

blake kathryn
we're not kids anymore.

titsay

โ
taylor price

dirt enthusiast
i don't do bad sauce passes
AnasAbdin
Aqua Utopia๏ฝๆตทใฎๅบใง่จๆถใ็ดกใ

Product Placement
d e v o n

@theartofmadeline

Andulka
Show & Tell
Cosimo Galluzzi
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
trying on a metaphor

seen from China

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@taeastudy

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Marugoto notes on giving and receiving
I needed this earlier :โ( just had a test over this two weeks ago and I was really struggling with the concept of ใใใ, ใใใ, and ใใใ
โ๏ธ๐ A kanji dump๐โ๏ธ
Carefully explains how to make objects of Japanese verbs and the function of each of the particles: ใ, ใซ, and ใจ.
Last time, you learned how to make subjects of Japanese verbs with the particles ใ and ใฏ: ้จใ้ใ (new information) and ้ชใฏ้ใใชใ (contrast). In this lesson, you will learn how to make objects of Japanese verbs by using the particles: ใ, ใซ, and ใจ.

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ใใใฅใก
Paying attention in Japanese
When talking with Japanese people, in English or Japanese, you might notice that they frequently nod or interject something like ใฏใ or yes frequently while you are talking. This participatory style of communication characterizes spoken Japanese. With ใใใฅใก (aizuchi) or short interjections, the listener is letting you know that they are following you.
If the listener doesnโt show any reaction during a conversation, a Japanese person might feel uneasy and stop and ask if you understand. In some cases they may repeat what they said if they assume you donโt follow the conversation. Over the telephone this might happen if the listener doesnโt respond enough, with the speaker asking ใใใใ๏ผ to see if the listener is still there.
ใใใฅใก is an important part of Japanese conversation, and even if it seems strange at first, with enough practice it will become second nature.
Examples of ใใใฅใก
ใฏใ (does not necessarily mean โI agreeโ when used as ใใใฅใก; formal)
ใใ (less formal than ใฏใ)
ใใ (more casual than ใฏใ and ใใ; sounds closer to a short, hard โmmโ sound in English)
ใใ (โah, I seeโ; less formal)
ใธใ (โno wayโ; casual)
ใใใงใใ (โis that so?โ; formal)
ใใใงใใญ (โI seeโ; less formal)
ใใใฃใ (โI seeโ; casual)
ใใ (โI seeโ; casual)
ใใใชใใงใใ (โoh really?โ; expresses with extra emphasis)
ใปใใจใใงใใ (โis that true?โ; formal)ย
ใปใใจใใซ (โoh really?โ; less formal)
ใใธ (โreally?โ; casual)
ใชใใปใฉ (โI seeโ, โthatโs rightโ; formal)
You can always start with a nod (in person of course) to show the speaker that youโre listening, or interject a friendly ใฏใ when the speaker pauses (Japanese people will do this because they are used to receiving ใใใฅใก). Then start throwing in a new one each time you have a conversation and youโll be on your way to becoming an ใใใฅใก natural!
Japanese Resources
Essentials
Rikaisama - Pop-op Dictionary - based on Rikaichan Yamasa.cc - Learn Handwritten Stroke Order Anki - Spaced Repetition Software Japanese Stack Exchange - Ask Questions, Get Answers Dictionary Codes and Meaning - ex: v4k, vi Chinese and Japanese Characters Mnemonics - Stroke Orders, Lists, Study Sheets A better Japanese font for Windows web browsers Verb Conjugation Chart - gaoshukai Similar Kanji Lookup
Dictionaries
Jisho.org Tangorin - EnglishโJapanese Online Dictionary Honyaku Star - Simple and Fast Dictionary | No ใญใผใๅญ | Specifically for Translators JLect - Japanese Dialect Word Search TMdict - vocabularies from games, books, anime, and other works by Type-Moon.
Kanji Alive_ Web App - Kanji Lookup, Stroke Orders, Examples, Picture Mnemonics Kanji Dictionary - ๆผขๅญ่พๅ ธ Etymologies - A comprehensive, illustrated dictionary with etymologies, pictographs & definitions in English and Japanese More Eymologies - Traditional & Simplified CH/JP Oichanโs Dictionary - CN/JP/EN Dictionary Proverb Dictionary - Dutch, English, and Japanese
่ชๆบ็ฑๆฅ่พๅ ธ - Etymology Dictionary ๅนณๆๅๅญ็่ช่พๅ ธ - 4-Character Idiomatic Compound Dictionary ๆ ไบใใจใใ่พๅ ธ - Proverb Dictionary ๆฅๆฌ่ชไฟ่ช่พๆธ - Colloquial Language Dictionary ๆฅๆฌ่ชใณใญใฑใผใทใงใณ่พๅ ธ
IT็จ่ช่พๅ ธ e-Words - Internet and Technical Terms ไธ็ๅ Web Dictionary - Sanseido Weblio - ่พๆธ - Main Dictionary Weblio - ใทใฝใผใฉใน - Thesaurus Weblio ็ฟป่จณ - Translate alc.co.jp - Another Great Dictionary goo.ne.jp - Gooโs Dictionary kotobank.jp - Uses yahoo.co.jp dictionary with a nice Interface Tatoeba - Example Sentences Tsukuba Corpus ่คๅๅ่ฉใฌใญใทใณใณ - Compound Verb Lexicon Yamasa.cc - Learn handwritten stroke order kotoba.ne.jp - Extremely useful once you learn its capabilities Excite.co.jpโs Dictionary with Pitch Accent
Software
Houhou SRS - Dictionary + SRS Tagaini Jisho - Dictionary on each OS zKanji - Another Dictionary + SRS Capture2Text - Get Text from Manga and Other Images JGloss - Automatically annotate Japanese text with readings and translations KanjiTomo aard OmegaT - Translation Memory Tool Foreign Language Text Reader Learning With Texts Language Tool - Proofreading/Spellcheck Program Lingoes - Dictionary & Translation StarDict Wakan - Dictionary App for Chinese and Japanese
Thesauri
Goo.ne.jpโs Thesaurus ้ก่ชๅ็พฉ่ช่พๅ ธ - Quasi-synonym/synonym Dictionary
Learning the Language
Wanikani - Learn Kanji Through Spaced Repetition (Paid Subscription) Japaneseclass.jp - Vocabulary and Kanji Kapibara - Apps and Materials U-biq - Japanese study Japanese Stack Exchange - Ask Questions, Get Answers Tae Kimโs Guide - Site for Complete Beginners Chinese and Japanese Characters Mnemonics - With much more material Japanese Parts of Speech - ๆฅๆฌ่ช Japanese Linguistics - General Terms, Parts of Speech, Particles, etc - General Linguistics Loanwords - gaoshukai.com Esaura - Q&A site dedicated to J<->E translation. Lang-8 - Write Journals, Get Corrections from Natives (All Languages) Japanese Reading Practice with Tanaka Corpus Tips on Japanese JLPT Study Materials JLPT Vocabulary Lists HiNative - Q&A OnomatoProject - Practice Japanese onomatopoeia (ๆฌ้ณ่ช) and mimetic words (ๆฌๆ ่ช) with examples and illustrations!
Grammar
Imabi - Lessons From Basic to Classical Japanese | Everything You Need for Grammar Kanzen Grammar - Sentences broken down in detail JGram - Japanese Grammar Database Renshuu.org - Over 600 entries for Grammar Jtest4you Auxiliary Verb Chart
Radicals
Kanji Radical Names - ไปฎๅ and ใญใผใๅญ 214 Traditional Radicals - From Kanji Alive Radical Names in Japanese - with kanji used More Kanji Radicals
Kana
Rapid Recognition Trainer for Hiragana and Katakana Multiple Font and Stroke Magnifier Kana - Anomalous Cursive Syllabary
Advanced Learning
Mistakes & Differences Guide Different Kanji With Same Reading and (Usually) Meaning Slight Different Meanings Read Your Level
Reading Material
Aozora Bunko - Japanese Project Gutenberg Bauddha.net - Similar to Aozora Childrenโs Reading Material - Fairy Tails Reajer - Bilingual Texts & Frequently-updated Language Blog
Manga & Light Novels
Comico - Manga & Light Novels Mangabox Vomic - Manga with Voice (Mac users download VLC web plugin) Kadokawa - Free Comics
Light Novels
Tueee ๅฐ่ชฌใ่ชญใใ๏ผ
Anime
AniChart Anime List Hummingbird - MAL Alternative Anime Recommendation Finder
Crunchyroll - Watch Anime Legally Japanese Subtitles
News
SmartNews - Japanese Smartphone News App SANSPO.COM๏ผใตใณในใ๏ผ NHKใใฅใผใน and NHK Easy Version ๆๆฅๆฐ่ - Asahi and Childrenโs Edition Japan Times Japan Today MATCHA and Easy Japanese Version - Japan Travel Magazine Metropolis Magazine | Japanโs Number 1 English Magazine Tokyo Weekender - English Magazine Yomiuri, Childrenโs Edition, and English Edition Easy News - Newsinslowjapanese.com Nikkei Sankei
Japanese Sign Language
ITEC More Lessons
Dialect Study
JLect - Dialect Word Search Osaka-Ben Kansai-Ben Kansaiben.com Kansai-Ben Word List
Pitch Accent
U-Biq Pitch Accent Diagram Excite.co.jpโs Dictionary with Pitch Accent OJAD Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Recommended Books
White Rabbit Japan - Buy Things From Japan - A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar - A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar - A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar - Dictionary of Misused Japanese - Kanji Dictionary - 1006 Kanji Picture Dictionary - ALCโs Japanese for Business: Business Etiquette
J-LIST - Buys Things From Japan - Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan - Bilingual - Encyclopedia of Japan - Bilingual
Amazon - The Kodansha Kanji Learnerโs Dictionary: Revised and Expanded - Kodanshaโs Furigana Japanese Dictionary (Kodansha Dictionaries) - The Kodansha Kanji Dictionary - The Original Modern Readerโs Japanese-English Character Dictionary - The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary
Culture & Life
AFA Channel - Japanese Pop Culture Video Channel Becomming Legally Japanese - Information on Naturalization Danny Choo - Culture Japan Japan-guide - Your Guide to Japan Japan Subculture Research Center - Yakuza and other cool culture information Just Bento - Blog About Bentos Just Hungry - Japanese Food & Recipes nรฉojapanisme Spoon & Tamago - Japanese Art, Design, and Culture What Japan Thinks - Surveys of Japanese People Niponica - Free Multilingual Magazine in HTML, PDF, or E-Book Nippon.com - Your Doorway to Japan
Music
JPop Asia - Asian Music Videos, Top Charts, Lyrics, & Forum Kasi-time - Lyric Search Utamap - Another Lyric Search utaten - Lyrics with Furigana Lyric Get - Copy Lyrics on Restricted Japanese Lyric Websites
Information
JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test Information JNTO - Japan National Tourism Organization JET Programme - Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Japanese Language Schools - List of language schools in Japan Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
Scholarships
JASSO - Japan Student Services Organization Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program - U.S. Citizens
Work
GaijinPot - Jobs and Other Information Japan Today Jobs - International Jobs in Japan Kansai Flea Market - Jobs, Classifieds Metropolis Classifieds O-Hayo Sensei - The Newsletter of (Teaching) Jobs in Japan White Companies - Information
Wanikani Extensions
KaniWani - Reverse WaniKani Duendecat - Sample Sentences from WaniKani Progress WaniKani to Anki Exporter
Misc
Free Japanese Kana and Kanji Fonts http://www.find-job.net/startup/ Convert Japanese Dates and Western Dates Japanese History - Wikibooks Japanese Ghost Stories - Hyakumonogatari Reading Speed, Comprehension and Eye Movements While Reading Japanese Novels - Scholarly Article Hinoki Project ไฝๅนด.jp/ - Japanese ๅนณๆ (Heisei) Year Lookup Math Symbols & Readings Traditional Colors of Japan - With Hex Values Color-sample - Colors in detail Onomatopoeia Picture Game - in Japanese Kanji Used in Important Documents Free Beautiful Handwriting - Handwriting Practice Sheets with Your Own Data
@godsllama
ใฟใใชใใใใซใกใฏ๏ผๅ ๆฐใงใใใ
ๆ่ฟใไปไบใฏๅฉใใใฆใใใใฉใๆผขๅญใใฃใฌใณใธใ็ถใใใฎใ้ ๅผตใ๏ผใใใ๏ผใใฎใฌใในใณ๏ผ๏ผใใพใ ๅงใใชใใฃใใ้ฑๆซใซๅงใใใโฆ้ ๅผตใ๏ผ
ใจใซใใใๆผขๅญใใฃใฌใณใธใๅฅฝใ๏ผ้ฃใใใฆใใฉใๆฅฝใใใ๏ผ
โ
What Iโve been doing to learn how to recognize kanji:
1. Pick apart the kanji and break it down into its components (also called โprimitivesโ in the RTK method, which are fully indexed on this blog). Reference Japandict and KanjiAlive for radicals to better understand how the kanji is put together. (Why this is easier than trying to memorize all the radicals)
2. Come up with a story that links the kanjiโs keyword with its components. If I canโt come up with my own story, check Kanji Koohii and/or Heisig.
3. If the keyword seems odd or hard to remember, copy/paste the kanji into jisho.org to see if thereโs a better meaning. Cross-reference this meaning with Heisigโs keywords (using this list) to avoid redundancy. (This article talks about renaming keywords a bit more.)
4. Edit the card in Anki during steps 2 and 3 as needed.
5. Do reviews in Anki.
โ
This article incorporates learning how to write the kanji during the above process:
Read through the story and write the kanji down, listing the primitives next to it.
Say the kanji characterโs story to yourself aloud while you write it and create a mental image of the story.
Go into Anki and do your review for the day. As you review each kanji, write it out on paper. If you get it wrong, re-read the characterโs story, write the kanji out again 2โ3 times, and say the story aloud as you write.
I have yet to try this, but I want to give it a shot. Recently, Iโve been growing more and more convinced of the utility of handwriting kanji to help learn them, differentiate them from each other, and make them stick in my long-term memory. (Check out this article!)
โ
Additional resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sspUdoV9Il0ย - A hilarious video by Chris (Abroad in Japan) about the RTK method
https://hochanh.github.io/rtk/rtk1-v6/index.html - Lists all 2200 kanji in volume 1 of RTK (the newest 6th edition) with links containing animated stroke order and stories from both RTK and Kanji Koohi
https://rtkwiki.koohii.com/wiki/Walkthrough - Tips from people who got through the RTK method successfully, organized by lesson
https://www.japandict.com/kanjiย - Wonderful online dictionary with different search functions, including by radical (what Heisig callsย โprimitivesโ)
https://kanjialive.com/214-traditional-kanji-radicals/ย - Full list of radicals
ใฟใใชใใใฏใใ๏ผ
I made these printable grid sheets for my own use, and thought I would share them here!
I couldnโt find grid paper that had interior lines in different colors, so I made my own. (I chose a light blue color for contrast without being too distracting.) I made these in Photoshop, and then saved them as images. Then, I printed them to PDF files. These are standard U.S. legal size (8.5โณ x 11โณ) sheets, but Tumblr shrunk them slightly.
The download links below will direct you to the PDF versions of these sheets (which are 8.5โณ x 11โณ). They are hosted on my Dropbox account. I hope these help you with writing practice! (I actually printed 1 of each and had them laminated so I could write on them with a dry erase marker and re-use them!)
If you have any suggestions for more printables, feel free to let me know! ^_^
DOWNLOAD:
5 mm grid paper: Dropbox
10 mm grid paper: Dropbox
How I Study Japanese Grammar
My process for studying Japanese from the Genki textbook hasnโt changed since my previous post about the subject (see the links at the end of this post). However, the format of my notes has changed - and this is what Iโm going to talk about in this post!
Keep reading

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How I Study with ใใใใใ
Iโve had some comments and questions asking how I study Japanese with the Genki textbook. I thought Iโd break it down in writing, and try to explain my method.
ๅงใใพใใใ๏ผ๏ฝ
Keep reading
heya! as iโve posted this morning, iโve prepared a #lockdownstudyblr challenge for anyone who has to stay inside! iโm lucky enough to go to work every morning but i figured this challenge could help you guys stay productive and help us to motivate ourselves all together! hereโs the prompt:
x day one : your to-do list
x day two : what are you studying at the moment ?
x day three : favourite subject
x day four : your dream job
x day five : show your notes!!
x day six : study routine
x day seven : your favourite motivation quote
x day eight : why did you join the studyblr community (explain your tumblr url) ?
x day nine : one thing you want to learn during this lockdown
x day ten : favourite stationeryย
x day eleven : favourite book
x day twelve : show us your desk/room!
x day thirteen : whatโs your method to be productive ?
x day fourteen : whoโs your favourite studyblr ?
x day fifteen : did you reach the goals you set for November ?
iโve done fifteen days for now, iโll see if you guys are interested for more if weโre still stuck at home !
the challenge will start tomorrow (12th of November) but you can start whenever you want :)
feel free to tag #lockdownstudyblr and #heyaly if you decide to do it โฅ
stay safe and take care !
- aly
studied particles and made a list of vocab thatโll be handy in my beginner conversations ๐ธ
evening hiragana and particle studies ! โ๏ธ
From Beginner to Intermediate: an intense plan for advancing in language
Introduction
I've studied Spanish at school for 3 years and now I'm at a low B1 level. I can actually understand pretty well while listening or reading but I can't communicate fluently.
This plan will include vocabulary build up, some grammar revision, a lot of listening, reading and writing. And could be used for the most languages, not only Spanish.
Plan
Every day:
Conjugate one verb in present, past and future tenses
Make a list about 10 - 30 words long
Create flashcards with them and start learning them (I use Quizlet for flashcards)
Revise yesterday's set of flashcards
2-3 times a week:
Read an article or a few pages from a book
Write a few sentences about anything in your target language
Listen to one episode of podcast (at least one)
Once a week or every two weeks:
Watch a movie in your target language, preferably animated movie as the language used there is easier. You can watch with subtitles
Grammar exercises
Translate some short text
Once a month:
Write something longer, like an essay or report, on chosen topic
Additionally:
Talk to yourself, to your friends, to your pets
Text with someone
Look at the transcription while listening to the podcast for second time
Repeat what you hear (in podcast or movie)
Check words you don't know from the listening and reading
Read out loud
Listen to music in your target language - you can even learn the text and sing along
Watch YouTube in your target language
Change your phone language to the one you're learning
Think in you target language!!!
***This is very intense plan for self-learners, you don't have to do all of these things in the given time. Adjust it to your own pace. I'll try to stick to this, if I have enough time.***

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Hello! I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you become proficient at handling conversations in Japanese/handling grammar very well? I read your post on the JLPT, and it addressed issues I have been tip toe-ing around--indeed, passive actions such as listening or reading are easier than the active ones. How did you go about that? Did you write a bunch of sentences daily? Did you have a conversation partner? What would you rec. to someone who lives outside Japan? Thank you!
This is an excellent question, and one that I get asked a lot irl by Japanese people in particular. Letโs talk about gaining fluency and the ways we can go about it!
How to Gain Fluency in Japanese (and Other Languages)
Speaking Fluency versus Accuracy
Language proficiency is divided into two separate categories:
Fluency: Although there are no widely agreed-upon definitions or measures of language fluency, someone is typically said to be fluent if their use of the language appears fluid, or natural, coherent, and easy as opposed to slow, halting use. In other words, fluency is often described as the ability to produce language on demand and be understood.
Accuracy: Correctness of language use, especially grammatical correctness and word choice.
By the above definitions, aย โfluentโ speaker may make grammatical mistakes, but they can speak without having to stop and think too much about conjugations, word choice, etc.
Anย โaccurateโ speaker can speak with nearly zero grammatical/word choice mistakes. However, the speed of their utterances isnโt generally taken into account, so it could take anย โaccurateโ person twice as long to articulate the same idea as aย โfluentโ person.ย
Ideally, you need to strike a good balance between these two qualities when speaking. I have a boss, God bless him, who is 100% fluency and 0% accuracy andโฆman is it hard to understand what heโs saying sometimes, but he can generally get his point across just barely.ย I have another coworker who is 100% accuracy and takes about 3 minutes to form a sentence because he wants it to be perfect.ย
How to Increase Speaking/Writing Accuracy
First, letโs talk about the easiest thing to improve, which is accuracy. Itโs also (in my opinion) the least fun thing to improve, because it means grammar books and vocabulary memorization.ย
You can only use a language accurately if you know what is correct and what is incorrect, and you can only learn that by studying grammar and vocabulary (or if youโre a native speaker and picked it up innately, you lucky bastard).
So hereโs some things you can do to increase your accuracy:
For example, if youโre having a hard time using the passive, you need to review that part of your textbook and find some exercises to drill it into your head.ย
Say the correct thing aloud. Lots. Sometimes I just walk around my apartment and narrate everything I see/do like a crazy person, but thatโs good practice.ย
Write example sentences using the grammar youโre struggling with and say them aloud too.ย
Thereโs a bunch of cool apps that connect you with native speakers that can help correct you too! I used to use HelloTalk, I think.ย
If youโre a creative soul, when I was studying for the JLPT, I took 1 grammar point and 5 vocabulary words from my JLPT study books and used them to write a 2-page short story about the adventures of ใใฎ, a stray black cat that smelled like green onions because she napped in an onion field. Then I had a Japanese friend check it over for me and mark mistakes. I hand-wrote them to improve my abysmal handwriting at the same time. It was really fun! I sometimes think about doing it again just for funsies.
When someone corrects you, donโt feel like your entire life is over and youโre a failure and youโll never get it right haha. Iโve seen people fall into that hopeless mindset, and thatโs just nonsense. Itโs a good opportunity for learning and nothing more! Say the correct thing youโve just been taught out loud, then write it down if you can. And, if possible, find a chance to use it in conversation asap.
How to Increase Speaking/Writing Fluency
Now this is the hard one. Especially for those learners who do not have native speakers nearby.ย
Iโm going to be dead honest with you. I started formally studying Japanese at uni, and I had a Japanese roommate/best friend since year one. I had a 4.0 GPA in my Japanese classes (and onlyย my Japanese classes lol) because I was and still am a MEGA NERD about it.ย
โฆBut it wasnโt until I studied abroad in Japan my 4th year of uni that I gained fluency.ย
There are a lot of things that can hold us back from fluency. An interesting thing Iโve noted is that Foreign Language is perhaps the only subject in which a studentโs personality can directly affect their progress. To gain fluency, you have to go forth and speak, but if you are naturally a shy person, that is going to hinder you. If you are the kind of person who takes mistakes/failures poorly, you will be less likely to take risks and try to say harder sentences. In contrast, you can get full marks in math regardless of the above personality traits.ย
Iโm not saying that you have to be an outgoing explosion of a human being in order to gain fluency. But what I am saying is that you have to be willing to seek out conversations, and you have to be willing to take chances. Get out of your comfort zone. Use that new word you picked up the other day. Try to explain something that is difficult for you.ย
My problem was that, while I lived with a native speaker who would have happily taught me anything I asked, her English proficiency was much higher than my Japanese proficiency. And when I struggled to say something in Japanese, Iโd fall back onto English. And when she told me something I didnโt understand in Japanese, sheโd repeat it in English instead of Japanese, because that was easier for us both. The same thing happened when I was in Japanese class as well. I always had the assurance that I could fall back on English.
But when I elected to study abroad in Japan for 3 months, I knew that this was my big chance. So on the host family form in theย โother requestsโ area, I wrote that I specifically wanted a host family that could not speak English. I was setting fire to my crutches, and I was scared but excited to see them burn.ย
By the end of my three months in Japan, I had gone fromย โChotto matte kudasaiโ and needing a minute to form my reply, toย โOkay, yeah I see that movie too and I liked the action scenes, butย I didnโt care for the story little.โ (Iโve underlined mistakes that I would have made in Japanese, to show you that I sacrificed some accuracy to obtain higher fluency.)
So, in short, the easiest and quickest way to increase your spoken fluency is to throw away all the crutches you can and use the language as much as possible. Every single day. Even if youโre just having an imaginary conversation with yourself! And like I said, there are a bunch of cool apps that connect you with Japanese people who want to learn English and you can do language exchanges with them. I had a lot of fun with those in the past.ย
As for increasing writing fluencyโฆwell. Thatโs a tough question with Japanese, because I can type Japanese at like 100 wpm, but my Japanese handwriting fluency is at a 10/100. I can read and type at the level of a native Japanese high school student, but I can only write the kanji that 7 year old can write. Thatโs no exaggeration.
The big reason for that dichotomy is that my work is paper-free. 100% of my work is done on screen, so about the only time I have to write out something is when Iโm filling out a form, which includes my name (katakana), address, and maybe occupation.ย
If you want to increase your Japanese handwriting speed, just keep on writing. Write those little short stories about ใใฎ like I did, or find some writing prompts (I just started a side-blog with writing prompts yesterday btw) or keep a little diary. Make opportunities to write.ย
How to Have Nice Handwriting in Japanese
Okay, full disclaimer: I am the absolute LAST person qualified to talk about this, because I have awful handwriting in Japanese.ย
Unless you have prior experience with a different language that uses kanji, or you lack the keen eye of an artist, you will likely struggle to develop neat handwriting.ย
Personally, I really like using this app called Japanese Kanji Sensei. Itโs on Android (not sure about iOS), and if you pay just a few bucks you can make your own kanji sets and stuff. Anyways, it will show you how to write the characters prettily. It gives you a good frame of reference for what nice, pencil/pen-written characters (versus calligraphy characters). It has hiragana and katakana on it too!
I get a stylus and write out the characters on this app for the muscle memory, so my hands remember the sensation of writing a certain character. (The muscle memory is different if you only use your fingertip.) This muscle memory and repetition is how Japanese people learn how to internalize kanji as well. I really enjoy and recommend this app. Iโm sure that there are others out there like it too.
Summary
TL;DR: Review your textbooks, take risks, use every resource available or make your own, and just have fun with it! ๐