I’m feeling a little unsure about what my next steps should be…
I know that kanji is a crucial part of learning Japanese, but I’m not sure if I should focus solely on learning kanji or if I should also be building my vocabulary at the same time. On one hand, kanji seems like the most logical next step since it’s essential for reading and writing in Japanese. On the other hand, I’m worried that if I focus solely on kanji, I may miss out on building a strong vocabulary, which is equally important.
I’d love to hear from those of you who have already mastered the kana and have gone on to learn kanji and vocabulary. What did you find was the best approach for you? Did you focus solely on kanji, or did you work on building your vocabulary as well?
4 comments
You can do both by learning the Kanji and write the kana equivalent next to it. Don’t neglect that because you might have difficulties if you don’t keep refreshing your Hiragana reading as well
Kanji is also vocab training! So you should do both at the same time. Learn vocab through memorizing kanji and also study up on vocab through sentences, reading etc
it’s a good point to get started with some grammar which will in turn introduce you to some vocabulary. mix that with a few kanji sessions
I was in the same position as you a while ago.
After I was done with kana, I jumped straight into vocabulary and grammar, actually. (I’m studying on Renshuu, and each grammar lesson comes with matching vocabulary, so it tied into each other perfectly.)
Back then I was a bit hesitant about starting with Kanji, since I’d just finished kana.
But looking back now, I actually wish I would have done all that side by side, because as others already mentioned, vocab definitely helps with learning Kanji. So based on my experience, I’d say don’t solely focus on one thing. Learn Kanji and some vocab to go with it!