The Kanji Workbooks
One hundred kanji at a time, learned by hand, stroke by stroke.
Volume 1 is out now in digital and 6×9 paperback. Volumes 2 and 3 follow.
Open the Practice Page
The Series
Three volumes, one path
Each volume picks up where the last left off. Every kanji appears once across the series, from JLPT N5 into N3.
100 Essential JLPT N5 & N4 Kanji
The first hundred kanji by frequency, each built stroke by stroke with real vocabulary.
Available now Volume 2 · N4
100 Essential JLPT N4 Kanji
The next hundred kanji by frequency, the characters a learner meets first at N4.
Coming soon Volume 3 · N5/N4 to N3
JLPT N5/N4 Completion + N3 Bridge
Closes every remaining N5 and N4 gap, then crosses into the first N3 kanji.
Coming soonAlso in production: the Kana Practice Workbook and the Brush Calligraphy Workbook. See the Calligraphy Workbooks
Start Here
Practice on screen, then on paper
The practice page carries the same hundred kanji, with animated stroke order and a brush simulation. On screen, you build recognition. On paper, you build muscle memory.
Twenty minutes online and twenty minutes with the workbook beats an hour of either alone. The screen trains your eye; the paper trains your hand.
Open the Practice PageA Look Inside
One hundred kanji. 1,900 practice boxes.
Every page follows the same rhythm. The character sits large at the top, the build shows each stroke in order, then the grid fades from traced to freehand.
The Method
Progressive stroke teaching
Each kanji appears as it builds. Stroke one arrives, then stroke two joins it, until the character is complete, the way a teacher draws it on the board.
一
Stroke 1→
二
Stroke 2→
三
Stroke 3 The Opening Sequence
The first twelve kanji
Volume 1 opens where Japanese opens: with the elements. These appear most often on signs, menus and calendars in Japan.
01
日
sun, day
02
月
moon, month
03
火
fire
04
水
water
05
木
tree, wood
06
金
gold, money
07
土
earth, soil
08
山
mountain
09
川
river
10
田
rice field
11
空
sky, empty
12
海
sea
The full hundred live on the JLPT N5 kanji list, or study five a day with Daily Kanji.
The Digital Edition
Study on your iPad
A write-on PDF built for tablet study. Import it once, then write every practice box with an Apple Pencil. Erase and try again as often as you like.
冊
Write-on PDF
Every page writable
筆
Apple Pencil
Or any active stylus
帳
GoodNotes
Import as a document
記
Notability
Full annotation support
More on tablet study in the digital workbook guide.
By Hand
How to practice kanji by hand
Writing a kanji is not drawing a picture of it. Stroke order exists because the hand, moving correctly, produces the shape almost on its own. Trace slowly, then write it unaided, smaller each time.
Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. The science of writing and memory explains why, and the flashcard method guide shows how to pair writing with review.
For the Desk
Tools for daily practice
Brushes, ink and the small tools that make writing by hand a pleasure.
The Launch List
Hear when each volume goes live
One letter per release, the day Volumes 2 and 3 arrive.
Thank you. The next letter will find you.
Printable Reference
The JLPT N5 and N4 kanji cheat sheet
All one hundred kanji on one printable page, with meanings, readings and stroke counts.
Thank you. The JLPT N5 and N4 kanji cheat sheet is on its way.
The Studio
Every tool, in one place
Practice the kanji on screen, play, and plan your trip.
Calligraphy Practice
Trace 100 essential kanji, stroke by stroke, with a brush on the screen.
Begin Practice
Daily Kanji
Five kanji a day, with stroke order, readings and a sentence in context.
Today’s Five
The 100 Kanji Challenge
Learn every JLPT N5 kanji in one hundred days, a short session at a time.
Join the Challenge
Japanese Name Generator
Find your Japanese name in kanji, with its meaning and how to say it.
Find Your Name
AI Japan Trip Planner
Plan a luxury Japan trip day by day, choosing each stay and each meal.
Plan Your Trip
Anime in Japan
A sixty-second quiz that finds your next series, from Ghibli to MAPPA.
Take the Quiz
Catch the Sakura
A short browser game. Catch the falling blossoms before the season ends.
Catch the Sakura
Residency Assessment
Seven residency pathways. A short assessment shows you which one fits.
Take the AssessmentQuestions
Questions Worth Asking
Is Volume 1 available now?
Yes. Volume 1, 100 Essential JLPT N5 & N4 Kanji, is available now as a digital edition for $14.99 and as a 6×9 paperback for $14.99.
When do Volumes 2 and 3 arrive?
Both are in production and publish one at a time. Join the launch list above to hear the day each one goes live.
What is progressive stroke teaching?
It shows a kanji as it builds. Stroke one appears first, then each later stroke adds on, so you learn the character as a sequence rather than a finished shape.
Which kanji does Volume 1 teach?
One hundred foundational characters from the JLPT N5 set and on into N4, ordered by frequency. It opens with sun, moon, fire, water, tree and mountain.
Can I use the workbook on an iPad?
Yes. The digital edition is a write-on PDF. Import it into GoodNotes, Notability or any PDF app, then write with an Apple Pencil or stylus.
Will there be a Kindle version?
No. A workbook is for writing in, and Kindle does not allow that. The digital edition is a PDF made for stylus apps instead.
Can I use the practice page without a workbook?
Yes. The practice page needs no signup. The workbooks deepen the practice; they do not gate it.