LLearn Japanese

What is the RIGHT way to learn Kanji?

  • February 4, 2023

I’ve been trying to learn kanji for about a year now. So far, I only got the jouyou 2020 revision from the japanese kanji study app down, then I realized that the rest needs to be paid. I went looking online for ways to learn kanji efficiently, but they just won’t click for me, including the anki method. Is there a right or best way to learn kanji? It’s been a bit long and it felt like I just wasted my time looking for resources when I should’ve stuck with one.

8 comments

  1. If the kanji study app has been enjoyable and working for you the past year then there’s no game in sticking with that and purchasing the full version.

  3. Everyone have different way to memorize things, so I don’t think there is one right way. Just the way the fits you.

  4. I did RTK. Some people just learn kanji with the words that they encounter while studying. Experiment with different methods and see which one works for you.

  5. How I learned kanji was just learning as much vocabulary as possible AND practicing the stroke order so that means learning how to write them on paper.

    Some people might suggest to learn the radicals but it gets to a point where the radical doesn’t always seem too intuitive (like how 貝 is used in money related kanji because it used to be used as money way back then) and this might just end up confusing you

  6. There’s no right way but what worked for me was RTK! It helped immensely with learning to differentiate between Kanji and the thing is you don’t even have to finish it. Like if you get good at identifying the kanji and seeing it as different parts rather than its whole it will take you a long way. Example 攻、政 or 待、持
    Just don’t expect it to help with vocabulary. While it makes recognizing kanji a ton easier you still have to put in the effort to grind out vocabulary. Good luck

  7. I would say there is no “right” way generally speaking.

    Japanese people memorize them by writing down each Kanji a thousand times. That’s certainly “a way” to memorize them, although not a particularly fun or efficient way.

  8. Wanikani works great for me, first 3 levels are free~

    I also use a great (free) app called Kanji Tree to refresh

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