I'm buying a 0.5mm mechanical pencil to practice writing Kanji out on paper. I need to know which lead to purchase. I've seen some references on the web that "2B" is good since it is soft and facilitates drawing the different endings to a stroke. But can that be too soft for writing out complicated Kanji in a small space? Should I pick up a "B" or something harder as well? Thanks...

Don't waste study time--or, more importantly, your life--thinking about silly things.

Buy a pencil that has lead, and start practicing kanji.
Better yet, look around your immediate area. Is there a pencil? Bingo.

Thanks for the advice but its not like my life is at the breaking point because of this. Since I am paying for it, I figured I should buy something appropriate.

I personally prefer slightly harder pencils (just regular HBs) for writing small kanji. I've never had problems distinguishing between はね strokes and とめ　strokes with them.

I know my answer was uncooperative, but any type of lead is perfectly appropriate for writing kanji. So, if you ask which lead you should purchase, I'm pretty sure my answer was the correct one: any lead is fine. The advantages and disadvantages of different lead types aren't enough to aid or hinder kanji studies.

Fillanzea gave a personal preference, and that's all this really comes down to. There might be a pencil lead you prefer writing with, but that's about the extent of the issue.

I would be more concerned about the grip than the lead - I prefer soft grips.

*Facepalm*

At the end of the day, it's not how hard the pencil lead is, but what it says on the pencil.

I've got 'ohhs' and 'ahhs' in Japan and the occasional プロポーズ with this one (0.5 MN 100 黒, in case you want to know).

http://i.imgur.com/57TTI.png?1

I use the OHTO super promecha - for me the weighting of the thing (quite heavy around the grip, light at both ends) is more important than the lead hardness. With the right balance it's much easier to control and make the exact shape you want on the page.

Also I prefer hard grips which don't get slippery - soft grips give you less precision.

edit: I use HB lead, and I wouldn't want to go softer than that.

Tzadeck Wrote:Don't waste study time--or, more importantly, your life--thinking about silly things.

Buy a pencil that has lead, and start practicing kanji.
Better yet, look around your immediate area. Is there a pencil? Bingo.

2B or not 2B, that is the question.

And here we have a lucky glimpse of the rare [kana]enpitsu OTAKU[/kana] in their natural habitat.

One should not forget about an eraser at the opposite tip of the pencil - on occasions it becomes quite handy. Don't go with hard ones as they leave smudges when you erase this kanji that you didn't quite get right.

kainzero Wrote:

Tzadeck Wrote:Don't waste study time--or, more importantly, your life--thinking about silly things.

Buy a pencil that has lead, and start practicing kanji.
Better yet, look around your immediate area. Is there a pencil? Bingo.

2B or not 2B, that is the question.

If this entire thread had just been a set-up for that joke, it would have been worth it.

I only use the highest end model rapidograph pens. Sure, I can't erase any mistakes, but that just means I have to write everything over from the beginning of the page if I get anything wrong.

I'm more concerned about my breathing technique when writing kanji. Since I've learned Kanji mostly from the books and never had any formal training, I'm not sure if I've got the breathing patterns down. I always wonder if I should be exhaling on the left-right strokes or on the top-bottom strokes.

six8ten Wrote:I'm more concerned about my breathing technique when writing kanji. Since I've learned Kanji mostly from the books and never had any formal training, I'm not sure if I've got the breathing patterns down. I always wonder if I should be exhaling on the left-right strokes or on the top-bottom strokes.

okay now to be honest for a second...

i've seen 2B as recommended from the NHK program for prettier characters.
if you like you can also pick up a brush pen (fude pen). there are techniques to write with one, though. if you don't pay attention to your technique all your character will be super thick.

i'm not sure if you're going for prettier characters though. that takes a lot of practice. it's not necessary if your goal is quick and pure fluency. i used to practice a fair bit of it for fun using DS Bimoji and watching handwriting videos on youtube. for practicality, any pencil will work. if you're gonna go to the store and buy one and it doesn't make a difference anyway then i'd take the NHK rec and go 2B.

i also hate using thick-tip pens to write because it gets all blobby.

Thanks kainzero. I saw that NHK video also which is one of the reasons I brought up this topic. I may try Bimoji DS as well as it looks like fun. As to the others who poke fun, I am amused (really!). I'll slink back into my hole about now.....

[s0apgun]

I only use bamboo pencils, mechanical pencils are taboo imo.