The basic goal of this dictionary is to give the learner a thorough understanding of how kanji are used in contemporary Japanese by providing instant access to a wealth of information on the meanings, readings and compounds for the most frequently used kanji. Thanks to the author's ground-breaking locator system SKIP (System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns), the user can locate characters as quickly and as accurately as in alphabetical dictionaries. Modern linguistic theory has effectively been integrated with sophisticated IT to produce a powerful tool that will benefit beginners, intermediate and advanced students of Japanese. New features in the revised edition: 772 more kanji included, making a total of 3,002; kana used throughout, in accordance with modern teaching requirements; thousands of additional compounds/usage examples, including the latest vernacular expanded coverage of nanori, or kanji used only in names; includes all alternative forms where acceptable to Joyo Kanji specifications.Summary of Key Elements of the "Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary": 3,002 character entries - 772 more than in the previous edition; features all the new Joyo Kanji (general-use characters prescribed by the Japanese government) and all of the current Jinmei Kanji (characters recognised as unique to names). 5 look-up methods and 3 indexes, including the revolutionary SKIP lookup method for locating entries as quickly as in alphabetical dictionaries through basic pattern recognition; to instantly grasp the inherent visible meaning comprising each character; culled from official statistics compiled by Japan's National Language Research Institute - it is the most up-to-date dictionary available; native syllabary) rather than in Romanised Japanese-another improvement on the previous edition, and one that reflects modern teaching practices created by an automated dictionary-publishing syst0em; presents all core meanings, enabling learners; and covers all high-frequency kanji compounds.