Mark Spahn

As others have said, it is best to get a handle on stroke order to make this handy tome more excellent than it already is. Its indispensible and easier and often swifter to use as a handy look up than electronic siblings. I cannot recommend this enough. itsa great size and well organised..with handy radical charts on the inside covers. It deals with all the kanji that are essential for everyday use. Clear kanji diagrams and stroke order with a selection of compounds and On and Kun Yomi show more readings. Its basically the Gideons Bible of the pocket Kanji Dictionary world! show less

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.

I don't use it often anymore because looking up kanji on the computer is faster, but when I do need it it's a real life saver. So much so that I don't think I'll ever get rid of this show more dictionary. I love how easy it is to use, I love how much information it has and I love that it will show each kanji and the different ways the same kanji can be written. I don't think there's ever been a time when I was trying to find a kanji in this dictionary that I was unable to.

If you're learning Japanese and plan on keeping up with it I highly recommend you buy this book. show less

Excellent dictionary. I especially like the lists of compound words with the character in different word order. My one reservation is the quirky radical simplification, not because it doesn't work well, but because it is a disservice to learners in the long run.

An absolutely essential resource for any serious student of Japanese. Well worth the investment (it's a bit on the expensive side - try to find it used if you can). All of the jouyou and jinmeiyou kanji are in here, and then some, with tons of useful words and compounds to accompany each character.

Note that if you're not familiar with the concept of stroke order, you may have trouble using this book, as that's how it's organized.