The JLPT N5 and N4 kanji workbook for the patient hand.
The Magnificent Japan JLPT N5 and N4 kanji workbook teaches one hundred essential kanji by hand. Each character builds one stroke at a time, paired with real vocabulary and its readings. The digital edition is available now; print editions in two trim sizes are in production.
Volume 1 · Digital edition $9.99 · GoodNotes & Notability ready
JLPT N5 and N4
JLPT N4
Completion + N3
Beginner
Capstone
First, the practice space — then the JLPT N5 and N4 kanji workbook deepens it.
The Magnificent Japan practice page is already online. It carries one hundred essential JLPT N5 and N4 kanji. Animated demonstrations teach the stroke order, while a brush simulation gives the feel of shodō without the ink. The page and the workbook work together, not against each other. On screen, you build recognition. With pen on paper, you build muscle memory.
Practice on screen until the strokes feel natural, then move to paper. 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.
One hundred kanji. Two thousand nine hundred practice boxes. One workbook.
Volume 1 draws its one hundred characters from the full JLPT N5 set and on into JLPT N4. They appear by frequency of use, not by mnemonic sequence. Every character builds across a multi-row grid with progressive stroke teaching. Each one pairs with two vocabulary compounds, each carrying on’yomi and kun’yomi readings plus an English meaning. The 8.5×11 edition gives twenty-nine practice boxes per character; the 6×9 edition gives nineteen. The digital edition is available now; both print trims are in production.
Coverage drawn from the JLPT N5 and N4 standards.
What is progressive stroke kanji teaching?
Progressive stroke teaching shows a kanji as it builds. First, stroke one appears in colour. Then stroke two joins it, with stroke one still grey behind it. Each later stroke adds on, the earlier strokes staying grey. Finally, the last stroke completes the character. In effect, the kanji emerges through the practice — the way a teacher draws it on the board.
Every Magnificent Japan kanji workbook uses this method. Few paper workbooks teach the character this way. The grey-to-colour build mirrors how a calligraphy teacher actually works at the desk.
三 (san) — three — built top to bottom in three strokes.
The kanji workbook series — from first kanji to brush capstone.
A learner moving from JLPT N5 to N4 to N3 is on a multi-year path. A single workbook cannot serve all of it. Therefore, each volume picks up where the last left off. Meanwhile, the Kana Workbook runs parallel for beginners. Every kanji in the series appears exactly once, so the set forms one complete path with no wasted repetition.
The series extends as the catalogue grows, continuing into JLPT N3 by the same deduplicated method.
Practice now — on screen, on paper, or both at once.
Writing by hand rewards a few good tools. A brush that holds its line, ink that sits dark on the page, paper that takes the stroke cleanly.
For the desk and the daily practice
Brushes, ink, and the small tools that make writing by hand a pleasure.
Volume 1 is available now. The later volumes publish one at a time — the launch list is how you hear the day each one goes live, and nothing else.
Be told when each volume goes live.
One email per release. Choose the volumes that interest you most. You will hear from Magnificent Japan only when there is news to share.
If you would rather start studying today, one printable reference is ready now.
The JLPT N5 and N4 kanji cheat sheet.
All one hundred essential JLPT N5 and N4 kanji on a single printable page — with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and stroke counts. It pairs as the reference companion to the practice page.
A few questions come up often about the workbooks and how they fit together.
Questions Worth Asking.
What is progressive stroke kanji teaching?
It shows a kanji as it builds. First, stroke one appears in colour. Then stroke two joins it, with stroke one still grey behind. Each later stroke adds on, the earlier strokes staying grey. In effect, this teaches the character as a sequence rather than a finished shape.
Is Volume 1 available now?
Yes. The digital edition of Volume 1 — 100 Essential JLPT N5 and N4 Kanji — is available now for $9.99, formatted for iPad with Apple Pencil through GoodNotes or Notability. Print editions in two trim sizes are in production.
Are these print, digital, or both?
The digital edition of Volume 1 is available now as a write-on PDF for tablet apps. Print editions follow in two trim sizes — 6×9 for portability, and 8.5×11 for home study with larger boxes. Later volumes publish in both.
What is the difference between calligraphy, kanji, and kana?
Kana are the two phonetic alphabets of Japanese, hiragana and katakana. Kanji are the logographic characters that came from Chinese. Calligraphy, or shodō, is the art of writing them with brush and ink. The Magnificent Japan series teaches all three as a single practice.
Will there be a Kindle version?
No. A workbook is for writing in, and a Kindle edition would not allow that. The digital edition is a PDF instead, designed for tablet apps that accept stylus input.
Why a series rather than a single book?
A learner moving from JLPT N5 to N4 to N3 is on a multi-year path. A single workbook cannot serve all of it. Each volume picks up where the last left off, and every kanji across the series appears exactly once.
Can I use the practice page without buying a workbook?
Yes. The practice page needs no signup. It carries one hundred essential JLPT N5 and N4 kanji with animated stroke order and a brush simulation. The workbooks deepen the practice; they do not gate it.
How will I be told when the next volumes go live?
Sign up for the launch list above and select the volumes you want. You will hear from Magnificent Japan only when there is a release.
