OK, so, I've just finished learning my kana and want to go onto kanji. Heisig was good but a touch too dull for my liking, so I'm going to try out Kanjidamage.
All I'd like to know is, what exactly do I learn? Just the mnemonic/keyword, or the kunyomi, jukugo, etc.?
It just seems like an overwhelming amount to learn for each one the first time through, and I'd like to know how others who have used it went about it.
Thanks.
Name:
Anonymous2011-09-16 13:16
As a veteran Japanese student the best advice I can give anyone regarding this subject is DO NOT learn kanji one by one. The SINGLE biggest hurdle in language learning is the vocabulary, I promise grammar will feel like a footnote if you never have to spend your time floundering with all the words in the sentence before you can begin the real analysis. Just dive in and learn a word for every one of the Jouyou kanji. You will kick yourself for the rest of your Japanese learning life if you sit around making up ridiculous stories for months on in only to forget all the keywords by the time you're as far along as I am (2 years, not including the time I wasted on Heisig.) I don't regret Heisig, as it and systems like it have their merits, but I should have learned a word for each kanji as I went through. Work smarter not harder, make the readings come to you by learning ACTUAL words and by the time you finish you'll have nigh on 2,000 words under your belt PLUS the kanji and that my friend is a respectable vocabulary. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them.