I just came back to Wanikani after a while (tried it once before) and this time I finally decided to stop being lazy and go all the way!
I went through the first lessons and then I was wondering…do we even learn japanese here? As a non-native English speaker, I always enjoy learning even more English but what’s the point if we learn the kanji in English without it’s kun’yomi or on’yomi reading? I am not here to learn japanese as a whole, just the kanji part, though what’s the point if I can read nine without knowing how to pronounce it as “kyu”?
Maybe I am missing something so please bear with me as I am a new member of the family!
The pronunciation comes once you learn the vocabulary.
First you learn the radicals, then the kanji that use those radicals, then the words that use those kanji.
For example, you’ll learn 車 with しゃ as a pronunciation, but then you’ll eventually get the word 車 くるま.
I suggest you to spend some minutes going through the Wanikani Guide and FAQ section : those two should give you a brief explanation on how the site works and what/how you learn.
You may also find some useful suggestion on how to complement your studies of kanji with other topics.
I have no problem with other content beside Kanji (I use other sources besides Wanikani) so that’s why I don’t really care about learning vocabulary.
I read those last time but it seems that I forgot a couple of things. I guess I just panicked when I didn’t find any japanese while reading radicals lessons lol. Thank you!
@Leebo Yeah, hopefully^^. It’s just when I go on radicals I don’t see japanese so I thought it was weird (for example for 女 in the radicals there is nothing but when I go to kanji page I see hiragana for it. Since I didn’t see the kanji yet in lessons (only radicals so far), I assumed that there is no japanese so yeah…my bad
I think it’s important to note that you are learning vocabulary by learning kanji so I find your question a little baffling. I think there is a little bit of confusion as to what you think “Japanese” is. It’s not just kanji, hiragana and katakana. It’s grammar, vocabulary, listening, levels of politeness, etc… and in order to really learn Japanese, I suggest you really make it a point to study every aspect of it otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure once again.
Last thing that not many people mention is to also make it a point to study the culture as well as the language because without it, you can’t really get a grasp on the language as a whole.
I see what you mean
The radicals are the parts that make up the kanji. The names are not the official names, just mnemonics to help you remember them. Once you learn the parts of the kanji, it will teach you the actual kanji that uses those radicals. Once you learn the kanji, you can learn the vocab that uses those kanji. To get to the kanji, you have to keep reviewing the radicals, until you get them correct 4 times. After that, they will move from apprentice to guru. Hope that helps!
no, you learn Kanji … and I suppose by osmosis you can pick up Kana. You are exposed to Japanese in the example sentences but this is not a language learning tool.
I think you misunderstood the whole situation. I already know how to read/write hiragana and katakana. I am also using many other sources to learn japanese so I am just here for the kanji.
It’s just that learning how to read kanji in english seemed useless to me. Though, it was just because I was still in the radicals and didn’t unlock the kanjis yet. Not a smart move from me.
Yeah I just went through the whole thing, usually I always read everything before posting on a forum but not seeing japanese at all was so unexpected that I panicked xD
I just had to wait a bit until I unlock a kanji…I think starting with a topic like this was the best way to introduce myself
Thank you for the huge thing anyway!
@xyzbuster That’s why I panicked, I thought I would see japanese right from the start
