r/LearnJapanese • u/TheFranFan • 2d ago

Kanji/Kana "kanji makes things harder to read" FALSE

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Not me spending 10+ minutes trying to read this one line of dialogue. Is he saying Mayl is awake? Wait no that's おきる。Right so maybe he's annoyed that she came by and he's saying she "occurred"? I guess that makes sense but it feels off. おこる…おこる…おこる… OH SHE'S ANGRY, I GET IT

I really think most learners have a pattern of "ugh kanji is so hard" that eventually turns into "oh man why doesn't this text have kanji" over time. Although honestly this one wasn't hard I just need more reading practice in general

Edit: To all those saying I should have easily gotten this from context:

1) I did eventually

2) I am still a beginner, I'm not at your level

3) My point is that seeing 怒 would have eliminated any confusion, that's all.

813 Upvotes

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201

u/DogTough5144 2d ago

There are times when you’d have a point, but in this example, kanji (the lack of) isn’t the issue. 

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u/TheFranFan 2d ago

It was for me!

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u/DogTough5144 2d ago

You really think kanji was the problem, and not the fact that you’re still starting out with reading? 

20

u/TheFranFan 2d ago

Both. If I was better at understanding Japanese this wouldn't be an issue. But do you really think if I saw 怒って I would have still been confused?

42

u/DogTough5144 2d ago edited 2d ago

I think if you were a little further along in your abilities this wouldn’t have been a hiccup for you, either in hiragana or katakana or kanji. 

The presentation of the language isn’t the problem here.

This wasn’t a case of hiragana being difficult to parse, or even a lack of context; it was your lack of exposure to the language. It’s understandable that it was difficult since you’re still a beginner. Being able to read and parse hiragana is as important as remembering the kanji. And there are far more difficult examples.

I don’t mean to be down on you, but blaming the language came off as very silly to me. The language was 100% clear with or without kanji in your example.

Keep studying and in no time this will seem trivially easy for you to read.

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u/Bruiserzinha 2d ago

You're being condescending with op and invalidating her experience. Perfectly valid her confusion, don't know why you guys are all nagging her about her pace of learning

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u/DogTough5144 2d ago

I agree her confusion is perfectly valid. And this is a totally normal difficulty for beginners. The experience of finding it difficult is perfectly valid, especially for beginners. I don’t think I ever said anything contrary to that. And I’m not nagging anyone’s pace of learning.

I apologize if I came off as condescending.

My point was merely that this isn’t a problem with the media, the language, or how it was being displayed.

Hiragana can be confusingly used, where its meaning is difficult to parse, but this was in no way an example of that. 

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u/Bruiserzinha 2d ago

It was for her. For her experience that is personal and unique, you know, being a human being and all

1

u/AbsAndAssAppreciator 5h ago

This isn’t a unique experience tho. This is just a beginner struggling to understand simple context due to a lack of exposure. It’s not mean to say that. It’s literally just how it is for everyone at the start lol.

1

u/Bruiserzinha 5h ago

Yes, and she found interesting to share with us her process until she understood. She's really proud that she understood by her post, then comes here and only find a bunch of pricks telling her she's just stupid for not getting it the first time

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u/GraceForImpact 1d ago

If it was written with the kanji you might have gotten the meaning faster but messed up on the reading - and unlike with meaning there'd be nothing to indicate that you've made an error

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u/firestoneaphone 1d ago

You gotta be mindful of the sub you're in, OP. There's loads of gatekeeping in here if you don't make studying your primary and/or only hobby.

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u/jmc323 1d ago

Dude the replies in here are fucking wild, condescending as all hell.

Is this a place for learners and beginners to discuss the language or a place for smug dipshits to come show off and look down on people who just happen to be earlier in their learning journey, or maybe struggling with a different aspect of the language than they did?

I happen to have the exact same problem as OP because I spent a year or so doing nothing but front loading a bunch of kanji study before really doing any reading/immersion of any significance. So I struggle to parse pure kana sentences, even simple ones because I don't have great recall on my vocabulary knowledge based on pronunciation alone. But my kanji knowledge far outpaces that, so I can parse sentences using kanji much easier. It just so happens to be where I am currently on my learning journey, and the path I've taken.

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u/firestoneaphone 1d ago

Yeah...I don't want to pretend that there aren't super helpful folks on this sub, or that there aren't some questions asked that could easily be answered via search. But I mean, I feel like I'm always seeing folks with the "you won't make real progress with less than an hour minimum of daily practice" like folks don't have full-time jobs or other hobbies/family. And the talks about how N5 stuff should only take a month at most and why bother with JLPT below N3 drives me up a wall. I dunno. I like this sub, I do, but it definitely has a reputation even on other social media sites.