Studying Kanji is a Waste of Time
Summary
TLDRThis video script challenges the conventional wisdom that mastering Japanese kanji is an arduous task requiring extensive memorization. The speaker argues that traditional study methods are inefficient and suggests an alternative approach: learning kanji through vocabulary acquisition. By focusing on words rather than individual characters, learners can more efficiently and effectively read Japanese. The speaker supports this claim with personal experience and cites a Japanese teacher's advice, emphasizing the importance of context over rote memorization. The script also touches on the complexities of kanji readings and offers strategies for making educated guesses, advocating for a more practical and engaging way to learn Japanese.
Takeaways
- 😨 The fear of learning Japanese kanji is often exaggerated, but it is still challenging.
- 📚 Traditional methods of learning kanji, such as rote memorization of individual characters and their readings, are inefficient.
- 🔍 Many people struggle with kanji because they try to learn each character in isolation, which is not practical for reading real Japanese text.
- 📈 Learning kanji through vocabulary acquisition is more effective, as it allows learners to encounter characters in context and build recognition over time.
- 🚫 There is no need to study kanji individually if the goal is to read Japanese; focusing on vocabulary is more beneficial.
- 💡 The speaker suggests that learning to read kanji should not precede learning to write them, as it is more practical to learn to write characters only after becoming fluent in reading.
- 📝 The speaker's personal experience with dedicated kanji study was not fruitful, leading to a shift towards vocabulary-focused learning.
- 🗣️ A Japanese teacher featured in the script also advocates for learning vocabulary over individual kanji, emphasizing that even knowing all kanji readings does not guarantee the ability to read Japanese.
- 📚 The process of learning kanji through vocabulary involves using tools like Anki for spaced repetition and actively reading Japanese text to reinforce learning.
- 🎲 The existence of games like 'Kanji to Go,' which challenge players to guess kanji readings, highlights the complexity and sometimes arbitrary nature of kanji readings.
Q & A
Why does the speaker believe that studying kanji is often considered a waste of time?
-The speaker believes studying kanji is a waste of time because many people use inefficient methods, such as memorizing individual kanji characters with all their readings and radicals, which is time-consuming and doesn't necessarily lead to the ability to read real Japanese text effectively.
What is the common misconception about the number of kanji characters and their readings?
-The common misconception is that there are millions of kanji characters, each with numerous readings, making it seem like an impossible task to learn them all. However, the reality is that there are a more manageable number of characters, and the number of readings per character is often exaggerated.
How does the speaker suggest learning kanji more effectively?
-The speaker suggests learning kanji more effectively by focusing on vocabulary words as they come up, rather than studying individual kanji in isolation. This approach allows learners to encounter kanji in context, which helps in understanding their usage and readings.
What is the role of Anki in the speaker's recommended learning method?
-Anki is recommended as a tool for learning vocabulary words. It helps in memorizing words and their kanji components, which in turn aids in learning how to read kanji without dedicated study.
Why does the speaker argue that learning stroke order and radicals might not be necessary for reading kanji?
-The speaker argues that learning stroke order and radicals might not be necessary for reading kanji because if the goal is to read rather than write, these aspects do not significantly contribute to recognizing and understanding kanji in written text.
What is the difference between kunyomi and onyomi readings in kanji?
-Kunyomi are readings for native Japanese words, while onyomi are readings for words that were imported from Chinese. The speaker suggests that understanding this distinction can help in making educated guesses about the readings of compound words.
How does the speaker's personal experience with learning Japanese support their argument against dedicated kanji study?
-The speaker's personal experience shows that they were able to learn to read Japanese effectively by focusing on vocabulary and not on dedicated kanji study. This supports their argument that learning kanji through vocabulary is more efficient.
What is the 'Kanji Grid' add-on in Anki and how does it help in learning kanji?
-The 'Kanji Grid' add-on in Anki generates a visual representation of all the kanji found in one's Anki deck, allowing learners to see the kanji they have encountered and learned through vocabulary. It helps in gauging progress and understanding the kanji one is familiar with.
What is the game 'Kanji to Go' and how does it relate to learning kanji?
-Kanji to Go is a game where players guess the readings of kanji. It is mentioned as a fun way to test one's ability to read kanji and to learn about less common readings, indicating that even native speakers can find it challenging, which supports the idea that learning kanji through vocabulary is a more practical approach.
Why does the speaker suggest waiting until fluency in written Japanese to learn how to write kanji?
-The speaker suggests waiting to learn how to write kanji until fluency in written Japanese is achieved because the focus should be on reading comprehension first. Writing kanji without understanding them in context can be less practical and more challenging.
Outlines
📚 Debunking Kanji Study Myths
The paragraph discusses the common misconception that studying kanji is a daunting task due to the vast number of characters and readings. It argues that traditional methods of learning kanji are inefficient, and suggests an alternative approach of learning vocabulary to naturally acquire kanji knowledge. The speaker shares their personal experience of struggling with kanji until they switched to learning words, which led to a better grasp of kanji readings without direct study. The paragraph also touches on the idea that learning stroke order or radicals is not necessary for reading comprehension and that it's more practical to learn these once fluency in reading is achieved.
📈 Learning Kanji Through Vocabulary
This section of the script outlines a more practical approach to learning kanji by focusing on vocabulary acquisition. It emphasizes the use of spaced repetition software like Anki and the importance of reading extensively to reinforce learning. The speaker explains that as one learns more words, kanji characters become more recognizable, and one can start guessing readings even of unfamiliar words. The concept of kunyomi and onomi readings is introduced as a tool for making educated guesses about kanji readings. The paragraph also discusses the limitations of this method, acknowledging that there are exceptions and that certainty comes from direct lookup. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about using Anki and the Kanji Grid add-on to visualize their progress in learning kanji.
🎮 The Futility of Isolated Kanji Learning
The final paragraph reinforces the idea that learning kanji in isolation is not effective for reading comprehension. It mentions a game called 'Kanji to Go' that challenges players to guess kanji readings, indicating the complexity and variability of kanji readings even for native speakers. The speaker concludes by suggesting that a video on reading comprehension is forthcoming and encourages viewers to leave comments with questions. The paragraph ends with a casual sign-off, inviting further discussion on the topic.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kanji
💡Inefficient Methods
💡Stroke Order
💡Radicals
💡Vocabulary
💡Readings
💡Anki
💡Kunyomi and Onyomi
💡JLPT
💡Kanji to Go
Highlights
Fear of Japanese kanji is overblown, but it's still challenging.
Many struggle with kanji due to inefficient learning methods.
Classroom curriculums are often too slow for effective kanji learning.
Popular resources like 'Remembering the Kanji' have a fundamental flaw.
Learning kanji individually is time-consuming and not necessary.
Focus on learning words that kanji are used in, rather than individual kanji.
Learning to read kanji is more practical than learning to write them.
Stroke order and radicals are not helpful for reading kanji.
Personal experience suggests dedicated kanji study is not effective.
Learning vocabulary through Anki helped overcome difficulties with kanji.
Reading and memorizing vocabulary complement each other for learning kanji.
As vocabulary increases, kanji become more recognizable and readable.
Guessing kanji readings becomes easier with a larger known vocabulary.
Kunyomi and onomi readings can help make educated guesses on kanji readings.
Exceptions to reading rules are common, especially in names and places.
Learning vocabulary as they come up helps steadily learn to read kanji.
Anki's kanji grid add-on visualizes progress in learning kanji.
Kanji to go game is a fun way to test kanji reading skills.
Dedicated kanji study is not necessary for learning to read Japanese.
Transcripts
you read the title yes studying kanji is
a waste of time let me explain now why
is it that most people are terrified of
Japanese kanji yeah everyone's scared of
kanji you've probably heard people be
like oh Japanese yeah that language is
crazy they have like 9 million
characters or something and each of
those characters can be read in like 80
different ways I heard it takes like 212
years to learn and that's just to a
basic level it seems like the fear
around specifically learning Kani is
just a little bit overblown and I'm here
to tell you that it's still pretty hard
actually but it's not as hard as you
think it is the reason why so many
people struggle with kanji specifically
is because they've been told to use
methods which are just straight up
inefficient like if you've ever been to
a Japanese class then they probably gave
you a sheet of paper with a list of
individual kanji on it and all of their
stroke orders and readings and then the
teacher said learn these by our quiz
next week now this is an extreme example
and if you've spent any time
self-studying then you know that
classroom curriculums are super slow and
honestly if you're going to try to rely
solely on a class you would probably
never actually get to the point of being
able to read real Japanese at least not
without looking up every other word even
with some of the resources that are
popular nowadays like remembering the
kanji or Wan Connie which I know a lot
of people will swear by there's a
fundamental flaw that makes most people
who study kanji waste way more time than
they need to look at this kanji it's
notorious for having tons of readings to
the point where Japanese people like to
use sentences like this to quiz
foreigners this is one of those things
that makes people say ja Japanese is
such a hard language even Chinese which
is where Japan got all of these
characters from in the first place at
least for the most part has consistent
readings for each individual character
so once you learn a character you should
know how to read it pretty
consistently when learning kanji in
Japanese so many people will go to learn
an individual character learn all of the
radicals used in the character learn the
abstract meaning of it learn all of the
readings for the character and then see
a new word that uses it and still not
know how to read it so you might be
thinking okay how are you supposed to
know which reading of the character to
use then here's the thing you don't you
just have to know it which begs the
question why are people still studying
individual kanji when they could just
learn the words that the kanji are used
in like if you think about it for a
second if instead of spending all of
your time memorizing the abstract
meaning of a single character and all of
its different readings and radicals and
then doing that thousands of times for
each character and instead just learned
words as you came across them then
you're going to get to the same end goal
just a lot quicker and a lot easier and
without so much pointless
memorization if you want to actually
become able to understand written
Japanese at some point then you're going
to have to learn tens of thousands of
words anyway so why not just skip the
dedicated kanji study and just memorize
vocab from the start I should also
mention really quick that this is about
learning how to read the characters not
learning how to write them it's not
really the most practical idea to spend
all of your time and energy learning how
to write kanji which you can't even read
yet in most situations so you're going
to save yourself a ton of time and
effort if you just wait until you're
already fluent in the written language
before going back and learning how to
write this is why you shouldn't spend
your time learning stroke order or
radicals because if you're just trying
to read the characters then they're not
really going to be that much help to you
maybe knowing a radical might help you
distinguish one kanji from another one
but honestly the payoff for learning
specific radicals isn't really that much
when you're considering just learning
how to read the characters so if you're
only learning how to read then I
wouldn't bother messing with stroke
order or radicals yet so one of the
reasons that I came to this conclusion
iion is that I actually tried doing
dedicated kanji study towards the
beginning of learning Japanese and I was
using rtk for this it felt like no
matter how many kanji I tried to Brute
Force into my head nothing was sticking
it was really boring it didn't feel like
it was helping and eventually I just
gave up and started learning vocabulary
with Ani I found that just memorizing
words by themselves and spending enough
time with the language was enough for me
to learn how to read Japanese eventually
and I sort of had this realization that
studying kanji individually is just a
huge waste of time now I can already
hear the keyboard of the people in the
comments typing but wait a minute you
can't just say study and kanji is
useless my Japanese teacher said this or
I learned kanji like this you can't just
say that your method is better than
everyone else's what proof do you have
so other than the fact that I literally
learned to read kanji without ever
studying it take it from this guy he's a
Japanese teacher who's gotten pretty
popular on YouTube recently and I
actually think his videos are super
helpful specifically for people who are
in that intermediate stage who know a
lot of Japanese but maybe haven't picked
up on a lot of the nuances is Yet now a
while back he made this video oh
there's so many Kani thousands of kanji
and each kanji usually has more than one
reading how can I remember all the Kani
dude you don't need to study Kani to
learn Japanese just learn vocabulary
even if you memorized all the readings
of all the kanji there you still
wouldn't be able to read Japanese a
reading of the first Kani
is and second one is and last one
is yeah so even if you learn all the
kanji out there it's useless you still
wouldn't be able to read a word when I
saw this video for the first time I was
honestly thinking oh my God somebody
finally said what I've been thinking
this whole time so if you don't believe
me when I say don't study kanji then
take this guy's word for it okay so I've
talked a lot about words and using
vocabulary as a means to learn kanji but
what does this process actually look
like so first you need to find some way
to reliably learn words and I highly
recommend using Anki for this but if you
really don't like Anki to the point
where it just makes you want to give up
and quit then it's not necessary and a
lot of people commented on my last
videos that they don't like Ani so if
you don't want to use it then you don't
have to but I think the benefits
strongly outweigh the negatives so I
would highly recommend it while you're
learning words you're also going to want
to be reading as much as you can because
reading is really what's going to
solidify your knowledge these two
activities really complement each other
other so you're going to be making a lot
of progress if you're practicing reading
and memorizing vocab on the side at the
same time not literally while you're
reading you're doing your ay reps but
you know what I mean when you first
start looking at kanji they're going to
look like a bunch of random scribbles to
you and you're not really going to be
able to tell the difference between them
that easily but the more words you learn
and the more time you spend trying to
differentiate kanji they're going to
become more and more clear to you when
you've picked up a few thousand
vocabulary words and you're becoming
more and more familiar with the written
language you're going to automatically
notice yourself being able to guess the
readings of kanji in words that you've
never even seen before just because you
know those same characters from other
words which you've already learned at
the point I'm at now with Japanese most
of the new words that I learn are
composed of kanji which I've seen many
times already so it's usually not
difficult to guess how they're read
despite never having seen them before so
now you're probably thinking wait a
minute hold on just a second ago you
said that you just have to know it or
else you don't know how to read a kanji
so how are you guessing how they're read
what's up with that well what I said is
still true you can never be 100% sure
without just looking it up in a
dictionary but there are some things you
can do to drastically increase the
chance that you guess the reading of a
word all right now it's time for class
everybody sit down and look at the
Whiteboard kanji have what's called
kunyomi and onomi which are essentially
just specifications for which reading is
used based on the origin of a word
kunyomi are for reading native Japanese
words and onom are for Words which were
imported from Chinese for example if you
stuck two Kani together like this
there's a high likelihood that it's a a
Chinese lone word and will be read with
the onomi reading if you see a word with
Okana which is just when a word itself
has grammar inflection built in then
it's almost always going to be read with
the kunyomi reading as it's almost
certainly an original Japanese word
knowing this can help you make educated
guesses on how a word is going to be
read but there are many exceptions to
this rule so you can never be 100% sure
without confirming it for yourself look
at this word meaning tone of voice now
if you're like me and you're learning
Japanese and you come across this word
for the first time you might make the
reasonable assumption that oh this could
be read
as because grammatically it's treated
the same as a Chinese import word so it
most likely uses the onomi reading right
yeah it's actually pronounced as kaol
which uses two kunyomi readings the
first of which is not even how the word
in isolation is pronounced this sort of
thing isn't super rare with normal words
but it is really common with the names
of people or places so even Japanese
people will often not know how to read a
name that they've never seen before
because kanji were invented by the
Chinese then brought into Japan over a
thousand years ago and forced into the
Japanese language then underwent tons of
changes due to historical events
learning kanji is kind of convoluted to
say the least but if you take the
approach of just spending a lot of time
with the language and learn vocabulary
words as they come up then you're
steadily going to learn to read kanji
without having to study them at all okay
to show you what I mean let's look into
my Ani deck I currently have 15,000 244
words in my deck and there's actually
this really cool add-on called kanji
grid which will generate a grid of all
of the kanji found in your ankey deck
and by looking at this you can kind of
gauge how many characters are in the
words that you know how to read this
isn't really that helpful on a
pragmatical level because really the
only way forward is to learn more words
but you can sort your known kanji by
jlpt level kanji kente level grade level
and so if you're trying to gauge where
you're at then it can be a little bit
helpful I think to be honest I think
it's just cool to see a big grid of all
of the kanji that are in your deck right
in front of you and think wow I really
learned to read all of those just by
learning words there's alsoo this game
that got popular on Japanese YouTube
like a year ago called kanji to go which
is essentially just a game where you
guess kanji readings and the farther in
you go the harder it gets so much to the
point where Japanese people even
struggle on the harder levels
I think the fact that this game even
exist in the first place is a telling
sign that you shouldn't be learning
individual kanji to learn vocabulary
words honestly I played this game way
too much sitting in the back of my
college classes when I should have been
taking notes but that's not important
what's really important is that hey this
game is pretty cool if you're trying to
learn how to read some unorthodox kanji
and test yourself then maybe go give it
a shot it's kind of neat anyways if
you're trying to learn how to read
Japanese don't bother studying kanji now
originally I was going to make this a
huge comprehensive guide on how to read
but I realized that the contents of a
video specifically about kanji and the
contents of a video about learning how
to read novels are probably not that
similar so I decided to split them into
two videos so if you have a bunch of
questions about specifically learning
how to read then I'm making a video
about it don't worry anyways that's
about it leave any comments you have in
the question oh my God leave any
questions you have in the comments and
I'll try to answer them okay bye
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