use kanji everyday essential

books:

250 Essential Kanji for Everyday Use, Vol. 1

10 reviews
Akiyo Nishino, Junko Ishida

Tuttle Publishing, 1993

One of two main contenders
This series of two volumes contends with "Basic Kanji Book vols 1 & 2" as perhaps the best introduction to kanji. Both series introduce 500 high frequency kanji and associated vocabulary. If you are in Japan or will be there soon then this one may be more useful as it has a greater emphasis on practical vocabulary (signs, menus etc). The down side is that it doesn't present the kanji in as ...

250 Essential Kanji for Everyday Use, Vol. 2

4 reviews
Junko Ishida, Akiyo Nishino, ...

Tuttle Publishing, 2004

This is the best book I have come across for kanji
I have tried a number of books for learning kanji, but this one is the most effective that I have used so far. It is good because it provides real-life examples of the very kanji that you are learning, such as housing applications, grocery store listings, and Japanese computer menus. I would highly recommend this book, along with Vol. 1.