The best way to learn...
 

Hi all. What exactly is the best way to learn Kanji? I'm definitely very bad at it. I can recognize some characters without thinking twice about it, but still not much worth talking about. Some Kanji that come to mind that I can recognize, aside from the numbers, are:

Ame (the one that means rain)
Nihon
Nan
Sai
Nihongo
Go (meaning language)
Hon
Koori
Iku
Hikari
Hito/Jin
Naka
Kawa
Yama
Ooki
Genki
Ko/Kodomo
Gakusei
Gakkou
Gatsu/Getsu/Tsuki
Hi (meaning day)
Shiro
Watashi
De (出)
Ima
Kyou

That's all that's coming to mind right off. That list is definitely pathetic, right? So, what methods did you all use when learning Kanji?

study study study! i keep on forgetting them too, but i'm to lazy to repeat.

i just started on a new method called remembering the kanji, it's kind of a weird method and i wonder if it will pay off. it makes you remember the meaning of the kanji, not the pronunciation. however, what i noticed is that i remember alot of complex kanji easily, and the meaning will follow automatically.

the best way i can remember is just by practicing writing a lot and using it as much as i can whenever possible. usually when i studied for kanji tests, my short term memory would kick in and i could memorize everything i needed to for the exam, but a few days later i'd totally forget it all =/

I think this is my problem. There are some other Kanji characters I might see in my text while reading. My book is starting to use Kanji in the examples. While reading it (yay for furigana), I might remember it for the rest of my lesson, but it seems to be limited to just that. It's like I know what the words might mean if I hear it, but not when I see it.

I guess I'll just stick to trying to writing them out. I really do want to take the level 3 JLPT and would hate to do rotten because of Kanji reasons.

you think that list is pathetic I only know three!!

日本語
私
出

as you can see, not very many.

What does this mean, btw?


I dunno why, learn Kanji fast, I write it several times (like 5 lines in a row) and can remember it later, I haven't, however, started hitting hard on it.

people tend to start gradually at first but progress later on.. you just have to wait patiently with writing the same kanji on and on.. but believe me, in times you will not aware how fast you can write and remember it.. studying is hard but don`t take it as a pressure,take it as a pleasure.. :D

kai13,
出 is 'de' i.e. 'deru' - to go. You will have
出rimasu
出rimashita
出rimasen
etc etc

sai? which sai?

The one you use with age.

私は二十六才です。
Watashi wa nijuuroku sai desu.
I am 26 years old.

I write them down and repeat them on paper.
It eventually stays in my head after repeating them like ten times.

I will now *finally* start to learn Kanji, however, I don't know how I'm going to know all the meanings, I mean, the kanji for book, hon, can be used in Nihon, I know that, but if I didn't I wouldn't know hot to read nihon.

I will learn one at the time, but I'm afraid that i don't know how to use it with other kanji and kanas. :s

Yea but the 本 in 日本 does not mean book... 本 means base, foundation in 日本

I know it doesn't mean book -.-''
But that was exactly what I was talking about, I'm afraid I don't know how to use the kanji in all the ways it is used.

Like, in a sentence, I see a 2 kanji I recognize, but together I don't know what they mean, thast's what I'm afraid of.

Just write it out over and over :)
and also practice speaking it out loud coz it will help you remember how it is read

What's the difference between 出る and 行く？ I mean of course I know one is deru and one iku, but they are both "to go" right? What's the difference?

It does also mean book.

本屋さん　Honyasan

Bookstore.

Depending on the situation, 出る can mean to attend or to exit. It doesn't really mean "to go".

I would say patience would be the best way to learn.
Take your time and focus!!
Make sure you understand the kanji and all the strokes.
Sometimes the only difference is the tiniest mark.

hey guys...
 

guys?? is it difficult to write japanese char.????

If you have a guide, I don't feel that it is.

I have a program on my computer that can show the direction and order of writing the strokes for Kanji characters. Just follow the directions and you should be okay, but of course, with practice, you'll get better at it. It's like when first learning how to write in your language. I'm sure the handwriting was a bit sloppy, but over time, you learned to write out your characters better and it became more legible. Japanese should be no different.

I was letting the OP know that 本 is not always going to mean book. Sorry for not mentioning that.

OK I gotcha.

Yes, that kanji can mean book, root or source, is used as a counter for cylindrical objects and is also a counter for video-tapes (some of you might remember those).

I am also from Virginia, what district or town? I'm from chesterfield which is near richmond. :p
Snail

Howdy. Wow, you are very close to me. I live in Henrico County.

Heheh, I hear there is tons of violence there. I also heard the schools are super strict and so are the courts. T_T
Snail

I decided to PM that post since it was getting so OT.

BTW, Snail are you taking the JLPT or anything?