<em>Kun </em>homophones - native-Japanese words that are pronounced alike but are written with different kanji, and often differ in meaning-pose a particular challenge to students at the intermediate level. Words like<em>noboru </em>or <em>kaeru</em>, for example, can be written with several different kanji, each contributing a distinct shade of meaning. The often-subtle nuances conveyed by kanji confuse even Japanese people, and very few dictionaries provide good guidance on kanji usage.<br><br><em>The Kodansha Kanji Usage Guide </em>is a new type of reference work that enables learners to deepen their understanding of how<em>kun</em> homophones are used in contemporary Japanese. The first Japanese-English resource devoted exclusively to<em>kun </em>homophones, the book presents detailed usage articles that show the differences and similarities for 675 homophone groups, or 1590 kanji headings-the vast majority of single-character<em>kun</em> homophones in current use.<br><br>With headwords arranged in Japanese <em>a-i-ue-o </em>order and thousands of illustrative examples<em></em>of kanji in context, the <em>Usage Guide </em>is at once<em> </em>a dictionary and a manual-an all-around<em></em>resource for clarity on kanji used in <em>kun</em> homophones. Armed with this unique guide,<em></em>learners will discover in kanji new meanings<em> </em>they never knew existed, and learn to write<em></em>Japanese more articulately than ever before.