The Kanji Dictionary - by Mark Spahn & Wolfgang Hadamitzky (Hardcover)

About the Book

Contains over 47,000 character compounds and a radical-based reference, as well as an on/kun radical index and a radical "overview" list

Book Synopsis

The acknowledged authority on Japanese Kanji, The Kanji Dictionary makes written Japanese more accessible than ever before and is an absolutely vital tool for anyone seeking to learn Japanese at an intermediate or advanced level.

This is the only kanji dictionary of its kind to employ a revolutionary multiple-reference compound system. Every kanji compound, a word or phrase made up of two or more characters, is listed under each of its components characters. This unique, time-saving feature makes finding compounds fast and easy. Entries are arranged according to a radical based reference system, similar to that used in most other dictionaries, but it has been simplified to make it easier to learn and use. Also, the comprehensive on/kun readings index and handy radical "overview lists" provide further means to find an entry. The focus of this reference work is kanji compounds, and the more than 47,000 entries in the main text include the most common and most important terms and expressions currently in use. The addition of newly coined terms, particularly those in new technical fields, is another key feature.

• Features over 47,000 entries with an emphasis on current expressions.
• Arranged for search from any kanji in a compound.
• Contains a complete on/kun (Chinese/Japanese) reading index.
• Includes an easy-to-use radical guide.
• Provides appendices of counters, historical periods, common Japanese surnames, etc.

From the Back Cover

The Kanji Dictionary make the Japanese written language more accessible then ever before.

Review Quotes

"[Searching from any kanji in a compound] can save a good deal of time and frustration...a highly valued tool." —The Japan Economic Journal

"[The] 79- radical system...is quite logical and rational...and quite easy to get used to...The book is user-friendly." --The Japan Times

"I invested in this dictionary a decade or so ago, when I first started learning Japanese. I have never needed to buy another dictionary. Even now, when I have computer programs that will look up kanji by their radicals, it's still useful because the programs don't always show every variation of a kanji." --Goodreads

"One very useful innovation in [The Kanji Dictionary] is the practice of presenting at the beginning of each radical section an overview list of all the kanji which contain that radical...The authors are to be praised for bringing out such a reference tool." --Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese

"There is no doubt that [The Kanji Dictionary] is a substantial, scholarly work an further confirmation of the considerable contribution that Spahn and Hadamitzky have made to Japanese language materials."--Japan Forum

"This is truly one of the most useful and quite unique trilingual dictionaries of Chinese characters to be compiled for non-native speakers of Japanese." —Committee on East Asian Libraries Bulletin

About the Author

Wolfgang Hadamitzky is a librarian of the East Asia section of the Berlin State Library. He has worked in Oslo and Tokyo on the staff of the German Cultural Institute (Goethe Institute).

Mark Spahn has a background in mathematics, engineering, and computer science. He has worked in Japan as a teacher, computer magazine writer, programmer, and translator. He presently resides in the United States, where he is active as a translator and consultant. Other titles by the same authors include A Guide to Writing Kanji and Kana (Tuttle Publishing) and The Kanji Dictionary (Tuttle Publishing).