Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, there are many characters in Japan.
In Japan, students learn these characters step by step, starting from the first grade.
In this article, I'll show you how elementary students start learning Japanese.
First grade of elementary school
The first letters that children learn are hiragana. Most, but not all, children are able to write their own names before they enter elementary school.
Reading and writing Japanese alphabet starts in the first grade.
From first to third grade, students use notebooks with supplementary lines.
I tried to find a cheap one on Amazon.
The supplementary lines in the squares are useful to learn how to balance the letters.
First graders start with notebooks that allow them to write 8 letters per line, and the size of the squares gets smaller as the grade progresses.
Children who have mastered hiragana will learn katakana, followed by Chinese numerals. Since Chinese numbers have fewer strokes, they are ideal for learning kanji for the first time.
下村式（Shimomura-style) drills are designed to be easy to remember.
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, and several other types are available, and they are popular in Japan.
I especially recommend them for kanji.
Hiragana
kanji
Actually, I have this drill.👍
How to learn kanji
During elementary school, kanji are practiced using notebooks like this one.
They not only write beautifully, but also practice how to read and use the kanji at the same time.
Writing order is often neglected, but it is important for writing beautiful characters, especially when learning calligraphy. Elementary school students are also tested on stroke order.
It's a secret that when parents teach writing order, sometimes they get it wrong!😅
Daily Homework for kanji
Japanese elementary school students are given a lot of homework. They have to write an average of five new Kanji characters a day in their notebooks.
The teacher who looks at the homework checks not only for kanji mistakes, but also for other errors. The teacher will make sure that the kanji in the notebook are written carefully and that they are well spaced out in terms of tome, hane and harai. If not, teacher checks them with a red pen and asks them to redo them.
It's hard for one teacher to look at the notes of 30 to 40 students. Moreover, the homework is not limited to kanji, and there are tests to be circled as well.😱
tome "stop" （とめ）
hane "upward brushstroke" （はね）
harai "sweeping" （はらい）
When to Start Learning Japanese Calligraphy
Calligraphy classes begin in the third grade (8-9 years old). Students first learn how to handle and care for a brush, and then learn how to write.
If you don't have the basics of stroke order, tome, hane and harai, you will have a hard time writing beautiful characters.
Since calligraphy cannot be redone, concentration is required.
外国人には漢字を勉強することが難しいですよ
ReplyDelete日本人にとっても漢字は難しいです。
Delete最近はパソコンを使って書くことも多くなったので、忘れてしまった漢字も多くあります。