-- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 12:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 So, I have no problem seeing the picture and learning it's English counterpart, or even learning the japanese word for it. However... it's ALL the different readings that I have trouble with... I always forget the difference between On and Kun... but the point is... I find it hard to memorize three different sounds for each word... My question is this... should I just become more familiar with the language and common words, and with time, will come to realize what different readings of a word are?  For example, I know moon in Japanese... and I also know how to say all the months.  From there, it becomes obvious in my head, that getsu must be one of the readings for the moon symbol... and that's how it sticks.  However, for all 1945 kanji, I don't know if I can memorize it like that... So does any one have an suggestions of how I should learn each one?  Lol... -- Posted by drowningfish at 12:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 Rosetta Stone -- Posted by Jettie12 at 12:42 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 Take a group of kanjis, learn the kun readings for that particular kanji and then go back and learn the on readings so that there's a bit of layering in your mind. When I was teaching myself I did something similar.  But I'm no expert, so that may me terrible advice. -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 12:51 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 Quote: from Jettie12 at 12:42 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 Take a group of kanjis, learn the kun readings for that particular kanji and then go back and learn the on readings so that there's a bit of layering in your mind. When I was teaching myself I did something similar. But I'm no expert, so that may me terrible advice. Lol, I'm up to trying anything.  It gets irritating when something as simple as one has so many readings.  I mean, I can guess what they are from knowing all the words that use the kanji for 'one', but it still gets difficult to internalize like five things for one picture -__-'. I'll give it a shot and see what ends up working the best :) -- Posted by Lulu Nobody at 8:45 am on Dec. 28, 2008 Usually when I learn a kanji or kanji, I see the words they give me as examples of their readings, and I memorize those key words. It helps me memorize the readings. Like, for example, the kanji for 'takai' (tall/expensive) is also used in 'koukou' (high school), and so I've really hammered those words in my head so that I know the readings for that kanji. It's easier for me that way, since I'm mostly a visual learner, and so seeing the word and writing it and knowing it easier than saying, 'okay, this kanji has this reading,' so on and so forth. At least, that's what's easiest for me, learning simple words but with the different readings. -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 10:10 am on Dec. 28, 2008 Quote: from Lulu Nobody at 8:45 am on Dec. 28, 2008 Usually when I learn a kanji or kanji, I see the words they give me as examples of their readings, and I memorize those key words. It helps me memorize the readings. Like, for example, the kanji for 'takai' (tall/expensive) is also used in 'koukou' (high school), and so I've really hammered those words in my head so that I know the readings for that kanji. It's easier for me that way, since I'm mostly a visual learner, and so seeing the word and writing it and knowing it easier than saying, 'okay, this kanji has this reading,' so on and so forth. At least, that's what's easiest for me, learning simple words but with the different readings. Yeah, that's how I've been doing it more or less.  But there are many words I don't know yet, and so I'll be overlooking a lot of readings in the long run... lol.  But I suppose it'll just take time... -- Posted by JeanClaude at 5:29 am on Dec. 31, 2008 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 3:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 1945 kanji There are waaay more than 1,945 kanji, I'm sorry to tell you.   The way we learn kanji is through constant repetition for two decades. I'm sure you'd want to learn things in sooner than two decades so I'd avoid that! Instead, try to learn a few words using each character and try to read using just the ones you know. If you look up words you don't know, eventually all the odd little readings will sink in with time. -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 9:19 am on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 5:29 am on Dec. 31, 2008 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 3:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 1945 kanji There are waaay more than 1,945 kanji, I'm sorry to tell you.   The way we learn kanji is through constant repetition for two decades. I'm sure you'd want to learn things in sooner than two decades so I'd avoid that! Instead, try to learn a few words using each character and try to read using just the ones you know. If you look up words you don't know, eventually all the odd little readings will sink in with time. To be more specific... there are 1945 Joyo Kanji, and 284 Jinmei-yo kanji.  The first are just general words, the second is for reading names. There are MANY more kanji, of course, but the 1945 are the one's you would typically need to get through a normal newspaper, for example. -- Posted by JeanClaude at 1:17 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 12:19 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 5:29 am on Dec. 31, 2008 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 3:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 1945 kanji There are waaay more than 1,945 kanji, I'm sorry to tell you.     The way we learn kanji is through constant repetition for two decades. I'm sure you'd want to learn things in sooner than two decades so I'd avoid that! Instead, try to learn a few words using each character and try to read using just the ones you know. If you look up words you don't know, eventually all the odd little readings will sink in with time.   To be more specific... there are 1945 Joyo Kanji, and 284 Jinmei-yo kanji.  The first are just general words, the second is for reading names.   There are MANY more kanji, of course, but the 1945 are the one's you would typically need to get through a normal newspaper, for example. There are five thousand kanji that anyone cares about and another thousand more that people don't -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 1:25 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 1:17 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 12:19 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 5:29 am on Dec. 31, 2008 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 3:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 1945 kanji    There are waaay more than 1,945 kanji, I'm sorry to tell you.    The way we learn kanji is through constant repetition for two decades. I'm sure you'd want to learn things in sooner than two decades so I'd avoid that! Instead, try to learn a few words using each character and try to read using just the ones you know. If you look up words you don't know, eventually all the odd little readings will sink in with time. To be more specific... there are 1945 Joyo Kanji, and 284 Jinmei-yo kanji. The first are just general words, the second is for reading names. There are MANY more kanji, of course, but the 1945 are the one's you would typically need to get through a normal newspaper, for example. There are five thousand kanji that anyone cares about and another thousand more that people don't "The Japanese Ministry of Education designated 1,945 characters as Jooyoo Kanji, which are the  most frequently used characters" I have another book that agrees with that statement. There are thousands of kanji, way more than 6,000.  The joyo kanji basically cover the most important kanji, that will get you through a typical Japanese newspaper. -- Posted by JeanClaude at 1:31 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 4:25 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 1:17 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 12:19 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 5:29 am on Dec. 31, 2008 Quote: from Just Waiting Here at 3:33 pm on Dec. 27, 2008 1945 kanji     There are waaay more than 1,945 kanji, I'm sorry to tell you.         The way we learn kanji is through constant repetition for two decades. I'm sure you'd want to learn things in sooner than two decades so I'd avoid that! Instead, try to learn a few words using each character and try to read using just the ones you know. If you look up words you don't know, eventually all the odd little readings will sink in with time.      To be more specific... there are 1945 Joyo Kanji, and 284 Jinmei-yo kanji.  The first are just general words, the second is for reading names.      There are MANY more kanji, of course, but the 1945 are the one's you would typically need to get through a normal newspaper, for example.    There are five thousand kanji that anyone cares about and another thousand more that people don't "The Japanese Ministry of Education designated 1,945 characters as Jooyoo Kanji, which are the most frequently used characters" I have another book that agrees with that statement. There are thousands of kanji, way more than 6,000. The joyo kanji basically cover the most important kanji, that will get you through a typical Japanese newspaper. The most difficult kanji test in my country contains the 6,000 kanji that are ever remotely used in Japanese. There are 44,000 kanji that nobody has ever seen or used outside of China in two thousand years. You are probably referring to the scary-sounded Dai Kan-Wa Jiten dictionary of Chinese characters which people like to say has 50,000 characters in it. The thing is, the characters in that book are only used in Chinese, so they are not technically kanji. -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 1:36 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 1:31 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 The most difficult kanji test in my country contains the 6,000 kanji that are ever remotely used in Japanese. There are 44,000 kanji that nobody has ever seen or used outside of China in two thousand years. You are probably referring to the scary-sounded Dai Kan-Wa Jiten dictionary of Chinese characters which people like to say has 50,000 characters in it. The thing is, the characters in that book are only used in Chinese, so they are not technically kanji. Exactly, many of them aren't used.  I suppose the difference is this.  I just want to be able to read basic texts (which I could probably get by on with about 1000 kanji).  I really just like knowing different languages, and being able to communicate with them. My goal is to teach myself the initial 2000 or so kanji, and from there, with time, I can pick up others if I see them.  So I'm really focusing on learning the joyo kanji, and any of the rest, I would learn from experience or from seeing it and the like. -- Posted by JeanClaude at 1:38 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Kanji are really easy once you pick up the basic shapes. Most kanji are just made up combinations of other kanji so once you've figured out the basic shapes the others will just be arranging them in different ways. -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 1:41 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Quote: from JeanClaude at 1:38 pm on Jan. 2, 2009 Kanji are really easy once you pick up the basic shapes. Most kanji are just made up combinations of other kanji so once you've figured out the basic shapes the others will just be arranging them in different ways. Exactly.  Which is why I figure by the time I get the joyo kanji (and probably the name kanjis) out of the way, I can pick up the rest.  From what I know, I'm pretty sure that high school students don't really learn much past joyo kanji (that might be wrong), though most people actually living in Japan will know much more from experience (or university or something). But I'm going to make sure I actually learn all the joyo kanji, and then I won't focus on teaching myself any more.  From that point, it'll be a matter of seeing new one's.