Is it really worth it?

Fumikon · 18 Oct 2012

I'm talking about start studying Japanese by learning radicals and kanji reading.
When I started studying Japanese not so much ago I just started learning words (how to write them in hiragana/kanji). I understand that radicals are useful 'cause it helps you to remember, but I just noticed (and learned) them just by looking how some patterns were repeated in a lot of kanji.

Anyways, what I'm more "worried" about is learning kanji readings... There are many of them and maybe I'm missing something important, but I think it's easier to learn them from new words you find.

Ok, so, for example, I know that 日 is written ひ· び · に · にち · じつ, but how the heck is 日曜日 pronounced? びようひ? ひようじつ?

As I said, maybe I didn't think through and I'm missing something, but I think it makes more sene to learn how to write the word (hiragana/kanji) than to learn how a kanji can be read. Why? 'Cause as you learn new words, you'll also learn how a kanji can be read! (In this case you learn that 日 can be にち and び)

What is your opinion? Am I totally wrong?

Mike Cash · 18 Oct 2012

Is it really worth it?

Your big mistake is that you think learning the writing system or some vocabulary is learning the language. The writing system is confusing enough even when you are learning the language, but learning the writing system without learning the language is just a recipe for frustration and failure.

The language and the system for writing the language are not the same thing. Learning kanji (or kana) is not "learning Japanese".

You should try to take a class or at least use some good structured textbook (and related materials) that will help you learn all aspects of the language, including writing, in an orderly and sensible way.

Half-n-Half · 18 Oct 2012

I can't imagine how unbelievably frustrating it would be to learn them one by one along with all their possible readings. The best way is to learn them in context as words. Eventually you'll catch on to their readings and you'll even be able to correctly guess at some words you've never seen before.

nihongomaster · 18 Oct 2012

Kanji can be overwhelming and not the best starting point. I think people have said it best that it's good to learn by context. It's also good to have a good drilling/SRS based format for really memorizing these concepts. Learn the kanji slowly through additional learning of grammar, etc. And make sure your hiragana/katakana skills are fantastic before moving onto kanji; otherwise, you'll have trouble reading the various readings.

If you want help with the grammar, as well as a solid drilling system, check out our site at Nihongo Master, Learn Japanese Online . We teach the initial concepts such as hiragana and katakana, then slowly introduce grammar. We've begun to introduce kanji lessons and we've already got drills for JLPT N5 and N4 kanji for those who need to study them. They also cover the various readings (On-yomi and Kun-yomi).

Mike Cash · 19 Oct 2012

The very first time I saw "Nihongo Master" on the screen a fee days ago I knee you must be here to sell something. This is a highly inappropriate way to go about it.

nihongomaster · 19 Oct 2012

Mike Cash said:
The very first time I saw "Nihongo Master" on the screen a fee days ago I knee you must be here to sell something. This is a highly inappropriate way to go about it.

It's not selling if it's free to access.

OoTmaster · 24 Oct 2012

I know the answer to one of your questions. 日曜日 Is pronounced nichiyoobi. にちようび It helps if you know the context of the word. It is sunday. 曜日 is used for the days of the week. So if you know the context of what the kanji is for usually it helps you to understand which reading is used.

nihon · 27 Oct 2012

It seems to me that children learn to speak and then read, regardless of the language. So, although I'm a beginner in Japanese, I still plan to get the fundamentals of speaking down pat, and then I suspect reading will come more easily.

FinancialWar · 29 Oct 2012

nihon said:
It seems to me that children learn to speak and then read, regardless of the language. So, although I'm a beginner in Japanese, I still plan to get the fundamentals of speaking down pat, and then I suspect reading will come more easily.

That would be true if you're still a child. If you're already an adult and actively learning L2, your method of learning should be modified accordingly because your brain structure is different.

Second language - Wikipedia

nice gaijin · 31 Oct 2012

When studying english, did you start with "a" and learn every word that has an "a" in it?

learn the words in context, you'll actually remember them that way, and the appropriate readings will fall into place. Every language is built on patterns; focus on learning those patterns and Japanese will unfold like a cherry blossom.

Mike Cash · 31 Oct 2012

I'm starting to ask myself, "Is it really worth it?" in regard to answering questions from new posters.

Is it really worth it?

Fumikon

後輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Half-n-Half

先輩

nihongomaster

後輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

nihongomaster

後輩

OoTmaster

先輩

nihon

後輩

FinancialWar

Sempai

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Similar threads