The first-ever guide to native-Japanese words that sound the same but are written with different characters, often with subtly different meanings. The KODANSHA KANJI USAGE GUIDE enables learners to deepen their understanding of how script is used in contemporary Japanese. The first Japanese-English resource devoted exclusively to kun 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 kun homophones in current use.