# Is it advisable to write Kanji down while learning them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Kanji\ **Created:** [October 5, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/is-it-advisable-to-write-kanji-down-while-learning-them/46294 "2020-10-05T23:34:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 17
**Author:** ![Jonapedia](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/jonapedia/32/309350_2.png) [@Jonapedia](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Jonapedia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/is-it-advisable-to-write-kanji-down-while-learning-them/46294/17 "2020-10-06T12:36:36Z")
> [@HendrikLearning](#): > > I’ve been wondering whether writing the Kanji down with its respective reading and meaning is worth the time? I’m just going to quote myself here, on whether or not using a Buddha board is enough for learning to write kanji. I deal with the usefulness of using writing to learn kanji in the final paragraph: > [@Learning to write kanji?](https://community.wanikani.com/t/learning-to-write-kanji/44340/17): > > It depends on whether you’re replicating the conditions for actual calligraphy – the type of brush used, orientation of the board and texture of the board will all affect how realistic your practice is. The motions you apply for moving the brush and preparing it for writing are also a part of the skillset. If you can replicate these things with water and a Buddha board, then yes, such practice may be of use. > > > **Details on traditional calligraphy (I’m speaking for the Chinese tradition: I don’t kn…** > > And here, on some things to consider if you decide to incorporate writing into your routine without spending too much time on it: > [@Finding Time To Write Down Kanji/Vocab I miss](https://community.wanikani.com/t/finding-time-to-write-down-kanjivocab-i-miss/45467/8): > > Semi-native Chinese speaker here. (‘Semi-’ because I started both English and Chinese as a baby, but my English is definitely better since it was my everyday language. Chinese was used for watching dramas and Chinese homework. I know more Chinese proverbs though.) To learn kanji with (Mandarin) readings, frankly, I was systematically taught stroke order and readings at the same time. Stroke order stopped being explicitly taught at the point when it was assumed we could just copy our teachers’ ac… Finally, here’s my most recent post on the subject, where I provide an example of two kanji (or more accurately, traditional hanzi, since they’re only used in Traditional Chinese) that I might find difficult to distinguish without knowing how to write them: > [@The hell that is reality](https://community.wanikani.com/t/the-hell-that-is-reality/46253/13): > > Near-native Chinese speaker here. (Started as a toddler and did it for 10-11 years in school depending on whether you count kindergarten, including rather formatted essays commenting on social issues and government policies, but lived in an English-speaking environment otherwise, TV dramas aside. Hence, I don’t dare to claim full ‘native speaker’ status. My Mandarin has currently fallen into disuse because I’m now studying in France, where Mandarin is nearly useless in daily life.) Some people… The short version: I grew up speaking both English and Chinese (with my English being better because it was my main language, and still is), and I really think I wouldn’t have retained as many kanji as I know now, after 10 years of compulsory Chinese education and 7 years of hardly communicating in Mandarin using text, without learning how to write them. Knowing how to write helps me to remember details, tell kanji apart, and also helps me to split kanji into blocks for memorisation (e.g. here’s the traditional version of 法: 灋, which can be memorised using the simplified version, knowledge of etymology, and familiarity with common kanji blocks like 氵, the top of 鹿, things that look like 与, and 去) Also, almost all kanji follow a certain set of principles for stroke order, so while learning to write might seem time-consuming at first, it becomes fluid and intuitive once you know the patterns. (At present, I personally only look stroke order up in order to compare ‘official’ stroke orders in different countries, or to check if my personal preference is right. Most of the time though, because I know the patterns, I can make a good guess without any reference sources.) Finally, if you’re into calligraphy… you can make pretty things! (I wrote my profile picture myself. 😛) Seriously though, if writing doesn’t interest you, then don’t force yourself. You might want to reconsider if you start reaching memory roadblocks further down the road though. Also, while I don’t want to dismiss or invalidate the success people have had without writing practice, but I feel like learning kanji without knowing how to write them is like memorising a painting along with its name. I can’t imagine that working for very long without lots of additional input. Final note: I don’t think it’s useful to write the reading and meaning down with the kanji unless you’re creating a kanji notebook or you’re struggling with kana/remembering the reading, because having more to write will probably slow you down. My personal approach would be to write the kanji or visualise it being written while saying the meaning and reading during the writing. I would also visualise the furigana for the reading for the sake of practice. --- _[View the full topic](https://community.wanikani.com/t/is-it-advisable-to-write-kanji-down-while-learning-them/46294)._