BSP
Blue Sea Press
Japanese Learning Systems
Blue Sea Press
Blue Sea Press provides products to assist in learning of the Japanese language.
Reason for Login
Access to a Blue Sea Press product is provided by a link on the Member page.
Some products are offered free of charge while others require a subscription. The subscription products will not appear on the Member page unless the user selects them in the Shopping Cart.
The link to Kanji Learning Today: Online 1, which is provided free of charge, will appear in the Active Resources section of the Member page. The user has the option of causing the link to also appear in the Active Subscriptions section by selecting the product in the Shopping Cart and completing Checkout. Because there is no charge for the product, the Checkout will immediately complete without requiring any payment or any entry of payment information.
The following images illustrate the flow for using Kanji Learning Today: Online 1.
Kanji Learning Today
Kanji Learning Today is a system that helps a learner remember many kanji within a relatively short period of time.
The system includes three online volumes and three corresponding workbooks.
A feature of the system is that it presents 20 kanji on each page. The user can complete several pages in a single study session. After a few sessions, the user remembers the kanji and builds a reading level.
Kanji Learning Today — Online
Study kanji on a phone, tablet, or computer.
Each page is interactive — tap to study.
Kanji Learning Today: Online 1 is offered free of charge and will be present on the Member page after login.
A new user can start an account at the Signup page.
Coverage of the Kanji Learning Today Volumes
Online 1 covers the 1026 “Education Kanji” (教育漢字). The Ministry of Education specifies that these characters be taught at the Japanese elementary school level. Kanji Learning Today presents the kanji at the same grade levels as the schools, thereby helping the second language learner develop reading ability.
Online 2 presents the 1110 “Graduation Kanji”, a term selected by the editor. The Ministry of Education says these characters will be taught in middle school and high school but does not mandate which characters be taught at a particular grade. The volume, along with the Education Kanji, completes the Joyo Kanji List, which forms a baseline for literacy and circumscribes the characters allowed in official government documents.
Online 3 offers the 863 “Name Kanji” (人名用漢字). These are characters not on the Joyo Kanji List but were deemed important to be allowed to be used in the official registration of people’s names, and are for that reason approved for name use by the Ministry of Justice. For clarity’s sake, it should also be noted that the Joyo Kanji can also be used in people’s names.
Online 1 is offered free of charge and will be present on the Member page after login.
Online 2 and Online 3 are available in the Shopping Cart and will appear on the Member page after purchase.
Kanji Learning Today — Workbook
The Kanji Learning Today system includes three workbooks.
Writing the kanji boosts recognition.
Each Workbook presents the kanji with the same sequence as the corresponding Online volume. The reinforcing effect helps the user learn faster.
Within the workbook, each Practice Page is accompanied by a Stroke Order Page so that the user can quickly glance at a diagram to note the correct stroke order for writing a particular kanji.
For additional information, see Kanji Learning Today.
Availability of the Workbooks
Each Kanji Learning Today workbook is available in two versions, a print-on-demand paperback version at Amazon.com and U-print version at blueseapress.com.
The paperback version is printed on thicker-than-standard paper with the Stroke Order Page given directly opposite each Practice Page for easy reference during practice.
The U-print version is a PDF digital file. The user prints pages as needed. The Stroke Order Pages are presented in a separate section of the book so that printing can be avoided except for initial print or as needed.
Kanji Learning Today: Workbook 1
Kanji Learning Today: Workbook 2
Kanji Learning Today: Workbook 3
kltNotes is a series of posts on social media that provide additional information about Kanji Learning Today. In some cases the user may simply make a mental note about the given topic, and in other cases the user may want to make a written note in his or her copy of the related Kanji Learning Today workbook in order to review the information each time the concerned kanji is practiced.
There are several reasons for providing the additional information as posts.
Accessing the kltNotes
kltNotes are available at the following social media page.
https://nihongo.social/@blueseapress
The above page is hosted by a Mastodon social media server.
As a general rule, 1 kltNote will be posted per day on the nihongo.social server.
kltNotes may be available on other social media as well, such as the following.
kltNote Example
The following example shows a kltNote with the image above and the text below.
海、かい、sea, ocean、2-1-14
contains
毎、まい、every, each ~、2-8-5
In the above example, the target kanji is located at 2-1-14, which refers to Year 2, Set 1, Position 14 (Year 2 is in Workbook 1), the kanji-in-kanji is identified, and the source kanji is shown to be located at 2-8-5.
The intent is to help the user be aware that a particular portion of the target kanji contains a fully formed separate kanji. There may be a similarity of readings or connection in meaning, but even if such a connection is not apparent, becoming familiar with the relationship can be helpful in removing the mystery of “Where did I see that kanji before?”
For additional information, log in, go to Kanji Learning Today: Online 1 and follow the link to the Introduction.
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard is a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand explanation of how Japanese words are accented. This helps proper pronunciation and boosts learning.
Each lesson is presented with an online video and webpage text.
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard STARTER
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard STARTER presents Lessons 1~3 at no charge.
It is available in the Shopping Cart at a price of $0.00. Select Japanese Accent: Penult Standard STARTER and proceed to Checkout. At execution of Checkout, the process will bypass the payment interface and immediately succeed. The link to Japanese Accent: Penult Standard STARTER will then appear on the user’s Member page.
A new user can start an account at the Signup page.
Lessons 1~3 of Japanese Accent: Penult Standard STARTER will introduce the user to a few of the main concepts of the accent system.
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard FULL
Japanese Accent: Penult Standard FULL presents Lessons 1~12. A subscription is necessary, which can be purchased in the Shopping Cart.
A link to Japanese Accent: Penult Standard FULL will appear on the Member page after purchase.
Lessons 1~12 of Japanese Accent: Penult Standard FULL explain all of the concepts of the accent system, helping the user understand how to pronounce Japanese correctly. The system eliminates misunderstandings about accent in Japanese and provides a solid foundation for the user.
For additional information, see Japanese Accent.
Accent Examples
The lessons explain accent by word categories, such as verbs and nouns. The lessons include 317 word examples and 155 sentence examples. The examples are given in specially constructed blocks that show the accent in hiragana, then again as furigana when using kanji to represent the word.
Example Word
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Example Sentence
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Non-Intuitive Details Explained
While the central premise is clearly explained starting in Lesson 1, there are many non-intuitive details that are carefully described throughout the series. These details concern topics such as the following.
Other Information
Other Information provides details about Blue Sea Press.
