480531170

Contents
Preface to the Second Edition ....................................................................................7
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................8
Introduction ......................................................................................................................9
• Beginnings of the Chinese Script ...................................................................9
• Formational Principles of the Chinese Script .......................................... 12
• Word-Families and the Chinese Script ...................................................... 14
• Fluctuation in the Script: Variant Forms.................................................... 16
• Early and Pre-Modern Character Dictionaries ........................................ 17
• Printed Texts and the Calligraphic Tradition ........................................... 19
• Layout of Entries in This Book ....................................................................... 20
• Sources Used and Terminology in This Book .......................................... 23
• Limitations of This Book ................................................................................. 26
The Japanese Writing System: A Brief Sketch .................................................... 27
Hiragana and Katakana and Their Source Characters .................................... 30
The 214 Determinatives (or ‘Radicals’) System .................................................. 34
General Principles of Stroke Order ......................................................................... 41
Editorial and Typographical Matters; Romanization ....................................... 44
5