I've been learning Japanese for a bit over half a year now, but I still really struggle with writing. I have dysgraphia, so it's not too surprising, but it does make me worry a bit about the pace of my learning and whether I should slow down or not. I can still barely remember the stroke orders and direction for most multi-stroke hiragana and katakana, even though I've been able to read them easily for quite a while now. But when it comes to kanji, it feels like a whole other beast. I try to do writing practice, but I worry that I'll just never be able to handwrite more complex kanji without a tracing guide or a reference.
I'm wondering if anyone else has these kinds of difficulties (dysgraphic or not) and if there's anything I could do that I'm just missing, or if it's even okay to keep trying to push ahead with study even if my writing ability is behind, or if I'm just worrying too much about something most learners experience. Also, if anyone has tips for dysgraphic Japanese learners, I would really appreciate them!
Thanks for reading my ramblings.
P.S.
This is my first forum post on renshuu, and the first time I've asked about Japanese online in any place other than google, so sorry if this is awkwardly worded or tangent-y.
Just a reminder that a lot of people skip handwriting kanji and there's nothing wrong with that. Being able to read and type is more than enough. It all depends on your goals.
As far I know you don't need to write kanji by hand for any level of the JLPT.
Nothing wrong with learning either. You'll have to wait for someone else for advice though.
Why are you writing in the first place? Do you have someone you have to write handwritten letters to? Since you apparently have dysgraphia, just learn kanji for recognition only. A Japanese keyboard conveniently provides a dropdown menu of kanji from which you can select. Even native Japanese struggle with remembering how to write kanji by hand once they've left school.
Why are you writing in the first place? Do you have someone you have to write handwritten letters to? Since you apparently have dysgraphia, just learn kanji for recognition only. A Japanese keyboard conveniently provides a dropdown menu of kanji from which you can select. Even native Japanese struggle with remembering how to write kanji by hand once they've left school.
I've heard a lot of people say writing helps with learning the kanji, but I'm admittedly realising how silly it is that I'm worried about writing in Japanese when I don't really have a reason to, and when I'm progressing with reading despite my writing ability. I probably should've asked myself that first question a while ago, honestly.
Yes, it can help with learning kanji, but it's incredibly time-inefficient for a lot of people. All of that time you spend learning how to write, you could have spent learning other aspects of the language. In your case the cost/benefit ratio is likely even worse.
I know people who live and work in Japan and can’t write kanji by hand. Is it convenient? Absolutely. Is it essential? Definitely not.
Disclaimer: some jobs require writing, some don't.
While ultimately, as everyone said, it's up to you if learning to write kanji is worth it, here's a little something I found useful: stroke order suddenly "clicked" for me when I read that the earliest precursors of kanji were found etched onto bone with sharp tools. Somehow, if you imagine yourself struggling to mark them onto a not-very-soft surface with a crude, rather unwieldy object, stroke order and direction makes more sense. It's odd, but it helped me.
I recently made a new schedule with all the Hiragana and Katakana and set the parameters to only writing answers. (I think this might be a Pro option)
So, I use this schedule to help with remembering stroke orders for the Kanas. I know I don't need to do it but actually writing out things helps me remember better.
Like you, I can recognize the Kanas and Kanjis but struggle with writing them. I don't expect to have to write anything in Japanese but it is what helps me remember.
Overall, it is what makes sense to you. Does knowing the stroke order help you remember what the Kanjis/Kanas are better than just straight memorization? If not, maybe it isn't worth the time. If it does help you, it is worth the time. Everyone learns differently.
