Learn Hiragana or Katakana first?

[jakkal]

Hi,
I'm pretty new to learning Japanese and am just learning the kana.

I started by learning hiragana and katakana at the same time but I've gotten conflicting advice as to if this is a good idea or not.

Can anyone with more experience (who already knows their kana) advise whether it's better to learn both hiragana and katakana at the same time or first hiragana and then katakana? Thanks!

[Jessi]

I'd start with hiragana first and then katakana. Once you have the hiragana down, you'll be able to write in full sentences. The use of katakana is limited to only certain words, so it'd be more helpful to start with hiragana.

IF you are going to Japan anytime soon, though, I'd recommend learning katakana first since you would be able to read a lot more things knowing it (especially menus and stuff!)

[jakkal]

Ah, cool. The main thing that people kept bringing up was that I might confuse the hiragana and katakana characters if I learned them at the same time.

Think I'll study hiragana first then. Unfortunately, I won't be going to Japan anytime soon, but maybe one day

[Yamanchu]

Hi Jakkal, Jessi is definately right on the money with her advice. I'd also suggest learning hiragana first. Get a really solid grounding in hiragana before venturing on to katakana.

[jakkal]

Hey Yamanchu, yeah I definitely plan on doing Hiragana first. It might take me a while though as the method of learning that seems to work for me is to write the kana I'm learning over and over again till it sticks. It's a bit tedious but once I'm done with one, I don't forget it. Slowly but surely

[Yamanchu]

Hi Jakkal, one method that works brilliantly for me with kanji, while a little unusual should work with hiragana as well. Study your hiragana first, check the stroke order, then close your eyes and 'write' the hiragana in your head. Then open eyes and write it on paper. Cover up what you just wrote, close your eyes and again, 'write' the hiragana in your head. Just keep repeating this till you've gotten it.

I know it sounds a little unusual, but this method has helped me heaps with writing and remembering kanji, so should be good with hiragana as well.

Cheers,
Yamanchu

PS: If you ever find a book called 'Reading Japanese', get it. It's an old book, but is absolutely brilliant for learning hiragana, katakana and the first 400 or so kanji.

[jakkal]

Hi Yamanchu,

Thanks for the tip, I've actually been using it to practice my Hiragana while I'm away from my book. It's a great way to review

And thanks for the book recommendation. I'm currently using Kana de Manga and Kanji de Manga and it's worked well so far but once I start Kanji, I might need something more standard perhaps. I'll definitely look into it!

Best,
Roberto

[Yamanchu]

Jakkal, have a look at Amazon for the book 'Reading Japanese'. If you can get a copy, I can't recommend it enough. I've been studying Japanese on and off for over 10 years now and this book is by far the best I've ever seen for learning to read Japanese. Since using this book, my reading skills have improved considerably and without a huge effort.

[jakkal]

Hi Yamanchu,

Would it be this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Japanese- ... 714&sr=8-1

It's the only one I can find titled only "Reading Japanese" and it's pretty old.

[Yamanchu]

Jakkal, that's the one. I wish I'd found this book a lot sooner than I did.

The romaji used in the book is the old type but you get used to it pretty quickly. Other than that, this book is brilliant.

They give you one katakana, hiragana or kanji at a time, with one or two readings and words for the kanji. Then you get sample sentences, so you are using what you've learnt straight away, and reading sentences with what you've just learnt.

As the lessons progress, the words you've learnt are repeated regularly to reinforce what you've learnt.

If you've got any questions for me, post a message or pm any time.

Cheers,
Yamanchu

PS: I learnt hiragana and katakana a long time ago, but always struggled with katakana. Studying from this book helped my katakana heaps.

[jakkal]

Yamanchu,

Thank you so much for your kindness. I'll definitely take you up on your offer if I can't find an answer anywhere else.

The book does sound like something that could help me. I especially like the fact that you review as you go the kanji you already learned. The next time I have a chance to get something from Amazon I'll definitely get the book, thanks! (as I don't live in the States it's always tricky to get something from Amazon- especially since international delivery isn't very reliable).

Best,
Roberto

[bluebris]

Hey Yamanchu, yeah I definitely plan on doing Hiragana first. It might take me a while though as the method of learning that seems to work for me is to write the kana I'm learning over and over again till it sticks. It's a bit tedious but once I'm done with one, I don't forget it. Slowly but surely

I would recommend that for both hiragana and katakana, you make your own small flashcards, and then just learn them in bunches of 5. Have someone do repeated drills with you and you'll find they'll just stick.

[jakkal]

Hi Bluebris,

Actually, that's something I used to do for review until I found the review function here on japanesepod It's great.

I'm actually stepping up my learning and doing what you suggest, going for bunches of five at a time and then reviewing them all 'til they stick. I'm currently on the T's. My goal is to have learned all the hiragana by heart by Dec. 31st.

I'll then learn the katakana by Feb 28. My goal is to be able to take the JLPT 4 (and maybe 3?) by next December. Here's to hoping it all works out!

One question, though. I know each JLPT level specifies how many kanji and words you should know for the test but is there any way to find out *wihch* you should know? Or will I be fine learning the ones the Japanese books teach me? Thanks in advance for your response.

best,
Roberto

[ShadowzKiller]

Hello,

I would learn both. If you can master the simple the characters and their stroke order it will provide fundametal skills when learning Kanji.

Like others have said, learn Hiragana first and then Katakana. Katakana is actually used a lot more than people think. I have noticed that first names will appear in Katakana (yes, Japanese names). Foreign words are also quite frequent, even in speech.

Make sure you practice writing consistently. It does not help if you practice everyday one week and then take a week off and then practice for a few days. Either choose to write everyday or write every other day.