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Kanji Handbook by Vee David
KanjiHybrids

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The last posts in this thread   (newest first, maximum 10 posts):
Peter (Guest) 2009-11-20, 09:09
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The most useful thing I have found using this book is the creation of rhymes linking two or three visually similar kanji together - it essentially allows you to learn three kanji for the mental effort of one. It also makes revision more entertaining, and therefore more memorable (and I am more inclined to revise every day, because it is less boring).

The kanji hybrids also provide an interesting opportunity to use your knowledge in everyday situations, by starting to put the kanji for the first letter of the words you know (when writing in your diary, or making a shopping list, for example).

Overall, I find the book very useful, as both reference tool and learning aid. Sure, it won't suit everyone, but since most textbooks expect you to merely learn by rote, this is book will give us some much needed diversity in learning options.
Admin (Administrator) 2009-01-28, 01:35
Member since Feb 2007 · 72 posts · Location: Tokyo
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Subject: Kanji-lish
I found this Firefox add-on which replaces the first letter of English words with a Kanji that has the meaning of the word.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7208
Ivan-San (Guest) 2008-11-23, 20:17
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This is a retarded concept!!!
It is quite dangerous, because you'll start linking english sounds to the kanji, and completely different ones from the ones you use to read them... and what's more, different sounds for characters with the same On-bearing radical...
Not onely useless, but detrimental for proper reading of Kanji!
Admin (Administrator) 2007-09-05, 03:15
Member since Feb 2007 · 72 posts · Location: Tokyo
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Subject: a review
I found the following review of the Kanji Handbook on the internet.

World's First Alphabetical Kanji Index
I found the book heavily discounted so I decided to buy it, mainly because I liked the look of the Veemeunics . These are interesting little sentences using these kanji hybrids to link characters in your memory mainly by shape. For instance 遠istant 園arden, in fact a 猿onkey's den...

And the idea behind using hybrids I find quite interesting. Why 遠istant is different than 遠 = distant and oddly a more useful connection. I also think the ambiguity at times helps by making me look closer or think harder. I first thought 猿onkey might be Donkey because of the potential rhyme. but in fact it's monkey and I think it might now be a permanent memory. or has the potential to be. To be fair to the author he does have this to say. KanjiHybrids are not an end in itself, but a learning tool to further knowledge. The ultimate goal is familiarity with kanji compounds, pure and simple. You must set in motion a lifetime commitment for advancing your kanji reading and writing skills through constant and continuous application.

Indeed if you take away the hybrids, the method is very much a traditional one. The twist is it's using your 16 years plus of English knowledge to give you a leg up. I think it might work and intend to give it a try. Nothing to lose really and it lends itself as an addition to how I already try to learn kanji. The indices are interesting. The alphabetical index of English key words is the first I've seen in a dictionary. There are also indices based on JLPT level and Japanese grade which could be useful. As well as the usual reading index and radical index. Less useful I find is the kana index. I'm not sure why it is there as the reading index does a better job. Also of limited usefulness, I think, is the new method of indexing kanji -- the flip index. I think this is novelty for novelty's sake. It's meant to be an easy way for non-kanji literate people to find a kanji, but I'm not sure it's precise enough. Or clearly enough explained. Jack Halpern's SKIP method is a more accurate and more thought out method based on shape and definitely better explained.
Kanji Reviewer
Kanji Hiragana (Guest) 2007-07-31, 13:40
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The Japanese should get the credit for KanjiHybrid. They started mixing Kanji characters with what was purely Hiragana text.

This guy followed the idea, but this time Kanji characters with English letters. The author believes that if the Japanese succeeded in KanjiHybrid with Hiragana, KanjiHybrid with English might work.
Admin (Administrator) 2007-06-02, 21:00
Member since Feb 2007 · 72 posts · Location: Tokyo
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OK, I went to a bookstore which has this book today. The book seems to be formatted like a kind of Kanji dictionary. There is the Kanji hybrid and then there are a couple of dozen words that use that kanji. The readings of the words are listed in romaji and the English is given for the word. There also seemed to be some kind of cross-reference or something for each hybrid entry. And then the Kanji character is also shown with numbers next to each stroke to show you the stroke order.

That's all this book really seems to have. There is no method, or nothing else given to you to learn the Kanji. To me, it's simply a Kanji dictionary with a good list of words for each character. When I read the example sentence above, I simply ignore all the Kanji.

If anybody as an opposing view, please go ahead and reply here.
Kanji Handbook (Guest) 2007-03-21, 21:14
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Subject: KanjiHybrids
Vee David's sent me the following "KanjiHybrid" text:

Your 学earning 進rogress will 決ecide the book’s 想oncept and 命estiny. In the 間eantime, I have 既lready
発eveloped a beta 版ersion of a KanjiHybrid software, that 自utomatically 変ransform　英nglish words into KanjiHybrids. Please 受ccept my 永ver-lasting 謝ratitude.

If we can 通ommunicate in KanjiHybrid 文ext such as 上bove, the 限imit is just one’s 創magination.

From my 窓indows by the 海cean,

Vee David
genkiman 2007-03-19, 14:51
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Is there any way to see some examples or parts of this book? I would like to be sure that it is indeed different from other methods.
Thank you in advance.
Admin (Administrator) 2007-03-17, 10:29
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Subject: Kanji Handbook by Vee David
Have you used this book? If so, could you post your opinion about it here? This is a new book just published December 30, 2006. The description of it over at Amazon says:

Book Description
The Kanji Handbook is a revolutionary new learning technique for students of the Japanese language. This innovative book presents the concept and application of "KanjiHybrids," a teaching tool created by the author to help non-Japanese speakers learn Kanji. Simply put, Vee David has linked the 1,945 most commonly used Kanji characters with English words to form one integral unit, a "Kanji Hybrid". Using mnemonics as a learning tool, the author has replaced the first letter of an English word with the Kanji for that word in an effort to help students memorize difficult Kanji characters.

Employing learning strategies that will aid students from beginning to advanced levels, The Kanji Handbook is an exciting new entry into the difficult world of Japanese language learning.


About the Author
Vee David is an Assistant Professor at Kyushu University of Health and Welfare in Miyazaki, Japan.

It sounds very intriguing. But I haven't seen any mention of how the author teaches the readings of the Kanji characters.
Current time: 2010-09-06, 00:15:56 (UTC +09:00)