Beginner · Kana
Japanese Kana
Two syllabaries. The same 46 sounds. One page each.
Paperback · Hardcover
Japanese shelf
Learn to read Japanese, from kana to JLPT N1
Thirteen books that take you from your first hiragana to the last kanji of the JLPT. Every character is taught on its own page, with stroke order, readings, example words and real sentences.
- kana
- 92
- kanji
- 2,250
- volumes
- 13
- JLPT levels
- 5
Reading order
Start where you are. If you can read kana already, go straight to N5 & N4.
- 1
Kana
Learn both syllabaries: all 92 hiragana and katakana.
Start here - 2
N5 & N4
Your first 285 kanji — everything the N5 and N4 exams expect.
- 3
- 4
- 5
How every kanji page works
Readings with real words
Every on'yomi and kun'yomi comes with its own example words, so you hear each reading in use.
Stroke order first
Each frame adds one stroke in dark ink over the strokes you already wrote in grey — before you trace.
Graded practice squares
A model to look at, an outline to write inside, a faint one to write over — then your own.
Sentences with furigana and romaji
Real sentences for every character, readable from the very first page.
Particles with verbs
Each chapter lists its verbs with the particle each one takes — the part most books skip.
Answers in every chapter
Reference sheets, practice and answer key close every chapter. No flipping to the back.
The seven volumes of N1
N1 is where the written language parts company with the spoken one, so each volume gathers its kanji around one world.
| Volume | In short | Characters | Pages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | 皇 | The formal register. | 170 | 474 |
| Vol. 2 | 匠 | The country at work. | 175 | 490 |
| Vol. 3 | 憧 | The inside of a person. | 170 | 474 |
| Vol. 4 | 肝 | The body and what keeps it going. | 177 | 498 |
| Vol. 5 | 滝 | The country itself. | 176 | 500 |
| Vol. 6 | 把 | Making things and handling them. | 181 | 520 |
| Vol. 7 | 尼 | The classical register and what is left. | 182 | 506 |
All books
JLPT N5 & N4
JLPT Kanji Workbook
Every kanji of the first two JLPT levels, one page each.
Paperback · Hardcover
JLPT N3
JLPT Kanji N3 · Vol. 1
The half of N3 that carries the most weight in ordinary sentences.
Paperback · Hardcover
Questions about the Japanese books
I am a complete beginner in Japanese. Which book should I start with?
Start with Japanese Kana, which teaches all 92 hiragana and katakana. Then move to the JLPT Kanji Workbook for N5 & N4 (285 kanji), then N3, N2 and N1.
How many kanji do the JLPT Kanji books cover?
2,250 kanji in 12 volumes: 285 for N5 & N4, 367 for N3 (2 volumes), 367 for N2 (2 volumes) and 1,231 for N1 (7 volumes).
Do the Japanese books have furigana and romaji?
Yes. Every example sentence in the JLPT Kanji books carries furigana and romaji, so you can read the whole book from the first page.
Which formats are available?
Every book is available in paperback. The Japanese books are also available in hardcover, and Foundations of Chinese and HSK 1 Grammar and Reading are also available as Kindle eBooks.