Suggestions for studying Kanji.

[Kirby2007]

I'm trying to take in as much Kanji as I can but it is hard. I'm finding it hard to remember some of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for studying it? How much should I study a day? Does stroke order really matter?

To tell you the truth, this stuff kind of frustrates me.

[JustinMcCloud]

To be honest Kanji is all about putting in the hours!! But i have found that if you learn all your radicals really well it helps. I just use my pen on my phone that always help too

[kunitokotachi]

Originally Posted by Kirby2007

I'm trying to take in as much Kanji as I can but it is hard. I'm finding it hard to remember some of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for studying it? How much should I study a day? Does stroke order really matter?

To tell you the truth, this stuff kind of frustrates me.

As JustinMcCloud pointed out you have to put in the hours! Study as much as you can in one day but don't overdue it. I know it can be frustrating but don't give up. Also, stroke order does matter because if you learn them properly you should be able to look up any kanji you come across that you don't know in a kanji jiten (kanji dictionary). Finally, try not to focus on the goal. Instead, focus on the task.

[AichiAlex]

Originally Posted by Kirby2007

I'm trying to take in as much Kanji as I can but it is hard. I'm finding it hard to remember some of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for studying it? How much should I study a day? Does stroke order really matter?

To tell you the truth, this stuff kind of frustrates me.

One Word.

Repeated Three Times.

Flashcards
Flashcards
Flashcards

I guarantee 100% that it is the best way to learn Kanji, with Flashcards, you can learn and REMEMBER up to 20 Kanji a day.

Once you can read the Kanji, just write it over and over and over and over and over and over again, theres no easy way to memorize how to write Kanji, so you just have to put in the hours and practice.

[MMM]

Writing is key. It really gets it into your brain.

[kaoken]

Originally Posted by Kirby2007

I'm trying to take in as much Kanji as I can but it is hard. I'm finding it hard to remember some of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for studying it? How much should I study a day? Does stroke order really matter?

To tell you the truth, this stuff kind of frustrates me.

Theres usually a limit to how much the brain can learn in a day. So don't push yourself too hard. Learn 1 or 2 kanji's a day, for a week. And review those kanji for the following week.

The way I learn kanji is through usage. Like read a book a few sentences a day and jot down the new kanjis. Review and test yourself by going back and reading the paragraphs.

Again, don't push yourself too hard take it slow.

BTW stroke order is extremely important, I can't stress this enough. Because many kanji's are alike with each other and knowing the stroke order of a simple kanji like 月　will help you write kanji like 明. Many students of japanese ignore this when they start out kanji, and come to regret it as they learn very hard kanji like 瀞.

[kIyo]

you have to learn 1945 kanji for daily use in japan! it's not easy at all.
But there are many nintendo ds games for learning kanji. if they are available in your contry, that will make learnig kanji fun!

as for stroke order, it is essential to write kanji beautifully. but ,to tell the truth, many japanese don't remember much about it, although we all learned it in elementary school.

maybe, learning kanji which have the same part might be fun. for instance, a group of kanji which have 木(tree) in them. then you can learn 本(book) 机(desk) 杉(ceder) 桜(cherry) 杏(apricot) 枝(branch) 根(root) 林(grove) 森(forest)
杖(stick) etc.. all relate to tree. this will make learning kanji easier.

[anrakushi]

i would say that it all depends on what level of kanji learning you are planning. in this day and age you don't really need to know how to write kanji, many of my japanese friends are forgetting how to write kanji, constantly checking their keitai or jisho. so if all you care about is recognising kanji and words using them, then go nuts with the flash cards.

personally i think flash cards are not appropriate for learning kanji and really knowing them well. you need to write them.

i have set up a program called ProVoc (OS X application) with kanji and compounds for each kanji. i will run though them, with it showing the english and asking me the japanese. before i type it into the computer i write the kanji in my book. then i type it and check i wrote the right ones. i have found this really effective for not only recognising those kanji i have learnt but also being able to write them. im sure there are programs you can set up to do the same thing on windows if that is what you are using.

[heden]

Originally Posted by Kirby2007

I'm trying to take in as much Kanji as I can but it is hard. I'm finding it hard to remember some of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for studying it? How much should I study a day? Does stroke order really matter?

To tell you the truth, this stuff kind of frustrates me.

i'm know learning katakana, hiragana, and kanji through my mobile.
i download application for learning it.
it's free,, and it doesnt need internet connection
it helps me a lot..
i can learn it anywhere, anytime, and now i dont have to bring book "how to write hiragana" anymore

wish you Luck!!