Should Japan Abolish Kanji?

[budd]

notes a lot of know-it-alls wouldn't be able to make themselves feel so big either
"the nerve!!! they should have given me supersize fries for free!!! i passed the thrid level of the JLPT on the first try!!! they need to bow down and kiss my feet, those saxon dogs!!! *beverly hillbillies' quote interspersed*"

 

[Leroy_Brown]

Accomodations have already been made once for those who complain that Kanji are too difficult. They can't keep doing that forever.

After WWII the Japanese gov't modified many of the most difficult Kanjis, i.e., those with the most strokes, to make them easier by reducing or consolidating strokes.

For example, in the name "Saito" the Kaiji for "Sai" used to be 齏 in most cases. But now, 斉 is more commonly used.

The Kanji for "Ki" (steam; energy) is the radical 气 with the Kanji for rice 米 below it when written in the traditional Chinese way. The Character was a depiction of the steam arising from a pot of cooked rice. But the current Japanese version has a katakana "メ" below the radical instead of 米.

There are better examples but these are what I could think of now.

When something is difficult, what's required is a little more effort. To dumb-down the standard is not the answer.

 

[budd]

i got lost in asakusa
found a fire station
showed them a map (in kanji) of where i wanted to go
30 minutes later, i had my directions

 

[Leroy_Brown]

i got lost in asakusa
found a fire station
showed them a map (in kanji) of where i wanted to go
30 minutes later, i had my directions

Would've taken you 3 hours if the map was in English

 

[Emoni]

Keep in mind speed is a legit issue with Kanji. A friend of mine can read extremely fast and pick up on the meaning of a sentence just by glimpsing the Kanji (she's also extremely smart, but the kanji help too). Each of the Kanji has a meaning behind it, and some Japanese can pick up a Chinese newspaper and get a vague idea what is being talked about even if they don't speak chinese. Of course the number used is quite different so the amount you can gain by only know those Kanji used in Japan I assume without be very limited.

 

[corocoro]

漢字廃止なんてあり得ないです。
漢字は日本の大切な文化です。
平仮名とカタカナだけの文なんて読む気にならないもん 。
韓国の人はハングルだけの文章を読むのに苦労してるっ て記事読んだし、
わざわざ漢字を捨てる意味が無い。

Abolish Kanji? It's impossible!
Kanji IS our precious culture.
I won't feel like reading texts written only with hiragana and katakana.
I've read an article that Korean people having a hard time reading texts
written only with Hangeul (Korean alphabet) (Is it true? Lexico-san).
There is no point in abolishing Kanji anyway.

 

[Leroy_Brown]

漢字廃止なんてあり得ないです。
漢字は日本の大切な文化です。
平仮名とカタカナだけの文なんて読む気にならないもん 。
韓国の人はハングルだけの文章を読むのに苦労してるっ て記事読んだし、
わざわざ漢字を捨てる意味が無い。

Abolish Kanji? It's impossible!
Kanji IS our precious culture.
I won't feel like reading texts written only with hiragana and katakana.
I've read an article that Korean people having a hard time reading texts
written only with Hangeul (Korean alphabet) (Is it true? Lexico-san).
There is no point in abolishing Kanji anyway.

Abolish Kanji? It's impossible!
Kanji IS our precious culture.
I won't feel like reading texts written only with hiragana and katakana.
I've read an article that Korean people having a hard time reading texts
written only with Hangeul(Korean alphabet)(Is it ture? Lexico-san).
There is no point in abolishing Kanji anyway.

Sansei deeeesu!


Abolish the royalty instead. And the consumption tax.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Sansei deeeesu!

Abolish the royalty instead. And the consumption tax.

You insult the Japanese Imperial Family?

 

[lexico]

I'm not sure what "Sansei deeesu!" means.

Abolish the royalty instead. And the consumption tax.

I think this part is meant as an irony 反語法, saying "I agree with Corocoro-san."
Perhaps meaning something like this?

"If you want to abolish kanji,
then remember that it is as serious as abolishing the Royal family and abolishing tax.
Is that possible ? Most certainly not !
Therefore you must not abolish kanji !"

However, maybe you have a point, Nagashima-san.
Perhaps in Japanese culture, it is not permitted to speak the Imperial name even for good-willed irony ? Is it a taboo ?

 

[lexico]

I've read an article that Korean people having a hard time reading texts written only with Hangeul (Korean alphabet)(Is it ture? Lexico-san).

Short answer: While in reading, 1) verbalizing itself may be easier with the alphabetic han 'gul, 2) getting the meaning in all its precision and evocative force of the languge is greatly diminished by not having hanja 漢字. Maybe it gives the appearance of ease without the 漢字, but I don't think even the younger generation with less 漢字 knowledge will appreciate this in the long run. My son has been taking private lessons in 漢字 to be prepared for the more 漢字 oriented culture, but in reality it has never never disappeared. The ignorant crowd don't care either way because they don't read, but slogans of "pure han'gul" usage has some superficial appeal to them.

Long answer: The Korean "experiment of purging" the language of all foreign influence has been futile and damaging in my opinion. In South Korea there were 4 phases to the purge pushed by the nationalists and purist linguists.

1. 1945-1964: 漢字倂用 1,000 Hanja's within parathenses or superscribed
2. 1964-1970: 漢字一部混用 1,300 Hanja's within parathenses, in grades 4-12
3. 1970-1975: 漢字除去 None; exceptions are Classical Korean/Chinese textbooks
4. 1975-present: 漢字部分倂用 1,800 Basic Hanja's in grades 7-12

In a poll of 2,000 Koreans adults above the age of 20 conducted by Gallup Inst. Korea in 1988 indicated that 70.9% Koreans believed that 漢字 is best taught in the elementary (primary) schools. Beginning in the late 1980's under the pressure of political activists and purists, newpapers and non-acedemic publications started to do without all 漢字's, and today none of the newspapers and many books and periodicals do not have any Hanja.

The result of this social experiment has had damaging effects on literacy and composition in people of vaious age groups due to the ever changing hanja policy 漢字政策. North Korea (DPRK) had abolished hanja education in 1945, but restored it in 1964 because of the damage to literacy. You can see a sample page of DPRK's 12th grade (中學 5年級) textbook in physical geogrpahy, and another sample page from DPRK's 漢文敎科書, Pyong'yang, 1969.

In my case, I find the newpapers and non-hanja publications an annoyance when it comes to accuracy. When my reading concerns history, geography, religion, or just about any topic employing above-every day vocabulary, not having 漢字 is a hindrance and the cause of delay and undue waste of effort when I am looking for the exact, corresponding 漢字. The 1992 announcement of deregularizing 漢字 education therefore came as a welcome, and many young children the 2nd grade are taking extracurricular 漢字 classes. I hope this change continues in the positive direction of incorporating 漢字 as a regular subject of instruction in the elementary schools as in Japan.

 

[Mahoujin Tsukai]

Better not abolish kanji

Japanese text printed entirely in kana will be difficult to read! And an eyesore too ☝ .

 

[P_RayDub]

I think kanji should continue to be a part of the Japanese culture.

To abolish kanji would be disasterous, what about all of those japanese people who only know the japanese language? Taking away kanji would be like taking away english writing in the US. For example, if everybody started substituting computer abreviations for the english language just because most people know about it and it's "the thing to do" that would be messed up because not everybody understand what "ppl","lol",or "sry" means. If kanji was abolished then that would leave alot of japanese people confused.

 

[Mycernius]

I thought Americans had already done away with proper English spelling?
(Sarcasm, I love it. This is going to wind someone up)

 

[Emoni]

Dun tink ud find mny mericns c dat as sarcasm, most prbbly will agree wit u ;p

 

[corocoro]

Sansei deeeesu!

Hai.

Abolish the royalty instead. And the consumption tax.

Actually I think the royalty is as much important as kanji for Japanese. But I'd agree with the tax. lol

 

[corocoro]

You insult the Japanese Imperial Family?

Hiroyuki-san こんにちは。
屈辱と言うより皮肉交じりの冗談なんではないかと思い ます。

Konnichiwa Hiroyuki-san,
I guess it's more like a joke with an irony than insult.

 

[corocoro]

Perhaps in Japanese culture, it is not permitted to speak the Imperial name even for good-willed irony ? Is it a taboo ?

No, I's not a taboo or any thing.

 

[Silverbackman]

To abolish kanji would be disasterous, what about all of those japanese people who only know the japanese language? Taking away kanji would be like taking away english writing in the US. For example, if everybody started substituting computer abreviations for the english language just because most people know about it and it's "the thing to do" that would be messed up because not everybody understand what "ppl","lol",or "sry" means. If kanji was abolished then that would leave alot of japanese people confused.

The main reason why I am a little against kanji is not only because of the difficulty, it somewhat shows that all Japan is a copycat from China. I mean, if you want to learn kanji why not study Chinese, which is more China unique than Japan unique. Japan's evolution of Hiragana and Katakana are Japan, kanji isn't necessarily Japan.

 

[corocoro]

Short answer: While in reading, 1) verbalizing itself may be easier with the alphabetic han'gul, 2) getting the meaning in all its precision and evocative force of the languge is greatly diminished by not having hanja 漢字. Maybe it gives the appearance of ease without the 漢字, but I don't think even the younger generation with less 漢字 knowledge will appreciate this in the long run. My son has been taking private lessons in 漢字 to be prepared for the more 漢字 oriented culture, but in reality it has never never disappeared. The ignorant crowd don't care either way because they don't read, but slogans of "pure han'gul" usage has some superficial appeal to them.

Long answer: The Korean "experiment of purging" the language of all foreign influence has been futile and damaging in my opinion. In South Korea there were 4 phases to the purge pushed by the nationalists and purist linguists.

1. 1945-1964: 漢字倂用 1,000 Hanja's within parathenses or superscribed
2. 1964-1970: 漢字一部混用 1,300 Hanja's within parathenses, in grades 4-12
3. 1970-1975: 漢字除去 None; exceptions are Classical Korean/Chinese textbooks
4. 1975-present: 漢字部分倂用 1,800 Basic Hanja's in grades 7-12

In a poll of 2,000 Koreans adults above the age of 20 conducted by Gallup Inst. Korea in 1988 indicated that 70.9% Koreans believed that 漢字 is best taught in the elementary (primary) schools. Beginning in the late 1980's under the pressure of political activists and purists, newpapers and non-acedemic publications started to do without all 漢字's, and today none of the newspapers and many books and periodicals do not have any Hanja.

The result of this social experiment has had damaging effects on literacy and composition in people of vaious age groups due to the ever changing hanja policy 漢字政策. North Korea (DPRK) had abolished hanja education in 1945, but restored it in 1964 because of the damage to literacy. You can see a sample page of DPRK's 12th grade (中學 5年級) textbook in physical geogrpahy, and another sample page from DPRK's 漢文敎科書, Pyong'yang, 1969.

In my case, I find the newpapers and non-hanja publications an annoyance when it comes to accuracy. When my reading concerns history, geography, religion, or just about any topic employing above-every day vocabulary, not having 漢字 is a hindrance and the cause of delay and undue waste of effort when I am looking for the exact, corresponding 漢字. The 1992 announcement of deregularizing 漢字 education therefore came as a welcome, and many young children the 2nd grade are taking extracurricular 漢字 classes. I hope this change continues in the positive direction of incorporating 漢字 as a regular subject of instruction in the elementary schools as in Japan.

Thank you for the answer. I will read it later.

 

[Nosferatu1022]

The way I see it, aboloshing Kanji would be like aboloshing complete English words.

If you compare the two, Hirigana is like the seperation of English syllables, and Kanji are like complete English words in writing.

If the Japanese were to get rid of Kanji, it'd be like English speaking countries having to speak in nothing but syllables.

Writ-ing in syl-la-bles is sil-ly.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Hiroyuki-san こんにちは。
屈辱と言うより皮肉交じりの冗談なんではないかと思い ます。

Konnichiwa Hiroyuki-san,
I guess it's more like a joke with an irony than insult.

わかりました

 

[ajm]

Several posters have brought up the well-heard argument that the sheer number of homonyms alone makes kanji irreplaceable.

If that is true, how do people manage to communicate in every-day, spoken Japanese, where there are no kanji?

 

[Ewok85]

Context. When you are speaking its easy to tell which homonym is being used, while in writing its not always possible to understand the tone or context that a word is being used in.

 

[elli_wants_tomodachi]

I have to say, it would make things easier. But what would Japanese writing be without Kanji? There would be no challenge, I think the kanji is a beautiful form of writing. Even my mum has difficult with the kanji, and she IS Japanese!

 

[senseiman]

The main reason why I am a little against kanji is not only because of the difficulty, it somewhat shows that all Japan is a copycat from China. I mean, if you want to learn kanji why not study Chinese, which is more China unique than Japan unique. Japan's evolution of Hiragana and Katakana are Japan, kanji isn't necessarily Japan.

No offense, but this is about the most ridiculous argument I've ever heard. I mean, look at how widespread the Roman alphabet is. Would it make any sense to Chastise the US (or any other western country) as a "copycat" because it uses a writing system that was developed in ancient Rome for a completely different language and culture? If not then I don't see how it would make any sense at all to fault Japan for using an alphabet it imported over 1500 years ago because it isn't purely "Japanese".

I should also note that Hiragana and Katakana aren't really "Japan" either as they too were originally derived from Chinese characters.