Now Out: Essay 2119 on 冶 (to work metals), Radical Note 15, JLPT Info, and 5 New-Monics

The 305th essay has posted! Essay 2119 on 冶 (to work metals) is now available for purchase. Here's a preview:

Find out how far back the Japanese craved metal and see how acquiring it changed society, enabling people to have weapons, tools, coins, bells, sewn clothes, and even sacred mirrors. Learn to talk about metal experts, from blacksmiths and swordsmiths to metallurgists and those who separate metal from ore. Also discover why there are wavy patterns on Japanese sword blades.

Using the accompanying game on the Character Home Page, you can practice the vocabulary in the essay after reading it. 

To complement this essay, I've posted Radical Note 15 on 冫, the “ice” radical. That resource is free! See if you can identify the kanji represented by an ice sculpture!

Also, some good news for those interested in taking the JLPT or Kanken tests of kanji knowledge. Dictionary maker Wolfgang Hadamitzky has compiled lists of the kanji included in each level of those tests. In "Further Resources" you'll find more information in a section called "Lists of Kanji for the JLPT and Kanken Tests." As I say there, Joy o' Kanji subscribers now have the lists among their account files!

Finally, Ulrike created the following new-monics (which are free!):

沖 (1583: offshore)
妃 (1724: nobleman's wife)
剖 (1813: to dissect)
妙 (1841: marvelous)
霧 (1845: fog)