At first, Japanese language can be "terrifying" since it has 3 syllabaries: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. These are totally different from what we learned in English and remembering at least Hiragana and Katakana may be a dificult staff. So this time I would like to share some methods to learn Hiragana and Katakana effectively.
I - Write, write, and write
This method is used by many Japanese learners with the hope that by rewrite many times they can remember all the Hiragana and Katakana. The common formula is spending from 30 to 45 minutes per day to write 2 pages. Also remember to pronounce each Hiragana & Katakana character as you write it. By this way you will both remember how to write the character and also its pronunciation. However the biggest problem of this method is time-consuming, and in fact, this method is not as effective as many people may think.
II - Learn through Flashcard
The method is simple, first you need to find an amount of blank cards. Next, write the Hiragana character on one side and then write its Romaji pronunciation on the back. Then shuffle all the cards together and learn one character from each card at a time. With the character which is hard to remember, you put it on a set ("hard-to-remember character sets" , while with the character you can easily remember, you put it on another set. Try to continuously practice by this way until there is no card left on "hard-to-remember characters set". From that point, you will be able to remember all the Hiragana characters. This method can be applied the same for Katakana and even Kanji.
III - Learn through online system
Unlike the old time, nowadays you can find many Japanese learning online websites which provide lessons for Hiragana and Katakana learning. They are quite effective in learning Hiragana since they provide full teaching materials from learning new characters, practicing, and all of these are included with picture which can help you remember the characters more effectively.
IV - Learn with friends
Well, it is always a good idea to learn something with your friend, and especially in learning complicated language like Japanese. You and your friends can always share experience and knowledge with each other, and also a healthy competition with friends can always boost your willing to learn.
Those are some methods to learn Hiragana and Katakana, here are some link where you can take a look:
http://akirademy.com/the-completed-guide-to-learn-hiragana-chart/
http://akirademy.com/the-completed-guide-to-learn-katakana/
http://akirademy.com/being-proficient-at-2000-kanji-characters-within-3-months/
Good luck and have fun in learning Japanese!
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