Hello!
In this entry I want to examine my handwritten Japanese. I find that there's an artistry in written Japanese which is more prominent than say, regular calligraphy. I tried to find my old Roman calligraphy but couldn't find it anywhere in my boxes unfortunately.
I've put the whole page at the end of the entry for those who'd like to check it in greater detail.
1st observation:
When I started, I was simply writing the vocabulary word without it's kana counterpart. This, I believe, was a mistake:
This means that while I can recognize that the word means scroll, I wouldn't be able to recognize it when written in its kana form... which means I'm not learning the word in its entirety. Even as I was writing this blog entry, I had to check my notes to actually be able to type in the word: 巻物（まきもの）.
So not only could I not type the word should I have to, I also wouldn't be able to say it in conversation or even recognize it in its kana form! This is something I have since fixed in my approach to learning vocabulary.
2nd observation:
Respecting the width.
If I look at
, it's easy to notice that the kanji to the left is not the same width as the kanji to the right. It makes the word look unsightly.
looks better in comparison for that very reason. It's not perfect but it's definitely better. So that's something to keep my eyes open for when I'm writing.
3rd observation:
Respecting the height.
is a good example of this. Notice how the りく is much shorter than the kanji? Whenever writing kanji with multiple vertical elements, it can be tempting to end up writing a very "high" kanji. Kana, on the other hand, can be easily written in a very limited space. The contrast can therefore lead to a rather big clash between the kanji-kana transition. Notice that I didn't write the furigana for my kanji here as well, which further limits the learning which takes place with this word. 割る：わる or something similar.
Speaking of which, I noticed that わる didn't actually come up in the Japanese IME when I typed it in, weird!:
Making Improvements:
is a more recent improvement (see image 2 at the end of the entry). Height/width is close enough. The lower stroke of the river radical could be a bit more to the left for the kanji to look more harmonious but it's close enough.
Ending Note and Translation Method Research:
I hope you guys enjoyed this entry as it was more peripheral to the language than usual.
is about the best in the sample I've provided I find. The り is not to my liking looking too much like a kanji radical than the actual hiragana but the rest looks good considering the first kanji is also fairly complex.
For those of you interested, this is a research about learning through translation. To quote the conclusion:
You'll notice I've highlighted the last sentence in orange as it means this would require further research as to when the "right time" is as it relates to the criticism I've gotten before about "learning the basics" first (this is also something I'll be covering in a future entry).
Thanks for reading!
First Image
Second Image
In this entry I want to examine my handwritten Japanese. I find that there's an artistry in written Japanese which is more prominent than say, regular calligraphy. I tried to find my old Roman calligraphy but couldn't find it anywhere in my boxes unfortunately.
I've put the whole page at the end of the entry for those who'd like to check it in greater detail.
1st observation:
When I started, I was simply writing the vocabulary word without it's kana counterpart. This, I believe, was a mistake:
This means that while I can recognize that the word means scroll, I wouldn't be able to recognize it when written in its kana form... which means I'm not learning the word in its entirety. Even as I was writing this blog entry, I had to check my notes to actually be able to type in the word: 巻物（まきもの）.
So not only could I not type the word should I have to, I also wouldn't be able to say it in conversation or even recognize it in its kana form! This is something I have since fixed in my approach to learning vocabulary.
2nd observation:
Respecting the width.
If I look at
3rd observation:
Respecting the height.
Speaking of which, I noticed that わる didn't actually come up in the Japanese IME when I typed it in, weird!:
Making Improvements:
Ending Note and Translation Method Research:
I hope you guys enjoyed this entry as it was more peripheral to the language than usual.
For those of you interested, this is a research about learning through translation. To quote the conclusion:
You'll notice I've highlighted the last sentence in orange as it means this would require further research as to when the "right time" is as it relates to the criticism I've gotten before about "learning the basics" first (this is also something I'll be covering in a future entry).
Thanks for reading!
Index:
First Image
Second Image
