I've studied Japanese with a group class for one year online. I've stopped because the course wasn't that great and I hoped the teacher would stop the online course to do a course "in real life" in my town but she didn't..
at the end of the year I've reached a level where I kind of know all the kana (I still make some mistakes) and some basic grammar (tiny sentences). I use this app to keep my level and rise my vocabulary and to learn kana perfectly.
and I was wondering, when do you think I should start learn some kanji ? Also, do you think it would be better to have a teacher for this (kanji learning) or to learn Japanese in general?
Thanks by advance and have a good day everyone ! 😊
It is an important part of the language, and learning lots of kanji will give you a sense of what new words could mean before you even learn the meaning of them.
There are kanji lessons on Renshuu that you can create a schedule for. If you're taking Japanese lessons elsewhere, I'd choose a lesson that corresponds with the textbook/words you're learning there. If not, I'd go through Genki I Kanji.
- For having a teacher
Yeah, I think it would be beneficial to have another Japanese input, especially a more structured Japanese input, whether it be from an online course or an in-person one. If you're going to pay for lessons, I would advise going to an in-person class
But then again, I use this site for supplemental studies to reinforce what I learn in school and to branch out a little on my own, so bear that in mind.
I found buying a beginner's practice writing book to be most effective for myself learning Hiragana. I would probably do the same if i were ready to move onto Kanji.
About the language structure I've started to notice that some words have the same "particles" I'd say ? And started looking for some kanji signification when I notice that in those words. So I think I will enjoy learning about kanji. I think I'm just afraid it will be difficult and sometimes when it's too hard I tend to give up 😅 That's why I like how renshuu works : it's step by step ! So you won't fall on the way 😆
Based on what you all said I think I'll start learning the numbers and days of the week and also use paper to write them. And maybe I will take a teacher sooner or later because it will certainly helps a lot.
Honestly, I'd say the earlier you start, the better. I know right now it's the thing that's preventing me from enjoying some written material I find. Sometimes it's words that I've never seen before, but other times I end up looking up words that I already know but couldn't recognize because of the kanji. Unless you plan on studying only via listening and speaking, learning to read is pretty important. Start small with the N5 schedule and practice à lot!
You could try the Heisig method for kanji. It also starts with the kanji for the numbers and then groups kanji by the elements used in writing them, so that they're easier to remember.
It's supposed to be a pretty fast method for learning a lot of kanji in a short time and though it separates learning the meaning and the reading/pronunciation (at first), that shouldn't really a be problem with renshuu because this site separates the kanji schedules from everything else (words, grammar, ...) and only uses them once you have studied them. So you could learn them via a different system and start using them in renshuu later.
I found it difficult to learn the way the kanji are written, their meaning and several different readings per character (some of which I didn't know any examples for at the time they came up in the renshuu kanji schedule) at the same time. That's why I looked for a different method, specifically for learning the kanji.
