In a previous update, I talked about how the big ’secret’ for learning Kanji is to write it out over and over. For those of you hoping that my 3 awesome tools would remove the need for that will be sadly let down - no matter how many clever gadgets and nifty books come out with claims like “This book will make learning Kanji easier than throwing a cat over a fence!” at the end of the day it’s all about the grind.

That said, there are things out there that can make it less of a nightmare. I’d say these tools are better used for remembering and internalizing Kanji. So here we go!

1. jMemorize
Even though I already posted about it I’m going to sing it’s praises once again. Once you’ve built up over 100 flashcards you’ll really start to love the way it organises your revision - if you keep getting a card wrong you’ll see it more and more often, whereas ones you find easy will appear much less. It makes it very easy to focus revision on your weak points.

For more info on jMemorize, check the update I wrote about it.

2. Basic Kanji Book
Everyone studying Japanese at Sheffield University who just read that suggestion groaned. But the truth is, this is an amazing book. It groups the Kanji into logical lessons, and Volume 1 and Volume 2 add up to 500 Kanji, which if you learn everything for is really good going. Click here for an example page.

As you can see, it gives you a chance to practice writing the Kanji out after checking the correct stroke order, plus it gives all the readings for the Kanji, and makes them immidiatly useful by providing a few example combinations to create more vocabulary. It’s a truly great book. It’s available on Amazon, although if you have a friend in Japan willing to go to a bookstore and pick it up for you it will be much, much cheaper.

3. Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten [Nintendo DS]
This is an amazing piece of software and really shows the versitility of the DS as much more than a gaming device. If you write a Kanji in the space in the bottom screen, you can then either get the Japanese meaning, English translation or various other meanings through the use of the four inbuilt dictionaries. This software is so much more than that, with lots of built in tests such as the TOIEC English test. To be honest, I’m not really very good at using it so I’m not the one to ask, so instead I took a photo of it in action.

You can get the game imported from Japan for $48.90 from Play-Asia here.

So there you are. I hope that helps in making Kanji a little easier to learn. That said, the only reason I’m writing this update is because I’m putting off learning them myself…

Kanji. The one word that makes all students of Japanese twitch eratically before retreating under the stairs and throwing old shoes at anything that comes near. The sheer amount of information thrown at you when you start learning is absoloutly insane. ~2,000 “daily use” Kanji, the vast majority of which have two readings, many of which have more than that. Add to that the fact you can stick two kanji together and get a totally random meaning (sometimes) and you have insanity in a can.

Whilst I never really studied Kanji in Japan, preferring to be lazy and just learn the ones I saw around me. (Prime examples being stations and so on.) Now however I have to actually buckle down and learn them, I thought I’d share a few tips that have helped me to remember them.

1. There is no secret to learning Kanji
Not a great way to start, huh? I’ve tried pretty much everything - writing them on paper and sticking them around the house, flipcards and so on. Whilst these methods let you remember the Kanji for a few days, long enough to pass a test, a week later you’ll be stuggling to remember them at all. I’m aware some people have success with textbooks, and there is a lot to be said for a lot of the books out there, but I find the only real way to do it is to do this.

That’s right. Write every kanji again and again until all you can see when you close your eyes is Kanji. In the last two days I’ve learned 20 new Kanji, including a few annoying ones like 院 and 部, which always get confused with 降 because they all have similar parts to them. But having written each one out about 200 times in the last 48 hours I now am confident with them. It sucks, your hand hurts but it’s worth it.

2. Textbooks
I have to be honest, I’m probably not the best source for choosing a textbook since my university only uses one, namely the Basic Kanji Book series. It’s a good book - providing a load of boxes to practice each Kanji in, then lots of readings and games to help you remember. Some of the activities are somewhat daft but the great thing about this book is how the Kanji are grouped into around 22 different Lessons, allowing you to logically plan out how quickly you learn the Kanji. Well worth investing in.

3. Support
If you can get help from native Japanese whilst learning Kanji, it will become remarkably easier. Having them explain why certain radicals are in various readings and so on. Plus it makes it more fun if you can write messages and have people check them.

So there you go. Please comment with any methods you have found work, or methods that failed. Good luck!

If you found this useful or interesting, check out this post on Jamaipanese.

Another week, another essay! I’m not 100% happy with this essay but it will have to do. The idea here was to talk about what future students could look forward to at Sheffield University. Enjoy!

シェフィールドで日本語をべんきょうしている人はたいていいそがしいですが、そつぎょうするの後で、いろいろなしごとをできます。日本語をべんきょうすることができる大学は多いですが、イギリスの大学の中で、シェフィールドはいちばんと思います。

シェフィールドのふゆはいつもさむい。大きいオーバーを買った方がいいと思います。なつもさむいでしょう。ざんねんですね。Tシャツをきらないで下さい 。

日本語のじゅぎょうはアーツタワーの6回にありますから、パタノスターにのることができます!たのしいです! でも、来年、新しいビルでじゅぎょうをすると聞きました。

専門はむずかしいですが、ほんとうにおもしろいです。毎週、新しいごいとかん字があります。しゅくだいをふたつがあります。ときどき、午後１から夜中までインフォメーション・コモンズでしゅくだいをします。がんべってほうがいいです!

日本語の先生が四人です。いつもげんきです。N先生のたくさんおもしろいものたがりを読むことができます。A先生はいつも『あかワインが飲みたいよ!』と言います。

大学のクラブが多いです。たとえば、日本のソサエティや泳ぐ ことソサエティなどがあります。私は日本のソサエティは泳ぐことソサエティよりたのしいと思います。

People who study Japanese at Sheffield are always busy, but after they graduate they can do lots of different types of jobs. There are many universities where you can study Japanese, but out of the ones in England, I think Sheffield is the best.

Sheffield’s winter is very cold. I think it would be good to buy a big coat. Summer is cold too. It’s a shame, isn’t it? Don’t wear a t-shirt please.

Japanese lessons are on the 6th floor of the Arts Tower, so you can ride the paternoster! It’s fun! But I heard next year we will be studying in a new building.

The major (Japanese) is hard, but it’s honestly fun. Every week there is new vocab and Kanji. There are also two pieces of homework. Sometimes, from 1pm to midnight you will study in the Information Commons. Try hard!

There are four Japanese teachers. They are always energetic. Mrs. N has lots of funny stories you can read. Mrs. A is always saying “I want to drink red wine!”

There are many clubs at Sheffield. For example, The Japan Society and the Swimming Club and so on. I think The Japan Society is more fun than the swimming society.

Somewhat of an abrupt ending, but I’m tired. Leave me alone.