Beginner questions on Kanji.

[dragonsthree]

Well I'm going to study Japanese in my spare time, and I decided to learn Kanji as i go along, but I'm a little confused. So I have a few questions.

1. Each kanji has their own meaning on their own, but when paired with another kanji has a totally different meaning than either of the two. For example, the kanji for man and the kanji for mouth make population? Are kanji combinations usually intuitive, or do you learn them purely through experience.

2. Each kanji seems to have multiple pronunciations. For example, the kanji for hito can be read jin, or nin, or hito? Depending on what other kanji it's paired with. Do I need to know every reading of a kanji, along with how it's pronounced with every other kanji? And do you grasp this more through experience?

3. Looking at speedanki, it seems to promote memorization of what kanji combinations mean, not the kanji themselves. Is it more important to know what each combination means? Or should I be learning every pronunciation, and when they're used, and from the reading figure it out based on vocabulary learned?

4. Finally, when people type Japanese online, do they type in hiragana/katakana and have that automatically changed to the kanji that works there? Or do they somehow know how to type in every single kanji through some complicated means?


Just so you know where I'm at, i can read hiragana/katakana just fine, and I understand basic sentence structure. I'm starting to expand my vocabulary a lot now, along with kanji.

Any tips on what's important about kanji to learn would be greatly appreciated. (there just seems to be so many different things I just don't know what i should be doing)

Thanks in advance!

[ryuurui]

1. This is related to etymology of characters. To understand that it takes years of studies and practice. It's a never ending road. We all learn kanji till we die. Kanji are built of radicals, and there are 214 of them. They often suggest meaning or sound. This is quite tricky too, as many of the modern characters were simplified over years (even in ancient times). This will come to you with experience, but understanding radicals should help a great deal.
In word population, it is simple and logical, human mouth(s) >>> population. Also, please remember that kanji were developped pre BC and many meanings are borrowd, further, after incorporating them into Japanese language, some meanings were lost, confused or changed.

2. Do not learn them by heart. Try to learn new meanings and readings on the go, and preferably in compounds (more than 1 kanji)

3. I have answered this above. Learn compounds. Though you may memorize basic kanji, however the most simple ones, such as 上 may have up to 30 readings or more. They are the oldest charatcers derived from pictographs.

4. Once you get the japanese language bar you select kanji by pressing space. You need to know which characters fit given meaning, Japanese language is full of homophones.


Hiragana/katakana is a must. Do not read text in romaji (roman alphabet) but both syllabaries. Use kanji flash cards, they are quite useful.

[KyleGoetz]

Buy a copy of "Kanji in Context" and work through it. That's all you need to do for kanji. It has been my only kanji textbook since 2004, and I know about 1800 kanji now.

[dragonsthree]

Originally Posted by ryuurui

1. This is related to etymology of characters. To understand that it takes years of studies and practice. It's a never ending road. We all learn kanji till we die. Kanji are built of radicals, and there are 214 of them. They often suggest meaning or sound. This is quite tricky too, as many of the modern characters were simplified over years (even in ancient times). This will come to you with experience, but understanding radicals should help a great deal.
In word population, it is simple and logical, human mouth(s) >>> population. Also, please remember that kanji were developped pre BC and many meanings are borrowd, further, after incorporating them into Japanese language, some meanings were lost, confused or changed.

2. Do not learn them by heart. Try to learn new meanings and readings on the go, and preferably in compounds (more than 1 kanji)

3. I have answered this above. Learn compounds. Though you may memorize basic kanji, however the most simple ones, such as 上 may have up to 30 readings or more. They are the oldest charatcers derived from pictographs.

4. Once you get the japanese language bar you select kanji by pressing space. You need to know which characters fit given meaning, Japanese language is full of homophones.


Hiragana/katakana is a must. Do not read text in romaji (roman alphabet) but both syllabaries. Use kanji flash cards, they are quite useful.

Thanks, that's a great help. I guess speedanki knows what it's doing, I'll have to use it more.

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

Buy a copy of "Kanji in Context" and work through it. That's all you need to do for kanji. It has been my only kanji textbook since 2004, and I know about 1800 kanji now.

I actually picked up "Japanese Kanji Power", which seems to be decent for what I need. There wasn't much of a selection in my city (it's pretty small) so it'll have to do. I'll do most of my learning online anyway.

Oh, and I forgot one question. ^^

5. Why do they actually keep using Kanji in their writing system? It seems like one of the most impractical things, considering everything should be able to be represented using their two alphabets. I'll still learn, but it seems like they have an unnecessary hurdle to learning their language, for native citizens as well as anyone learning as a second language.

[ryuurui]

Originally Posted by dragonsthree

Thanks, that's a great help. I guess
5. Why do they actually keep using Kanji in their writing system? It seems like one of the most impractical things, considering everything should be able to be represented using their two alphabets. I'll still learn, but it seems like they have an unnecessary hurdle to learning their language, for native citizens as well as anyone learning as a second language.

hehe, that is actually an interesting question. The answer lies in history. See, when Chinese started to write in kanji (recent archeological excavation near Bunpo village and discovery of Yangshao culture suggest 7000 years ago) it was not extraordinary as nealry any culture art starts with primitive drawings.
These became charatcers. Now, the reason why kanji have prevailed (and thank the sexy Buddha for that) is because they were a part of culture, religion, plitics, etc. But most importantly they were derived from nature and had abstract forms. The philosophy and way of seeing surrounding world is very different in China or Japan and Western countries. We went from real to abstract concept and Orient from abstract to real. The untold and not precise nature of Chinese charatcers is perfectly attuned to mind set up of Far Eastern Asian cultures.
One opf the famous Chinese painters one said that he who percieves the world in realistic way has a mind setup of a 6 years old. And I could not agree more. That is why ancient Chinese paintings, as well as their writing, have symbolic meanings, and are so alluring.

In Japan there were tries of switching to roma ji after the war (i think) but luckily it failed. I find Chinese characters one of the most poetic and incredible creations of human mind. It is with no doubt a world's wonder. Treat them with respect and they will return the favour.

[jesselt]

And there is the fact that Japanese would just be impossible to read using only Kana.

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by dragonsthree

Thanks, that's a great help. I guess speedanki knows what it's doing, I'll have to use it more.



I actually picked up "Japanese Kanji Power", which seems to be decent for what I need. There wasn't much of a selection in my city (it's pretty small) so it'll have to do. I'll do most of my learning online anyway.

Oh, and I forgot one question. ^^

5. Why do they actually keep using Kanji in their writing system? It seems like one of the most impractical things, considering everything should be able to be represented using their two alphabets. I'll still learn, but it seems like they have an unnecessary hurdle to learning their language, for native citizens as well as anyone learning as a second language.

Kanji in Context is the best. Period. And it's out of print, so you can't buy it in the store. You've got to get it on Amazon or something like that.

Regarding your last question, you'll find that it's basically impossible to change a writing system without an authoritarian government.

[dragonsthree]

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

Kanji in Context is the best. Period. And it's out of print, so you can't buy it in the store. You've got to get it on Amazon or something like that.

Lol k. Maybe I'll look into how much it costs, or any scan/pdf form online.

Thanks for the answers everyone, at least I know what i should be remembering now.