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Kanji Felt Impossible. Here's How I Started Making Progress

IntermediateJapan & Culture

Kanji Felt Impossible

Here's how I started making progress

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Hello, everyone. I'm an engineer from Brazil, and I've been learning Japanese for two years. For a long time, kanji felt impossible. Today, I'll explain why it's hard and what finally helped me.

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  • I've been learning ... for

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  • what finally helped me

    The thing that helped me in the end.

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  1. 01Kanji Felt Impossible

    Hello, everyone. I'm an engineer from Brazil, and I've been learning Japanese for two years. For a long time, kanji felt impossible. Today, I'll explain why it's hard and what finally helped me.

  2. 02The Problem: So Many Characters

    The first problem is the number. Japan's official list of common kanji, called the jōyō kanji, has 2,136 characters. Japanese children learn 1,026 of them in primary school, over six years.

    Sources: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan: 常用漢字表 (Cabinet Notice No. 2, November 30, 2010); MEXT, Japan: 小学校学習指導要領 学年別漢字配当表 (2017, fully implemented from 2020)

  3. 03The Problem: Many Readings

    The second problem is that one kanji can have several readings. For example, the kanji for "life" is read differently in different words. I memorized a reading, and then it changed!

  4. 04Solution 1: Learn Parts, Not Pictures

    My first solution was to learn the parts. Many kanji are built from smaller pieces. For example, the part for "water" appears in many words about liquids. Once I knew the parts, new kanji felt less random.

  5. 05Solution 2: Learn Words, Not Single Kanji

    Second, I stopped studying single kanji and started learning whole words. When I learn a kanji inside a word I actually use, the right reading is much easier to remember.

  6. 06Solution 3: A Little Every Day

    Third, I do a little every day. I learn five new kanji a day and review old ones with a flashcard app on the train. Small steps add up over time.

  7. 07Conclusion

    In conclusion, kanji isn't impossible. It's just a long road. If you learn the parts, study whole words, and practice a little every day, you'll be surprised how far you go. Thank you.

Cover photo by delo on Pixabay