Point of interest: Learning Japanese Kanji: 2 Reasons Why It's Important

Typically in the US hearing the words spoken by our parents and our peers is how we start early understanding of the English Language. But, learning Japanese as a second language, the opposite is true. Hearing the words spoken is important, but you're not likely to get much out of it without seeing the written language that goes along with it. The two work together to form the Japanese language. When you take the step to learn Japanese online, it's best to tackle kanji as well.

Here are two main reasons why you should learn kanji.

When it comes to the written language the Japanese have several different systems they use. Kanji are the most difficult to learn because of the number of characters to memorize. But, it's much easier to read because of that. The other writing methods, like hiragana, have fewer characters to deal with, making it the fastest way to write in Japanese. The result, however, is just words strung together. There's no meaning connected to them. Imagine reading a sentence in English where it looks like you have one long line of letters, instead of spaces to distinguish words. Hiragana is like that. When you learn kanji, you're able to understand more than just words.

Like the English language, Japanese has many homonyms or words that have the same pronunciation. Sometimes, it's difficult to figure out what another person is trying to say, which can lead to a misunderstandings. Japanese kanji allow you to actually see the meaning of a word, not just the way it sounds. Once you can read kanji, you can literally see the meaning of a word from the characters used to write it. When you learn Japanese by just hearing the words spoken, you're not getting half of what the language has to offer. Set out to learn kanji while you're learning the Japanese language and you will add depth and richness to your daily conversation.

Taking the step to learn Japanese grammar and kanji will make learning the Japanese language far more rewarding for you. There's nothing better than being able to keep up with other Japanese speakers who speak it fluently. They'll never know you haven't spoken it all of your life. For more information, contact us at our website.