When you study for the N3 JLPT test you become a slave of kanji, like or not. One of the key skills to learn quickly is how to use a kanji dictionary. Last time we looked at the onkun index, this time we look at the form index or radical index. It allows you to begin to focus on the radicals that make up the kanji as a guide to help you look them up when your reading a passage and come across a kanji you cant read. The form index allows you to take the kanji your with and to dissect it in such a way that you can look it up in a kanji dictionary or a book with a form index, for example, Kanji in Context (Kanji reference book).
To help you understand the key concepts we have put together a short video to give you the basics, you have to fill in the gaps by practising by yourself with a kanji dictionary. Good luck, study hard and we welcome your comments, insights and feed back
Video How to use a form index to look up Japanese kanji by radical
