Learn Japanese Kanji online

[betita03]

There are lots of places online where we can learn basic Japanese Kanji but can we easily apprehend Kanji online. Maybe we can understand it better if  Japanese kanji is taught offline by a tutor. Is learning Japanese kanji online a good idea?

[linguaholic]

It is definitely a good idea.

The best homepage to study kanji online for me is : http://kanji.koohii.com/

Register for free and get going.

-->this homepage is following/applying the "heisig" study approach. If you are not familiar with that, you can either use the search function here in the forums or you can read about it by checking the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembering_the_Kanji_and_Remembering_the_Hanzi

[Czarownica]

I don't think tutor can help you much in learning kanji anyway. Learning online is not a bad idea, but you need a site that will have:

1) stroke order

2) readings

3) example use (some people argue that it's optional, but I think that if you just learn kanji in vacuum, without the practical examples, you'll forget it fast)

4) meanings

As much as I loved "Remembering the Kana", I think "Remembering the Kanji" is not very good, at least as a main textbook. It doesn't have the stroke order and the list of meaning and readings is quite limited.

I don't think I really know a good kanji learning site, but if somebody could recommend something, I'd be grateful. Personally, I recommend getting a normal textbook and use it for self-study.

[Amatenshi]

Do any of you have an Android device? If so, I recommend you check out Obenkyo, the app I've used in the past.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Obenkyo&hl=en

It has a whole lot of kanji, including the stroke order. The only other thing I'd want from it is information about radicals. That's probably the one thing it doesn't have, if I recall. It also includes a particle guide, as well as Tae Kim's grammar guide.

I may do a separate, more in-depth topic for Obenkyo, since there seems to be a section for learning apps.

As far as other learning materials go, there's also Anki, that one flash card thing with all sorts of decks you can download, as well as the ability to make your own should you want to for any reason. I've heard that some of my friends make use of Kanjidamage as well. It has some irreverent and often humorous mnemonics for memorizing individual kanji (check out at your own risk).

[thestarsshine]

Amatenshi, thank you so much for recommending Obenkyou! I have been wanting an app that helps me learn kanji for a really long time. And you can practice drawing them in the app too, that is awesome! I hate having to waste a lot of paper just for kanji practice.

God, I love my phone.

[OddVisions]

I think learning the Kanji online is a good idea, but you must make sure that it covers all of the bases like stroke orders and meanings. A good idea is finding one that also has similar kanji as footnotes or something akin to that idea available on the site. That is not to say I don't think a tutor would help, but both are good ideas.