An Introduction to Japanese Kanji

W ritten Japanese is one of the most interesting, but perhaps most challenging aspects of the language to learn. For languages that only use the standard 26 letter Latin alphabet, written Japanese has no common ground on which to compare or learn from. There are three different “alphabets”, or character sets, used in written Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana, and Japanese Kanji. Kana is the name given to the first two sets of characters which consist of 46 symbols each. Kanji is the third set of characters and it is by far, the largest of the three.

Estimates vary on exactly how many Kanji are in existence, but the total is over 5000 symbols. Japanese Kanji was actually adopted from the Chinese over 2000 years ago. The system of Japanese Kanji has evolved over the years as many of the symbols were no longer used and faded out of the language. In an attempt to simplify the system, the Japanese government has compiled a list of 1945 Kanji that are considered the ‘essential Kanji characters’. To be fully proficient in reading and writing Japanese one needs to know the kana and this list of nearly 2000 Kanji characters, although many native Japanese do not learn them all until nearing completion of high school.

Unlike the kana which are single syllables, each Kanji represents whole words or parts of words. Many Japanese Kanji look like the words that they represent, such as a single horizontal line for the number one. Learning the Kanji that look just like the word they stand for is a good start, but unfortunately they are not all that easy.

Learning Japanese Kanji is made easier by the fact that every symbol can be broken down and written in Hiragana. If you don't know the Kanji character for a word, it can be written out with Hiragana and it can still be understood by a Japanese reader, but it takes a lot more symbols to communicate the same words. Many advanced Kanji use other basic Kanji symbols in combination or as building blocks, so as your vocabulary grows many new words are easier to learn.

Much like studying any other language, learning Kanji requires repetition and practice to become proficient. Fortunately, there are a number of great resources out there for learning Kanji including some very solid computer based programs. Learning Japanese Kanji can at times be extremely challenging but it can also be one of the most rewarding aspects of studying Japanese.