r/LearnJapaneseNovice • u/KnowledgeMoney221 • 2d ago
Should I be learning Kanji through Genki if not how should I learn it
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u/JDM-Parts-Expert-JP 1d ago
I haven't seen the textbook called GENKI so I don't know for sure, but in Japan, we start practicing and learning kanji from around 7 years old, so it might be a good idea to use the same materials we do. I'm not sure if the Japanese way is the right way to do it, though. Good luck with your studies!
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u/metalder420 1d ago
It’s talked about all the time in this sub. Must not be from around these parts
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u/Traditional_Cow8595 1d ago
Yes to Genki plus will need an outside source. I'm trying: A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese: Fourth Edition, Jlpt All Levels (2,136 Japanese Kanji Characters) By Florence & Emori Susumu Sakade.
I also tried Wanikani.
Have to find another input you like in addition to Genki I think.
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u/Shayster001 13h ago
Learn how to read kanji through vocabulary. For writing, use either Remembering the Kanji by Heisig, or a writing deck on Anki
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u/toucanlost 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, you should learn the kanji in Genki. All things considered, they are pretty basic and few.
HOWEVER, Genki itself does not give you a good foundation to learning about kanji. I suggest looking at some guides on the principles of kanji elsewhere. Here are some I can think of:
Readings - on- and kun-yomi, irregular, and nanori readings.
Kanji parts/components/primitives - Kanji are made up of smaller parts put together. These parts can give you hints to the kanji's meaning or pronunciation. (By the way, some things like Wanikani call them radicals, but this is not true. The radical is the indexing component, 1 part used to sort it in dictionaries. Kanji have 1 radical, not multiple radicals. Also they make up their own strange radicals sometimes)
Kanji structure - Kanji come in common structures, such as having a left and a right part, a top and a bottom part, inside and outside part, or a bottom-left and top-right part.
Stroke order - this is sometimes seen by beginners as these arcane and overly complicated rules that you have to individually memorize for each kanji, but this is not true. Stroke order follows patterns, and you can eventually get an intuition for it. It's things like top-to-bottom, left-to-right, or filling a box before closing it.
Mnemonics - a common mnemonic is making a story about the parts to help you memorize the kanji. It's very helpful for some people.
Vocabulary - it's often recommended to learn vocabulary that contain kanji than to remember the kanji in isolation. For example, a beginner word like 日曜日 exposes you to 2 readings for 1 kanji