Apple Otaku

Learning kanji can be a daunting task. I’d like to introduce four methods that can ease the process if used properly. There are other ways of learning kanji but I think these methods will give most individuals a good start.

1. Writing Repetition - Write out each kanji several times until the meaning and pronunciation becomes second nature. Be prepared to write each kanji up to 100 times. It doesn’t cost much to follow this method and I’ve seen good results. But with close to 2,000 kanji needed to read your average magazine/newspaper, it can start to lose its effectiveness. That’s because, after a while, some of the kanji start looking the same.
2. Flash Cards - Flash cards are great for kanji. If you want to save money, you can make your own set. When I study with flash cards, I try to learn at least 10 kanji per day. Fast, simple, and effective. Plus, they make it easy to learn on the go. Cons: you don’t learn how to actually write the kanji. Also like the previous method I mentioned, as you learn more kanji, they do start to look similar. You can buy a good starter set of flash cards here.
3. Heisig - This method has its fans and critics. In using Heisig, each kanji is assigned a unique mnemonic in order make it more memorable. The first book covers the meaning of each kanji. You’ll need to read the second book in the series if you want to know the reading of each kanji. I’ve gone through the first book cover to cover and while I have learned a lot of kanji, the mnemonics I had to memorize tended to get a little fuzzy after some time. But I’ve also heard stories from people who have had great success using this system. More info can be found here. If you’re interested in honing your Heisig skills online, check out Reviewing the Kanji.
4. Kanji Pict-O-Graphix - I’m currently using Kanji Pict-O-Graphix to polish up my kanji skills. This book teaches kanji by using visual mnemonics. It differentiates from Heisig by using drawings to better illustrate the included mnemonics. If you’re a visually inclined person, this might be the way to go. Note: this book doesn’t cover all of the necessary kanji. It only covers a little over 1,200 kanji.

The one piece of universal advice I can give you is: be persistent. Integrate kanji training into your daily schedule. Read Japanese comics, magazines, and books as you progress through your kanji training. This will help put the kanji you’ve learned into its proper context.

As with a lot of other things in life, without regular training, it’s easy to regress back to where you started from. So keep at it and good luck!

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