Question

I currently am struggling with understanding Kanji, because it just seems too complex. So I am looking for more of an efficient way to learn and understand Japanese, specifically Kanji if anyone would be willing to share some tips, or even links, I'd gladly appreciate it.
Thanks :-).

Answer 1

I have no idea either what the best way is.
I tried learning only those for words I met regularly.
I tried learning them by order used by Japanese children in primary school.

I tried learning them by groups about a same concept (eat/drink, small/big, year/month/week/day/hour)

But then, there are always some pronunciations missing.

My teacher says she will teach us using similar parts in the kanji so that we learn writing them more efficiently.
I mean such series as :
木　林　森
言　話　語
雨　雪　電　

I'll tell you if this is better when I've tried.

Answer 2

Interesting.
I'd like to continue learning kanji but the harder it gets the more discouraged I become.
I'll continue learning kanji one by one, but if you can find the most efficient way tell me please :-).

If anyone has any other tips I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks.

Answer 3

Do you have trouble memorizing exactly how to write them?

Answer 4

Yes, especially having to memorize all the orders of the strokes... >.<
(It gets so frustrating!)
But more importantly is for me being able to read and comprehend the kanji.
It took me awhile to fully learn hiragana and katakana. Not to mention spending loads of time with practice sheets learning how to write them. I won't give up tho. I've come this far. It would be a shame if I gave up now. :P

Answer 5

Oh you really don't have to worry about the order of the strokes. As long as you can write it the way it's supposed to look, you'll be fine.

The memorization part takes time. But I think it's great that you're not giving up.

Answer 6

Okay, thanks for the advice.
I've been starting to learn about verbs and particles, ugh what a pain, oh well its quite fun tho.
Memorizing Kanji has become easier, I guess all I needed was a bit more determination.

Answer 7

Congratulations.
Now that you are learning verbs, you will easily recognise the kanji for the verbs you use most, like

go, come, see/watch, listen, buy, open, close, go out, come back home, go up, eat, speak, write, etc.

行く、来る、見る、聞く、買う、開ける、空ける、出る、帰る、上げる、食べる、話す、書く

Answer 8

Stroke order is good to learn, but that is largely going to come by two things: First, learning the underlying rules to stroke order so that you have a rough idea of what order applies in any situation. Second, practice... and lots of it.

More importantly, you need to be comfortable with the kanji, their meaning, and their use. Sentences that use the kanji in question are important to practice. There are two books I know that are good for this, "The Kanji Way to Japanese Language Power" by Dale P. Crowley, and there is a dictionary of Japanese in context I can't remember the name of at the moment. They let you see the kanji in actual use sentences, not learning constructs. That way your writing practice will be on phrases that have meaning.

Searching for a kanji on a Japanese news site, translating a sentence, and using that as a practice piece is also useful. You may need to take a larger chunk of text to get the context, but this will give you something to copy and repeat until you can write it out without too much difficulty.

All Kanji are a set of preexisting mnemonics. Learn what the bushu (radicals) are for that kanji. See how they relate. Work out a story or phrase that involves this. Make speaking, reading, and writing all part of the same practice.

Learn about spaced repetition techniques. Apply them to maximize practice effectiveness. Perhaps a tool like Anki will be good for you.

Answer 9

All great tips, guys.
Thank you very much.

Answer 10

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(がんばってよ)