Some beginner frustration - help appreciated

I was wondering about a few Japanese-related things that confuse me. My knowledge of the Japanese language is very limited and probably the most complex sentence I know is "あなたのなまえわなんですか"* (should probably have a whole bunch of kanji that I don't know). Gotta start somewhere, huh?

Anyway, I was mainly wondering about these two things:

1. Why are there no whitespaces in Japanese? ImagineifinEnglishwehadnowhitespacesandonlyfluentreadershadanychanceofdiscerningthewordsandtheoverallcontext? Seems like a very impractical way of writing. Is it less of a deal in Japanese where the word forms are mostly static or what? Also, is it considered improper to use whitespaces when writing, or just unnecessary?

2. When should I use Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji? I cannot read Katakana yet but I have gone through the na series and most of the ha series in Hiragana already (having a blast by the way). It seems like the basic rules are: Hiragana for informal texts, Katakana and Romaji for signs and Kanji for names and formal texts. Please correct me if any of these are incorrect. But the Windows 7 Japanese language pack often places Kanji characters in a seemingly random fashion in my sentences. Do I have any chance of getting a feel for it or do I have to be a Japanese person (I do plan on living in Japan in the future, but someone with their whole life of practice under their belt is obviously in a better position than me)?.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and if you can think of anything else I should know about Japanese before continuing please tell me.

Thanks in advance.

Hiragana is used for particles and words that dont have a kanji. Kanji is used in all texts not just formal ones. You will notice that when kanji's are used, the text doesnt really need spaces. You will instantly know the difference between a particle and the other words in a sentence because that is where kanjis are used. Particles tell the function of a word in a sentence. E.g. the particle wa (which is written as ha, a mistake made in your sentence) marks the topic. Katakana is used for nonchinese loanwords, westers names and also used to emphezise or as more cool looking in magazines and such.

Jimi said:

Hiragana is used for particles and words that dont have a kanji. Kanji is used in all texts not just formal ones. You will notice that when kanji's are used, the text doesnt really need spaces. You will instantly know the difference between a particle and the other words in a sentence because that is where kanjis are used. Particles tell the function of a word in a sentence. E.g. the particle wa (which is written as ha, a mistake made in your sentence) marks the topic. Katakana is used for nonchinese loanwords, westers names and also used to emphezise or as more cool looking in magazines and such.

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Interesting! So Kanji is really the most widely used syllabary? How do you suggest I tackle it? By learning Hiragana and Katakana by heart and then replacing words with kanji if one exists? For example, replacing わたし with 私? Another perhaps stupid question but is the word "hiragana" always written in Hiragana, "katakana" in Katakana and "kanji" in Kanji and so on?

EDIT: Oh and thanks for the わ = は when it's a particle thing. I actually just inputted Romaji, but I wasn't aware of this rule.

If you use a good, comprehensive textbook for learning Japanese then you will be learning kanji gradually at the same time as you learn the language....which I believe is a more effective and practical way to learn them than attempting to learn them as a separate endeavor (at least at first).

The entire language can be written in all hiragana (or all katakana), and it isn't unusual to just use hiragana for writing words when you either don't know or can't recall the kanji.

The entire language can not be written in all kanji, as kana are needed for things like particles and the end portions of verbs/adjectives (showing the different tenses).

You can write ひらがな or ヒラガナ or 平仮名 for "hiragana" (although it would probably be considered odd to write it in katakana).
You can write カタカナ or かたかな or 片仮名 for "katakana" (probably odd in hiragana).
You can write かんじ or カンジ or 漢字 for "kanji" (writing it in kanji is the most clear, as there are other words with different meanings also pronounced "kanji" in Japanese: 感じ or 幹事 as just a couple of examples. One major advantage of writing with kanji is that it helps to avoid confusion, as Japanese has a lot of homonyms).

Mike Cash said:

If you use a good, comprehensive textbook for learning Japanese then you will be learning kanji gradually at the same time as you learn the language....which I believe is a more effective and practical way to learn them than attempting to learn them as a separate endeavor (at least at first).

The entire language can be written in all hiragana (or all katakana), and it isn't unusual to just use hiragana for writing words when you either don't know or can't recall the kanji.

The entire language can not be written in all kanji, as kana are needed for things like particles and the end portions of verbs/adjectives (showing the different tenses).

You can write ひらがな or ヒラガナ or 平仮名 for "hiragana" (although it would probably be considered odd to write it in katakana).
You can write カタカナ or かたかな or 片仮名 for "katakana" (probably odd in hiragana).
You can write かんじ or カンジ or 漢字 for "kanji" (writing it in kanji is the most clear, as there are other words with different meanings also pronounced "kanji" in Japanese: 感じ or 幹事 as just a couple of examples. One major advantage of writing with kanji is that it helps to avoid confusion, as Japanese has a lot of homonyms).

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Got it. Are there any textbooks you recommend in particular? I'm learning using the Japanese Phrases iPhone app at the moment, which is actually quite extensive but not written in sequence and so learning efficiently with it is difficult if you're not organized.

There is a summary of the uses of the various scripts at Japanese writing system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reading/Writing is the biggest hurdle in learning Japanese you will learn to speak and listen at a much quicker rate. When it comes to tackling Kanji there is no option other than a large investment of time. Though there are numerous courses that teach Kanji in order of frequency of use so that you have a higher chance of using the Kanji you are learning so that you will be able to remember them.

I am willing to put in a considerable amount of work into learning Japanese as I find it a beautiful language and I am interested in Japanese culture. I plan on moving there in the future (maybe after 5-6 years) which would make learning all the Kanji much easier, as learning from people who speak the language through trial and error is of course the best way to learn. I can at least learn how to speak the language and learn a few dozen essential Kanjis until then.

What sort of visa do you plan to move here on? Do you meet the requirements for the visa?

I travelled to Japan for two weeks last year and I can vouch that being there immersed is a great way to learn. Don't plan anything. Just go for two weeks with your first three days of hotel stay planned. Then you sink or swim. It's amazing how quickly you can adapt. Learning the essential kanji is a very great way to at least get started. However, if you don't learn the compounds that come with them, you may have a rough time.

Mike Cash said:

What sort of visa do you plan to move here on? Do you meet the requirements for the visa?

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Oh, I don't want to worry about that right now. The Embassy of Japan in Iceland's website says a visa is not required for a 90 day stay. I seriously doubt there is any wisdom in taking all of my stuff and moving there on impulse. It would be exciting, but I'd probably go there to test the waters first. Who knows, maybe I'll hate it. I doubt I will, but you never know with these cultural matters; It's complicated.

@nihongomaster: Yeah I know how that goes. I went to Paraguay as an exchange student and picked up the lingo in a matter of months. Really the best way to learn I found was to ask people constantly what stuff means and to just say whatever comes to mind, no matter how ridiculous. Nobody bears a tourist any ill will (not many people anyway) and in a friendly community like the one in Paraguay I found I could ask even store clerks for word definitions. Which is something I'd never dream of here in Iceland, unless knowing the definition would be vital to the business transaction's success.

Towards which end of the spectrum does Japan lean (specifically in Tokyo) would you say Mike? I realize that formality and basic respect for strangers is a big thing over there which I really respect, but would you say it reflects in the communications and general atmosphere? Do people take kindly to being stopped on the street and asked a question (provided you address them properly)?

People are nice and will answer questions.

The time to check is now. Many people spend years looking forward to coming here to work and live, then discover they are not eligible for a visa and it will take four years to become eligible.

Mike Cash said:

People are nice and will answer questions.

The time to check is now. Many people spend years looking forward to coming here to work and live, then discover they are not eligible for a visa and it will take four years to become eligible.

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I see. I can't find any info on residency visas online so I'll be sure to pay a visit to the embassy one of these days. Thanks for the heads up.

EDIT: Are you familiar with the requirements for a temporary residency visa? I can't say I'm an expert on this issue but I assume the requirements come from the Japanese government and not my home country's government. Or do the requirements vary depending on where you are applying from?