Welcome to Visual Kanji!
What Is VISUAL KANJI?
VISUAL KANJI is a unique online tutorial course. You will study 1100 kanji and 7000 related vocabulary items by examining common components. You will find this fun to learn and easier to remember because it is based on an etymological breakdown.
The course was originally developed for mature learners at the intermediate level or above, who are looking for a way to study kanji that is not mere memorization. You will soon see that the origin of kanji was essentially a shape to show meaning. You will see how those shapes became the components that make up the kanji that we use now. You will also learn the words that use these kanji. Developing your vocabulary takes time, yet it is crucial to attain higher proficiency. Studying kanji and its related words go hand in hand.
Who Can Participate In This Course?
If your Japanese language level is intermediate or higher and you are interested in learning 1100 kanji and 7000 words, you are the right person for this tutorial course, wherever you live and whenever you want to study. The instruction is in English. There is no college credit associated.
Who Teaches the Course?
The creator of these tutorials is Noriko K. Williams. She has taught Japanese language at a few universities in the U. S. and is the author of an origin-based kanji reference, The Key to Kanji – A Visual History of 1100 Characters 漢字絵解き, which the course uses as its print textbook.
What You Need:
- Online access so that you can view the lesson videos with audio. The videos are fully narrated in English and Japanese.
- A printer to print out the PDF materials for your exercises and vocabulary lists.
- The Key to Kanji – A Visual History of 1100 Characters 漢字絵解き by Noriko Kurosawa Williams. Cheng and Tsui Company.
Schedule of Study:
The author plans to release the study materials over several months. Part 1 (the first 200 kanji) was released in July, 2014; Part 2 (the second 200 kanji ) in September, 2014; Part 3 in January, 2015.