Kana or Kanji?

Romaji?

For those are just beginning their reading and writing, and are on your own, you may wonder which you should start with. I’ll give you an overview of which you should use and lose so you can begin your studies.

Romaji is fail. I’m sorry. For learning Japanese just leave it. If you use it, it should only be for someone who isn’t learning Japanese just so they can read what you meant. Romaji is an awful way to learn Japanese because it gives you the wrong pronunciation. Take a Japanese name for example like Hiro. Yes, because of Heroes we know how to say it… but let’s say it’s out of context and it’s read as “high row” instead. See what I mean? No Japanese person will understand what you meant. Then at times when people use romaji, they forget to leave out longer vowel sounds. So instead of “shounen” which means “boys” you get “shonen” which means “first years”. Big difference as the second one pertains to time, not human age. Using romaji for words like sushi, tempura, and Tokyo is good when you’re talking to someone who isn’t learning Japanese. Otherwise, learn them the Japanese way.

Kana. This means Hiragana and Katakana. I think these are the ones you should begin with. Forget Romaji as fast as you can and start your Japanese with kana only. Do whichever you want first… but I’ve heard starting with Katakana makes it easier ahead of time. I still can’t remember how to write all of my Katakana because I learned hiragana first. Hiragana is easier to learn and katakana looks so similar to itself it can be hard to remember after memorizing all of your hiragana. See which way works for you.

Then it’s time for kanji. There’s two ways to approach it: Number of strokes and in the same order as the kids in Japanese approach it or learning them by topic. Numbers are always a good way to start. Go from 1 to 10,000. It’s an easy system, so don’t get too scared. After you’ve got numbers you can learn them by theme.. like.. transportation, pronouns, bedroom items, feelings… etc.

Here’s some books I recommend to get you started:

Genki series:

Genki Textbook

Genki Workbook

You can’t fail with the Genki series. The explanation of each new grammar set is almost flawless. Very understandable. However, I wouldn’t use it’s Kanji to learn since they seemed too disjointed. They’ll give you 難 and 月 in the same chapter.. or something like it.

For Kanji I suggest you find a book that suits you. Each person is different in how they learn. Don’t waste your money on a book that teaches you hiragana and katakana. All you need is a chart, your own writing practice and homemade flash cards.