Kanji Mnemonics

Picture-book mnemonics for every JLPT kanji, N5 to N1, with a Today's Kanji widget.

Kanji Mnemonics runs on iPhone and iPad. The app is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

Kanji mnemonics: how a picture and a short story make a kanji stick

A kanji mnemonic links the shape to a meaning with a small scene. How they work, examples, when to write your own, and who they don't suit.

How to learn kanji as a beginner

Where to start with kanji, how many a day, and why meanings first works for most beginners. A simple plan you can keep up with a busy week.

JLPT N5 kanji list, grouped by theme

The JLPT N5 kanji, grouped into numbers, days, people, verbs and more. Why there is no official list, and how to learn the set in a month.

JLPT N4 and N3 kanji: how many there are and how to study them

N4 adds roughly 200 kanji to N5, N3 another 350 or so. What changes at these levels, how to pace them and how to handle look-alike kanji.

Remember the Kanji: the method, the criticism, and the alternatives

Heisig's Remember the Kanji teaches a keyword and a story for each kanji before any readings. What it does well, the common complaints, and other options.

Kanji flashcards: how to use them well

Flashcards help when you test yourself in both directions and keep sessions short. What to put on a kanji card, how often to review and app options.

WaniKani alternatives, free and paid

WaniKani is popular but fixed-pace and paid after level 3. The alternatives learners actually recommend, what each does differently and who it suits.

Kanji of the day widget: a small daily habit

A Home Screen or Lock Screen widget shows a new kanji each day. How to set it up on iPhone, and how to turn a glance into something you remember.

Kanji radicals and components: learn the parts, then the kanji

Most kanji are built from a few hundred recurring parts. Which components to learn first, how they hint at meaning or sound, and how they help mnemonics.

JLPT kanji prep: how long each level takes

How many months to plan for each JLPT level's kanji, what to do in the last six weeks and how the test checks kanji. Built around the July and December dates.