My Kanji Mojo

Let's make this very clear:

I hate,
I hate,
I HATE

katakana.

They jack up the English language so badly when the Japanese use it for loan words, even they don't get it that much. Don't start with the English speakers, because we try to pronounce it and as we do, we lose the meaning of it after the second syllable. It takes us awhile to get the meaning.

Chocoretto pafe anyone?*

Nonetheless, we can't live without it. If you recall my first days in Kyoto, it was my halting katakana that got Deena and I rather tasty teriyaki burgers for lunch. And most technical words are in katakana since they were borrowed from English, French, German, etc.

However, I study history. History doesn't have technical words that were borrowed from other languages, as far as I know for the moment. Maybe when you get to social trends like "mobo" and "moga" ("modern boy" and "modern girl," respectively) in the 1920s, then you have the evil, evil katakana.

Hiragana is easy. I like hiragana. You learn hiragana before you learn katakana when you start studying Japanese. I think it should be reversed - you don't use katakana as much as hiragana, so I think if you learn the katakana first, then you retain it better. The reason why I don't like katakana is because since I am not exposed to it so much, I am uncomfortable when I read it.

Kanji - oh, ho that's quite another story. Let's just say be glad I am not learning Chinese where it's JUST the chracters.

However, I like Kanji. I was quite good at it when I was in London - but that was when I was studying Japanese for three hours a day because I had nothing else to do. So when I got back to the States for my senior year, my Japanese classes at Hunter didn't teach that much Kanji - in spite of the presence of "Kanji Worksheets" in the syllabus - so let's just say over the past year, I lost my mojo for Kanji.

Which is why my Intermediate Kanji class is so difficult. I didn't want to be in Basic II because in London and on my own I practically studied the Kanji for that class and I didn't want to repeat something that is highly dependent on rote memorization. Grammar is a different thing - some of the grammar in the three classes I have (which total, oh about 13 hours a week) is a bit repetitive, but I don't mind that. My Japanese study has been rather ad hoc to say the least so I welcome any formality and repetition if that means I get it more in my head and I advance with more assuredness.

But Kanji? The only way you can learn is to memorize it, plain and simple. In London, I would do 50 kanji a day, 5 times each.

This Intermediate Class - although terrified as it makes me - is good for me. I need a "hardcore" class or two. My reading class is hardcore as well, since we have vocabulary and grammar patterns to learn. I just wish we had more homework (scream in dismay all you want) so that I can be forced to do more. Which is why I am going back into my old London habits - 50 kanji a day, 5 times each. But then we have the vocabulary with the kanji - my method of learning the kanji is to learn it with the vocabulary so I know not only the compounds, but also their usage. Kills two birds with one stone. I never started learning the kanji with the radicals so that form of learning it is a lost cause. Everyone learns differently.

My one peeve with my classes overall is that they go SO slow. We do the exercises in my Integrated Class, when we should get them for homework and instead use 2 classes instead of three to go over each chapter. Bah.

Yesterday, I went to the Kyodai library to study kanji a bit fr my quiz on Tuesday. My classmates and I don't know what to expect for the quizzes so, my method is to go over everything. I will be honest, I think I failed my last quiz and I might this week as well. simply because the teacher won't tell us what will specifically be on the quiz.

Nonetheless, I even had fun, and slowly, the wheels began to click in my head again. Like I told Colleen, I approach languages as a logistical puzzle to some extent, because studying Ancient Greek for two years made me more aware of semantics and grammar subtleties. Thank you, Prof. F. Ancient Greek is mega hardcore. But for me, that's what made it fun.

I even have the Kyoto bus map in Japanese because looking at the street signs in Japanese helps me learn my Kanji and the different readings. The street signs here do have the Romaji under it but when the sign is a bit far away, I am able to read the Kanji before I get to read the Romaji. So that helps alot in terms of learning Kanji.

I am off to study my kanji some more. I got my mojo back!

*Chocoretto pafe = Chocolate Parfait.