Team Japanese uses affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something through a link on this site, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you).
LIMITED TIME OFFER! Click here for FREE full access to the Japanese Absolute Beginner Course by JapanesePod101. Available for three months only!
If you want to learn Japanese, you can’t avoid learninghow to read Japanese.
The Japanese writing system is unique and beautiful, no doubt about that. It is also famously complex. Unfortunately, that can put off any newcomers to the language.
Don’t be afraid of the Japanese writing system! Yes, it’s complex, but it’s also logical. Anybody can learn it!
In this article, we’ll talk a bit about the structure of the Japanese writing system. We’ll also talk about the best ways to approach learning to read Japanese.
Table Of Contents
- Learn to read Japanese: the different scripts
- How the Japanese scripts work together
- Romaji
- Hiragana
- Katakana
- Kanji
- How to pronounce kanji characters
- What are Jouyou kanji?
- Resources to read and write Japanese
Learn to read Japanese: the different scripts
First off, did you know Japanese actually uses four scripts?
Yep! Don’t panic, that may sound like overkill, but in fact, this will make your life easier.
In fact, you already know one of them!
The four scripts used in Japanese today are:
- romaji
- hiragana
- katakana
- kanji
Romaji is a special case. Romaji means ‘roman letters’.
Guess what – roman letters are what we use every day in English. It’s what you’re reading right now!
However, romaji is mainly used for translating things for non-Japanese speakers. Sorry if you thought you’d spotted a shortcut – it isn’t commonly used in everyday Japanese.
How the Japanese scripts work together
The remaining three scripts – hiragana, katakana and kanji – are all used every day in Japanese. A typical piece of Japanese writing will actually use all three scripts, mixed together.
This is because each script has a distinct purpose. Each one indicates a different part of the language. They work together to show you the function and origin of each word.
Have a look at this sample text, which we’ve color-coded to show the three different types of character:
ブラジルで最も大きなリオデジャネイロのカーニバルが始まりました。ダンサーたちはきれいな衣装を着て、サンバを歌ったり踊ったりしながらまちの中を７００m進みました。
In Brazil, the biggest Rio de Janeiro carnival has started. All the dancers wore beautiful costumes and paraded 700m while singing and dancing samba.
(Source: NHK News Web Easy)
Kanji – complex characters, taken from Chinese. These are used for basic blocks of meaning. They are the foundation of many words.
Hiragana – simpler characters with a rounded shape. This is a phonetic script used for grammatical functions, word endings and similar.
Katakana – simpler characters with a more ‘spikey’ shape. This is a phonetic script used mainly for foreign loan words.
You can see how all three scripts are intermingled in the same sentences.
We’ll take a more detailed look at the uses of the different scripts below:
Romaji
Romaji, or roman letters, are used for writing Japanese sounds in English letters, to help non-Japanese speakers read Japanese.
Now, you may be thinking “awesome! I’ll just write everything in romaji. I don’t need to learn those other scripts at all!”
Sorry, my friend. That isn’t going to work.
Although romaji is an official script of Japan, as sanctioned by the government, it isn’t used in usual Japanese writing.
Instead, it’s mainly used for translating road signs, town names, train timetables and so on, for the benefit of foreign visitors to Japan.
It’s also used in text books and language learning programs for beginners.
However, a good language learning program will move into hiragana as soon as possible.
That’s because unfortunately romaji is just not used for real Japanese! If you ever want to learn to speak and read Japanese fluently, you will just have to learn the other three scripts.
Hiragana
Hiragana is a phonetic script. This means that once you’ve learned it, you will know how to pronounce any word written in hiragana.
What you see is what you say!
Hiraganahas 46 characters. Each character corresponds to one syllable. These syllables represent all the sounds in the Japanese language. So once you know hiragana, you can read and say anything in Japanese!
I recommend learning hiragana first. It’ll be an essential foundation if you want to learn how to read Japanese.
You can find our cute hiragana chart here.
Any and all Japanese words can be written in hiragana. You will often find children’s books, or Japanese study resources for foreigners, written only in hiragana. But, as you can see in the example text above, in natural Japanese, hiragana is just one of the three scripts.
In usual Japanese texts, hiragana is used for grammatical functions such as verb endings and particles, and also for some Japanese words not written in kanji.
Here’s an awesome video from JapanesePod101 which introduces the shapes and pronunciation of all the hiragana characters. I really like the fun memory tricks to help you remember them!
If you want to practise writing the characters from the video above, you can download some great free printable hiragana worksheets here.
Katakana
Katakana is also a phonetic script. It also has 46 characters, which represent the same syllables as hiragana.
So why do they have both?
That’s because katakana is used for words of foreign origin. Any word which does not have a traditional Japanese word is written in katakana.
This includes foreign people’s and place names, words for foreign foods and sports, new technologies, and anything else which doesn’t already exist in Japanese.
As you will see in the text above, katakana have a distinctive look – kind of spikey compared to the rounded shapes of hiragana.
Katakana is another essential building block of the Japanese language. You will want to learn it soon if you want to read Japanese fluently!
Here’s a video to learn more about katakana:
Head over to our page on katakana for more info and a colorful katakana chart.
Also, grab thesefree printable worksheetsto practice writing your katakana.
By the way, hiragana and katakana are together known as ‘kana’.
Kanji
The last of our Japanese writing methods is kanji.
The Japanese word kanji (漢字) literally means ‘Chinese characters’. This is because – you guessed it! – the Japanese language borrowed them from Chinese.
Kanji are logographic characters. This means that each character represents a block of meaning (unlike the kana, or the English alphabet, where each character represents a sound).
One single kanji character could be a word by itself. Or, some words are formed by two or more kanji together, or kanji plus hiragana (in this case, the hiragana is usually for a grammatical ending).
Kanji are probably the biggest challenge for most people who want to read and write Japanese.
Unlike hiragana and katakana, kanji are not phonetic. That means you have to learn the pronunciation along with the character each time.
You won’t necessarily see a new kanji and know how to pronounce it – although as your knowledge of Japanese gets more advanced, you will see that there is some kind of logic, and you may be able to take an educated guess at the pronunciation of a new kanji!
How to pronounce kanji characters
Since kanji came from Chinese, most of the characters actually have two possible pronunciations. This is because one pronunciation was borrowed from Chinese, and one is the Japanese pronunciation that was applied to that kanji.
Usually the Japanese pronunciation is used when the kanji is a standalone word. We call the Japanese pronunciation kunyomi or ‘meaning reading’.
The Chinese pronunciation is used when the kanji is part of a compound word. This means the kanji is joined together with other kanji to make a longer word. This is called onyomi or ‘sound-based reading’.
Take the simple kanji 山 – mountain.
The Japanese word for mountain is yama. When you talk about mountains in general (“oh, look at that huge mountain over there!”) you will use the word yama.
However, the Chinese pronunciation of 山 (mountain) is shān.
When the Japanese language borrowed the character 山 from China, it also borrowed the pronunciation shān. That pronunciation became san or zan in Japanese.
We use the pronunciation san or zan when the kanji is used in a compound word.
So, the name of Japan’s tallest mountain is Mount Fuji.
In Japanese, that’s 富士山 – Fuji-san.
The Japanese pronunciation – used when the kanji is a standalone word – is called kunyomi or ‘meaning reading’.
The Chinese pronunciation – used when the kanji is part of a compound word – is called onyomi or ‘sound-based reading’.
Don’t worry too much about the different pronunciations for now. It will all make sense when you start learning words in context. This article is just to give you an overview!
When you’re ready, you can check out our article on onyomi and kunyomi readings for some tips on how to learn them.
But for now, I don’t recommend learning kanji until you are already comfortable with hiragana and katakana.
If you’re still curious about kanji, here’s an interesting video to learn more about them. (The video doesn’t teach you any kanji but it will teach you about how kanji actually work!)
What are Jouyou kanji?
There are over 40,000 kanji altogether. But don’t panic! You don’t need to know all of them.
Think of English (or your own native language). You don’t know every single word in the dictionary, right? There are lots of very specialised words, which you would only learn if you had a particular profession or interest.
Japanese is the same! You don’t need to know all the words, or all the kanji, in order to read and speak Japanese fluently.
The government have made things easier by publishing a list of 2,136 kanji which they think are the most essential. These are called jouyou kanji. Jouyou literally means ‘daily use’.
Japanese schoolchildren are expected to learn all the jouyou kanji by the time they graduate high school.
If you can learn all 2,126 jouyou kanji, you can consider yourself functionally literate in Japanese. In other words, you will be able to read Japanese newspapers and books to a good level.
2,000 sounds much more achievable, doesn’t it?
You can see a list of all the government-approved jouyou kanji here. The list is broken down by the school grade when Japanese students learn them. I bet you can get on the same level as a Japanese first grader pretty soon!
There are several different methods for learning kanji, which we discuss here.
And if you’re ready to start learning to read and write some kanji, you can download a free kanji workbook from JapanesePod101 here.
Resources to read and write Japanese
There are lots of free resources online which can help you learn to read Japanese by yourself, no classes required!
If you’re curious, I really recommend making a start. You can probably learn hiragana and katakana in a day. Kanji take longer, but you can learn enough kanji to read basic texts in a few months.
Here are some free resources to start you off:
- Hiragana and katakana printable worksheets
- Hiragana and katakana online quiz (you will have to make a free account to access the quiz, but it only takes a second)
- Simple printable hiragana chart
- Simple printable katakana chart
- Hiragana mnemonic chart (with cool images to help you remember the shape and sound of each character)
- Katakana mnemonic chart
- Printable hiragana and katakana chart (has both sets of kana side by side so you can compare)
- Kanji workbook
As you might guess from my recommendations above, I really rate the website JapanesePod101. As well as free worksheets and quizzes, they have free beginner Japanese audio and video lessons. I listen to the audio lessons on my commute and they really helped me a lot.
If you have any other top resources to learn Japanese reading and writing, please share in the comments below!
Rebecca Shiraishi-Miles
Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.
FAQs
Can you learn Japanese just by reading? ›
Reading is an effective learning activity in any language, but in Japanese it is a crucial skill. Your reading skill determines the ceiling of how proficient you can potentially become in the other skills (listening, speaking, and writing).
Why does Japan read right to left? ›Traditionally, Japanese was written in vertical columns. These columns were read from top to bottom and from right to left. This way of writing is called tategaki (縦書き) – which literally means 'vertical writing'.
How do Japanese read kanji? ›Kanji in Japanese can have one or several readings. The reading for Kanji is split into two major categories called kun-yomi and on-yomi. Kun-yomi is the Japanese reading of the character while on-yomi is based on the original Chinese pronunciation. Generally, Kun-yomi is used for words that only use one character.
Is 1 hour a day enough to learn Japanese? ›However, if you study only one hour per day and don't do anything else to learn Japanese, it can take you up to twenty years to learn the language! So if you don't want to be speaking Japanese only in 2039, keep reading to see how you can shorten this time frame.
Is 2 years enough to learn Japanese? ›The average length of time to learn advanced Japanese is 2-3 years. At the intermediate level, you can understand most of what your teacher says, and you can follow along with TV programs. When it comes to using the language with other Japanese speakers, however, you still have some limitations.
What is the hardest language to learn? ›Mandarin Chinese
Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.
The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.
Why does Japan have 3 alphabets? ›Why does the Japanese language have to use three different types of script; Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana? A. This is because each of the three types of script, Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, has its own specific role. Let's examine a sentence like “I'm Anna,” WATASHI WA ANNA DESU.
Can I learn Japanese in 2 months? ›It will take around 2-6 months to get through most beginner Japanese textbooks. Though, this does depend on how much time you have to spend on your studies and what grammar method you choose. You can even go through a couple different textbooks at the same time, if you want.
Is 6 months enough to learn Japanese? ›You Can Learn Japanese to a Good Level After Just a Few Months. Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) shows that it's possible to survive in Japanese with as little as 6 months of studying.
Can I self teach myself Japanese? ›
Learning Japanese by yourself? Yes, it's possible to do that – millions of people are doing it all over the world. It takes a bit of work but you can truly make Japanese progress alone.
Why do Japan use SAN? ›さん/-san. The Japanese suffix -san is polite, but not excessively formal. It can be broadly used to: Refer to anyone you don't know, regardless of status or age.
Can everyone in Japan read kanji? ›Yes. Except for special situations such as mental or physical illness, or those having been brought up abroad, all Japanese citizens as well as most foreigners brought up in Japan can read Kanji as well as write. The school system teaches about 2100 kanji. However most adults can read about 2500 and possibly 3,000.
Is Japanese or Chinese harder to read? ›However, Japanese katakana and hiragana are basically alphabets, making them much easier to learn than the Chinese writing system.
How many years does it take to learn Japanese fluently? ›Learning Japanese isn't easy and it will take time. It's probably fair to say that you can expect a commitment of at least three years in order to achieve something resembling fluency. The average learner gets to the advanced level in three or four years.
How fast can a human learn Japanese? ›Japanese is one of the most difficult languages for English natives to master. This is because it does not have a lot of likeness in structure to English. Approximately it will take 88 weeks, or 2200 hours of studying, to become fluent. But this article shows tips and tools to expedite and make the process easier.
Can you learn 10 kanji a day? ›If you learn 10 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 200 days (just under 7 months) If you learn 5 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 400 days (just over 13 months) If you learn just 2 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 1000 days (less than 3 years)
What age is too late to learn Japanese? ›Am I too old to study Japanese in Japan? You may have heard recently that it's now impossible to study in Japan if you are over 30 years old. Luckily for those who fall in that category, this isn't actually true and it's actually never too late to chase your Japanese language dreams.
Can I learn Japanese at 40? ›Can you be too old to start learning Japanese? No. You can start at any age. Whether you finish or not is a different story.
How many hours should I study Japanese a day? ›In general, it is recommended that learners spend 2 hours per day studying Japanese. This rate of study will enable a learner to achieve general professional proficiency in Japanese in a time frame of 6.2 years. Increasing or decreasing study hours will shorten or extend the time frame respectively.
What is the easiest language ever? ›
- Frisian. Frisian is thought to be one of the languages most closely related to English, and therefore also the easiest for English-speakers to pick up. ...
- Dutch. ...
- Norwegian. ...
- Spanish. ...
- Portuguese. ...
- Italian. ...
- French. ...
- Swedish.
Unlike other East-Asian languages, Korean isn't a tonal language. This means, that the meaning of the word doesn't change, regardless of what your accent is like. This makes learning Korean much easier than Japanese.
What is the 7 hardest language to learn? ›- Mandarin. Number of native speakers: 1.2 billion. ...
- Icelandic. Number of native speakers: 330,000. ...
- 3. Japanese. Number of native speakers: 122 million. ...
- Hungarian. Number of native speakers: 13 million. ...
- Korean. Number of native speakers: 66.3 million. ...
- Arabic. Number of native speakers: 221 million. ...
- Finnish.
Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons.
Is English or Japanese easier? ›In fact, the US Foreign Service Institute considers Japanese to be one of the most difficult languages to learn for an English speaker (along with Arabic, Chinese, and Korean). While it may take an average learner 30 weeks to master French, it will take approximately 88 weeks for Japanese.
What is ABCD in Japan? ›The Japanese media, influenced by military propagandists, began to refer to the embargoes as the "ABCD ("American-British-Chinese-Dutch") encirclement" or "ABCD line".
Why do Japanese put W? ›The use of wwww to represent laughing comes from the Japanese wara (笑), “to laugh.” With the rise of text-messaging and the internet in the 1990s–2000s, Japanese users adapted the kanji 笑 to denote laughter, similar to LOL. People eventually found it easier, though, to use the letter w, from the romaji of 笑, wara.
Are there Z in Japanese? ›The Japanese alphabet consists of 99 sounds formed with 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, and u) and 14 consonants (k, s, t, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, p, and n), as is shown in the hiragana chart.
How much money do you need to live comfortably in Japan? ›...
Cost of Living Expenses.
| Food | ¥38,257 |
|---|---|
| Other expenses | ¥6,576 |
| Excess entertainment expenses | ¥12,934 |
| Total expenditures | ¥148,351 |
Duolingo is an excellent free resource for learning languages, especially if you consider yourself a beginner who is looking to immerse yourself quickly in Japanese. The keyword here is 'free'.
Is learning Japanese worth it? ›
There are lots of social benefits of learning Japanese. Being able to communicate with more people means you are able to meet and get to know more people. If you know how to speak Japanese, you'll find it much easier to make Japanese friends than someone who doesn't speak Japanese.
How much Japanese can you learn in 2 years? ›For most Westerners, it is possible to be somewhat conversational in 2–3 years if you live in Japan. If you add in learning to read Kanji it is closer to 5 years. Some people can do it faster, but 5 years is a pretty realistic estimate for most people.
How many words do you need to be fluent in Japanese? ›Generally speaking, you need to know about 3,000 – 5,000 Japanese words to be fluent in the language. But it can't just be any words, as you could simply learn the names of people, places, and Pokémon to hit one or two thousand.
What are the basic Japanese words? ›- Hai. Yes. はい。
- Iie. No. いいえ。
- O-negai shimasu. Please. おねがいします。
- Arigatō. Thank you. ありがとう。
- Dōitashimashite. You're welcome. どういたしまして。
- Sumimasen. Excuse me. すみません。
- Gomennasai. I am sorry. ごめんなさい。
- Ohayō gozaimasu. Good morning. おはようございます。
While it may not be possible to become fluent in Japanese in just ten days, it IS possible to learn the basics of speaking in a short period of time and move on to becoming fluent. Don't be discouraged. You can and will learn Japanese much faster than you expect.
Where do I begin Japanese? ›You need to start with hiragana in order to learn the basics of how Japanese sounds, and how the structure of the letters works. By learning hiragana first, you will understand how words are put together, and how they are said.
Can I learn Japanese language in 1 month? ›Let's get one thing clear: You won't become fluent in a month. (Unless you're some foreign language genius.) But you can absolutely learn what you need to get by with a month of studying. It's all about finding what resources are best for you.
Why do Japanese say Moshi Moshi? ›MOSHIMOSHI is an expression you use when you make a telephone call. There are several explanations about its origin, but it is generally believed that it comes from MÔSU, a humble form of “say.” When telephones began to be used in Japan, telephone operators were at work.
Can you use kun for a girl? ›Kun can mean different things depending on gender. Kun for females is a more respectful honorific than -chan, implying childlike cuteness. Kun is not only used to address females formally; it can also be used for a very close friend or family member.
Can you use Chan for a boy? ›Chan is used to add a cute friendly later to a person's name or a noun. There is no big difference from men or women using it. Although, 'chan' is used for girls and boys like Aya-chan, Yoshi-chan. But for boys there's also the use of Kun.
Should I learn Japanese or kanji first? ›
Although you can manage with only katakana and hiragana, you will still lack a lot if you don't know kanji. Therefore, you should learn kanji first before studying vocabulary. About 2,000 kanji characters are officially known to be necessary for everyday use.
What should you not do when learning Japanese? ›- 1: Make sure you have the right resources. ...
- 2: Thinking you are going to become a master by watching only anime. ...
- 3: Not actually using Japanese. ...
- 4: Copying the wrong gender. ...
- 5: Overusing Pronouns. ...
- 6: Speaking with the wrong level of formality. ...
- 7: Using “san” in your introduction. ...
- 8: Learning too quickly and getting stressed.
The good news is that you don't need to be able to read or write Japanese to enjoy Japan. Japanese people don't expect you to be able to read the Japanese language, and you'll find English-language signage throughout the country.
Can a Chinese person understand Japanese? ›Well, the answer is NO. When it comes to express their language verbally, it seems hard for them to understand each other. But it is also true that some educated Chinese and Japanese speakers can read each other's written language.
What is the most spoken language in the world? ›- English – 1,121 million speakers. ...
- Mandarin Chinese – 1,107 million speakers. ...
- Hindi – 698 million speakers. ...
- Spanish – 512 million speakers. ...
- French – 284 million speakers. ...
- Arabic – 273 million speakers. ...
- Bengali – 265 million inhabitants. ...
- Russian – 258 million speakers.
...
Average reading speed in various languages.
| Language Code | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Number of words | 360 |
| Texts/Min | 1.21 (0.19) |
| Words/Min | 193 (30) |
| Syllables/Min | 447 (69) |
Can Japanese Actually Read Japanese (Kanji)?
How To Read Japanese Manga
Do's and Don'ts of Learning to Read Japanese • AnimeChicago
If you are taking written exams you have to learn to write kanji. If you are taking exams with tricky kanji-recognition elements, the best way of learning kanji that exactly may well be to learn to write them with the correct stroke-order. If you are a tactile learner, writing may be the right path for you.
How long does it realistically take to learn Japanese? ›According to the US Department of State, Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English natives to learn. It doesn't have many similarities in structure to English. They estimate it takes 88 weeks of learning, or 2200 hours, to reach fluency.
How long does it take to learn Japanese reading? ›Want to read simple fiction books or comics in Japanese? Depending how much you study, this could be do-able in a little over a year. Aiming to read native-level material or watch TV shows in Japanese? That's a more long-term goal, and you're probably looking at around three to five years of learning.
Can you learn Japanese without reading or writing? ›
If I understand correctly, you want to be able to speak and understand Japanese with hearing, while omitting reading and writing. If that's the case, yes it's possible, although you would be able to speak and understand the language at a much faster rate if you also included reading and writing in your study.
Can you learn 10 kanji a day? ›If you learn 10 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 200 days (just under 7 months) If you learn 5 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 400 days (just over 13 months) If you learn just 2 kanji a day, you can learn all of them in 1000 days (less than 3 years)
Why does Japan have 3 alphabets? ›Why does the Japanese language have to use three different types of script; Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana? A. This is because each of the three types of script, Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, has its own specific role. Let's examine a sentence like “I'm Anna,” WATASHI WA ANNA DESU.
Can Japanese speak without kanji? ›The short answer is: yes, you can speak fluent Japanese and understand Japanese people without ever studying a single kanji. In fact, if you focus your studies on hearing comprehension, it's likely that you will achieve fluency of speech much faster than somebody who chooses to focus on kanji.
What is the hardest language to learn? ›Mandarin Chinese
Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.
...
Cost of Living Expenses.
| Food | ¥38,257 |
|---|---|
| Other expenses | ¥6,576 |
| Excess entertainment expenses | ¥12,934 |
| Total expenditures | ¥148,351 |
Duolingo is an excellent free resource for learning languages, especially if you consider yourself a beginner who is looking to immerse yourself quickly in Japanese. The keyword here is 'free'.
Is Japanese harder than Chinese? ›Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons.
How long will it take a 14 year old to learn Japanese? ›Depending on how many hours per day you can study Japanese, attaining a basic level of fluency can take between six months and one year. Once you've reached a basic level of Japanese fluency, you should be able to: Ask for and understand directions.
Which Japanese alphabet should I learn first? ›What is the Easiest Japanese Alphabet to Learn? There are several Japanese alphabets to learn, including Hiragana, Kanji, and Katakana. Of these, Hiragana is the best for beginners. It is the most basic of the three sets of the alphabet and it is the foundation of the written Japanese language.
What should you not do when learning Japanese? ›
- 1: Make sure you have the right resources. ...
- 2: Thinking you are going to become a master by watching only anime. ...
- 3: Not actually using Japanese. ...
- 4: Copying the wrong gender. ...
- 5: Overusing Pronouns. ...
- 6: Speaking with the wrong level of formality. ...
- 7: Using “san” in your introduction. ...
- 8: Learning too quickly and getting stressed.
The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.
Can I skip kanji? ›Yes, you can become fluent without kanji.