I started Japanese a couple days ago with Pimsleur. After researching the writing system, RTK seemed like the clear best method.

I've been wanting to use the Skritter app as it lets you write characters, which will both be practice + I assume better memorization.

1. Is it optimal to follow Heisig's recommendation to do Kanji only and turn off the audio component of Skritter?
2. Conversely, should I learn the Katakana and Hiragana first and then learn to pronounce the Kanji as I learn them in Skritter
3. How, if at all, should I supplement Skritter with Koohii?
4. Or should I be using Koohii instead of Skritter, even if I don't mind paying and want to write.
5. At the bottom of the post here, a user recommending exporting skritter words to Koohii and learning Japanese vocabulary words containing Kanji learned so far. Is this a good idea, or will this interfere with Kanji learning? http://www.skritter.com/forum/topic?id=184599134
6. Is there any other way I should be integrating writing/SRS in skritter with Koohii or any other SRS method?

This is a big project, so I'd like to figure out an efficient method before starting. But my RTK book arrived today, so I may start in Skritter while I figure out the best method.

Don't use Skritter. Use Supermemo (very advanced so not recommended for you), Anki, Mnemosyne, or this site (which uses the Leitner system, but for all intents and purposes it's fine as RTK was originally intended for paper flash cards).

Do I draw on paper then?

Just did a Skritter session and it seemed helpful. What's the issue with it? (That's a genuine question – I'm not wedded to the idea of using Skritter)

There is actually a Google handwriting app available for phones, I don't practie writing kanji but I have tried it and it worked extremely well. It's free of course.

If I decided to pick up RTK again I would just use paper and a pencil though. If you want to learn how to write kanji then presumably it's because you need to be able to write them on paper and not on a touchscreen. That said I seriously doubt writing medium makes any huge difference but that's how I would do it anyway because it just makes sense to me.

I would recommend learning the kana first, although not all RTK users do. But I would also recommend sticking to English keywords and not complicating matters/slowing things down by trying to learn meaning + writing + pronunciation at the same time. The idea of RTK is to learn to write and understand all the basic kanji first, and then go on to learning vocabulary and readings.

There's an RTK app which lets you write kanji. I use it for practice going keyword → written kanji, along with Anki for practice going kanji → keyword -- I don't care what Heisig says, you can't learn to write without practicing writing. One thing I don't like about the RTK app is you can't change the keyword, and some of Heisig's aren't great. Another thing is you're stuck studying lesson by lesson because it's not an SRS app. You can build study sets, but there's no easy way to remove cards you know.

In fact, if anyone knows a good, easy to use iPad app that lets you write kanji, has some sort of SRS system, and works well with RTK, I'd love to know about it.

If you do RtK, you should carefully read the instructions in the book and try and follow them. The only thing you should change is the paper flashcards. The world has evolved since the book was written, now you can just use Anki for that.

The reason why you should use Anki over other SRS software isn't that it's better. It's because it's the most popular with Japanese learners, and, since it's the most popular, it has the most online support (whether it's advice on how to use it, or actual learning materials like ready made flashcard decks that people have shared over the years, or various add-ons that let you do all kinds of cool and useful things with it, that you can't do with other SRS software).

If you don't like the instructions in RtK, you're probably better off not using the method at all. There's a lot to be said for just focusing on learning the Japanese language first (with the help of Kana/furigana), and worrying about the Kanji after you already speak relatively well.

Stansfield123 Wrote:If you do RtK, you should carefully read the instructions in the book and try and follow them. The only thing you should change is the paper flashcards. The world has evolved since the book was written, now you can just use Anki for that.

The reason why you should use Anki over other SRS software isn't that it's better. It's because it's the most popular with Japanese learners, and, since it's the most popular, it has the most online support (whether it's advice on how to use it, or actual learning materials like ready made flashcard decks that people have shared over the years, or various add-ons that let you do all kinds of cool and useful things with it, that you can't do with other SRS software).

If you don't like the instructions in RtK, you're probably better off not using the method at all. There's a lot to be said for just focusing on learning the Japanese language first (with the help of Kana/furigana), and worrying about the Kanji after you already speak relatively well.

Thanks. I ended up doing RTK as recommended: no pronunciation, no kana.

I am using Skritter as I really like the app + handwriting feedback. I may incorporate another system once I finish RTK. Going well so far, five days in I'm at 140 kanji, and I seem to be retaining them.