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Hiho!
I'm currently doing anki core 2k/6k an done almost 200 words.
I've started using genki, intergrated course to elementary japanese.
I've done some pimsluers and have perhaps like 500+ hours of anime/japanese movies so I'm quite acquainted to japanese by now ![]()
I did remmeber the kanji before, perhaps 60 kanjis, and I'm going to start again (summerbreak) and from what I can tell doing remember the kanji will help me memorize kanjis and how to write them, but not how to read them.
So now to my question, where or what do I use to help me learn how to read the kanjis?
My goal is to perhaps to winter being able to read childrens manga.
Last edited by xanan66 (2013 June 13, 5:36 am)
I'm thinking if it's better to learn it all together, write+basic meaning+ how to pronounce it.
I think students who study japanese in japan does that kind of things in class.
It might be slower but if you do that, and get up to like 200 kanjis, you can start reading some basic manga already.
Instead of doing 2000 kanjis in RTK and then do RTK 2 or something to learn how to read the kanjis.
What's you're ideas about that?
I think that unless Japanese is your native language, living in Japan and attending a Japanese school, learning kanji how the natives are taught kanji is like trying to run a marathon without feet.
Japanese school children are already fluent in the language. They have a large neural base of connections with the vocabulary and don't have to learn both the kanji, it's readings, and what it means in Japanese, all the while using a secondary language to filter it through.
RTK isn't going to teach you Japanese. It's there to get get you comfortable with the written aspect of commonly used non-phonetic characters. You don't have to use RTK (although it does make writing kanji a lot simpler). With enough reading and writing alone, you're going to end up with those kanji in your head. RTK is part of a more "divide and conquer" approach. It's popular around here (obviously, given the nature of what these forums are based around) and many find it useful, but learning isn't a one-fits-all affair. Something else might jive better with you.
Above all of that, however, whatever you choose to do, unless your are consistent with it, it will be for naught.
As for an even more opinionated response, I suggest that if the Genki textbook is proving useful, or if it helps keep you consistently in touch with the target language, then keep using it. As for the Kore/Core Anki decks, they speak for themselves: common, daily use vocabulary. You're going to need it at some point and if using this deck and Anki keeps you consistent with your studies, keeps you in touch with the target language, then don't fix what ain't broke.
P.S. if you wanted to stop using RTK altogether, as long as you write out your vocabulary reviews with the vocabulary deck you are currently using, you will eventually "memorize" those kanji by fiat. There are harder ways and there are easier ways. Sometimes the harder ways and easier for some people and the easier are harder for others. Find what works, keeps you consistent and in-touch, and ride that donkey till it breaks.
Let me summarize what uisukii said in his long post above:
Find your own way by yourself.
If you think that what you're doing is good for you, you're right (even if you're wrong).
As to reading Japanese. I've never read a single manga (not my cup of tea) so I cannot give any advice on that.
But... no need to wait.
I was reading (some) Japanese even before I started learning it. I was interested in Japanese cinema and was always curious what the original titles really meant.
So I began reading them - Wikipadia and a pop-up dictionary were very handy. So I started reading inadvertently, as it were.
Even now, when I look at, say 男はつらいよ 幸福の青い鳥 or あの夏、いちばん静かな海。 I feel it was the right thing to do.
Thanks for your replies, I think I will stick to RTK, I learn things like that very easily, and I use the same metod with anki.
I write down all the words I learn from anki in a book I have, So after I'm done with anki I can still study and memorize the words with the books, you know like we did when we where kids, english words on one side of the papper and the hiragana words on the other side and try to guess the hiragana.
I guess after RTK when I know how to write some kanjis, I can download something for anki and learn kanjis that way, because then I already know how to write them, and just need to learn what they mean.
Well dicipline is everything, I'm going to stick with this, wish me good luck ![]()
A quick question, in RTK, the words for each kanji. Is that the basic meaning of the kanji, or just a words he made up so one can easily remmeber how to write and kanji and help remember it?
xanan66 wrote:
A quick question, in RTK, the words for each kanji. Is that the basic meaning of the kanji, or just a words he made up so one can easily remmeber how to write and kanji and help remember it?
Somewhere in-between. The keyword for characters is always -a- meaning associated with the kanji, although sometimes it may be an obscure meaning. (especially characters that are mostly used phonetically or in names, but in those cases the kanji's 'meaning' is a questionable concept in the first place.)
Most of the keywords are reasonably useful in understanding the characters though.
'primitive' keywords are sometimes completely made up, and since they are just for mnemonic purposes anyway, that's not generally a problem.
A quick question, in RTK, the words for each kanji. Is that the basic meaning of the kanji, or just a words he made up so one can easily remmeber how to write and kanji and help remember it?
The keywords are most of the time pretty accurate meanings for the kanji, or at least as one meaning in the cases when a kanji has several common ones. Sometimes different characters have very similar meanings, and Heisig chooses to give the keywords different nuances so that they're distinguishable for making stories. Sometimes the keywords are just silly, but if you follow the story pages on this site you'll often see people noting such cases and having their own suggestions for alternatives.
I write down all the words I learn from anki in a book I have, So after I'm done with anki I can still study and memorize the words with the books, you know like we did when we where kids, english words on one side of the papper and the hiragana words on the other side and try to guess the hiragana.
This is unnecessary imo, it's better to stick with one single solid system of reviewing vocabulary, and using your time left over after reviewing to add new words to it. In the beginning when you get done with reviews quickly you might find anki to be underwhelming and wanting to do more, but keep adding words and you'll find yourself spending more and more time reviewing as the deck piles up. Although if you'd just write by hand for writing practice that's another thing, but I'd practice writing output while reviewing the RTK deck (keyword on front--write out kanji--check the back of the card with the kanji on it).
I guess after RTK when I know how to write some kanjis, I can download something for anki and learn kanjis that way, because then I already know how to write them, and just need to learn what they mean.
When you're done with going through RTK you've got the kanjis' appearances and rough meanings covered, you just keep reviewing. You really don't need to study kanji meanings in English more extensively than RTK keywords, it's not as important to be able to interpret each character in a language other than Japanese as you might think. Unless you'd have a specific interest for kanji etymology (origins and history).
You don't need to keep track how the meanings of individual kanji best translate into English/Swedish just to speak and understand Japanese, what you need to know is what the words they stand for mean and how they're pronounced.
And really, you'll cover the kanji readings and how they function in compound words by just learning and acquiring the words. Every time you're learning a word you're also learning a reading for whatever kanji the word contains. The more words you learn, the more readings you'll be familiar with, so the easier it'll get.
The reason why simply learning words might not seem so obviously useful is because it's confusing to try to learn a word when you've never seen its kanji. I've seen other Japanese learners have almost a sort of "I haven't learned this or that kanji yet (meaning+readings+writing) so I can't really learn that word right now" dedication. But you'll have RTK under your belt, you'll be familiar with the majority of the kanji to deal with, the issue will be just connecting the sounds of the words to the characters.
Otherwise to study individual readings along RTK there's things like the movie method or as an alternative to RTK but with readings included IN the stories, kanji damage. I haven't used either of them so I won't comment.
Thanks!!
I only do 10 words a day with anki, but think I increase it to 15, we'll see. I want to keep a good pace and don't slack behind if something where to happen like I need to work or something.
I write down the anki words becuase I find it easier to review it. If I just use anki It won't stick as good, and I learn better by also writing it down.
Also I get to practice reading hiragana when I review it.
I'm still a bit lost on how to accuire the reading for the kanjis, should I start now by adding kanjis from anki, or do you think I will aquaire it by time when I do genki?
I've seen some kanji decks to download for anki, perhaps it's good to start with that after I'm finnished with RTK so I know all the particles and how to write them?
And I'm also started japanese step 1 this fall, hopefully I will get to know some basic kanjis and help with my pronouncement
Personally, I study best through mind maps, I think they are fabulous because they can be by your side as a visual guide when reading kanji. The best kanji mind maps I have found are at lannilan.com/category/knowledge-base/
Hope my response helped ![]()
Hello, loveanime001, and welcome to the forum.
We're happy to hear that you started learning Japanese and found a good resource, and appreciate you sharing it with us, but please try to not overdo the link-sharing. Especially not by posting the same message in different places within a matter of minutes, all commenting on your website. Some could consider it spam ![]()
Thank you, and have fun learning Japanese.
xanan66 wrote:
I'm thinking if it's better to learn it all together, write+basic meaning+ how to pronounce it.
It might be slower but if you do that, and get up to like 200 kanjis, you can start reading some basic manga already.
I start core in less than two weeks when I finish RTK. Is it true 200 kanjis you can start reading basic manga? How many cards in to core do you have to get to 200 kanji?
here's info on remembering on-yomi readings from tofugu (this site has been a mess for quite some time but this post was helpful)
http://www.tofugu.com/2013/04/30/how-to … dont-know/
I already know all these readings but maybe if i knew about it when i didin't know i might have remembered it faster??? most of this is pretty obvious with the pattern that this radical in the kanji is this reading.
Last edited by howtwosavealif3 (2013 June 29, 11:04 am)

