Is learning kanji required?

I started learning Japanese and I’d say im b1 or b2 but I haven’t learned kanji because i learned japanese from anime and had no other way to practice it. Should i try learning kanji or should i just be okay with just speaking and listening

5 comments
  1. If you plan to get past a beginner level in speaking, listening, reading, & writing Japanese;

    Then yes, learning how to use 1/3 of the Japanese writing system alongside the other 2/3 is required material.

  2. learning material caps out very low in romaji or pure-kana

    if you want anything beyond kindergartener reading level, you’ll need to start, yes; some texts have furigana but it’s easy to get stuck needing that and never being able to progress

    kanji isn’t special, it’s just spelling. learn the proper spelling of words as you learn them

  3. It is not impossible to learn only the spoken language, but you will never be able to read much of anything if you do not learn the kanji.

    There are also a *lot* of homonyms in Japanese that are easier to understand if you know how they are spelled in kanji.

    If you’re learning for entertainment media, learning the kanji will be important for reading manga, playing games, and even reading the signs, posters, and notes that appear in anime, as well as titles (series and chapter).

    Of course almost everything good is translated these days, it’s only a matter of if you want to experience the original, it won’t get you access to very much additional material.

  4. If you’re serious about achieving any kind of proficiency in Japanese, I would strongly recommend starting to tackle kanji sooner rather than later.

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