This site uses frames to split your window into two halves. The left-hand side gives lists of kanji or compounds made from more than one kanji. If you're having difficulty remembering a kanji's reading, you can reveal it by moving your mouse cursor over the kanji picture.
Cool, hey? Then, for more information on that individual kanji,
clicking on it will call up all manner of info in the
right-hand window, without losing the left-hand window. Don't
believe me? Then try the handy example below...
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Furthermore, the complete reading is "hidden" under the small Japanese flag to the right of the compound, and the English translation is under the small UK flag. To read either, move the cursor over the flag and leave it there for a couple of seconds. It should pop into view in a small floating box, if you're using Internet Explorer. With Netscape Navigator, they should appear at the bottom of your browser's window, in the status bar. Actually clicking on either of the flags will take you to the foot of the left-hand page, from where you can move back to the various index pages. Try it above.
If you haven't done so already, click on the "dai" kanji above and look at the page that comes up on the right of your browser screen. You should get a list of different readings, plus examples of usage, and even a guide to help you distinguish between it and other similar-looking characters.
The readings in capitals are called On readings, "borrowed" from the Chinese. These are most commonly used with other kanji to form compounds. The lower case readings are called Kun readings, and are typically complete Japanese words or stems of verbs or adjectives.
Here, leaving the cursor over a miniature kanji tile will bring up a small floating box containing either the reading or translation. Again, clicking on a miniature kanji will bring up information about that character in the right-hand window - including the JLPT level, 1 (Hardish) to 4 (Not actually that hard). Clicking on the large kanji at the top of the page will reset the right-hand side to a blank page. This way Level 4 students needn't be unduly worried if they follow a link to a kanji they don't "need" to know. You can simply return to the previous page using your browser's "Back" button, or reset the page and forget all about it....
Until you take the next level, of course....
I've tried not to have too many links from Level 4 kanji to higher-level kanji. However, I'm of the opinion that even kanji you don't need yet are worth investigating for curiosity's sake. Furthermore, although you can indeed make the word "Daimyou" (feudal lord) from Level 4 kanji, it is perhaps unlikely to crop up during your test sentences about what kind of bento Mrs.Tanaka bought this morning. The point is that this is a kanji site, not a rigourous vocabulary primer, and anything that helps you learn how kanji can fit together has got to be good. Right? Right.