Japanese Kanji Cards Kit Volume 1 (Tuttle Flash Cards): Learn 448 Japanese Characters Including Pronunciation, Sample Sentences & Related Compound Words

I am currently taking a degree in Japanese studies at Sheffield University, and the Tuttle Kanji flash cards have been absolutely superb for Kanji learning.Each card has information on both sides. On the first side there is:- the Kanji character- 3 or 4 common examples of its use- the number of strokes- and, perhaps most usefully of all, a clear and detailed breakdown of the various individual parts or "radicals" of the character - thanks to this, I was able to understand how Kanji characters were formed (for example, the Kanji "tsukuru" or "to make/work" is formed from the characters for "person" and "saw") and this has really helped me to both understand and remember seemingly complex Kanji characters with ease.On the reverse side:- the various readings of the Kanji are listed (using "romaji" instead of Hiragana or Katakana, unfortunately)- translations of the common examples given on the first side- a breakdown of the stroke order for the Kanji characterOverall, the cards are near-perfect for the study of Japanese Kanji.If I were to be picky, I would say that the cards could have used hiragana or katakana instead of romaji. Also, the fact that the Kanji is shown in stroke-order stages on the reverse side of the card make it difficult to test yourself in reverse (i.e. by looking at the reading alone and trying to remember and draw the Kanji character). However, there is plenty of empty space on the cards for personal notes (I used this to write the reading in Hiragana and Katakana with a marker pen) and the size of the cards make it very easy to take a small pack with you wherever you go and test yourself at quiet moments of the day.In short, these are very highly recommended. I have ordered all four boxes and I simply cannot imagine not revising Kanji without them. Absolutely superb learning tools.

All as it should

I strongly recommend it to anyone. Very practical and useful. I will certainly buy Volume 2, 3 and 4. It makes learning Japanese easier,

Brill! Got the full set now, and slowly working my way through.

This set of flash cards is vital for any begginning student of japanese. Once the basic grammar is learnt, the problem of learning hundreds of Kanji rears its head. Fortunately, with a bit of work its not too hard, especiall with this set, and volume 2 too. After working though both volumes your kanji should be good enough to just pick up new ones as they come along. Premade cards make it easy to read to the bus, in breaks between lectures, before bed, whenever you have a spare moment, since constand practice is vital for kanji. Each Kanji card also comes with 4 words containing that kanji. This is absolutely essential. Without the words you would never remember the kanji readings, and it also reapidly expands your vocabulary.A word of caution however, as these cards do not teach you how to learn Kanji. They do not teach what the compontents of the Kanji are, and so another book in addition to this is absolutely essential.