Writing kanji is a waste of time?

Orochimaru · 2 Dec 2012

With only 26 letters (or even 92 kana) they're few and simple enough to just learn them all right away before you start reading. I don't think the same applies to kanji. So you kind of have to systematically learn some before others, over a considerable period of time... like they do in Japan.

alecgraham · 2 Dec 2012

I think the OP has a point. In the beginning, it's a probably wise to get an idea about stroke order. But it's tempting to just type romaji and let computers handle the rest. After all, we're living in an age when google finishes your sentences for you in your native language.

I gave up trying to write Chinese stroke by stroke a long time ago, especially the traditional characters. It was a bit demoralizing to see older Chinese ask each other how to write certain characters that they'd used all their lives. I'd rather use the alphabet and focus on vocabulary and other pursuits.

My Japanese is rudimentary, but I feel the same way about writing kanji.

Zlarp · 2 Dec 2012

alecgraham said:
I think the OP has a point. In the beginning, it's a probably wise to get an idea about stroke order. But it's tempting to just type romaji and let computers handle the rest. After all, we're living in an age when google finishes your sentences for you in your native language.

I gave up trying to write Chinese stroke by stroke a long time ago, especially the traditional characters. It was a bit demoralizing to see older Chinese ask each other how to write certain characters that they'd used all their lives. I'd rather use the alphabet and focus on vocabulary and other pursuits.

My Japanese is rudimentary, but I feel the same way about writing kanji.

I've asked people how to write some letters. On words with two "t"'s on them, I still do one from one side and the other from the other side. It's not as big of a problem as you make it out to be, I can still produce a discernible t. As for learning how to write the Kanji (and I think for Hanzi there's a version too) I strongly advocate Heisig if that's your problem. At a normal pace you'll know all your jôyo kanji in 3 months or so and you won't be so frustrated anymore.

Edit: also, for Chinese, since one Hanzi is one word, as far as I recall, it's probably more correct to think of it as spelling if you don't know how to write one.

alecgraham · 2 Dec 2012

Hmm, not sure what you mean about t's, Zlarp.
Re: hanzi: more often than not, the word is made of more than one character, except in ancient Chinese, wenyanwen. (文言文)

Zlarp · 2 Dec 2012

You know, do you do the first stroke of the t from left to right or from right to left? I think it's from left to right, but I really don't care much

Orochimaru · 2 Dec 2012

Zlarp said:
You know, do you do the first stroke of the t from left to right or from right to left? I think it's from left to right, but I really don't care much

I have no idea.

alecgraham · 3 Dec 2012

Haha, a Latin 't'? You don't have to care. But, it helps to know the stroke order when writing Kanji, especially if you're using handwriting recognition software.

Zlarp · 3 Dec 2012

alecgraham said:
Haha, a Latin 't'? You don't have to care. But, it helps to know the stroke order when writing Kanji, especially if you're using handwriting recognition software.

Which is why I was making the observation. I don't see old people asking each other about how to write a Kanji as all that discouraging. As for hand writing recognition, you need stroke order and stroke direction, though the one I've been using is clever enough to sometimes find the kanji I'm looking for even if I get the direction wrong.

alecgraham · 3 Dec 2012

Nice! What specifically are you using?

Zlarp · 3 Dec 2012

Err, it's called "Japanese", which is an app for the iPad. If it doesn't find what I'm looking for I can use radicals to look things up, and if I don't have stroke order completely right I usually have an idea what might be wrong, anyway, and I can try it a few different ways.

nahadef · 3 Dec 2012

I think it's fine to just recognise it. Sure, you can be respected more by hotel clerks and post office workers if you write it all in kanji, but really, do you care?

I learned to write hundreds of kanji years back, and I never need to now. Most adult Japanese never need to. Reading, speaking, and typing are the main skills, and writing it should be considered a bonus. I take the same approach to students studying English. Spelling is the least important skill, after speaking, listening, reading and comprehension. Not on Internet forums of course, where bad spelling is mercilessly ridiculed, but in the real world.

alecgraham · 3 Dec 2012

nahadef said:
Not on Internet forums of course, where bad spelling is mercilessly ridiculed, but in the real world.

I bet you proofread that last post carefully, def!

nahadef · 3 Dec 2012

alecgraham said:
I bet you proofread that last post carefully, def!

Me fail English? That's unpossible.

Zlarp · 3 Dec 2012

nahadef said:
Me fail English? That's unpossible.

The correct way to spell that wrong is "unpossibuls"

Writing kanji is a waste of time?

Orochimaru

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alecgraham

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Zlarp

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alecgraham

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Zlarp

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Orochimaru

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alecgraham

先輩

Zlarp

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alecgraham

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Zlarp

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nahadef

Quietly exploding

alecgraham

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nahadef

Quietly exploding

Zlarp

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