An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Japan.

Making one's way through the dense jungle of Old Japanese poetry and prose can be a daunting and discouraging task because of the complex writing systems used during the Asuka (550–710 CE) and Nara (710–789 CE) eras. The intricate script is a bewildering mix of Chinese characters employed for their semantic or phonetic value or as hints to other words—or even for word games. For the first time in English, this dictionary lists all 1,215 Chinese characters used as phonograms (ongana) or vernacular characters (kungana) in Old Japanese texts. It brings together a vast amount of data in relation to Chinese phonology: Old Chinese, Later Han Chinese, Middle Chinese, Sino-Japanese (both Go-on and Kan-on), Sino-Korean, Sino-Vietnamese, and Chu Nom. The entries contain examples from more than twenty Old Japanese texts showing how each character was used and in what context. Data from excavated wooden tablets, or slips (mokkan), is included as well as a chart of all the graphs and where they appear in the cited material. Students and scholars of Old Japanese writing and language and those more widely interested in the culture and history of pre-Heian Japan now have important linguistic and textual data at their fingertips arranged by character to help them decipher material from the ancient past.

Learn the ABC's with traditional Japanese food in this beautiful children's book! From A for Azuki to Z for Zashiki, "Japanese ABC's" features favorite Japanese foods for the ultimate language learning experience, with Japanese Hiragana and English words included! The many colorful illustrations and funny faces feed the appetites of even the hungriest growing readers! "Japanese ABC's" was created by the bestselling author and illustrator Sophiya Ichida Sweet, who aims to share her Japanese American heritage and her love of Japanese cuisine with readers around the world. This book features large print which makes it easy to read for both younger and older readers! It is available in print and as a Kindle eBook. This is the perfect gift for early readers and foodies. Sophiya Sweet aims to encourage kids to celebrate their culture by learning about language, food, and traditions in a fun and playful way. Make learning the alphabet an oishii experience!

Teaches how to read and write Japanese so the Japanese comic books and cartoons can be enjoyed.

The perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine. There's no denying it, Japanese cuisine is a worldwide favorite. But how do you explain the beauty of this unique food culture? Japanese cuisine is one of the most diverse, whether it's everyday home cooked meals, popular Western style, seasonal dishes, sushi, or high-end kaiseki multi-course dinners, Japanese food encompasses all. Full of traditional wisdoms and customs, this book reviews the basics of essential Japanese food culture in 101 items. It is the perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine, giving you a glimpse into the heart and spirit of washoku.rt in no time!

Introduces the letters of the alphabet with colorful illustrations and text that describes the culture and history of Japan.

My First Book of Japanese Words is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces young children to Japanese language and culture through everyday words. The words profiled in this book are all commonly used in the Japanese language and are both informative and fun for English-speaking children to learn. The goals of My First Book of Japanese Words are multiple: to familiarize children with the sounds and structure of Japanese speech, to introduce core elements of Japanese culture, to illustrate the ways in which languages differ in their treatment of everyday sounds and to show how, through cultural importation, a single word can be shared between languages. Both teachers and parents will welcome the book's cultural and linguistic notes and appreciate how the book is organized in a familiar ABC structure. Each word is presented in Kanji (when applicable), Kana, and Romanized form (Romaji). With the help of this book, we hope more children (and adults) will soon be a part of the 125 million people worldwide that speak Japanese!