[fewtinsoffroth]

Just practise using it. Punch some nouns into Anki in kana and read them out loud and as fluently as you can. You'll expand your vocab and familiarise yourself with the kana. 5 minutes a day for 2 weeks and it'll be second nature.

[LimerickLad92]

Originally Posted by fewtinsoffroth

Just practise using it. Punch some nouns into Anki in kana and read them out loud and as fluently as you can. You'll expand your vocab and familiarise yourself with the kana. 5 minutes a day for 2 weeks and it'll be second nature.

anki no kana?

[fewtinsoffroth]

You mean you can't get into kana into anki?

If so just google how to change your computer to kana, I haven't actually used this site so I dunno if it works

http://www.coscom.co.jp/learnjapanese801/index.html

But your computer can probably type in Japanese.

[funky penguin]

When I arrived here first, I power learned all the kana in the first two weeks in school (since there was nothing to do).

THEN, I took a weeks holiday, and when I came back school was starting, and my thesis happened, and I basically forgot the majority of them. When November hit, I started the ajatt method with kanji, so I haven't looked at them since.

Well....sorry that's a bit of a lie. Because I have the luxury of being in Japan, I see the kana everywhere, and as such I always try reading it when I see it. Billboards, signs, menus etc. In a nutshell, it's doing what fewtinsoffroth is saying, repitition, spaced. This again, is just anki's method.

I'd say I know about 80% of them, but I'm not going to study them properly until I finish Heisig. I'm currently reading through the first デスノート manga - just reading, no comprehension. I'm trying to improve my fluency. It's kind of working, and I notice I can read a little bit faster these days. Saying that, a little bit of comprehension comes into play as well, which is just an added bonus (this is mainly due to the fact that I've seen the anime, and know the story).

I have to say I like that idea of the nouns in kana.

[fewtinsoffroth]

Originally Posted by funky penguin

I have to say I like that idea of the nouns in kana.

It's the truth

If you can get a hold of the Heisig book for kana, then try that apparently you can learn it in 3 hours of concentration. But, it's not a big deal anyway so I wouldn't even bother paying for the book.

The better you start reading with it and using it the better.

[funky penguin]

I have that book, sitting waiting for me (got it waaaaaay back in October).

I just did a review today.....of 180 cards. **** me it was exhausting. 50 tomorrow. I'm beginning to think holding off on learning new kanji was the right idea. At the time I though I was being too easy on myself, but 180 is waaaaaaaaay too much (it had yesterday's included.....I'M ON HOLIDAY! ).

I think another week just revising should be enough. Then, I think I'm going to aim for 1,000 and then seriously start sentences for a month with just kanji reviews. I've already started marking sentences in books to come back to, I just need to put them into anki. It's just getting a little frustrating knowing all these kanji and barely being able to string a sentence together.

[fewtinsoffroth]

Originally Posted by funky penguin

It's just getting a little frustrating knowing all these kanji and barely being able to string a sentence together.

It'll be worth it, it's just slow progress. Once you can start reading newspapers etc. fluidly it'll just be a matter of picking a few up everyday, it'll be sound!

[just-joe]

Learning kanji and not knowing kana is a bit silly. How can you read anything if you can't read kana?

And, what is your level of understanding when reading the manga? Can you just understand the meaning, or can you read the kanji too?

If you know 1000 kanji that is so so many, you'll be able to read a lot of stuff once you get the readings/compounds going. But that will take a while I guess. Stopping to consolidate sounds like a good idea, and also practicing grammar/speaking/listening/writing too, especially speaking, as well as kanji, might be good.

[fewtinsoffroth]

Originally Posted by just-joe

Learning kanji and not knowing kana is a bit silly. How can you read anything if you can't read kana?

He knows Kana he just didn't use the Heisig book?

[funky penguin]

Yeah, as I said above I'm confident with 80% of the kana. The others just take that extra bit of time to recall the pronunciation, or I get mixed up (マ and ム for example).

Also, as said above, my comprehension is less than 10% in the manga, but that's not the reason behind doing that. I'm reading it (with furigana) purely to increase fluency in kana reading. I do this alone, and out loud. My neighbours must think I'm a little odd.

But yes, consolidation is the next step, and mainly a venture into sentence writing. I'm also half thinking of getting a private teacher. It may be a difficult endeavor though, as many teachers here, private or group, are fond of textbooks. I just need guidance in grammar and pronunciation, I like to do most of the work myself. And if they start off with the -masu form of verbs........ >_<

[funky penguin]

僕はファイナルファンタジーＶＩＩしている

Pray for me, I'm just up to the first save point and I'm exhausted.

[fewtinsoffroth]

It's a great way of going about it though. Took me about 15 hours to get to the first gym in pokemon black

[hibby]

Originally Posted by just-joe

Learning kanji and not knowing kana is a bit silly. How can you read anything if you can't read kana?

I agree it's a bit silly but I have to confess: I'm not 100% on kana either, despite learning Japanese for many years and knowing quite a few kanji.

What I mean is, I can recognise the kana and read signs written in kana, but if you asked me to write them as you called them out, there would be some that I wouldn't be able to remember right then. Also even now if I see さ I take a second to think "Is that sa or chi?"

But now that I'm living in Japan and surrounded by written Japanese it will all sink in fairly quickly so I'm not that worried about it.

[funky penguin]

I'm just going to restate what I'm doing here:

I'm using the ajatt method, found here.

This method suggests learning the kanji from Heisig's RtK first, then on to kana.

By no means am I saying that's how it should be done. It's just one of many ways, and happens to be the route I chose.

To be honest, I'd advise learning the kana in tandem, as they're not that difficult. Some people might disagree but how and ever. Whatever gets you learning at a pace you're comfortable with and are enjoying.

Anyways, back to work today, and it's 880 today, with a whopping 81 to review tomorrow. woops......

[funky penguin]

900 kanjiroonies.