Has anyone here focused on building speaking skills first, before learning Kanji?

👋Hi all,

I’ve been thinking about how different learners approach Japanese, especially those whose main goal is to speak and understand the language in conversation.

Some people dive straight into Kanji early on, while others seem to focus more on listening and speaking, and delay reading until later. I’m curious about the pros and cons of this kind of “output-first” approach.

IF you’ve taken this path (or seen others do it), I’d love to know:

– Did focusing on speaking early help you stay motivated?
– Did postponing Kanji lead to any issues later on?
– Would you still recommend this method, or do you think a balanced start is better?

Just hoping to hear from different perspectives — not looking for beginner tips or textbook recs, just thoughts on how learning order affects fluency.

Thanks in advance!