You don’t need to memorize thousands of Kanji
If you’re learning Japanese and you get to the Kanji zone, you might think, “Do people really memorize 80,000 Kanji?” Do not worry, because we don’t remember shit either.
Yes, it helps to memorize the basic ones, but after that, all you need is exposure to Kanji because after a while, you will start to be able to guess how to read most kanji even if it’s your first time seeing it.
For example, let’s say you learn this.
義 Gi = loyalty, justice
And then you learn this
儀 Gi = ceremony
蟻 = ant
And then you see this minor kanji and you’re like “you again… are you read Gi this time too?” And you’re half correct. It’s the Kanji for ari or ant, but it can also be read Gi.
And the meaning. Ah, a radical for insect and a radical for loyalty to represent ant. It kinda makes sense.
And then you come across these:
嶬 艤 礒 犠
At this point, you’ll be like, “I don’t know what you’re trying to represent this time, but when I see this guy, I will call you Gi. come what may,” and you’ll be correct more often than not. These can all be read Gi.
So after a certain point, you’ll know enough to be able to guess your way through everything else. And the Kanji you need to guess are so minor you won’t need to memorize.
To learn kanji, give yourself time and exposure. Not stress ☺️.
Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Amazon Best Sellers [Folk Tales of Japan], [Underdogs of Japanese History], and [Horror Tales of Japan].
Please check out my books at ☺️: https://kyotako.myportfolio.com/