Does Remembering the Kanji teach readings?

Not in the first volume. It covers meaning and writing. Readings are handled separately, and many RTK learners learn them later, through vocabulary.

Is Kanji Guide the same as RTK?

No. It follows the same idea of meaning and shape first, using parts and stories, but the stories, pictures, order and app are our own. We are not affiliated with the author or publisher.

Do I need the book to use an RTK-style method?

No. The idea of learning by parts and stories can be used with any tool. Some people use the book, some use apps, some make their own cards.

Remembering the Kanji: What It Is, and Who It Suits

Short answer: Remembering the Kanji (RTK) is a book by James Heisig that teaches the meaning and writing of kanji, using a keyword and a story for each, in an order where parts come before the kanji that use them. Readings are left to later. It suits people who like a structured, self-made-story approach.

What the book does

Heisig’s idea is to split kanji learning in two. First you learn what a kanji means and how to write it. Only afterwards do you learn how to read it. For the first stage, each kanji gets one English keyword and you build a short story around its parts.

The kanji are ordered so that a part is learned before the kanji that contain it. If you know a tree and a person, a character made of those two is just a small story. You do not meet a complex kanji out of the blue.

In the book, the stories and hints are starting points. Readers are encouraged to invent their own, and many do, because a story you made up is easier to recall. It also takes time, which is one reason ready-made stories exist.

Why people like it

A clear order. You never wonder what to learn next.
Meaning first. You can recognise a lot of characters before you can read them aloud. Some find this a relief.
It treats kanji as pictures. For visual learners that is a good fit.
It works with any flashcard tool. Many RTK learners pair the book with Anki.

Where it gets criticised

Readings come late. You may know a kanji and not be able to say it. For some, that is a fair price. For others, it feels like double work.
Keywords are not always natural. A keyword is a handle, not a translation. Some do not match how the word is used in Japanese.
It takes discipline. A book does not schedule reviews for you. Without a review system, the early kanji fade.
No vocabulary. You learn characters, not words.

All of these are real. They are also why some people take the idea and use it differently, for example alongside vocabulary.

RTK compared with other approaches

	RTK-style	Reading-first (words and readings)
First goal	Meaning and shape	Words and sounds
Readings	After	With each word
Stories	Yes	Sometimes
Good for	Recognising and recalling characters	Speaking and listening

Neither is wrong. Plenty of people mix them: stories for the shape, words for the sound. For a longer look, see picture stories vs WaniKani vs Anki.

How Kanji Guide relates to it

Kanji Guide uses the same core idea: meaning and shape first, using parts and short stories. It is not the book, and it does not contain the book’s text. The order follows JLPT levels, from N5 to N1, across 2131 kanji. The stories and pictures are our own. We are not affiliated with James Heisig or the publisher.

Where we differ from the book:

Readings are shown right away, with example words, so you can see them but do not have to master them.
Review is built in. Reviews are scheduled for you.
Stroke order is animated, so you can see how each kanji is written.
It is free in the browser, and there is an iPhone app.

Here is how a story works in practice, for 休:

A tired person (亻) leans back against a tree (木) with eyes closed to rest.

A person and a tree, and the meaning is in the picture. This is the RTK idea. See the method page for more.

Should you buy the book?

If you like books, enjoy making your own stories and have the discipline to review, it can work well. If you prefer an app that gives you stories, pictures and a schedule, you may not need it. If you are unsure, try an app first. Learn ten kanji with stories and see if the idea suits you.

Trying the idea in an hour

You do not have to commit to a book to find out whether this approach suits you. A small test:

Pick five kanji from the N5 list.
For each, read the story and find the parts in the character.
Watch the stroke order once.
Cover the story. Look at the kanji and say its meaning.
Come back the next day and try again without looking.

If you recalled most of them, the idea works for you. If you did not, change the stories, or try a reading-first approach instead.

What about the PDFs?

Searches for “Remembering the Kanji PDF” are common. We will not point you to copies, since the book is under copyright. The book is sold in print and digital editions, and a library may have it.

Next steps

Try the story approach on the first few kanji: 日, 月 and 木 are good starting points. Or read how to learn kanji from zero, then open the app.