The best way to learn kanji?

[Belton]

I suppose I could have saved a lot of typing by saying this: If you don't like it, fine. Do it your own way. But unless you've completed the method and can attest to the results yourself, don't gripe about an experience you haven't had.

One could say the same about people who haven't stuck to traditional methods but gave up in preference to Heisig. Obviously whatever method someone follows is the best for them and the one they'll stick with.You can sense fairly quickly whether you find a particular method enjoyable or effective for you.

I don't find the Heisig method bad or ineffectual I just found JW Heisig far too annoying and the book's not for me. It's as valid to show counter viewpoints and experiences as it is to champion the method.

I try not to dissuade anyone from trying it. I recommend people to look into it. I try to keep my language neutral on these forums and not slag off / put down any methods or opinions. Discuss and explore rather than argue. Find the good points.

I would like to see a proper investigation in to Heisig's effectiveness as a method in comparison to other methods, rather than testimonials and opinions. And from there a more systematic approach developed by someone expert in teaching Japanese as a second language. Maybe it'll happen. It's comparatively recent that kana and kanji have been used from the start in textbooks in preference to romaji.

...Actually I give up. I'm spent on this topic, probably for good. orz

I apologise if your thread got hijacked by this nyappyrebecca-san.

[Taurus]

Something that seems clear to me is that people's memories work in different ways. When I was studying history for my degree, I found it really easy just to learn essays (and therefore the facts and arguments that made up those essays) just by arranging them in note form on a page and then reading through it a couple of times. It was a combination of memorising the visual arrangement on the page, the structure of the argument, and the facts themselves. I was lucky that I had a memory that worked very well in that respect, so I always did better than perhaps I should have done in exams.

So I never understood why people had difficulty memorising things, and I never really understood why people would make up stories to help them remember things. But when I started learning Japanese, I found that the sounds were so unfamiliar to me that I learned vocabulary quicker when I made up these mnemonic stories (so when I think of the word shoukaishimasu, I think of my girlfriend introducing, or showing, her friend Cai to me; when I think of the word for embassy, I think of my girlfriend's nephew, Taishi, going to get a passport, etc.).

My point is that different methods work for different people. I have only just started to make a concerted effort to learn kanji. I learnt the first 100 for JLPT 4 just by rote learning a while back and haven't really tried to learn any since. But the other day I decided to dip into Heisig. I read through the first two lessons. I mean I just read through them - I didn't make any effort to learn anything. I just wanted to find out about the technique. And the next day I found I had pretty much remembered how to write all 34 kanji. In terms of the effort I put in to remembering these 34, compared to the effort I put into learning those 100, and in terms of the accuracy with which I can recall the two sets of kanji, Heisig seemed to me to be much more efficient than rote learning.

So I certainly intend to follow Heisig's method for a while to see if it that efficiency continues. But I can totally understand why some people might not find Heisig as useful as other, more traditional methods. As several other people have already said, you really need to try a few techniques and settle on the one that works best for you. Which seems like an awfully obvious point to make after waffling for so long. Sorry!

[Psy]

One could say the same about people who haven't stuck to traditional methods but gave up in preference to Heisig. Obviously whatever method someone follows is the best for them and the one they'll stick with.You can sense fairly quickly whether you find a particular method enjoyable or effective for you.

I don't find the Heisig method bad or ineffectual I just found JW Heisig far too annoying and the book's not for me. It's as valid to show counter viewpoints and experiences as it is to champion the method.

I try not to dissuade anyone from trying it. I recommend people to look into it. I try to keep my language neutral on these forums and not slag off / put down any methods or opinions. Discuss and explore rather than argue. Find the good points.

I would like to see a proper investigation in to Heisig's effectiveness as a method in comparison to other methods, rather than testimonials and opinions. And from there a more systematic approach developed by someone expert in teaching Japanese as a second language. Maybe it'll happen. It's comparatively recent that kana and kanji have been used from the start in textbooks in preference to romaji.

...Actually I give up. I'm spent on this topic, probably for good. orz

I apologise if your thread got hijacked by this nyappyrebecca-san.

Agreed. I hope I didn't come off the wrong way-- what bothers me is that everyone seems to shoot out a viewpoint on the method's overall effectiveness without having solid facts/experiences to back them up. The "I didn't like it so it must not work very well" standpoint, if you will. I'd love to see a study done on it, but as it is I can only speak as far as my own experience takes me.

Allow me to clarify my viewpoint-- Heisig is not an end-all to your kanji worries. One still has vocabulary, readings and practical usage to learn, and doing that is a matter of continual practice and dedication. However, as the method has had such a profound effect on my own studies, I really hate to see others give up on it prematurely. Sure, it's frustrating, and Heisig's own stories are (usually) horrible... but in a Japanese class, I still remember that the only people who weren't struggling with learning new characters were the Chinese students... and me.

I'll give up on this topic now as well. There are enough kanji methodology threads on this forum already, so people can browse about and make up their own minds. If I were an administrator, I would have merged/sticked/done something to the threads a long time ago so new ones wouldn't keep popping up.

Cheers, folks.