The Hell that is Learning Kanji

Σπεκωσποκ

So, in addition to all my other requirements, this semester I decided to take Japanese. It was a great choice, and so far the class has been going well, but a few weeks ago we started learning kanji. Hiragana and katakana were easy enough, and the grammar/syntax/vocabulary stuff is pretty straightforward, but kanji has been extremely difficult for me to learn. I can remember basic ones (nihon, gakusee, daigaku, numbers from 1-100, etc.), but the more complex ones, and the on'yomi/kun'yobi readings have thrown me off. Does anyone know of some resources, perhaps online, that are good for this sort of thing?

Rochelle

I don't have any online references, however when I took Japanese I would practice writing out kanji on either graph paper or kanji practice sheets. After all that repetition, it stuck with me and improved my kanji writing skills because it's so important how each stroke is written.

Bronzdragon

Acutally, A kanji A Day. You can sign up for their e-mail and you get a kanji every day.

Here is one of their e-mails:

The Kanji: 九

Meanings: nine, 9, ninth
On Readings: kyuu, ku
Kun Readings: kokono, kokono(tsu)
JLPT Level: 4
Grade: 1

Common jukugo
九ヵ月 - kyuu ka getsu - 9 months (in length)
九月 - ku gatsu - September (9th Month)
十九 - juu kyuu - 19 [lit. 10 + 9]
九十 - kyuu juu - 90 [lit. 9 + 10]


Useful Examples


Look alike kanji
力 - http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji.php?kanji=力


View this page at:
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji.php?kanji_id=9

Andrew

Get over it. I'm learning Mandarin. You have nothing to complain about. ~_^

Rochelle

Get over it. I'm learning Mandarin. You have nothing to complain about. ~_^

I've always been intrigued to learn Mandarin. How long have you been studying it? Do you enjoy it?

Σπεκωσποκ

Get over it. I'm learning Mandarin. You have nothing to complain about. ~_^

Just because I have to memorize only 1/30th of the characters in Mandarin, doesn't mean I don't have to memorize 3000 characters.

...

Get over it. You have nothing to complain about. ~_^

You both chose the respective classes, no complaining about stuff you know you would have to learn.

GreatTeacherMacRoss

Kanji is painful. You just have to suck it up and suffer. It could be worse though: There could be kanji that have two entirely different pronunciations despite being written the same way, and have entirely different meanings as well...oh wait...

Diddgery

As I am a first-year Japanese student I feel your pain. All I have to offer is Gaijin Smash's commentary on Kanji:

Back when I was teaching, I used my free periods between classes to try and study for the [Japanese Language Proficiency] test. A note to current ALTs--there's NOTHING better you can do than study Japanese in the teacher's room. It shows the teachers and the students that you're making an effort to learn their language and better integrate yourself into their society. I found it was also a wonderful counter for any time any of my students tried to pull the old "English is too hard!" card.

Student: Man, English is difficult!
Me: No it's not! C'mere, check this out. (writes an "e" on my chalkboard) You see this? It's an "e". Took me, what, half a second to write that? Look how simple and sexy that is. "e". And it looks like what it sounds like too, you just look at it, and you think, "okay, that's 'e.'" Now, look at this (pulls out my 1-kyuu study book). Look at this -> 藍 What the fuck is this? You know what this is? "Indigo." How the fuck is any of that squiggly line shit "indigo"? What's going on here--you've got the number two, a dish, a retainer, and sagebrush all having sex with each other, and somehow this is supposed to represent "indigo"? And THEN I'm supposed to also remember that this can sound like "ai," OR "ran"? What the hell? I wanna write out all the colors in a rainbow, look how easy this shit is in English. ROYGBIV. See, I'm done! I wanna write it out in Japanese, I can't, cause it'll take me 20 fucking minutes just to write out "indigo"! Don't give me that "English is difficult!" shit.
Student: Um, I'm going over there now.

sibnova

As I am a first-year Japanese student I feel your pain. All I have to offer isGaijin Smash's commentary on Kanji:

Back when I was teaching, I used my free periods between classes to try and study for the [Japanese Language Proficiency] test. A note to current ALTs--there's NOTHING better you can do than study Japanese in the teacher's room. It shows the teachers and the students that you're making an effort to learn their language and better integrate yourself into their society. I found it was also a wonderful counter for any time any of my students tried to pull the old "English is too hard!" card.

Student: Man, English is difficult!
Me: No it's not! C'mere, check this out. (writes an "e" on my chalkboard) You see this? It's an "e". Took me, what, half a second to write that? Look how simple and sexy that is. "e". And it looks like what it sounds like too, you just look at it, and you think, "okay, that's 'e.'" Now, look at this (pulls out my 1-kyuu study book). Look at this -> 藍 What the fuck is this? You know what this is? "Indigo." How the fuck is any of that squiggly line shit "indigo"? What's going on here--you've got the number two, a dish, a retainer, and sagebrush all having sex with each other, and somehow this is supposed to represent "indigo"? And THEN I'm supposed to also remember that this can sound like "ai," OR "ran"? What the hell? I wanna write out all the colors in a rainbow, look how easy this shit is in English. ROYGBIV. See, I'm done! I wanna write it out in Japanese, I can't, cause it'll take me 20 fucking minutes just to write out "indigo"! Don't give me that "English is difficult!" shit.
Student: Um, I'm going over there now.

Oh man that story is priceless, on the subject of hard to recognize languages I was in a second hand book store with my mother looking through the random assortment of language books, when I came across an old paperback book which had random lines and small squiggles, I took the book to my mother and asked 'Is this Arabic?' her reply was 'no it's shorthand, and I can read it,' she then flipped to a page with shorthand writing on it and read the page out loud. Shorthand looks some thing like this. To me a page of it looks like pieces of a roller coaster that have yet to be assembled.

Back on topic, I like kanji actually I started teaching my self some basic kanji just because I think it looks fun and interesting. As soon as you understand the whole On and Kun thing as well as learn the basic radicals that make up the more complex kanji it get a whole lot easier. For me I would have to say that this online kanji dictionary is the best and a good forum to ask questions on and learn Japaneses phrases from is about Japanese it also has and extensive kanji reference page . Hope I helped have fun learning.

gomidog

Suck it up, nancy boy. You've got thousands more to go.

I practice on the DS. The stylus makes it an excellent tool for learning kanji. I also make myself key-chain flashcards that I carry around with me and go through when I am waiting for the train and stuff. Beware using only flash cards, though, because you will forget your stroke order.

...

Gomily, when did you start studying Japanese?

gomidog

Umm, by myself or in class?

I started learning by myself by drawing on paper and reading my dad's Japanese comics when I was maybe in 6th grade? I had a basic, elementary grasp of the language when I went to Japan at age 17 to study whereupon I got tutored in the library by English teachers with free periods. At NYU I took a couple of college classes, went back to Japan, and now I basically just study by myself. I think once you get enough momentum that doing stuff in Japanese is not a chore but feels fun or normal, studying is easy. Like, does reading Haruhi novels count? Or manga? Or Skype-ing friends? I've been kinda wussy on actual studying, except for the fall of my sophomore year of college, where I decided I would take the level 2 proficiency and crammed the entire semester. I think I took my Japanese grammer book with me on the bus every day.

...

Like, does reading Haruhi novels count? Or manga? Or Skype-ing friends?

I'd say yes to all. You're basically rehearsing when you read or speak in any language. While you might not learn much new English these days, you learned English as you're learning Japanese. Thanks for the story.

gomidog

While you might not learn much new English these days

I actually do learn new English. I pick up vocabulary words from reading all the time.

...

While you might not learn much new English these days

I actually do learn new English. I pick up vocabulary words from reading all the time.

I said 'much'. It's only logical one still learns things in their first language due to reading.

flux

Erm, if you have any Japanese people around you it really helps.
Otherwise, watching alot of anime and analyzing what they say opposed to how it's written helps alot. Trying to read manga or light novels in Japanese might help, since they have furigana. Onyomi and Kunyobi aren't really that hard once you get a grasp of it.

brad12

I think it is one phobia is in your mind. Please remove it and actually learning kanji is not so difficult. you can try here.

japanese kanji