By the end of this blog post you will have the tools you need to improve your written kanji in just two weeks!

We all know that remembering kanji is tough. In order to learn kanji we can find hundreds if not thousands of apps, yet more websites and then there are flashcards. That is one way to do it, but how do Japanese people learn kanji? They see it and use it every day.

Have you ever written a diary in English? Do you ever write yourself a note before you go to sleep, a little list of “To Do’s” for when you wake up? Do you write anything by hand anymore? (I know this might be the case now!) We are so lucky that we can use technology to do the work for us. Even as I type this blog entry in English, with my slow finger-typing (I have never learned to touch-type), I am making some spelling mistakes and the computer is highlighting them for change and giving me suggestions. (All those hours of learning to spell at school are actually not as necessary as we were led to believe). Anyway, I digress…where was I? Ah yes, technology… In regards to the Japanese language, we can get away with not learning kanji…as long as we learn hiragana, we can type it into a computer and the computer will suggest the relevant kanji. There may be a list of potential kanji so having Google translate or a dictionary to hand is very helpful. How do I know this? This is how I have avoided learning kanji and I have done this for years! I have become very good at recognising kanji when the computer suggests it and I can generally pick the correct one out of a line-up.This sounds great! Right?

Wrong!…

Put me in a situation where there are similar kanji next to each other …let’s say the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)… I am hopeless! Put me in a class where the teacher expected you to read Japanese text out loud…uncomfortable and I just cannot do it. If I didn’t write it (or if I don’t remember writing it) I cannot read it out!

Put me in a class where the teacher expected me to read Japanese text out loud…uncomfortable is an understatement! The weird thing is that I can kind-of figure out the meaning, or maybe I am just really good at guessing!? I just cannot read it out. I can’t read kanji. There, I said it!

I have discovered that if I didn’t write the piece of text (or if I don’t remember writing it) I cannot read it out loud! So there is the answer, I have to write it, and I need to write it a lot. I mean really write, with a pen and paper and that is what I suggest you do too!

Writing Kanji is hardest of all! Remembering stroke order, multiple readings of each Kanji and many similar kanji all gang up on us, so what do we need? Well, I am going to give you a challenge.

In two weeks time, your kanji production will be greatly improved.

OK, here are the details:

You are going to write a Japanese diary. You can also read the instructions in the Facebook group here.

Instructions:

Having a new notebook is a great motivator. Treat yourself! I recommend Dingbats.

Write your diary every day for at least two weeks to see a difference in your writing and kanji memory.

Once you have written a few days in your diary and you are comfortable with your work, please take a photo/video and share it in the Diary Challenge post in the Facebook Group.

If you feel confident, show us your writing and read it to us in the background of the video to get that extra speaking practice and accent feedback from the teachers in the group. Here is the accent blog post for more speaking practice strategy.

• Your writing will be checked by our Native Japanese Teachers.
• Group members will learn vocabulary and grammar from your posts.
• Outcome: We will all get to know each other and after doing this every day for two weeks you will have started a new Japanese writing habit. Keeping up this habit will make it easier to learn to read and write kanji faster!

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