Kana de Manga: A Fun, Easy Way to Learn the ABCs of Japanese!

by Glenn Kardy, Chihiro Hattori (Artist)

Kana de Manga, the latest entry in the popular Manga University lineup of books, uses original manga artwork to teach students how to read, write and pronounce the Japanese hiragana and katakana alphabets, also known as "kana." Author Glenn Kardy, editor of several of the English-language volumes in the world-renowned How to Draw Manga series, and artist Chihiro Hattori have teamed up to create this must-have book for manga enthusiasts who are interested in more than just pretty pictures. Includes a foreword by Dr. Ronald A. Morse, professor of Japan Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Manga, Nonfiction, Language, Japan

144 pages, Softcover

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute but not absolutely necessary. I felt that some of the pictures were helpful and connected the Kana (Hiragana/Katakana) to the picture very well, but I also thought that some of the pictures and vocabulary words were a little random. I did not see the connection between picture and kana all the time.

The book also has a nice little introduction to the Japanese writing system in the beginning. Besides the introduction telling you about the Kana, how to pronounce them, etc. I also loved the reference sheets at the beginning and end of the book. The beginning has a table of all of the Hiragana and the back reference sheet has a table of all of the Katakana. This is great for when you need to quickly look up a Kana. Another beautiful thing is that it shows you the correct stroke order (how to correctly write the Kana) and gives you a little space underneath to practice.

And, although I never used it, the book does have some practice sheets in the back of the book were you can practice writing the Hiragana and Katakana.

[Hawraki · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب ممتع لتعلم الهيراغانا والكاتاكانا لكنه ليس أساسيًا، يساعدك الكتاب في ربط الأحرف اليابانية بصور مرئية كيّ تتذكرها وهي طريقة فعاله لحفظ الأحرف، لكن ثمة العديد من الكتب المبنية بذات الفكرة. تتبعت الكتاب من البداية للنهاية مع متابعة الكتابة في دفتر خارجي فحجم الكتاب - رغم كونه يمتلك مساحة صغيرة لممارسة الكتابة - إلا إنه غير عملي من هذه الناحية. سيساعدك هذا الكتاب على التعلم كونه يجمع بين حرف الهيراغانا في الجهة اليسرى وما يقابله من كاتاكانا في الجهة اليمنى. كما يضيف لحصيلة مفرداتك كلمات جديدة، لكنه ليس ضروريًا.

[Димон · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful. I loved how it gave a history or Japan and its culture with some kanas. The fact that each word has a paragraph with context to it, context that uses more Japanese words, was amazingly useful as well. Would recommend to any absolute beginner.

[MyImpossibleList · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book on hiragana and katakana!

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good reference for learning hiragana and katakana (the Japanese writing system).

There's a large picture of the kana, a word containing the kana, the romaji-reading (reading in roman lettering), and how to write it, all of which is definitely a must.

It also has some memorable pictures to represent the word the kana's used in (though that probably wouldn't help you remember the kana), and a little blurb relating to the word and Japanese culture that also contains a few words in kana and their readings/meanings.

If you invest in any of this series, this would probably be the one.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of large illustrations (much like you would find in a western child's 'learn to read' book) drawn in a manga-style to accompany each kana in the Japanese alphabets, complete with examples of japanese words containing the kana to practice your writing skills on, Kana de Manga as a fun, yet useful learning resource. More examples of words would have been welcome, but are easy enough to come across yourself once you have a grasp of the basics.

[Jennifer Gryczkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book. It shows how to write each kana with some space to practice. The illustrations make it feel more fun.

The kana are shown in grids, which is a nice touch; it helps with judging the angles and proportions.

Each kana has one example word and there are a few other random Japanese words throughout the text.

There's not much to this book. Kana de Manga is about learning to write hiragana and katakana and that's what it focuses on.

[Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this book I already knew Hiragana. I found it extremely helpful in memorizing katakana, which I had been struggling with.
The Manga-style graphics really help with the memorization process, giving one an image to associate with the character.

[Falsa Indentidad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I am down with the Hiragana I had great time learning about the cultural notions’ backgrounds of most of the voc that I encountered in anime. Not to mention the funny katakana pronounciation of the English words like SHINDIRIRA & keki :)

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, fun way to teach yourself Japanese.

[Kyle Tye]

need to reed

[Mao]

i want to read it!!!!!!