Well, I just finished one of my programs ("Human Japanese") and I really think I should begin putting some serious effort into learning kanji soon. At the moment, however, I can't say cramming a couple thousand of nonsensical (at least at the moment) small pictures with anywhere from 1-5 different readings and/or meanings is a notion that appeals particularly to me.
I've thought a little about it, and it seems to me that these are the options:
- Cram kanji. This has a couple of disadvantages, namely that I'm not really all that "up for it" and also people keep telling me that trying to learn kanji out of context isn't a good way to go. I have to say, I can see why.
- Read stuff. Reading is, at the moment, the primary focus of my "Japanese studies" because I don't really have anyone to write, let alone talk to, in Japanese at the moment, and I don't really feel ready for that anyways. There'll be time later, I guess.
By "stuff", I'm a bit unsure whether I should go for something "real" (which'd be heavy going, especially at first, because I'd likely have to stop 8 times per sentence and look something up without really knowing what I'm looking for and how/where to do so) or go for something with furigana on it.
- A combination? I don't really know which of the two above mentioned options is the better one, so combining them is a possibility, I guess. However, it could become a bit difficult to manage.
I'm hoping for some input on this whiole thing. What did you do when at my level, and how did that work out for you?
What would be the best way to learn kanji at the moment, that is a little more engaging than just getting a picture of the kanji and five different ways to read it thrown in your face?
If I decide on "learning by doing" (or rather, by reading,) what would be appropriate reading material? Obviously, it shouldn't be too complex, but I also don't want to end up with a heap of fairy tales and children's books.
Thanks in advance for your answers.