Hi, this is my first post here so I'll start with a really smart question.

Why are the 2 examples given for writing 'say' [frame 335] different?

The example under the frame number (in my 5th edition) has a line on top, the 'how to' example has a dot.

The card in the review section here has a line, my Japanese teacher (who is not actually a teacher but is Japanese) tells me a dot.

:/

Any ideas? Do we have to remember more than one way to write specific kanji? That won't be fun

What you see on this site will depend on the font settings of your browser I think. You can write it as a line or a dot, it just depends on your preference. The same happens in English, for example if you write a lower case "t", you can choose to curl the bottom of the character or you can leave it straight and make the character a look like a cross. Both are still legible and acceptable I think.

I should warn you now that if you ever start to read hand written Japanese, you're going to have to be a lot more tolerant of discrepancies. Sometimes it's worse than a doctor's handwriting.

I agree with what wrightak says above.

It's also more of a dash than a dot.

I did also want to add that traditionally say is with a line at the top. That character is used in a lot of other kanji as a primative, where it is nearly always written with a dash/dot. I guess that as it's written as a primative more than on it's own, that when it's written as it's own kanji, hand habits write a dash/dot, not the traditional line.

I think it looks nicer as a line, so that's what I write...

The graders of the kanji kentei accept 3 forms of 言; the first stroke can be a horizontal line, a diagonal dot, or a vertical line. Personally I learned to write it with a vertical line, and that's how I write it.

There are considerable differences between handwritten and printed Japanese. Be on the lookout for them.

[ファブリス]

In handwritten form it's like the "drop" but written right to left instead of left to right. So it flows nicely: right-left, then 2nd stroke left-right more horizontal, etc.

Hey thanks for the tips.

Obviously there are as many different fonts for writing Japanese as there are for English, so I've gone back (I'm only up to frame 352) and the fonts are different for the two examples given for each frame the whole way through, I just hadn't noticed

wrightak Wrote:I should warn you now that if you ever start to read hand written Japanese, you're going to have to be a lot more tolerant of discrepancies. Sometimes it's worse than a doctor's handwriting.

I'll take your advice wrightak, and up the tolerance level. I'm still brand new at this and the kanji aren't being gentle!