Should I memorize the on and kun readings

3 comments

1. Learn vocab. Memorizing the individual readings means nothing. 日 has a bijillion readings. But it’s more important to know the vocab than the individual sounds that this grapheme makes.

2. What I personally did after learning Hiragana and Katakana was downloading an app called Learn Japanese! – Kanji Study, by Luli Languages LLC. What it does is teaching you vocabulary with Kanji, and it sections all the Kanji in 5 levels (N5, N4, N3, N2, N1) based on the JLPT Kanji lists. Today I can read every N5 Kanji not by knowing by heart their on and kun readings, but by knowing a bunch of words that uses each character.

   After you learn a Kanji with this app, it works just like Anki, and makes you tell what is its meaning from time to time.

   For grammar I have been using Genki.

3. learn vocab but…here is some more info

   The kunyomi readings are usually part of standalone words and many verbs use these. Learning vocab with these is like just learning a stand-alone word.

   The onyomi readings are often part of multi-kanji words. Learning vocab with these guys, a trick is to find multi-kanji words with your new kanji in it, but also with kanji you already know in it. That way you A) reinforce what you already know and B) have a base to build off of and C) learn that reading across multiple words. Pretty handy