The Hanmoji Handbook: Your Guide to the Chinese Language Through Emoji [Paperback]

“Clever, complex, yet concise and fun: This guide promises to engage language learners and curious readers.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Even though their dates of origin are millennia apart, the languages of Chinese and emoji share similarities that the average smartphone user might find surprising. These “hanmoji” parallels offer an exciting new way to learn Chinese—and a fascinating window into the evolution of Chinese Han characters. Packed with fun illustrations and engaging descriptions, The Hanmoji Handbook brings to life the ongoing dialogue between the visual elements of Chinese characters and the language of emoji. At once entertaining and educational, this unique volume holds sure appeal for readers who use emoji, anyone interested in learning Chinese, and those who love quirky, visual gift books.Leveraging widely recognizable and pictographic emoticons, this innovative work appeals to humans’ language instinct and innate playfulness. . . Using crisp layouts, thoughtful descriptions and examples, and illustrated charts, this comprehensive primer entertains while explicating a high-context language family. . . Clever, complex, yet concise and fun: This guide promises to engage language learners and curious readers.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Jason Li is an independent designer, artist, and educator. His practice revolves around promulgating bottom-up narratives, exploring networked technology, and helping people live safely on the internet. His works have appeared at the Victoria and Albert Museum, at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and on the BBC. He is an editor at Paradise Systems and a member of Zine Coop. He currently lives in Toronto.

An Xiao Mina is a creative strategist, writl#g