For those interested, here is a link to a page showing different styles of kanji writing.
http://www.nihongoresources.com/language...faces.html
and a site (in Japanese) with lots of information and images on handwriting
http://daigotorena.moo.jp/lesson/bushubetsu-menu.htm

jmignot Wrote:For those interested, here is a link to a page showing different styles of kanji writing.
http://www.nihongoresources.com/language...faces.html

with really bad descriptions...

I use genkou youshi when I do my reviews.　This is the link I print them out from: http://www.city.yonezawa.yamagata.jp/shi...youshi.pdf

Not sure how too use it, lol. I print it out in normal vertical form, and turn it horizontal and write in it that way. I think I use it the wrong way, because I'm guessing horizontally there won't be any spaces between characters. Just the spaces between your lines. But since the only Japanese I write currently is my RtK kanji reviews, I honestly am not worried about it much atm. It's easier on my eyes for me, and the squares are the same size no matter which way you use it I think. (at least it feels that way to me)

ocircle, your journal and handwriting is very neat to look at! I hope I can reach that point one day as well. I currently do keep a journal, but it would be so cool to be able to keep it in Japanese over English one day!

cangy Wrote:with really bad descriptions...

Could you elaborate? I am eager to learn…

jmignot Wrote:

cangy Wrote:with really bad descriptions...

Could you elaborate? I am eager to learn…

I'm also not sure what you mean. I found the descriptions quite informative, but without overloading you with information.

jmignot Wrote:Could you elaborate? I am eager to learn…

it's just half made up...

try these instead:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_typefaces
http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/shotai.html

I also don't like my handwriting at all.
Actually, I've never practiced much. Of course I've written the Heisig Kanji 234254123412365365283409682 times or so, but I mean "real essays" or letters etc.
My kanji are OKAY, but my Hiragana and especially Katakana just suck. I've once learned them 7 years ago and never practiced again (of course reading is no problem).

I was told that my ヒ looks almost like a　と and vice versa and that I should write hiragana/katakana a little bit smaler than my kanji.
I wanna have a nice, neat handwriting (not sure why, maybe because I'm female XD) .... basically I was told my handwriting is okay (apart from what I've mentioned above), but it doesn't look beautiful or cute at all (^-^')

I just wonder how you guys practice writing?
I'm determined to practice writing the sentences I'm studying anyway everyday ... only a few of course ... and maybe ask a Japanese coworker of mine if she would be so nice to look over it and give me tips for improvement.

Any other ideas?

Well, someone else up here writes a journal in Japanese every day, that sounds like a good idea. I don't know enough to do so yet.

I write my reviews and new kanji, so I learn those. Once a month I also revise my Hiragana and Katakana, so I don't forget. I write it down from Romaji-Japanese and I use a website with games to practise it the other way around. I must say my Kana is better than my Kanji!

bflatnine Wrote:Here's a Chinese doctor's handwriting. Have fun trying to figure it out!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/3326...38c36a.jpg

走り書き

Aijin Wrote:

bflatnine Wrote:Here's a Chinese doctor's handwriting. Have fun trying to figure it out!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/3326...38c36a.jpg

走り書き

Which means?

Koos83 Wrote:

Aijin Wrote:

bflatnine Wrote:Here's a Chinese doctor's handwriting. Have fun trying to figure it out!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/3326...38c36a.jpg

走り書き

Which means?

Fast writing basically if you break it up: 走りー＞Running 書きー＞Writing, but definition wise just means scribbled.

I realized I can make out three kanji in that, with the first two being pretty obvious: 月　日　and 左

Offshore Wrote:I use genkou youshi when I do my reviews.　This is the link I print them out from: http://www.city.yonezawa.yamagata.jp/shi...youshi.pdf

Thanks for that link. I feel like a dummy. I've been using these little notebooks with pages of squares, that I got in Japan. They must be used by elementary school children, because they have 1/2" squares (and run about 90 to a page), and the squares on the page I printed from the link are 1/4" (and there are 400 on a page). It's MUCH easier to write in the smaller squares.

I'm interested to know what people write WITH. My preferred tools in English are a #2 pencil with eraser, or a Niji Stylist if a pen is required. But now that I'm writing more complex kanji I'm looking for something that has (and keeps) a finer point. Any suggestions?

I usually print my sheets myself, using a TikZ and TeX as 1x1 cm dark grids and light grids of half or sqrt(2) in between, either diagonal sometimes horizontal. (I've not yet settles on on of them, they both seem fine for practicing).
As a pen I usually have a few lead pencil's and a sharpener. I like those best. Maybe because I'm a math student and those are our primary tools anyway. I think it doesn't matter really, use what ever feels comfortable writing.
Apart from pencils, to me, a pen must easily glide over the sheet but still offer some friction feedback, not smear and feel right in the hand even after a few hours of writing.
I'm having a serious problem with the stylus on my old X41 tablet, as that has just not enough friction and glides too fast. (apart from the stupid precision issues).

I just use a simple BIC biro pen. It doesn't matter to me what I write with, as long as it works well. I had a pen that was almost finished and it wasn't nice having to retrace lines over and over again. So I went out and bought some new ones. XD

At work I always write with a refillable rollerball, but the line is just too thick to write kanji with properly.

you can use books for Japanese kids to help with handwriting... I use the KUMON books: http://www.kumonshuppan.com/special/062/index.html which show you how to write properly, but then it's not really like a Japanese adult. I think that comes naturally with practice / speed. I'm always checking out handwriting in guestbooks and stuff in Japan, and in dramas, just out of interest.

I also think it will come with practice. Just try to find something you wrote as a kid and compare it to how you write now. It's much clearer and faster now (well, not always clearer XD).

I've been using a pad of graph paper - the boxes are kind of small, about 1.470 to a page. I use a MICRON 01 pen. Nice ink, and tight lines. I'm kind of perfectionistic with my character's, but it depends on how much time I have for reviews. For better or worse my writing is like the character's on the computer screen. It's always a challenge to try and make the lines perfectly parallel and what not. I do plan to learn a looser, more artistic style over time, but I kind of like the challenge of forming clean character's.... perhaps it is improving the old "hand eye" drawing skills....

Hm I always have a kind of 'loose' style. It all started as early as the 'road' kanji; I can never get that road not to look like a bunch of squiggly lines. XD

I think you have to be careful with copying the standard computer font because some of the kanji are quite different to the handwritten style. You can always install a handwritten font like the one at http://sites.google.com/site/nihilistorguk/ (which includes stroke order too)

So, when I have downloaded that, how do I 'install' it? Make sure that font shows up where I want it to? I've never downloaded a font before, so I don't know how it works.

Koos83 Wrote:So, when I have downloaded that, how do I 'install' it? Make sure that font shows up where I want it to? I've never downloaded a font before, so I don't know how it works.

I'm not sure if it's the same for the others, but under Windows you only have to copy the font you downloaded into the folder 'Fonts'. (You should find it in the 'Windows' folder, I think.) Hope it works for you.

lilygilder Wrote:

Koos83 Wrote:So, when I have downloaded that, how do I 'install' it? Make sure that font shows up where I want it to? I've never downloaded a font before, so I don't know how it works.

I'm not sure if it's the same for the others, but under Windows you only have to copy the font you downloaded into the folder 'Fonts'. (You should find it in the 'Windows' folder, I think.) Hope it works for you.

Yeyy it worked! Thanks so much.

When I first started I used to write the kanji very slowly and following it exactly as it was printed on the screen. Nowadays I still kind of do, but I write them faster after having written them countless times so I usually just scribble. It ends up looking kind of like the third picture on the yamasa site, but a little bit neater.

That said, I still think my handwriting is kinda bleh in general (English included).

The only characters I can never write perfectly are れ、ね and わ. I don't know why, but when I do the zigzag part it usually comes out looking like an R or just weird.