Learning Japanese 101
- Introduction to Japanese
- Japanese Writing System: Katakana
- Japanese Writing System: Kanji
- Intermediate Grammar
- Vocabulary Building
- Conversational Japanese
- Business Japanese
- Japanese Culture and Society
- Listening Practice
Japanese Writing System: Kanji
Introduction to Kanji
Adopted logographic Chinese characters used in the modern Japanese writing system.
Kanji is one of the three writing systems used in the Japanese language, alongside Hiragana and Katakana. Unlike the other two, which are phonetic systems, Kanji is a system of symbolic characters, each of which represents a word or concept. This unit will introduce you to the basics of Kanji, including its history, structure, and the concept of radicals.
Origin and History of Kanji
Kanji originated from China and was introduced to Japan around the 5th century. The characters were initially used for their meaning rather than their phonetic value. Over time, the Japanese developed their own pronunciations for these characters, resulting in the two types of readings we have today: On'yomi (Chinese reading) and Kun'yomi (Japanese reading).
Role of Kanji in the Japanese Language
In the Japanese language, Kanji is used in conjunction with Hiragana and Katakana. While Hiragana is used for grammatical elements and Katakana for foreign words and names, Kanji is used for the core of the sentence: nouns, verbs, and adjectives. This makes Kanji crucial for understanding the context and meaning of a sentence.
Structure of Kanji Characters
Each Kanji character is made up of several strokes, which must be written in a specific order. This order is important for the character's legibility and aesthetics. Some characters are quite simple, consisting of only a few strokes, while others are more complex.
The Concept of Radicals in Kanji
A radical, or "bushu", is a component of a Kanji character that often indicates its meaning. There are 214 recognized radicals in Kanji. By learning these radicals, you can often guess the meaning of a character, even if you don't know its specific reading. For example, many Kanji related to water include the "water" radical (氵).
In conclusion, understanding Kanji is a crucial part of learning Japanese. While it may seem daunting due to the sheer number of characters, understanding the structure and concept of radicals can make the process much more manageable. In the next unit, we will dive into some of the most common Kanji characters and their readings.