Jack Halpern

Jack Halpern is a Japan-based lexicographer and polyglot specializing in Chinese characters, particularly kanji, best known as editor-in-chief of the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary and inventor of the SKIP system for kanji lookup. A professional lexicographer, he served as CEO of the CJK Dictionary Institute, compiling comprehensive CJK lexical databases, and was editor-in-chief of several kanji dictionaries for learners during his time as a research fellow at Showa Women’s University. Born in Germany in 1946, he has lived in Japan for over 30 years, speaks nine languages fluently, and is an avid unicyclist and founder of the Japan Yiddish Club.