|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 4:16 pm
Is it unusual that I find it harder to read sentences or paragraphs written in hiragana than I find kanji usage?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:50 am
I find kanji usage easier, too, and I'm just a beginner to kanji. It conveys the meaning better, I think.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:35 am
It occurs to me that a large part of it is the fact that Japanese doesn't use spaces like English does; the kanji helps visually break up the sentence structure instead of looking like a mere wall of text.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:23 pm
I hate when I'm going through my textbook and a sentence uses hirigana for a kanji that my teacher has already shown us. It just slows me down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:05 pm
I actually know what you mean. I don't think it is weird. I've just barely been learning kanji myself and I find it alot easier. I think it is because with the kanji the word itself is represented while with kana you have to piece together what the word is. For example; sora. When you see it written: そら you have to do a couple things. First you have to say, okay, that is so, and that is ra, together they make sora. When you look at it in kanji: 空 all you have to do is say, oh well that means 'sky' while it can mean other things, I know this means sky. If you ask me it is easier to do that. I may be completely off about other kanji, but what I've learned thus far that is the way my mind seems to see things. ^_^;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:16 pm
lol, my reading speed slows down 3x when I'm reading hiragana-only text. I think it's normal for people who can read kanji. ^^;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:05 pm
LOL I know exactly what you mean. I hate when they give you the hiragana where you expect the kanji to be. My teacher knows that me and my friend are going into translation, so she gives us extra advice if we use kanji on our homework. Our textbook uses the kanji it teaches in the practice sections, and we have to read out loud in class. Most of them have some trouble doing it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:52 pm
i think its also very confusing especially when there are words that have more than one meaning like hashi the folowing sentance could mean the following:
hashi ga oreta. that could either mean:
the chopstick broke.
the bridge broke.
the edge broke.
but with kanji it makes more sense cause you can telll which one they r talking about. know what i mean? razz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:15 pm
Coda Highland It occurs to me that a large part of it is the fact that Japanese doesn't use spaces like English does; the kanji helps visually break up the sentence structure instead of looking like a mere wall of text. my Japanese teacher, a native herself, says that they use kanji because "Japanese is confusing"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:33 pm
xXxSeiza-chanxXx i think its also very confusing especially when there are words that have more than one meaning like hashi the folowing sentance could mean the following: hashi ga oreta. that could either mean: the chopstick broke. the bridge broke. the edge broke. but with kanji it makes more sense cause you can telll which one they r talking about. know what i mean? razz The EXACT reason why Kanji is needed in Japanese. As far as I know, Korean uses Hangul, a phonetic alphabet, to produce all possible combinations of sounds for words in Korean. It is roughly based from kanji (like the formulation of hiragana and katagana from kanji over time), but because they don't use kanji in their sentences, it makes it pretty context specific to the sentence. Japanese when spoken has slight accents on words that have similar pronunciation, but generally the population doesn't emphasize the intonation all too much. This makes some sentences in Japanese when spoken context specific. If written Japanese removed kanji from the sentences, the same result would happen....it would reduce readers to wonder what is being mentioned in the sentences. For any of you that is willing to read in all hiragana/katakana or wants that practice, I highly recommend playing the Katamari games in Japanese (through imports, or if you're like me and lucky enough to have a Japaense PS2, then that way too). The King of All Cosmos speaks in nothing BUT katakana.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 3:50 am
Coda Highland Is it unusual that I find it harder to read sentences or paragraphs written in hiragana than I find kanji usage? I hate kanji. I understand it's advantages in reading, as you can not only read faster, but even if you can't pronounce it, you can guess pretty well what it means. I just hate how I don't always know how to pronounce it. It bugs the hell out of me. Reading hiragana makes me feel smarter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:25 pm
Amyroth Coda Highland Is it unusual that I find it harder to read sentences or paragraphs written in hiragana than I find kanji usage? I hate kanji. I understand it's advantages in reading, as you can not only read faster, but even if you can't pronounce it, you can guess pretty well what it means. I just hate how I don't always know how to pronounce it. It bugs the hell out of me. Reading hiragana makes me feel smarter. You start learning patterns after a while. Many characters include a component indicating how you're supposed to read it. (This is particularly common in simplified Chinese, but many Japanese characters have it too.) Also, once you've learned the vocabulary, it starts coming naturally, and you don't have to think about it -- you know how to say it aloud because you understand the sentence. Having a way to practice Japanese conversation verbally really helps in this regard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:14 am
Amyroth I hate kanji. I understand it's advantages in reading, as you can not only read faster, but even if you can't pronounce it, you can guess pretty well what it means. I just hate how I don't always know how to pronounce it. It bugs the hell out of me. Reading hiragana makes me feel smarter.
It floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier
All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas
The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe
I'm gonna have to agree with you, buddy. I find hiragana a whole lot easier to read. I'm fairly good at reading blocks of text. But as soon as kanji enters the equation it throws me up. I never know which pronunctiation it should take since my sensei told us they change depending on the usage, but she never told us anything beyond that.
On a test we had ふじ山, and by pure luck I decided to put down "san" as the translation rather than "yama". I was the only one in the class to get the point, and afterwards sensei informed us that it was supposed to be "san", though she never explained why.
Kanji just throws me for a loop. Though I will admit, I get awfully excited when I see one I know.
I will bring a mirror, so silver, so exact
So precise and so pristine, a perfect pane of glass
I will set the mirror up to face the blackened sky
You will see your beauty every moment that you rise
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:42 am
You get used to it, though. Especially when you're dealing with more than just idle chatter, kanji really helps figure out what the intended meaning actually is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:03 am
I find kanji easier to read but only if I'm really familiar with the kanji and its pronunciation and meaning. This works for simple kanji but I've been having some difficulties lately. It is getting a lot harder for me to keep all the meanings and pronounciations straight as I learn more characters and they're getting more and more complicated. It's really upsetting for example when I remember what a kanji means in a certain context but I can't pronounce it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
