.

Find KanjiPop at an iTunes store near you. This review is for version 1.14, which is priced at USD$1.99 (Dec 2009).

Please note that this is not an advertisement. I only recommend products that I have bought and used myself.

• Review: My Top 5 Kanji iPhone Apps
• App Review: Japanese 101 – Particles
• Learn Katakana: The Starter Kit
• Hiragana: The A Line
• App Giveaway: Japanese 101 Particles