Quote: (04-27-2019 11:18 PM)monsquid Wrote:
Quote: (04-10-2019 01:01 AM)rogue Wrote:
Quote: (04-09-2019 12:31 PM)whiteknightrises Wrote:
Just focus on finishing all of the Pimsleur levels - worry about reading/writing later (you can just use Google Translate)
^^ assuming your goal is to talk to chicks face to face and not just write messages on dating apps.
I'm almost done with Pimsleur Level 3. There are 2 more levels to go. I learned most of hiragana and katakana over a few weekends. I also learned (and quickly forgot) a few hundred kanjis using Heisig method. Overall, I'm surprised how much worse my Japanese is than my French was after similar amount of study.
Heisig method is useless if you don't learn the compounds that actually make real words. Heisig is great for recognizing structure and becoming more familiat the Kanji but terrible for actual reading or writing. He even says so himself and released Vol. II which focuses on actually using it.
Not shitting on Heisig, just a warning so you're getting a balanced approach to Kanji. Better to learn slowly but mastering them vs. learning a lot without application.
I'm aware that literacy in Japanese requires more than memorizing Heisig's book. There are two things I like about the book. The first is that kanjis are no longer a random sets of strokes to me, but I see how they are built and have a clue about their meaning. The second is that it gives me a sense of progress and it's actually fun. I think of it as an aid that will accelerate learning from other resources.