How is Kanji learned by Japanese kids?
 

How is Kanji taught in Japanese schools?

When I am learning a new Kanji, some of them have a lot of On and Kun readings. Sometimes there are so many it looks impossible to memorize all of them, so I want to know if it is necessary to learn them all at once, or just the most common readings?

When a Japanese child is taught a new Kanji in school, are they taught all the readings at one time, or just a few at a time?

What about simple compounds for words they already know, like shitsurei? Are the individual kanji taught first, or do they learn the compound as one unit?

Thanks in advance for any replies,
Davina

When I was in Japan, my little host brother was in third or fourth grade, and he had just begun learning Kanji. Many of them were the Kanji I had started out with also. It seems like they learn the kanji as individual units and words simultaneously. I'm not sure about readings, but I imagine its very similar to how must foreign language teachers do it, where you're taught the most prominent readings right away and learn them better over time.

Here's how we Japanese learn kanji.

After having mastered both hiragana and katakana (in that order, ALWAYS) in the first few months of Grade One, kids start learning kanji. They learn kanji in the order that they appear in their Japanese textbook. I want to stress here that they don't learn kanji randomly but do so in context. They naturally start with the easiest ones like 山、川、一、二、三、etc.. And the kanji readings that the kids learn at this stage is almsot strictly 'kun'. In the mind of a Japanese native speaker, the 'kun' reading is THE main reading. The 'on' reading basically came from another country as you know.

The terms 'on' and 'kun' may be explained during Grade One, but many kids simply will not understand what they mean because they don't know enough kanji yet. If there's the sentence 「あの山はたかいねぇ」 in the textbook, then the kids learn the kanji 山 (yama). At this time, the teacher may not explain that the kanji can also be read as 'san'. This is because that kanji isn't often read for its 'on' reading in the vocabulary of many first-graders.

As the kids progress, however, they will start learning kanji compounds. We're now talking about the end of first grade or the beginning of second grade. Only at this time, the teacher has to make sure that the kids　understand the difference between the 'on' and 'kun' readings of kanji. I'm sure that you know this is because in compounds more kanji are read for their 'on' readings. This is the time when Japanese kids face a MAJOR problem in learning reading/writing. A kid finds out that the kanji that he always thought was read 'yama' is now being read 'san'. There's no phonetic similarity whatsoever between those two readings!

Extremely strict teachers might try to teach the kids all the possible readings at once. But the great majority of the kids will have a hard time memorizing them. So most teachers and parents are willing to give the kids enough time to learn all the readings, specifically until the kids learn the compounds where they have to know the readings used in them.

You asked about compounds like 失礼, if a particular school uses a textbook in which the word appears first as a compound, then the kid will learn it as one unit. But even in that case, the meaning and the on and kun readings of each kanji will be taught. The chances are, however, a kid will learn the first kanji in the verb 'to lose' and the second kanji in the noun 'thanks' before he encounters the compound. There are no definate rules as to kanji first or compounds first.

I hope this helps but I really need a few more pages to fully explain this.

Wow! Very informative and helpful! I would love to read your more full explanation if you ever have the time and desire to write it out.

どおもありがとお

It's probably a lot easier for native Japanese to learn Kanji. They're constantly exposed to it and can relate to it without an English medium.

That's something that kaigai learners like me have to deal with until we goto Japan.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so how much kanji would i need to learn before i can actually read a japanese magazine and could you plz give me ten to start with Nagoyankee please :) i alrealdy know (mouth,rice,sun,moon,moutain,person and tree) thx Nagoyankee:D

Jamaru. Yes, Japanes people eat rice with breakfast.

if u use Kanji everyday, and it may become easier to learn.

rice is traditional meal in East Aisa I think. Chinese also eat rice (usually porridge) for breakfast.

Ah, may I ask a question then: don't americans or europeans eat rice on breakfast? Sorry if it is offtop ^^.