Hanja – Bruce K Grant
Bruce Grant
For those interested in learning or expanding their knowledge of hanja, the several thousand Chinese characters incorporated into written Korean, one of my favourite books is available outside Korea, via Amazon. A Guide to Korean Characters, by Bruce. K. Grant is an excellent book which I have previously reviewed. The first copy I bought in 2000 at a cost of 15000 Won and ten years later a second copy cost me 15500 Won (£7.50p). Kyobo books in both Seoul and Daegu often have copies readily available.
An excellent and easy to use resource
The book has excellent reviews and has probably been the most extensive source on Hanja characters since it was first published in 1979.
You don’t have to be an advanced student of Korean to use this book, even if you are a beginner who have just learned Hangul script you should get this inexpensive treasure.
This is pretty much the only book of its kind that is somewhat readily available, so if you see it – buy it.
There is unlikely to be any new books like this one.
For some reason people only seem to bother learning basic Korean, and the publishers know this so they wont bother publishing any new books like this.
But judging by all the positive reviews and remarks for this little book there is a need for material like this.
So, support the learning of Korean outside of South & North Korea and learn more than just the basics – develop and challenge yourself by learning traditional characters and expand your cultural knowledge (one of the 12 reviews currently hosted on Amazon USA).
The book is hardback and durable and even after 10 years of fingering in a sometimes humid climate, my original copy is still in good condition. Grant has also published books on Korean Proverbs: Dragons Head, Snake Tail and Frog in a Well, (1982), and White Field Korean (1982).
Also by Bruce Grant
Be careful where you buy Korean Characters as prices vary; in the USA the cost is approx $29 in the UK it is a staggering £35.
Previous review on Bathhouse Ballads
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Hanja (한자. 漢字)
An excellent and easy to use resource.
Bruce K Grant. Published by Hollym. ISBN – 0-930878-13-2
This has been my favourite hanja resource for a number of years and to such an extent that I recently ordered a second copy. The book is organised in stroke order which means characters easily be found especially if you are familiar with the radical. Each character’s stroke order is provided plus a number of examples given highlighting the use of the character. The book lists the 1800 characters (basic 1 stroke through to 26) taught in Korean schools. In addition, there is an interesting introduction to the history of Chinese characters and an insight into the various types of characters. The author also provides a radical index and a list of the hanja characters associated with Korean family names.
The book hardback and durable, and unlike some books I have bought in Korea, the quality of both the paper and printing is excellent.
A glimpse inside the book. My photo doesn't do it justice!
I originally bought a copy in Kyobo Books, Seoul, in 2002 and last year ordered a copy from Kyobo Books, in Daegu. My original copy cost 15000W (approx £8.80.) and the most recent copy was still 15000 won, something!
Link -for a more recent review with links to Amazon
This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.
Elwood 5566 
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