writing practice kanji

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Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write!

Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning.

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Kanji alive

A free study tool for reading and writing kanji.

Welcome to Kanji alive , a web application ( https://app.kanjialive.com ) designed to help Japanese language students of all levels learn to read and write kanji .

Kanji alive: Detail view with kanji animation

Click for full-sized image

Kanji alive is a resource for learning kanji , dedicated to helping you open the door to the fascinating characters that form the written Japanese language. All of the content in the web application ( https://app.kanjialive.com ) was created and reviewed with painstaking attention to detail by experienced Japanese instructors in order to help you best study, practice and retain kanji .

Our Japanese language data and media files (images, sounds, animations, and fonts) are freely available to anyone for re-use under a Creative Commons license. In addition, developers can draw on our data for their applications from our free public API and access the source code and contribute improvements to the Kanji alive web application on GitHub.

Key Features of Kanji alive

A hand-written kanji animation

To help you write kanji correctly, all our kanji animations are hand-written in the style experienced in common, daily use — with a regular pen, not a calligraphic brush or generated by a computer. The model animations can be paused and reviewed at any point, stroke by stroke, via their stroke order diagrams or by using the animation playback controls. Read more or watch a demo video .

Radical field showing the image of the radical, its Japanese name, English meaning, stroke number, radical position, and an animation of its historical derivation

Detailed information on radicals

Learn how a radical lends meaning to its kanji. View an image of each kanji’s radical, its name, meaning, stroke number, historical derivation, and (for important radicals) its position in the kanji. Read more or watch a demo video .

Mnemonic Hint

Next to each kanji you will find vivid mnemonic hints carefully crafted to help you associate the components of a kanji to its meaning. Read more or watch a demo video .

Examples of common compound words and their translations

See and hear how the kanji you are learning are used in context in up to twelve carefully selected example words, together with audio clips of their pronunciations by native male and female speakers. Read more or watch a demo video .

Recommended Kanji Dictionaries

Discover additional contexts and meanings for each kanji and more example sentences via a custom web link to Kenkyusha’s online Luminous dictionary or by using the kanji reference numbers for the Classic Nelson and Kodansha dictionaries. Read more or watch a demo video .

Kanji alive is very easy to use. To quickly familiarize you with the Kanji alive web app ( https://app.kanjialive.com ) we have prepared a User Guide , several short demo videos and a handy Quick Reference guide in the app itself. Any of these resources can be used to learn how to use Kanji alive . Japanese language instructors may also wish to read our Notes for Instructors which explain our pedagogic principles and design decisions.

Finally, especially for beginners, we have prepared two online resources which cover the history of kanji , stroke order basics, and radicals. These are the Introduction to Kanji and the 214 traditional kanji radicals and their variants . We encourage anyone who has just begun to study kanji to review these documents carefully before using Kanji alive in earnest.

Thank you for your interest in Kanji alive! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

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It already has every kanji worksheet for writing, and soon it will have plenty to practice reading.

Kanji Writing Practice

Printable Writing Practice Sheets with grid lines (PDF)

Handwriting Practice Sheet

How to download/print.

Click the link. PDF document will be displayed.

To download the file, choose [ Save As... ] from [File] menu.

To print on papers, choose [ Print... ] from [File] menu.

To view the PDF file, you need Adobe Reader, a free application distributed by Adobe Systems.

How to Practice

We recommend to do the following practice.

First Row : Carefully imitate the shape of sample letters.
Second Row (left) : Write letters by occasionally looking the sample.
Second Row (right) : Write a letter without looking, then compare with the sample. Repeat the same.

Refer grid lines to check the position of each stroke.

This one-time practice would be enough to get familiar with the shape of letters.

Repeat the practice to become a master of beautiful handwriting!

Handwriting Instructions

Handwriting instructions for each letter are available at the following pages.

Learn the JLPT N5–N1 Kanji

It’s easy to use. Click kanji and choose which Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level you’d like to study.

Then, click study and type each word’s rōmaji equivalent (e.g. ‘genki’).

The Best Kanji Learning Programs "Remembering The Kanji," "Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course," "WaniKani," "Kanji Damage," and More

August 17, 2023 • words written by Kanae Nakamine , David Honeycutt , and Ian J. Battaglia • Art by Aya Francisco , David Honeycutt , and Kanae Nakamine

Learning kanji is tough. The unfamiliar shapes. All the different ways to read a single kanji. And what's more — there are over 2,000 of them to learn?!

Unfortunately, there's no shortcut around these hurdles. And I'm not gonna lie, learning kanji does take time and energy no matter what method you choose. But if you're making the investment, you want to do it in the most efficient and effective way possible.

If you're scrolling this page with a hand that's hurting from writing kanji on paper a gazillion times — you came to the right place.

Luckily, there are learning programs you can just follow along to make the kanji learning experience less of a pain (literally, and figuratively). With the right program, kanji can be manageable. It doesn't have to be this big hairy goal for Japanese learners.

In this article, I'll introduce you to the best kanji learning programs available. They come in various formats like textbooks and apps, but regardless of the format, I'll use the word "program" for a structure that guides you through your kanji studies and helps you build a foundation for Japanese literacy.

1. What Aspect(s) of Kanji Does It Teach?

2. how does it teach kanji, 3. how many kanji does it teach (& does it teach useful kanji), 4. what format/media type is it, remembering the kanji 1 (rtk 1), the kodansha kanji learner's course (klc), kanji damage, video program, popular textbooks, tools to practice handwriting, how to choose a kanji learning program.

There are many kanji learning programs out there, so what are the differences between them, and how do you pick one? Well, there are some things to consider…

The first thing to consider is what kanji-related skill you're looking to improve. Like when you say "I want to learn kanji," what do you mean by that?

Do you want to be able to tell the meaning of a kanji when you see one? Do you want to remember how to pronounce it too?

I recommend you pay attention to a couple aspects: kanji readings and kanji vocabulary .

Almost all kanji learning programs teach the meaning(s) of each kanji, but not all of them teach kanji readings. So this is definitely something to consider.

So what about kanji vocabulary? By this, I mean vocabulary that uses the kanji characters the program teaches. Kanji and kanji vocabulary go hand in hand. Even though kanji are semantic (that is, each kanji has at least one meaning), they're characters rather than standalone words. Sure, some single kanji characters can be words on their own, but they're more commonly used as components to make vocabulary. It's important to learn them together.

Learning vocabulary along with kanji is not just about seeing how the kanji is used in real life. It also helps you remember the kanji readings. Many kanji have multiple readings and are pronounced differently depending on the word they're used in. By learning kanji vocabulary, you can reinforce various kanji readings. It can be overwhelming to think about having to learn multiple readings per kanji, but learning the readings along with vocabulary makes it a lot more doable.

With a photographic memory, learning kanji would be so easy — all you'd need is a kanji dictionary. But in reality, that's not the case for most people, and remembering kanji is hard without help.

So, it's important to check: Does the program help you actually remember kanji?

Some programs may only introduce information as opposed to giving you a meaningful way to remember it. One of the most common approaches for this is called mnemonics. Mnemonics are basically a memory technique to help you remember things.

For kanji learning, mnemonics come in different formats. Some programs tell you the history of how the kanji were created, whereas other teach you components of kanji and what they mean, then what the kanji means from those broken-down parts (which is what we like to call Radical + Mnemonic method ).

And pay attention to what aspect of kanji they offer mnemonics to help you remember, too. For example, many provide mnemonics to help you remember the meanings, but what about mnemonics for readings or vocabulary? Not all programs offer these.

Another consideration is: Does the program help you retain the knowledge in any way?

As time passes, you'll likely forget what you've learned. So reviewing or refreshing what you've learned is important for turning that knowledge into something concrete and stable in your mind. One of the most popular solutions is to use an SRS (Spaced Repetition System), which repeatedly prompts you to recall an item you've learned over time. Depending on how well the item sticks in your memory, it aims to optimize the intervals and number of times an item appears in your review queue to improve your recall and strengthen each item in your memory.

While the total number of kanji in existence is debatable, luckily, you don't have to study them all to be able to read most of the things you need to get by on a day-to-day basis.

"So, how many kanji should I learn?" Just to give you an idea, the ultimate goal for serious learners is around 2,000 kanji. You should be able to read most things comfortably with that level of literacy. But the number of kanji isn't the only thing you should care about when choosing a kanji learning program. It's also important to pay attention to whether they're trying to teach you useful kanji, too.

Many programs focus on introducing jōyō kanji , a set of kanji selected by the Japanese government that are commonly used in daily life. These kanji are also taught in Japanese schools, and there are roughly 2,000 of them (2,136 to be exact).

However, you should keep in mind that the jōyō kanji list doesn't cover all the useful kanji you should know. After all, the list is meant to be a foundational guideline. It's not an exhaustive list for those who are learning Japanese as a foreign language.

Some common and useful kanji like 嬉 (glad) and 嘘 (lie), are not on the jōyō kanji list, while some of the kanji included may not be useful or commonly used in real-life communication.

Like I said earlier, kanji learning programs come in various formats — textbooks, apps, video lessons, etc. You might have a strong preference for a specific format over others, but try to keep an open mind.

For example, reviewing kanji can be so much easier and more effective when you use digital tools that use SRS, which automate the entire reviewing process. You can still use textbooks or video lessons, but you might also consider pairing it with an SRS flashcard app for reviews.

The Best Kanji Learning Programs

Ok, now let's talk about actual options.

I picked four of the finest and most popular kanji learning programs for an in-depth comparison. Two of these are textbooks, Remembering The Kanji 1 and Kodansha Kanji Learners' Course , and the other two are the online programs WaniKani , and Kanji Damage .

For full transparency before getting into more details, I want to let you know one of the programs, WaniKani, is our own product we created here at Tofugu. I tried my best to research each resource in detail and write up all the pros and cons from a neutral position, but I'm probably somewhat biased. It's because I've been witnessing what our users have achieved over the past years with WaniKani (and I'm proud of them), but I just wanted to make sure you know WaniKani is our own.

Anyway, getting back to the actual options…

First of all, they all share some similar qualities that make them effective for learning kanji:

They all have good coverage of kanji (at least 1,700, not just a few hundred).
They all use mnemonics (at least to help you remember the meanings).
They all use the approach of breaking down kanji into components ( Radical + Mnemonic method ).

Despite the similarities, they're all very different programs designed and created with various intentions in mind. There are several factors that make the learning experience unique, ranging from small to large features. Here's a quick chart for easier comparison.

I'll go through each program in detail, but in case you want a quick summary of what I think, here's the TLDR version:

If you're looking for an interactive tool to remember (and not forget) kanji and vocabulary, try WaniKani .
If you're looking for a quality textbook to learn kanji, Kodansha's Kanji Learners' Course is a decent and trustworthy option.
If you're on a budget (and don't mind an overall-inappropriate use of language), Kanji Damage can be a great option. You might even find the humor hilarious.
If you want to cram for only the meanings of kanji very quickly, consider Remembering The Kanji 1 , but be aware of what you will NOT get out of it. For actual Japanese literacy, you'll have to make up for your kanji reading and vocabulary knowledge outside of this book. I will talk about this textbook first because it's one of the most well-known methods, but I personally don't recommend this option as much as the others.

Now, let's explore each option.

The quickest resource that helps you remember how to 'recognize the meanings' of 2,200 kanji. Warning: You won't learn kanji readings or vocabulary.

Remembering The Kanji 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters is the first volume of the Remembering The Kanji series, often referred to as "RTK."

It was first published in 1977, and is probably one of the oldest resources that uses the now somewhat common approach of breaking down kanji into components and providing "stories," aka mnemonics, to help you remember those kanji.

The first volume of the RTK series is the most well-known. It has a reputation for being the quickest method of learning 2,200 kanji, with learners who have completed the first volume and learned all 2,200 kanji in only a couple of months or less, which is an exceptional speed.

a photo of the remembering the kanji book

But there's a catch — it teaches you kanji meanings exclusively, so you won't know how to read the kanji . While it's an effective resource for recognizing the meanings of kanji quickly, you won't be exposed to kanji readings at all. The second volume of the series is dedicated to teaching the readings of the kanji you learned in the first volume. However, it doesn't offer as much guidance as the first volume. Unfortunately, no mnemonics are provided to help you remember the readings, even though that's what the readers of the first volume might have expected to see in the second volume as well.

In addition to the ability to recognize the kanji meanings, the goal of the first volume is to familiarize you with the shapes of kanji to help you handwrite the characters. Although it's still a popular kanji learning series today, keep in mind that this book was first published in 1977. Learners' needs have changed since then. Typing is far more common and practical than handwriting skills, and you won't be able to type if you don't know how to read.

Another big downside is that it teaches you kanji in isolation from vocabulary . That means you won't be learning kanji in any sort of context. In real-life, kanji are basically components of words. It's important to know how and in what kind of words they will be used. This is why many RTK users move on to other resources for vocabulary learning once they finish the first volume.

RTK 1 is probably the quickest way to get through and get familiar with a huge amount of kanji . If you're the kind of person who wants to cram and drill down kanji meanings in a short amount of time, it is worth checking out. Knowing the meanings of kanji isn't completely useless after all — that's absolutely better than having zero kanji knowledge. You can use that to guess the meaning of Japanese words that they make up. Well, kind of…

However, with its strict focus on meaning-only, what you actually get out of it may be limited and superficial — You won't be able to read, type kanji, or gain vocabulary knowledge from this book .

Overall, RTK 1 is not designed to give you practical knowledge or skills for reading Japanese texts. It covers all the jōyō kanji, which includes uncommon kanji, and some non-jōyō kanji as well. These are mainly kanji used in proper names or added with the intention of using them as components of other kanji, rather than for their usefulness. This also means that you'll be missing some extremely common non-jōyō kanji too.

Also, note that the first volume expects you to learn how to create mnemonics on your own, so the mnemonics gradually fade out and aren't provided later in the book . Coming up with your own mnemonics could help you strengthen your memory, but it's also time-consuming. Especially if you're considering RTK for its speed, use Koohii , a database of user-generated mnemonics for RTK.

Finally, this is a textbook. Using it alone won't help you retain your kanji knowledge. If you decide to go with RTK, definitely pair it with Anki or another SRS.

A well-thought-out textbook to help you remember 2,300 kanji with mnemonics and carefully picked kanji vocabulary.

The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course , also known as the "KLC," is a textbook designed to help Japanese learners remember 2,300 kanji. Since it was published in 2013, it's built up a reputation as one of the best textbooks for learning kanji.

While it can be compared to the other very popular kanji textbook, James Heisig's Remembering the Kanji , the KLC offers a more updated and thorough approach as well as features that RTK was missing . Their fundamental methods are similar — they both teach kanji with component parts (they call them "graphemes") and provide mnemonics to remember the core meanings of kanji. While RTK is most known for being the quickest kanji learning method while sacrificing some of the important aspects for Japanese learners (such as kanji readings and vocabulary), KLC is designed as a practical resource to help learners gain genuine literacy .

a photo of a hand holding the kanji learner's course book

One of the biggest differences is that while RTK teaches you kanji in isolation from vocabulary or any sort of context, KLC teaches you kanji in context. KLC offers a few sample vocabulary words per kanji to represent the use of kanji as well as common readings. And, the vocabulary only uses kanji that you've learned previously, so you'll be able to reinforce your kanji knowledge in subsequent vocabulary. Although this approach may not be as hand-holding as WaniKani (I'll be talking about this next), which provides you with mnemonics to help you remember the kanji readings as well as vocabulary, the intentional teaching order and carefully selected vocabulary definitely makes KLC valuable .

KLC also takes into account the frequency of usage of each kanji, meaning that you'll learn the most commonly used kanji first, which will help you to start reading real-world Japanese materials more quickly. The selection of kanji has given a lot of thought to it too. The only downside is that it includes all the jōyō kanji, including some uncommon ones. The full coverage of jōyō kanji makes the total number 2,300, which is definitely on the heavier side of most kanji learning programs. It also covers non-jōyō kanji based on how useful they are and how easy they are to learn, but just be aware that not every kanji from this book will be useful (especially uncommon kanji kept for the sake of being jōyō kanji).

The KLC textbook is quite simple — once you open the book and flip the pages, you'll realize it looks almost like a kanji dictionary or a reference, rather than a course to go through. And because it is a book after all, it doesn't come with an integrated system to review what you've learned like a built-in SRS. So to further review and practice the kanji you learn, there are supplemental resources like graded readers , or handwriting worksheets available. While potentially helpful, it can end up costing quite a bit if you're purchasing all the recommended materials .

Overall, KLC is a well-designed resource for learners of Japanese to help you not only familiarize yourself with kanji, but also be able to read Japanese text in real-life. If you decide to give KLC a go, start at the beginning to understand how the program is designed and its recommended use to maximize the benefits. Make sure to check out the appendix, too — you'll pick up some fundamental kanji knowledge that will definitely be useful!

A complete package for kanji and Japanese vocabulary learning, using built-in SRS and mnemonics to help you remember and not forget kanji meanings, readings, and vocabulary.

WaniKani is a kanji and Japanese vocabulary learning platform created here at Tofugu. It's an online program that teaches you 2,074 kanji and 6,528 vocabulary words (as of March, 2023) over a total of 60 levels. WaniKani's aim is to teach you the most useful kanji based on factors like frequency and native speaker intuition, in addition to whether a kanji is jōyō or not. And the list is continuously updated and improved.

What sets WaniKani apart from other kanji learning resources is that it's an all-in-one interactive tool to learn and remember kanji and vocabulary . There are kanji textbooks that have great content, but many users have to pair it with a separate SRS like Anki in order to review what they learned in these books. WaniKani streamlines this process, offering lessons to introduce you to new items (radicals, kanji, and vocabulary), and a built-in SRS to review what you've learned.

WaniKani also takes the approach of slowly building on what you've learned. Like many other effective kanji learning resources, it breaks down kanji into component parts or what we call "radicals." You'll be introduced to radicals first, then kanji that use those radicals. And what's more — you'll learn vocabulary words that use the kanji with WaniKani. Because its SRS keeps a record of your correct and incorrect answers, WaniKani knows how familiar (and how not yet familiar) you are with the items you've learned . This way, WaniKani makes sure you're already familiar with the prerequisite items first, then unlocks new items only when you're ready.

Another thing that differentiates WaniKani from other resources is that it offers mnemonics for kanji readings in addition to kanji meanings. Many resources offer kanji meaning mnemonics, but only a few provide mnemonics to help you remember kanji readings. WaniKani also prioritizes kanji readings according to how useful they are so you don't have to worry about which reading(s) you should be putting more effort into remembering.

And don't forget — WaniKani teaches you vocabulary that uses the kanji you previously learned. It's designed in a way that you'll be reinforcing various readings of kanji through learning Japanese words , not only seeing kanji as a part of vocabulary. While other kanji learning resources only show vocabulary alongside kanji, WaniKani helps you remember the vocabulary with mnemonics and SRS , too.

As a bonus, you might like WaniKani's fun and friendly voice. (Users have described our personalities as silly or quirky.) Traditional textbook-based kanji programs like RTK or KLC often use more formal academic language, but WaniKani keeps things approachable and engaging (at least, we try). WaniKani also has a large community of fellow learners offering advice, support, and activities like book clubs. Knowing that you're in it with other people can be reassuring and motivating, especially if you are a self-learner.

However, despite all the nice things that I've said about WaniKani, like any other resource, WaniKani is not for everyone.

One of the benefits of using a kanji learning program is that there's structure. You can jump right in and just follow the program without worrying about what to do next. However, it also means programs restrain flexibility for effectiveness, and WaniKani's program is fairly rigid .

For example, if you're learning from textbooks, you can skip pages and certain kanji (even though they usually recommend not to, there's nothing to stop you). With WaniKani, you can't skip items or levels. This could be potentially frustrating for learners not to be able to skip the kanji that they already know. However, there are also many successful users who started WaniKani with months or years of kanji study under their belts who can attest that they could learn kanji more efficiently with WaniKani than ever before.

Also WaniKani might feel slow for users who've just started because the built-in SRS makes you wait. But that's just in the beginning — you should enjoy it while it lasts. The number of reviews can also be quickly overwhelming as you progress. One of the most common pieces of advice that fellow WaniKani users are giving out is to make sure to pace yourself. Even when new lessons are available, you might hold off on doing them so that you won't get overwhelmed by reviews. If you're trying to complete WaniKani, you're in it for the long haul — it takes at least a year to complete the program. It's important not to burn yourself out.

Finally, WaniKani is not the cheapest program . There's a team of us continuously working hard to support our users, improve and update the program (content-wise as well as feature-wise). Having said that, the first three levels are free and should give you an idea of how it works and whether or not it's for you.

A free kanji learning program using the NSFW mnemonics in the form of 'Yo Mama jokes' (as they call it).

a screenshot of the kanji damage landing page

So far, I've only introduced you to programs that cost some money. While I personally believe a quality program is a worthy investment considering how much time you can save, I also wanted to introduce you to an option that you can use for free.

Kanji Damage is a website where you can learn 1,700 kanji using the method of breaking down kanji into components and offering mnemonics for both meanings and readings . And, it's free!

What makes Kanji Damage different from other kanji learning programs is its unique voice and writing style . Like I mentioned earlier, textbook-based kanji programs tend to use professional and academic language. Kanji Damage goes in the total opposite direction and keeps things unapologetically casual. Maybe a little too casual (and slightly offensive) for some people. But let's be honest — traditional textbooks can sound too uptight sometimes. Kanji Damage is maybe extreme by comparison, but you might find it more entertaining or approachable.

Overall, the content is definitely NSFW, and not something to let your kids use for their kanji studies, but if you don't mind that kind of language, Kanji Damage is a decent option you can try for free.

The language may be inappropriate overall, but don't just judge it by how they speak. The program is designed from a learner's perspective. There are hints to help users tell lookalike kanji apart kanji and each kanji page has a list of vocabulary that uses the kanji as well, so you can see the kanji in context. Each kanji compound word (jukugo) shows how it is made out of different kanji components and how the meanings are derived, making it easy for you to piece them together and remember.

Although Kanji Damage is a website, note that it is NOT an interactive tool. It is a collection of static web pages, and in fact, the author actually calls it a "book." So, it won't save your progress, and you won't be able to review or practice with built-in digital flashcards like WaniKani. However, you should note that Kanji Damage has an official Anki deck , so even though it's not built-in, you can use that as a tool to review what you learned on Kanji Damage.

Also, be aware that the total number of kanji is 1,700, a few hundred fewer than what similar kanji learning programs cover. The author used a list of kanji from JLPT and jōyō kanji, then "threw out all the bullshit ones," using their judgment of what's useful and what's not. While most of the excluded jōyō kanji are indeed obscure, there are some that you would run into in daily life. As a native speaker of Japanese, I would say the list may be a little too pared down for learners looking to achieve a decent level of literacy, and familiarize themselves with most of the kanji they'd encounter on a daily basis.

Other Kanji Learning Resources

We hope this article helped introduce you to one or two kanji learning programs you want to check out.

In case you couldn't find what you were looking for, there are a few other resources that didn't quite make the shortlist you might be interested in. They are all quality resources, but they were excluded for various reasons; less kanji coverage, focus on one particular kanji-related skill (such as handwriting), etc.

Outlier Linguistics Kanji Masterclass : If you're the kind of person who wants to learn from actual speaking human beings, there's even an online video course. It only covers 300 kanji, but it teaches you how to learn more kanji on your own with that foundational knowledge.

Kanji Look and Learn : If you're a Genki textbook fan, Kanji Look and Learn might be a good option that comes with illustrations for mnemonics for each kanji. It also has a separate workbook full of activities, including practice handwriting. Just note it only covers 512 beginner to intermediate-level kanji.

Kanji from Zero! : The "from Zero!" series has textbooks to study kanji too. While the textbooks include a bunch of activities, including handwriting, they come in separate volumes, each only covering a couple hundred kanji.

Skritter : If you learn kanji best through handwriting (or tracing) the characters, or you want to master writing kanji by hand, the Skritter app may be a perfect option. It's pretty pricey though, so if you simply want to practice handwriting, consider using an alternative like Japanese Kanji Study, which I talk about next, and pair it with your main kanji learning program.

Japanese Kanji Study : An Android app with a lot of features and flexibility to study kanji. It comes with plenty of options — information related to each kanji as well as how to study them, including a feature to practice handwriting. Since the structure is compromised for its customizability, I'd recommend using it as a secondary resource to pair with a kanji learning program of your choice.

Regardless of what you pick, make sure to take advantage of the trial or preview of the product if it's available. Everyone learns differently, and you won't know what works best for you until you actually try it out. Hopefully, we can help you point you toward resources that will be right for you, but it's also important to stick with something once you've started; no need to stress about finding the absolute perfect method, just the one that suits you where you're at in your language journey right now.

Now, go do some kanji learning, and hopefully you'll enjoy it!

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A Kanji Writing Practice Strategy That Really Works

Ready to take your kanji writing practice from 0 to 60 in 15 minutes flat?

Then keep reading…

If you want to learn kanji ASAP, you need to practice:

Stroke Order

The more your kanji writing practice includes these four things, the better you’ll be able to remember the kanji when you need them most. Like on tests. Or when you’re writing that email to your new boss.

So let’s start with some kanji writing practice that covers these four basic bases…

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The #1 Focus for Beginners: Stroke Order

The very first thing you need to learn is stroke order.

It’s fundamental.

To get up and running right now, grab your smartphone and…

Nab a stroke order app

Yes, they do exist. There are Japanese language-learning apps devoted exclusively to learning stroke order. The one I use is called Kanji Draw, by Lusil. There’s another one with the same name by Leafdigital.

Give them both a try and see which one works for you.

There are obvious advantages to practicing writing with an app . It’s free, you can pull out your phone any time you want to practice, and you don’t have to worry about pencil and paper.

But don’t rely only on apps.

Look for a kanji book

When you want lots of structure, find yourself a kanji practice book. There are lots of textbooks out there to help you learn kanji, but they don’t all help you learn stroke order.

Books such as Japanese Kanji Power and Tuttle Learning Japanese Kanji are two examples of books that include stroke order. These types of books are great because they also give you some space to look at the kanji and practice it.

But if you have a mobile device, definitely nab an app, like Kanji Draw or JA Sensei . These apps not only show you the stroke order, but also the stroke direction.

And that’s just as important…

Find a kanji web app

Web apps such as Kanji Alive are designed to help you learn to read and write kanji. This app lets you search for kanji by meaning, grade, or you can input the character itself if you have a Japanese kanji input tool. It gives you the stroke order along with the meanings, phonetics, and definitions.

This app can be a useful reference when you want to look up a kanji and find out its stroke order.

The FluentU program can also help, through its use of subtitled videos and powerful contextual flashcard system.

When in doubt, get Japanese people to help you. They’re right most of the time, and can even teach you shorthand methods.

Got your apps and books ready to go?

Now let’s start with the kanji writing practice…

Kanji Writing Practice: My Ultimate Strategy

Let’s say you’ve got a bunch of kanji you want to practice.

What’s the best strategy?

I use what I call the 3-pile approach.

It’s simple. Create flashcards that have the kanji on one side and your learning objectives on the other: stroke order, kanji meanings, sounds, and so forth.

Here are a couple of tips to help you do this right:

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Dip your toes in by only studying stroke order at first. Or maybe adding one or two other things…like the meaning of the kanji or the sounds.
Leave space on the back of the flashcard. Once you “graduate” from Stroke Order Academy, it’ll be time to add more stuff to the back of your flashcard. So save room for seconds…
When you’ve got your kanji list and are ready to practice, make one big pile .

Your Recipe for Success: The 3-Pile Approach

In a nutshell, here’s how it works: you go down through the pile you made and practice writing the kanji. Keep those that you got wrong in the same pile, then move the ones you got right into a new stack on the right.

You should have two piles. Now, go through both piles and repeat the process. Move the ones you got right to the right, and leave the ones you got wrong in the same stack. You probably have 3 piles now.

And …this is important…you can’t stop until you’ve pushed all the kanji to the right, through 3 piles into a 4th and final “finished” pile.

Why does this work? It forces you to keep practicing the ones you get wrong until you get them right a certain number of times. When you’re done, they’ll be in the “finished” pile all the way on the right side.

In case this is a little confusing, we’ll walk through the steps in detail.

Let’s say you’ve got 10 kanji you’re trying to learn before that big test on Friday. So you make one big pile.

Yes, that’s hardly going to make “1 big pile,” but anyways…

1. Put the pile in front of you, a bit to the left.

Pull off the top card, then write the kanji in your notebook once.

Look at the back of the card. Make sure you get the stroke order and the direction right.

Got it? Good.

Write it four more times in your notebook: good old-fashioned drilling . This helps you learn to write it the correct way.

2. Move the flashcard to a new pile on the right.

Keep going through the first pile until you get to the bottom.

Each time you get it right, write the kanji four more times, then move the flashcard one pile to the right.

Each time you get it wrong, write it four times the right way and leave it in the same pile.

Again, by keeping the ones you get wrong in the same pile, this forces you to try it again until you do get it right.

Practice makes perfect.

3. Once you’ve gone through all the kanji, start again at the first pile.

Now you get to try the kanji you got wrong.

And if you get it wrong again, leave it in the same place until you get it right.

Go through one pile at a time until all your kanji have been moved to the “finished” pile.

I suggest going through the “finished” pile one last time, then you can “graduate” these kanji to the next level.

And that’s it!

Pretty easy, right?

It seems simple, but this basic flashcard strategy will help you learn how to write kanji in no time.

You’re probably saying, “That’s not enough practice to actually memorize a character. I’ll just forget them tomorrow.”

And you’re probably right.

Now is a good time to put the kanji away for another day. Like tomorrow. When you come back to them again – in a few days or a week – repeat the process with more piles until you’ve internalized the kanji.

I call this the Stroke Order Academy .

So how many levels should you use for your Stroke Order Academy?

I use 3 levels and keep separate boxes for each level:

New: Put completely new kanji into this level and move the kanji through 3 piles.
Medium: Once a kanji has graduated from the “new” level, put it into another bin or box. Come back to these kanji a little bit later. And a little bit less often. I like to use 5 piles for this box.
Easy: This is the last level! You want to make sure you really know your kanji before you stop practicing them, so use 7 or 10 piles for this level. But you’ve probably got these down, so just come back to them after a week or two.

How to Max out Your Learning with Your Flashcards

This 3-pile approach is a great way to practice writing kanji. But there’s a lot more to kanji than just stroke order…

Remember how I said to leave space on the back of your card to write more stuff?

Once you’ve got the hang of stroke order, you’ll be able to use this same strategy for building vocabulary , learning kanji sounds, kanji meanings, and so on.

Here are a few tips for maxing out the potential of your flashcards.

Don’t be afraid to “repeat a grade.” If a character graduates the Medium Level and still needs some work, send it through again. And again. And again. Until you get it.
Be systematic and disciplined. This type of approach will really work…if you put in the time. Set aside a certain number of hours per day or per week, then sit down with no distractions. Turn off cell phones and TVs.
Set goals. If you’re enrolled in a class, focus on the kanji you’ve got to learn for class. If not, pick a certain amount of kanji per day or per week, depending on how ambitious (or crazy) you are. Don’t go overboard or you’ll get overwhelmed.
Once you’ve got stroke order down, practice sounds, meaning, and vocab. The best way to do this is to add vocabulary to the back of a card – both compound nouns and verbs . This will help you learn on and kun readings, plus the meanings and vocabulary words.
Chunk out the kanji. I think it’s best to start with no more than 20 kanji. Keep your levels small and push those kanji through. When piles get too big, they’ll start to get scary.
Focus on the short-term. One good way to get discouraged is to focus on how slow you’re going. Don’t think about being able to read a Japanese newspaper or write a Japanese email just yet. It’s a recipe for losing heart. Keep your eyes on the kanji in front of you.
Create a reward system. Can’t stay disciplined? Trust me, I know how hard it can be. That’s why I like easy stuff like kanji apps. But another way to keep yourself on task is to create a reward system: don’t watch that anime until you’ve finished this set of kanji. Or give yourself a special treat each time your study session is done.

This simple method will help you learn to write kanji in no time. But if there’s anything that needs tweaking – by all means, tweak! There’s no one right way for everyone. If you need more piles or more levels, then throw them in there.

The most important thing is practice. Hopefully this approach will give you a little bit of structure and move your studies forward so you can ace that test or write that email.

And One More Thing...

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU .

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Japanese Writing Practice: Ultimate List of Resources for Every Level

Japanese writing can be one of the scariest aspects of learning Japanese! And there’s no shortcut to success – you simply have to get your Japanese writing practice in . Luckily there are no shortage of tools to help you with this!

Whether you are a beginner looking to practise your Japanese handwriting, or an advanced student in need of Japanese essay writing practice, there are lots of free and cheap resources out there at every level.

Here’s my roundup of the best websites, apps, printables and other tools for Japanese writing practice.

Japanese writing practice apps

Free websites for japanese writing practice online, easy japanese writing practice for beginners, japanese hiragana and katakana writing practice.

If you are new to learning Japanese, you’ll want to get your hiragana and katakana down pat before you move on to anything else.

Spending time on your hiragana and katakana writing practice not only helps you memorise the characters, it will also improve your handwriting and help you become accustomed to correct stroke order, which will be a massive benefit when you move on to learning kanji !

There are loads of free Japanese katakana and hiragana writing practice sheets online for you to download and print at home. Here’s a selection:

Free Japanese hiragana and katakana writing practice sheets pdf workbook

Screenshot showing example printable kana worksheets from JapanesePod101

This free workbook from JapanesePod101 introduces all the hiragana and katakana characters and has spaces for you to trace, and then copy them out. The workbook also contains flashcards to practise your recognition. Note: you need to create a free account to access the workbook.

Japanese hiragana writing practice sheets

An alternative source to print out hiragana practice sheets, with grid lines to help your handwriting.

Japanese katakana writing practice sheets

An alternative source to print out katakana practice sheets, with grid lines to help your handwriting.

Free BLANK Japanese writing practice sheets

Image showing 3 different kinds of blank Japanese graph paper to practise writing kana and kanji. The pages are shown as a flatlay on a pink background.

If you just want blank Japanese graph paper to practise writing out your characters, I have created my own in various sizes/formats for you to download and print!

Kakikata print maker

An awesome website (designed for Japanese parents/teachers to use with their children) where you can design and print your own worksheets with kana or kanji characters of your choice, in various formats. You can even choose to add stroke order! Useful if you want to practise a particular word or set of characters.

Japanese Tools: create your own kana practice sheets

Here is another useful site where you can create your own Japanese practice writing sheets with the characters of your choice, printed with a gradual fade to trace/copy.

Japanese kanji writing practice

If you are studying kanji from a textbook or course and you just need blank kanji graph paper to practise writing on, you can print that out here .

If you are looking for pre-printed kanji worksheets with kanji to copy out, the best resource I have found is this one:

Screenshot showing example N5 level kanji worksheet from kanji.sh

This amazing website lets you download and print kanji writing practice worksheets for kanji sets according to JLPT level, Japanese school grade level, Wanikani level, Kanji Garden app level, or frequency. It’s totally free and so useful!

Easy Japanese sentence writing practice

Once you know your kana and a few kanji, you might start to think about writing out some Japanese sentences.

JapanesePod101 writing practice worksheets

Screenshot showing some free Japanese writing worksheets from JapanesePod101

JapanesePod101 has a selection of free Japanese writing practice sheets, available as pdfs that you can download and print yourself. They currently have 16+ free writing practice workbooks on beginner-friendly topics such as daily routine or ordering food. This is a good way to get used to writing out simple Japanese sentences at the beginner level.

However, I wouldn’t recommend them for complete beginners because they use kanji – so you should be familiar with some kanji and the basic rules of stroke order before you use them.

As soon as you are able to form Japanese sentences on your own, I recommend you start a Japanese journal and/or sharing your sentences with others using the resources in the intermediate/advanced section below!

When you are learning to write in Japanese, I recommend writing them out by hand as much as possible because it helps you learn by muscle memory and helps you develop neat handwriting! However, it’s also useful to have a great writing practice app or two on your phone so you can study on the go.

There are lots of great apps out there to practise writing Japanese characters. Here are some recommendations:

Screenshot from the Skritter app to learn Japanese hiragana and katakana

Skritter is an app for learning Japanese (and Chinese) writing and vocabulary. You can use Skritter to learn kana and kanji from scratch, or simply to review what you’ve learned. It uses handwriting recognition and a spaced repetition system (SRS) to help you learn effectively.

Under the ‘test’ settings section you can choose to focus on writing only, or add in flashcards for reading and definition too.

It works well alongside other courses and textbooks to practise your characters. They have pre-made flashcard decks from various textbooks which is great when you get on to drilling vocabulary.

Screenshot of Ringotan app to practise writing Japanese characters

As with Skritter, you can either use this app to learn kana and kanji as a complete beginner, or just to practise writing the characters you already know. In fact, it’s probably the best app I’ve found if you just want a simple flashcard-style writing practice app with handwriting recognition. It’s a little clunkier to use but once you’ve got it set up, it’s easy. If you already know the kana and you just want to practise, choose ‘Yes, but I need more practice’ during the set-up stage.

Screenshot of Scripts app showing a demonstration of how to write the hiragana character あ (a)

The Scripts app from the makers of Drops teaches you kana and kanji (and also has the option to learn other languages’ scripts, such as hangul or hanzi, if you’re doing the polyglot thing). You learn by tracing the characters with your finger on the screen.

It’s a good option if you are learning to write the Japanese characters from scratch. However, I could not see an option to skip the ‘learning’ stage and just review, so if you’ve already mastered your kana it won’t be for you.

Learn Japanese!

This is a very simple and easy to use app to learn how to write hiragana and katakana. However, you only learn 5 characters at a time and I couldn’t see a way to skip to review only, so again, great for complete beginners but not if you just want to practise.

Intermediate and advanced Japanese writing practice

At the intermediate and advanced levels, you are well beyond copying out characters/sentences on worksheets, and you will be creating your own compositions in Japanese. In fact, I highly recommend doing this as soon as you are able to!

One popular method to get your Japanese writing practice is to keep a daily diary or journal in Japanese . You can try to incorporate new grammar and vocabulary you’ve learned, or simply write whatever comes into your head just to get used to writing in Japanese.

Even jotting down a few private sentences in your own notebook will be beneficial. But if you want to step it up a notch, use one of the websites/apps below to share your writing with other learners and native speakers and receive feedback.

If you’ve been studying languages for a while you might be mourning the loss of Lang8, a site where you could post journal entries in your target language online and get feedback from native speakers. Here are a couple of Lang 8 alternatives I’ve found:

LangCorrect

LangCorrect is a site where you can practise your Japanese writing online by writing daily journal entries and getting corrections from native speakers. It’s fairly active with the Japanese learning community, and you can usually expect to get a few comments/corrections within a few hours (don’t forget to take the time difference into account!). They also have journal prompts in case you’re feeling the writer’s block. It’s free to use.

Journaly is a similar site I’ve heard, about although I haven’t used it and I have the impression its user base is smaller than LangCorrect. It’s free to use and there is also a paid version which has a few extra benefits, such as bumping up your posts to get more attention.

This is a free website offered by Dickinson College. Its main purpose is for connecting language exchange partners, but they also have a feature where you can post writing samples to receive corrections from native speakers.

r/WriteStreakJP

This subreddit is a forum to practise writing in Japanese. It’s for anyone at any level who wants to practise their Japanese writing. The idea is that you write something every day to build up a ‘streak’ and build the habit of writing in Japanese regularly.

You can write whatever you feel like; many people write diary-like entries about their day, or share random thoughts, or write about something new they’ve learned etc. There are native Japanese speaking mods who drop by to correct mistakes.

There are a lot more learners than native speakers on the forum, though, so unfortunately you’re not guaranteed feedback. But it’s still a great place to practise writing (and reading!) Japanese.

Screenshot of the homepage of language exchange app HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a language exchange app where you can connect with Japanese native speakers, chat via text, voice or video call and receive feedback on your Japanese. In addition to connecting with people directly, you can also create ‘moments’ (write posts such as sharing journal entries, or pictures of your day) and ask general questions, and receive comments/feedback from other users.

Be warned, recently I hear a lot of users complaining that people use the messaging function like a dating app – but you may have better success using the ‘moments’ function or messaging people yourself first.

Another language exchange app where you can exchange text messages with a Japanese-speaking partner and receive corrections.

HiNative

On HiNative you can ask questions about language usage and get feedback from native speakers. You can write your questions either in Japanese or English. This question/answer service is free. Premium paid members can also post diary entries to get feedback.

More resources for Japanese writing practice

Here’s a mixture of other useful tools and resources I’ve found for Japanese writing practice that don’t fit neatly into the above categories! This section contains a mixture of free and paid resources.

Japanese water calligraphy practice kits (paid)

Why not go old-school and practise your Japanese characters with a real calligraphy brush! In Japan, students often practise their calligraphy with these nifty ‘magic’ kits, where you paint with water on the special water-activated paper, which fades away after a few minutes so you can reuse it time and time again. This is a fun way to refine your Japanese handwriting while reviewing the characters!

Kuretake DAW100-7 Calligraphy Set, Water Writing, Hard Brush, Use Water, Can Be Written Many Times, Beautiful Characters, Practice Set

Printable Japanese journals with writing prompts (paid)

Promotional image titled '215 Japanese writing prompts' and showing 2 example Japanese writing worksheets.

I found this printable Japanese journaling/writing practice kit on Etsy. It contains dozens of writing prompts at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so you’ve got no excuse not to jot down a few sentences in Japanese every day! Check out the other great resources by the same author.

Japanese planner templates (free)

If you want to take daily notes or plan your day/week in Japanese, this site has loads of free Japanese planner templates to print out.

Japanese writing practice notebooks (paid)

The paper used in Japan for school compositions/essay writing practice is called genkouyoushi . There are lots of genkouyoushi notebooks with cute cover designs available on Amazon.

Genkouyoushi Practice Book: Japanese Kanji Practice Paper - Notebook for Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana - Large 8.5" x 11" - 121 Pages

Free printable genkouyoushi (Japanese composition paper)

Alternatively, you can print out your own genkouyoushi-style blank writing sheets here for free.

Japanese sentence/usage databases

These databases are useful tools that I often use when writing in Japanese to check how words are used. You can search for a Japanese word and see it in context of many authentic, native Japanese sentences, to get an idea of correct and natural usage. You can also use them for sentence mining , if that’s your thing.

Reverso – my favourite. Need to create a free account to see all sentences.
Natsume – see how often a word is used, and which particles and other words usually follow it
Sentence search with audio

How to Write Japanese Essays book (paid)

If you are studying Japanese to a very high level, for example to enter a Japanese university or company, you will need Japanese essay writing practice. The book How to Write Japanese Essays comes highly recommended and will train you to write in the formal academic style that is taught in Japan.

Japanese writing practice roundup

Which tools and resources do you use for Japanese writing practice? If you know any I’ve missed out, please share in the comments!

See these related posts for more useful resources to learn Japanese:

Japanese Writing Paper: FREE Printable Blank Japanese Writing Sheets
FREE Websites for Japanese Reading Practice (At Every Level)
10+ Effective Ways to Get Japanese Speaking Practice (Even if You Study By Yourself!)
Where to get Your Japanese Listening Practice: The Epic List of Resources!
The Ultimate List of Japanese Podcasts for Listening Practice (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced)
Best YouTube Channels to Learn Japanese {20+ Japanese YouTubers!}

Rebecca Shiraishi-Miles

Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.

Practice Sheets

Want to practice how to write the Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji you've learned? Practice Sheets are printouts that show you how to write the hiragana, katakana and kanji you've learned and give you the ability to perfect your writing.

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Free JLPT Kanji Test Online - Kanji123

N5 kanji test, n4 kanji test, n3 kanji test, n2 kanji test with answers, jlpt n5 kanji test 10 minutes.

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Why You Should Learn Kanji?

In Japanese, there are about 2000 common Kanji. Kanji is arguably the most prominent part of the Japanese writing system. The elegant characters, originally adapted from Chinese, make up most of the Japanese. You can see it written in books, magazines, on signs, and everywhere. Understanding kanji is elementary to fully comprehend the Japanese language and culture. So if you choose to learn Japanese, you definitely should gain a very good knowledge of Kanji.

Kanji by JLPT Level

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test ( 日本語能力試験), usually abbreviated to JLPT, is the main standardized test of Japanese ability for non-native speakers. The test is conducted worldwide annually with an average of about 600,000 participants per year. The JLPT is composed of 5 different levels, from 1-5 with 5 being the most basic, and 1 being the most advanced.

JLPT Kanji N5 : At the N5 level, the JLPT expects you to know 80 ~ 100 kanji to pass.
JLPT Kanji N4 : N4 is the second level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). To pass N4, you will need to know about 300 Kanji and about 1,500 vocabulary words.
JLPT Kanji N3 : To pass N3, you will need to know about 650 Kanji and about 3,700 vocabulary words.
JLPT Kanji N2 : In total, you need to know roughly 1000 Kanji for N2.
JLPT Kanji N1 : N1 is the most difficult level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). To pass JLPT N1, you will need to know about 2,000 Kanji.

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Kanji Practice

From this chapter, your will learn Kanji a little by little. You can read some basic ideas of Kanji from Getting Started Chapter. You can practice all the kanji introduced in Yookoso textbook from JOSHU Kanji site. You can practice handwriting through Kenneth Le’s Kanji Drawing Practice Website.

日　本　学　生　名

Please check stroke orders of each kanji of 日　本　学　生　名 Practice with trace and practice (PDF). Practice with Kenneth Le’s Kanji Drawing Website

年　何　月　人　一　二

Please check stroke orders of each kanji of 年　何　月　人　一　二 Practice with trace and practice (PDF). Practice with Kenneth Le’s Kanji Drawing Website

JOSHU 日〜二　フラッシュカード

JOSHU 日〜二　Reading Practice (99)

三　四　五　六　七　八

Please check stroke orders of each kanji of 三　四　五　六　七　八 Practice with trace and practice (PDF). Practice with Kenneth Le’s Kanji Drawing Website

九　十　百　先　話　語　大

Please check stroke orders of each kanji of 九　十　百　先　話　語　大 Practice with trace and practice (PDF). Practice with Kenneth Le’s Kanji Drawing Website

JOSHU 三〜大　フラッシュカード

JOSHU 三〜大　Reading Practice (100)

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Draw it in the drawing area
Type the name in the text area
Look for it in the list
Notice that 漢 is made of several components: 氵艹口夫
Draw any of these components (one at a time) in the drawing area, and select it when you see it
Alternatively, look for a component in the list. 氵艹口 each have three strokes; 夫 has four strokes
If you know the meanings of the components, type any of them in the text area: water (氵), grass (艹), mouth (口) or husband (夫)
Keep adding components until you can see your kanji in the list of matches that appears near the top.
Draw a component in the center of the area, as large as you can
Try to draw the component as it appears in the kanji you're looking up
Don't worry about stroke order or number of strokes
Don't draw more than one component at a time

Kanshudo drawing practice center: hiragana, katakana, components and kanji

How to prepare for JLPT

Best way to practice writing kanji

Mastering hiragana, katakana, and kanji is essential when studying Japanese. The Hiragana character represents sounds, while the Katakana character represents borrowed words or abbreviations. With kanji, meaning is conveyed with just one letter instead of a single syllable due to the context in which they are used.

To learn how to write kanji , it is paramount to practice stroke order, phonetics, meanings, and vocabulary. As long as these 4 key elements are included in your kanji practice, you will likely remember kanji characters whenever they are needed.

There are various ways to practice writing kanji , but many of them are not effective. However, the 3-pile approach is a tested and trusted way for practising writing kanji . This method combines all the 4 key elements listed above; hence, it boosts your chances of mastering how to write kanji .

Basically, the 3-pile approach requires you to create some flashcards. Write your learning objectives such as meanings, stroke order, etc. on them. Also, make 3 piles and start practising writing kanji . Put the ones you got wrong in a pile and the correct ones in another stack. Practice with the two piles again and repeat the piling. Create another pile for the ones you just got right, but keep the wrong ones in the same pile. Repeat the process until you got everything right.

With this approach, you will be encouraged to continue practising until you have got the correct answers to everything. Notably, you can use this method as many times as possible.

Do I need to learn kanji radicals?

Yes, you need to learn kanji radicals if you want to have a good knowledge of this Japanese writing script. Before explaining why you must learn kanji radicals, let’s explain what radicals are. Simply put, radicals are the symbols and patterns that make up each kanji character. These radicals can be referred to as the building blocks for writing each kanji. Generally, you can find about 1 to 4 radicals in every kanji.

Historically, we have about 214 kanji radicals. Nevertheless, a few kanji radicals are more commonly used than the others. So, you have to first master the commonly used radicals.

More than 2,000 kanji characters are often used by Japanese speakers, but you can concentrate on the day-to-day characters at the beginning of your study. Nevertheless, it can seem cumbersome to start learning these many characters. But if you can master these kanji radicals and what they mean, it will be easier for you to learn kanji characters.

You should note that identifying the kanji radicals in a kanji character doesn’t necessarily mean that you will know its exact meaning. However, it will give you some ideas of its meaning and assist you to categorize it. Therefore, you need to learn kanji radicals.

Why does kanji stroke order matter?

When it comes to writing kanji characters, the stroke order matters a lot. For writing kanji , there are some stroke order rules, but the most important ones are:

Writing from the top to the bottom
Writing from the left to the right

Of course, some reasons make kanji stroke order important. Foremost, the stroke order will make it easier for you to ensure that the kanji appears correctly. Over time, you will build the right muscle memory that guarantees that you don’t need to struggle to make kanji characters look legible.

In addition, when you have learned Japanese and started using it in a day-to-day manner like others, your handwriting may be sloppier. This usually happens to everyone. But if you have been writing kanji with the right stroke order, being sloppier will make you write kanji characters in the same way that others do. Hence, people will not have any issues with reading what you have written.

However, if you have not learned the right stroke order, people will struggle with reading your kanji once your writing has become sloppier. Besides, you may not be able to read the kanji of other people with sloppy handwriting. So, as you start learning kanji , you need to master the right stroke order.

Does hiragana and Katakana stroke order matter?

Yes, hiragana stroke order matters in writing Japanese . Generally, the stroke order involves different formats such as writing from top to bottom, writing from left to right, etc. Practically, following the stroke order makes it easier for you to write. This also applies to the English language where you naturally write “f” from the top, not the bottom. Writing the letter “f” from the bottom will make it difficult for you.

Another reason why hiragana stroke order matters is that it ensures that your writing is easier to read for others. Once you have mastered the wrong principles for writing hiragana, your hiragana characters look horrible and difficult to read.

Additionally, if you don’t follow the right hiragana stroke order, you will struggle to read other people’s writing. This is because the shape of the hiragana characters of others will be different from yours. Hence, you may not be able to decipher what others have written. This also extends to digital handwriting as you need to know the proper stroke order to read it easily and quickly.

So, if you want to avoid these problems, you should understand that hiragana stroke order is important. Make sure you master the appropriate stroke order as you learn hiragana.

Should you learn hiragana or katakana or kanji first?

In order to learn the Japanese language, you will need to understand the different writing systems and aspects of the language. Due to these factors, it can be difficult to determine how and where to begin learning a new language.

Hiragana should be mastered first before moving on to Katakana and finally Kanji . To read kanji , one must be able to read it in both hiragana and katakana (also known as kunyomi and onyomi respectively).

You have come to the right place if you’ve been looking for answers to these questions, since this article will shed more light on the order in which you should learn Japanese as well as why you should study it in that particular order. Let’s get started.

How many Japanese alphabets are there?

1. Hiragana

Japanese has its own written language based on this phonetic system. Each Japanese sound is represented by this phonetic system. Thus, theoretically, hiragana can be used for any form of writing. Since Japanese texts usually do not include spaces, hiragana is not used for everything. Therefore, a Japanese text must include both kanji and hiragana characters.

In total, there are 46 hiragana characters in hiragana. These characters have distinct sounds, but their meanings do not differ.

What are the main roles of hiragana?

Taking a look at hiragana in Japanese , we can see the most important functions they play.

Hiragana is for creating grammatical structure

hiragana plays an important role in adding grammatical structure to any Japanese sentence. It can sometimes completely change the meaning of a word when it is added to it. It will be difficult to make sense of some words if you don’t have hiragana symbols.

Hiragana is used for writing

Japanese words are commonly written in hiragana characters. As previously mentioned, many Japanese words are written entirely in hiragana. In case you aren’t sure which kanji character to use in a particular case, you can use a hiragana symbol instead.

hiragana is utilized for showing pronunciation of a word

When a Japanese text includes kanji symbols that are unusual, it may be difficult to determine a word’s pronunciation. In addition, if the kanji symbol was accompanied by a hiragana character, it would be easier to understand. Yomigana and furigana are the names given to such hiragana symbols when used in this manner. Another use for hiragana is when no equivalent kanji exists for a given Japanese word.

2. Katakana

Besides hiragana, there is also katakana. Similarly to hiragana, each character corresponds to a specific syllable or sound. As with hiragana, beginners should learn katakana as soon as they can in order to develop a good understanding of the Japanese language.

What are katakana symbols used for?

There are a variety of things that can be expressed using Katakana symbols. There are also many non- Japanese words that are significant. Katakana is often used to represent something borrowed or foreign. There are several words in Japanese borrowed from English and other languages. Katakana is used for such borrowed words.

Over 80% of the time, Japanese katakana symbols represent foreign words.

Katakana makes it easier for English speakers to speak Japanese . Understanding katakana will make it easier for you to identify many words that have been borrowed from the English language.

Aside from foreign or borrowed words, you can also find katakana symbols for:

Names of some animals

Scientific words that don’t have any specific Japanese equivalent

Company names – the companies can be either foreign or local ones

Robot-speech – this refers to when Japanese texts are written as if robots are talking

Names of foods – this is particularly true for plant and animal foods as well as foreign foods

Onomatopoeia – these are words that are written in the same way as what they represent

Adding stylistic purposes to texts

Putting emphasis on some texts

Katakana characters are also useful in several other cases, but they are not as significant as the ones described above.

The third alphabet of the Japanese language is kanji . In general, kanji symbols are known as logograms i.e. pictures that are used for ideas, concepts, or words. Kanji is a writing script adopted from the Chinese language and used for giving more clarity and meaning to Japanese.

Overall, there are more than 50,000 kanji symbols in Japanese. But you don’t have to worry about these characters as an average native Japanese speaker doesn’t even know more than 10 percent of these characters. As a learner, your focus should be on the first 2,000 kanji characters. From there, you can start learning more kanji symbols.

What are kanji characters used for?

Typically, kanji symbols are important when you want to describe certain content-heavy words. These words may include verbs, adverbs, nouns, as well as adjectives. As a result of this, you don’t need kanji if you only want to learn how to speak and listen to the Japanese language.

However, when it comes to writing and reading, you cannot do without knowing some important kanji characters. Kanji will probably account for over 40% of the printable symbols in an average Japanese newspaper. Therefore, if you want to read newspapers, books, food menus, and other things correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with kanji characters.

It is noteworthy that some people consider Japanese to have a fourth writing system which is called romaji. However, you should understand that romaji is not a real writing script on its own, but it is just a way of Romanizing Japanese . Romaji is only used for making it easy for foreigners to have a quick understanding of the Japanese language.

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Meekings co-edits new book on the scholarship of creative writing practice.

Northwestern Qatar Professor Sam Meekings is the co-editor of The Scholarship of Creative Writing Practice: Beyond Craft, Pedagogy, and the Academy , a new book providing a comprehensive and transdisciplinary exploration of the complex and multifaceted nature of creative writing practice.

Published by Bloomsbury, the book is the first of its kind to delve into the intricate and multifaceted nature of creative writing practice. Departing from traditional scholarship that often focuses solely on pedagogical methods, it offers a fresh perspective on writing life as experienced by a diverse array of international writers and academics.

The book features contributions from creative writing scholars around the world and a chapter by Meekings exploring the relationship between mental health and writing practices. Other topics include the mythic nature of creativity, writers' social responsibility, writing challenges during times of duress, and the role of academics and writers in creative writing.

“In today's landscape, where academic, creative writing programs are increasingly adopting a pragmatic, industry-focused stance, there is a growing need for students to be moderately prepared to monetize their skills upon graduation,” said Meekings, associate professor in residence and mentor for the school’s literary and creative writing journal Wisteria . “By offering a multi-national perspective and actionable strategies, we aim to equip students and instructors with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of the writing life."

This book is part of a collection of scholarly works published by Northwestern Qatar faculty this year. “Expanding our depth of academic scholarly work, Meeking’s book demonstrates prowess in the creative writing space, as well as its relevance to industry practitioners,” said Marwan M. Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar. “It presents creative, imaginative, and transdisciplinary approaches to this increasingly important field.”

The Scholarship of Creative Writing Practice: Beyond Craft, Pedagogy, and the Academy is now available for purchase online. For more information, click here .

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COMMENTS

Kakimashou
Welcome to Kakimashou. Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write! Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning. Why not give it a try?
Kanji alive: A free study tool for reading and writing kanji
Kanji alive is a resource for learning kanji, dedicated to helping you open the door to the fascinating characters that form the written Japanese language.All of the content in the web application (https://app.kanjialive.com) was created and reviewed with painstaking attention to detail by experienced Japanese instructors in order to help you best study, practice and retain kanji.
Download Kanji worksheets for Free
Download printable handwriting practice worksheets for Japanese Kanji by JLPT level, Grade Level, Wanikani Level, and Frequency. Every sheet is free, now and forever! The Official Worldwide Japanese Language Proficiency Test, operated by the Japan Foundation and JEES. List of 1,026 kanji for Japanese students in elementary school, from 1st ...
Your one-stop tool for practicing Kanji
write. Although it seems old school, writing is still one of the best ways to improve language skills. Dive in the stroke orders, and make sense of complex kanjis. Download Worksheets. Free tool to practice reading & writing Japanese kanji.
Kanji Writing Practice
Second Row (left): Write letters by occasionally looking the sample. Second Row (right): Write a letter without looking, then compare with the sample. Repeat the same. Refer grid lines to check the position of each stroke. This one-time practice would be enough to get familiar with the shape of letters. Repeat the practice to become a master of ...
Learn the JLPT N5-N1 Kanji
Real Kanji Learn the JLPT N5-N1 Kanji. It's easy to use. Click kanji and choose which Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level you'd like to study.. Then, click study and type each word's rōmaji equivalent (e.g. 'genki').. That's it!
The Best Kanji Learning Programs
Kanji Look and Learn: If you're a Genki textbook fan, Kanji Look and Learn might be a good option that comes with illustrations for mnemonics for each kanji. It also has a separate workbook full of activities, including practice handwriting. Just note it only covers 512 beginner to intermediate-level kanji. Kanji from Zero!: The "from Zero!"
A Kanji Writing Practice Strategy That Really Works
Yes, that's hardly going to make "1 big pile," but anyways…. 1. Put the pile in front of you, a bit to the left. Pull off the top card, then write the kanji in your notebook once. Look at the back of the card. Make sure you get the stroke order and the direction right.
Japanese Writing Practice: Ultimate List of Resources for Every Level
There are loads of free Japanese katakana and hiragana writing practice sheets online for you to download and print at home. Here's a selection: Free Japanese hiragana and katakana writing practice sheets pdf workbook. Free printable kana worksheets. This free workbook from JapanesePod101 introduces all the hiragana and katakana characters ...
Top 5 Kanji Writing App to Master Your Kanji Learning
Proper steps to write this kanji on the right vs How I wrongly wrote it. vs. Iphone only. 4. Kanji GO - Learn Japanese. This app serves as a vocabulary dictionary. Users can look at N5 kanji, understand the meaning in English, as well as memorize the multiple "kun" and "on" readings of the kanji.
Kanji2Go
Practice Kanji Live. Immediate Feedback. With Kanji2Go you can practice kanji live on the web and get automatic feedback. To busy? Try downloading our randomly generated kanji quiz sheet, based on kanji you want to practice. View Live Test. Get Started Today!
Improving Japanese Writing: Recommended Tools and Resources
Kanji Study is a mobile app that allows you to practice writing kanji. It offers stroke order diagrams and breaks down complex characters into simpler parts. Conclusion. Improving your Japanese writing skills involves continuous practice and the right tools and resources. The ones listed above can provide a solid foundation and make your ...
Practice Japanese Writing Sheets
Practice Sheets. Want to practice how to write the Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji you've learned? Practice Sheets are printouts that show you how to write the hiragana, katakana and kanji you've learned and give you the ability to perfect your writing. ‹
Kanji quiz
Welcome to the Kanji Quiz App. Here, you can practice with N5 to N1 Kanji levels, along with their meanings and On'yomi and Kun'yomi readings. First, select the desired level or even several levels. Then, input your options. (On'yomi and Kun'yomi readings require a Japanese keyboard.) A blue card indicates a correct answer, while a red card ...
Play Index
Practice our kanji quiz, then when you are ready, score your kanji ability with the full quiz. Practice the quiz Take the full quiz. Kanji Keywords. NEW! Learn a kanji along with the key words for each of its readings in this fun and engaging game. Play now. Kanji Pop. Our newest and most 'fun' kanji game - pop kanji that fit the clues! ...
Free JLPT Kanji Test Online
JLPT Kanji N2: In total, you need to know roughly 1000 Kanji for N2. JLPT Kanji N1: N1 is the most difficult level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). To pass JLPT N1, you will need to know about 2,000 Kanji. 40+ Free Kanji Tests for learners of Japanese. Kanji123 helps you check your Kanji level and learn Japanese more easily.
Handwritten kanji search at sljfaq.org
Handwritten kanji recognition. Draw a kanji in the box with the mouse. The computer will try to recognize it. Use stroke order (Draw strokes in the correct order and direction .) The computer will write the top twenty kanji which it thinks match your drawing below. The best match is on the left.
Kanji Practice
Kanji Practice From this chapter, your will learn Kanji a little by little. You can read some basic ideas of Kanji from Getting Started Chapter. You can practice all the kanji introduced in Yookoso textbook from JOSHU Kanji site. You can practice handwriting through Kenneth Le's Kanji Drawing Practice Website.. 日本学生名. Please check stroke orders of each kanji of 日本学生名
Drawing Practice
Kanshudo drawing practice center: hiragana, katakana, components and kanji. Kanshudo includes a sophisticated system to help you practice writing Japanese. Drawing kanji and kana is a great way to cement them in your memory, and should be a key part of your Japanese study program. Use the links here to practice drawing hiragana, katakana and ...
Best way to practice writing kanji
Also, make 3 piles and start practising writing kanji. Put the ones you got wrong in a pile and the correct ones in another stack. Practice with the two piles again and repeat the piling. Create another pile for the ones you just got right, but keep the wrong ones in the same pile.
What's a good method to practice writing Japanese and kana/kanji
It's basically a cramming technique that only works in the short term. Intermix lots of different kanji or choose a small group and cycle through them as a group as you repeat them. Read the wiki. Use tanoshiijapanese.com, they have writing practice for both kana and kanji.
Kanji Worksheet Free PDF Download: JLPT N5
Then you have come to the right place! This is the first in a series of free Kanji writing practice sheets that you can download and print. We will be releasing more over the coming weeks - so stay tuned to this page as we will update it with new links. Click here to download: FREE Kanji Writing Practice Sheet - JLPT N5 Numbers - PDF.
Best apps for kanji writing? : r/LearnJapanese
If you want unlimited/untracked practice, you could also just use they handwriting keyboard built into Gboard, and type characters into a notes app or dictionary. 2. mierecat. • 2 yr. ago. Renshuu. 1. AdditionalOstrich937. • 2 yr. ago. The app Learn Kanji has writing practice mixed in with multiple choice questions.
Meekings co-edits new book on the scholarship of creative writing practice
Northwestern Qatar Professor Sam Meekings is the co-editor of The Scholarship of Creative Writing Practice: Beyond Craft, Pedagogy, and the Academy, a new book providing a comprehensive and transdisciplinary exploration of the complex and multifaceted nature of creative writing practice.. Published by Bloomsbury, the book is the first of its kind to delve into the intricate and multifaceted ...