i noticed some japanese people kind of write kanji's but the look like cursive form or something. For example the 糸 primitive looks different when they write it.

are we supposed to learn these


where can i learn how to do this?

This has been discussed a number of times before.

Like here:
http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=3150

You probably could search the board for the terms calligraphy, cursive, or handwriting. Personally, I think you could just find a semi-cursive font and try using that for various things, like Anki.

Recently Seamoby linked here: https://picasaweb.google.com/tohoku.anpi - The kanji and kana often have those kinds of connections between them as a kind of mixed cursive. I think it develops naturally from practice (both writing that way and reading it), but I must admit I didn't recognize the 子 on those notes right away (I started to write it that way some time after finishing RTK but ended up correcting myself to stricter strokes, hmm), so I should mention Katsuo has recommended the font style from the second box at the above-linked Yamasa (http://www.yamasa.cc/members/ocjs/kanjid...3?OpenForm) as a style to emulate that naturally flows into the style in the third box. Specifically Katsuo noted EPSON 教科書体Ｍ at this site as an ideal model: http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Japanese.html

Edit: And that Picasa link has transcriptions in the comments. I feel like a jerk recommending those tsunami shelter lists as a learning tool.

animehunter123 Wrote:are we supposed to learn these

... do you *want* to learn them? Do you have to know them for a test? Are you afraid of getting laughed at because of your handwriting?

Unless i missed the standardised list of things someone learning japanese must learn?

Are we talking about cursive or semi-cursive here?

The cursive I'm thinking about is the handwriting from edo-jidai letters you can find on display in any museum and I don't know a single Japanese person who can read that style, let alone write it.

For example -

This is Japanese cursive - pretty much no one except scholars can read this anymore - it's only 150 years old too.

kitakitsune Wrote:Are we talking about cursive or semi-cursive here?

The cursive I'm thinking about is the handwriting from edo-jidai letters you can find on display in any museum and I don't know a single Japanese person who can read that style, let alone write it.

We're talking about boss cursive. You write it kind of like this:



(What's that from, by the way?)

Probably the biggest reason is so you can read people's handwriting, but having "adult-looking" handwriting is also something desirable that someone should want to learn.

Picture someone who writes English using perfectly formed block letters. It's neat handwriting but it just looks like a child wrote it very slowly as homework.

nest0r Wrote:(What's that from, by the way?)

Originally from some Korean TV show. I don't know the name or anything, just noticed hangul in a different version of the same gif.

Anyway, Japanese semi-cursive. It's pretty simple. You can start with changing your ごんべん's into a single squiggly line. Then move on to your 見る's and you'll start getting the hand of it.

Whats a ごんべん?

The name of the 言 radical.

Can you give an example Kitsune? Thanks

animehunter123 Wrote:Can you give an example Kitsune? Thanks

言 訂 訃 計 訊 託 討 and so on. Whenever 言 appears on the left side of a kanji it is called "ごんべん".

If you want an example of this particular radical in cursive form you can look at simplified Chinese which changed the 言 radical into 讠.

Also see http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/shotai-handwr...ten-kaisho about handwritten styles. EPSON 行書体Ｍ (on wazu.jp) is an example of a running script (semi-cursive) font, which you could use in conjunction with nest0r's recommended kaishotai, but it isn't really necessary since the connections follow automatically if you follow stroke order.

You can learn some of the shortcuts here:

http://daigotorena.moo.jp/lesson/bushu-hen1.htm
http://daigotorena.moo.jp/lesson/bushu-hen2.htm
http://daigotorena.moo.jp/lesson/bushu-hen3.htm

A lot of it comes with practicing writing fast and being lazy