Kanji Laboratory is a kanji learning ICAI system. In this paper, we describe the development of Kanji Laboratory, which is designed for foreigners who are learning Japanese kanji. We have developed Kanji Laboratory under the guidelines of environmental ICAI systems, based on a kanji learning method focusing on kanji radicals. Kanji Laboratory consists of a knowledge base, a learning environment and an advisor module. The knowledge base can well-handle the knowledge of Joyo Kanji (1,945 characters). Each one is related with its radicals via their inherited attributes. In addition, this knowledge base system can search kanji knowledge quickly. The learning environment has the following features: (1) Students can construct a kanji by combining radicals and disassemble the kanji into radicals and strokes. (2) Students can use electronic tools, such as a kanji dictionary, which support kanji learning. In this way, students can learn kanji and the relations with its radicals effectively. With regard to the advisor, although it occurs that students fall in plateaus of learning in environmental CAI, the advisor module is designed to give well-timed advice to students, avoiding those plateaus, based on the observation of their learning actions.

This paper describes a model of kanji (Chinese characters) learning, called KASTAM (Knowledge Acquisition and STAbility Model), in order to develop a CAI system which supports a student to stabilize her/his kanji knowledge. KASTAM can handle kanji learning as complementary acquisition and stability processes of kanji knowledge.