How long does it take to learn Japanese without kanji?

Some estimate that it takes English-language students (or non-Asian, without prior kanji knowledge) about 4800 hours to reach true Japanese fluency and pass the JLPT N1 exam.

Can I just learn spoken Japanese?

On one hand, you could just learn spoken Japanese if you plan on briefly visiting Japan and firmly believe that you won’t need to be able to read or write in order to get around. In short, true fluency involves all aspects of the language, including speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar.

Is kanji important to learn Japanese language?

You may not want to believe it, but kanji is extremely important in the Japanese language. They are so significant in interpreting the meanings of the sentence and words. There’s not only one way that the kanji is notably useful in the Japanese language — there’s quite a few.

Is it possible to learn kanji without learning to write?

Considering that the Japanese themselves do it, yes, absolutely. In fact, learning to speak before learning to write, is the most natural way of learning a language. Thing about how kids learn. A Japanese child doesn’t start learning kanji until about age 7 (grade 2) .

Does writing in Japanese make it easier to learn Japanese?

Written Japanese reinforces spoken Japanese just as written English reinforces spoken English. Kanji and kana become meaningful as you acquire spoken vocabulary, and the reverse is also true. Small progress in written Japanese will result in huge progress in spoken Japanese.

What is kanji and how is it used?

As I’ve covered in Hiragana and Katakana, Kanji is the third alphabet in Japanese. Although it’s not an alphabet with letters like we’re used to, it’s a set of Chinese symbols. Each symbol has a pronunciation and carries a specific meaning. There are over 10,000 Chinese symbols altogether.

How many Chinese characters do I need to learn in Japanese?

Generally, you’ll need to learn about 1,000-2,000 Chinese characters in Japanese to be able to be considered an intermediate or advanced learner, and to be able to read a newspaper. It’s also important to note that Kanji in Japanese are pretty special.