FOR THOSE WHO STRUGGLING TO LEARN KANJI

[DEVIL_GUI]

IVE JUST GOTTEN A BOOK YESTERDAY THAT IS VERY INDEPTH AND A GREWAT READ FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE FANS AS WELL........

IT EXPLANS THE ORIGINS AND MEANINGS OF OVER 2000 CHARACTERS, GIVES YOU SUGGESTED MEMORISING TIPS AND INCLUDES ALL THE STANDARDISED OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED CHARS!

THIS BOOK IS REALLY GOOD, NOT JUST FOR LEARNING, BUT FOR HISTORICAL REFERANCE.....

TO FIND WHAT PICTURES MEANT AND HOW THEY WERE REFORMED AND SHAPED TO THE CHARS TODAY, IS REALLY INTERESTING........

I DONT KNOW HOW MANY HOURS IVE BEEN READING THIS SINCE I GOT IT YESTERDAY, BUT THIS BOOK IS A BLAST!

STRUGGLING JAPANESE STUDENTS (IN THE KANJI AREAS) I COULDNT RECCOMEND THIS BOOK ANY HIGHER!

ITS CALLED "A GUIDE TO REMEMBERING JAPANESE CHARACTERS"
BY "KENNETH G. HENSHALL"
PUBLISHED BY "TUTTLE PUBLISHING"

AND I MUST SAY, IVE NEVER BEEN SO INTERESTED IN ANY BOOK IN MY LIFE (I USUALLY HATE BOOKS)

DEVIL_GUI

 

[BioMotor_Unitron]

Kind of funny that you should mention that particular book. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> I was just referred to it by a Japanese teacher when I asked him if he knew of any publications that were good for assisting in the learning of Kanji.

 

[DEVIL_GUI]

DAMN! WHAT COINCIDENCE!

ID JUST FOUND A SHOP HERE, SELLS JAPANESE BOOKS, AND WHEN THE ASSISTANT SHOWED ME THRU A ALOT OF THEM, THIS ONE SHONE OUT ABOVE ALL THE REST VERY CLEARLY!

A DAMN FINE BOOK, LOOKS LIKE YOU SPOKE TO THE RIGHT TECHER BIO! <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

DEVIL_GUI

 

[koolking]

Kanji ahh no thats my worst fear its like my kryptonite. I fall over and die at its mention.

 

[LWK]

GUI maybe you can clarify this for me.
I have heard that Kanji alone is 3500 symbols and takes a basis of three years to learn.(on estimation, since everyone learns n there own level)
Is that pirticular book 2000 symbols only?
I have the cards from WAY BACK. and thats a whole lot of cards, teaches the basics. My gripe is the many different ways to say a word.
Lets take Ryo for example, then again we all know about that. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

 

[Spike Spiegel]

LWK, I want to say that Japan only recognizes a certain number as being required to know for sure. I myself only know about 500, but am working on it. I say about upwards of 4000 are in existence, to which most are used by China. Hell, even Japan knows that many people don't know all the kanji, which is why they use furigana over some kanji at times! <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

Spike

 

[DEVIL_GUI]

THE GOVT SET ASIDE SOME 2000 CHARACTERS AS "USE" KANJI, WHILST MORE ARE ACTUALLY USED 2000 IS A GOOD STARTING POINT, AND KNOWING THE MOST USEFUL ONES AN INVALUABLE START........

AS FOR PRONUNCIATIONS, THEY ARE LISTED IN ROMANJI BESIDE THE KANJI (I FIND THEM CONFUSING AS I DONT KNOW MUCH JAPANESE ANYWAY) BUT I TAKE THE KANJI AS SOMETHING ELSE, IE I READ THEM AND THINK THE WORD AS AN ENGLISH WORD........
IF I EVER BOTHER TO LEARN JAPANESE COMPLETELY, ILL BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE THE WORDS MEANING ANYWAY AT SUCH POINT AS WELL AS HAVING A HEAD START ON THE KANJI

THE BOOK REALLY HAS INTERESTING FACTS ETC, AND I DO RECCOMEND IT.....

NO BOOK HAS *EVER* PRYED $44 FROM MY HANDS BEFORE!!!!!!

BTW, THERE IS MENTION OF SOME 50000 CHARACTERS.......IN JAP THOW, I HEAR 5000 ARE REQUIRED TO READ FULLY A NEWS PAPER.....
OWCH CITY.....

DEVIL_GUI

 

[Sifl]

Kanji AKA Hieroglyphics, LOL
The language is a bitch to learn, I've been trying for about 6-7 years to learn this shit but I've just recently abandoned it. You have to learn languages while you're young or you will never be able to speak it well.

 

[Lord Akidadus]

They say by the time you reach High School in Japan, you should know 2000 Kanji. Damn, I feel like I'm in 1st grade now <IMG SRC="smilies/tickled.gif" border="0">

 

[Neo Bomber Man]

Originally posted by DEVIL_GUI:
<STRONG>BTW, THERE IS MENTION OF SOME 50000 CHARACTERS.......IN JAP THOW, I HEAR 5000 ARE REQUIRED TO READ FULLY A NEWS PAPER.....
OWCH CITY.....

DEVIL_GUI</STRONG>

Yes, that is true. In the Chinese Kang Qi Dictionary published 1716 A.D., there were 47043 characters listed, and back in the 1970's, the Chinese government began introducing about 2000 simplified forms for many of the most common characters, some of which made it to Japan. Also, the Japanese employ characters that the Chinese do not, I was informed. The simplified characters can also be seen in Singapore, in full force I believe, but I'm not sure where else. Hong Kong and the surrounding area all seem to have stuck with the traditional characters, HK for sure, as well as having made up Cantonese ones to express the new words they spoke which did not have written equivalents. And the simplification idea was a Communist invention so the Taiwanese wanted nothing to do with it.

Kanji gets really annoying because every single one of them has at least two pronounciations from what I read, and they can be quite different I have discovered on my own. Having just completed a 6.5 week stay in the country, I can say that a)Hiragana and Katakana will help you more than you would ever imagine and b)studying Chinese, Cantonese and very slightly Mandarin in my case, helps unbelievably, as one set of pronounciations for the Kanji are based on the Chinese ones, which will come in handy more than you might think. Speaking Japanese is a bother, but you can do not too badly from just reading and not having much conversational skill/a small vocabulary, or at least I did.

Oh and according to the instructor, about 3000 req'd for reading Chinese newspapers.

No matter Chinese or Japanese, you're going to have a bloody nightmare learning either one.

Oh well be happy you could find such a book: it's all shit downtown here, phrasebooks, bad dictionaries, etc.

edit: added the extra Jp Kanji bit

[ July 01, 2001: Message edited by: Neo Bomber Man ]

 

[SoloFenris]

400-500 kanji are required to "get by",
1850 to be considered literate. There is another book, kind of like the one Gui mentioned by James Heisig called Remembering the Kanji. He takes a bit of a different approach. Instead of going through history or whatever, he splits the learning of Kanji up into learning meaning and writing first. He does it by teaching you to split the kanji up into what he calls "primitive elements." Then, building on these, you use your imagination to craft mnemonic aids for remembering. Readings and combinations are taught in the second course. I will admit, I had my doubts at first. I don't like gimmicks. But the method Heisig uses is incredibly effective. I was able to lock away the writing and meaning of 300 characters in two days. He also does it in a way where you don't have to write it 50 times either. You could start a holy war on some J-lang forums about which book is better. I recommend people check them both out and pick the one that is best for them.

Jeff

[ July 02, 2001: Message edited by: SoloFenris ]

 

[DEVIL_GUI]

I WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT BOOK!

THIS ONE DOES HAVE ALOT OF BREAKING UP ALSO (IE WHAT PARTS OF THE WORDS MEAN, SUCH AS THE LEFT SYMBOL=TREE AND THE RIGHT = PERSON, THERE FOR REST= A PERSON RESTING BENEATH TREE )
IM OKAY AT THE KANJI SO FAR (THE LADY TAUGHT ME "SOME" CHINESE CHARS, BUT SHES FREAKING LAZY WHEN IT COMES TO TEACHING ME LINGUAL SKILLS ;(

AND BTW, IM NOT CONSIDERING LEARNIGN TO ACTUALLY READ THE CHARS FOR A WHILE, RATHER, UNDERSTAND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH, IF I TAKE UP A COURSE OR GO ON TO ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT THE "HIRIGANA"(OR IS IT KATAKANA?) THEN ILL LEARN (BECAUSE ITS ALPHABETICS)
BUT FOR THE MEANTIME, THE PRONUNCIATION WOULD BE TOO MUCH TO LEARN WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE SYMBOLS........

I MEAN, WHO WOULD I SAY THIS STUFF TO FOR NOW ANYWAY? <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

DEVIL_GUI

 

[SoloFenris]

Originally posted by DEVIL_GUI:
<STRONG>I WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT BOOK!

THIS ONE DOES HAVE ALOT OF BREAKING UP ALSO (IE WHAT PARTS OF THE WORDS MEAN, SUCH AS THE LEFT SYMBOL=TREE AND THE RIGHT = PERSON, THERE FOR REST= A PERSON RESTING BENEATH TREE )
IM OKAY AT THE KANJI SO FAR (THE LADY TAUGHT ME "SOME" CHINESE CHARS, BUT SHES FREAKING LAZY WHEN IT COMES TO TEACHING ME LINGUAL SKILLS ;(

AND BTW, IM NOT CONSIDERING LEARNIGN TO ACTUALLY READ THE CHARS FOR A WHILE, RATHER, UNDERSTAND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH, IF I TAKE UP A COURSE OR GO ON TO ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT THE "HIRIGANA"(OR IS IT KATAKANA?) THEN ILL LEARN (BECAUSE ITS ALPHABETICS)
BUT FOR THE MEANTIME, THE PRONUNCIATION WOULD BE TOO MUCH TO LEARN WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE SYMBOLS........

I MEAN, WHO WOULD I SAY THIS STUFF TO FOR NOW ANYWAY? <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

DEVIL_GUI</STRONG>

Tell you what. If you are really interested in the book I suggested, let me know and I will send you a detailed e-mail about how exactly the book works so you can better determine if it is right for you.

Jeff

 

[Spike Spiegel]

Hell, I want that book! Can I pick it up at Barnes and Noble or Borders by any chance? I'd love to check it out. Thanks.

Spike

 

[SoloFenris]

Originally posted by Spike Spiegel:
<STRONG>Hell, I want that book! Can I pick it up at Barnes and Noble or Borders by any chance? I'd love to check it out. Thanks.

Spike</STRONG>

I got mine from Amazon. Do you want me to send you a detailed e-mail also? I actually recommend you listen to a full description of how it works before you drop the forty bux for it.

Jeff

 

[DEVIL_GUI]

YES PLEASE, ID LOVE TO SEE HOW IT WORKS (I AM REALLY GETTING INTO THIS KANJI STUFF, ITS VERY INTERESTING)

MY EMAIL IS GUI_LONG@MELODYMAIL.COM

THERE IS A JAPANESE BOOKSTORE NEAR TO MY PLACE (AND JAPANESE SCHOOL GIRLS NO LESS FREQUENT THE STORE, AS I DROOL AT THOSE UNIFORMS <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">
IF THE BOOK IS GOOD FOR ME, IM LIKELY TO FIND IT THERE MUCH EASIER (AMAZON.COM IS IN THE USA, NO?)

THANKS!

DEVIL_GUI

 

[Spike Spiegel]

Yeah, pleaes do. My email is spikespiegelis@home.com

Thanks SF!

Spike

 

[SoloFenris]

All right fellas, I will scrabble up an appropriate manifesto while I am at work and mail it out expeditiously.

Jeff