Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese

"Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese" by Florence Skade is a basic tool that I tend to use as an extension of the left-side of my brain. Although it is not a beginner learning tool it is a stupendous reference guide for all Japanese students. This reference book will assist any foreign student learning Japanese to achieve higher grades in school than those students without this learning tool.

"Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese" covers 881 essential characters prescribed by the Japanese Ministry of Education that are required to be known by all Japanese students by the sixth grade level. By following the pages in chronologic order, a foreign Japanese student will be able to learn the Kanji characters in the same order in which they are taught in Japan to native students. The Japanese Ministry of Education has devoted a lifetime of research to learn which Kanji characters should be taught and in which order. This research has blueprinted the order in which each Kanji character is seen in this reference book. By learning the Kanji characters in the order given, aids the foreign student in the most relevant grasp on vocabulary that will assist in learning the language faster. In addition, it contains 969 beneficial characters that will assist in everyday vocabulary. Generally, to read a newspaper or book, a Japanese reader must know around 4,000 Kanji characters. Although this reference book contains only 1,850, a Japanese reader can understand the concept of most texts given in Japanese. Saving the time by learning 2,150 characters less than the average Japanese person can put a Japanese foreign student ahead of the game. Or, if the plan of learning Japanese was based on the need to understand anime, this reference book is the perfect solution to learning Japanese easy.