Building a Kanji-Learning Network

Dear Japanese Language Educator:

Welcome to KanjiClinic.com!

KanjiClinic.com is a kanji-learning network that may be of interest to you and your more highly motivated students. As you are no doubt aware, the barrier posed by kanji has prevented countless learners of Japanese from achieving mastery of the written language. What are the unique ways in which adults from non-kanji backgrounds, as opposed to Japanese children, can most effectively learn kanji?

Since April, 2001, I have been writing a series of columns for The Japan Times exploring this question in depth. Called "Kanji Clinic," the columns provide practical advice and inspiration to kanji learners at all levels. They are written from the perspective of a non-Japanese who has struggled, as an adult, to attain literacy in Japanese.

A visit to KanjiClinic.com will provide you and your students with all previous "Kanji Clinic" columns. You will also find a variety of in-depth reviews of kanji-learning materials, including kanji-English dictionaries, all written by kanji learners themselves. The "Links" section is an excellent starting point for exploring kanji learning resources in cyberspace.

Finally, "Reader Response" offers an intelligent forum where kanji learners can communicate their questions, needs, and successes. Perhaps you would like to add a word of advice or encouragement, based on your own learning experience, to "Reader Response." To date, kanji learners in more than 60 different countries have accessed the site--the network is growing!

The door to kanji literacy is always open at KanjiClinic.com. Take a peek inside. If you like what you see, I encourage you to spread the word to your students and colleagues.

Sincerely,
Mary Sisk Noguchi
Nagoya