Comments on: Learning Kanji – It’s Called Literacy, Dumbass! http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html reinventing web 3.0 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:06:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Kyle http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-876 Kyle Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:30:32 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-876 You'll be happy to know that 匁 is being removed from the latest 常用漢字 list. :-) Hmm, am I weird for easily recognizing everything in 国立造幣局 except 造? You’ll be happy to know that 匁 is being removed from the latest 常用漢字 list. :-)

Hmm, am I weird for easily recognizing everything in 国立造幣局 except 造?

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-872 Anonymous Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:58:20 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-872 Heh, I had to look up 匁 in my kanji dictionary to remember what it meant. What's amusing is that its definition - old unit of weight - includes its equivalent in DRAMS. Which is an equally obscure word in English. I mean, the only people who would really need to measure 1/16 of an ounce (dram) would probably be using metric anyway. For the sake of completion, 匁 is equal to 2.117 drams. Heh, I had to look up 匁 in my kanji dictionary to remember what it meant. What’s amusing is that its definition – old unit of weight – includes its equivalent in DRAMS. Which is an equally obscure word in English. I mean, the only people who would really need to measure 1/16 of an ounce (dram) would probably be using metric anyway. For the sake of completion, 匁 is equal to 2.117 drams.

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-670 Anonymous Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:21 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-670 I don't really understand the pointof this. So we're saying that a small percentage of the kanji we don't need to know. But we're not allowed to tell ourselves this in case they crop up somewhere? Er, pass the frequency table ... I don't really understand the pointof this. So we're saying that a small percentage of the kanji we don't need to know. But we're not allowed to tell ourselves this in case they crop up somewhere? Er, pass the frequency table …

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-595 Anonymous Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:28:00 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-595 Interestingly enough in the questionnaires a lot of people can't read jouyou kanji in isolation but can read a lot in the context of words. There are about 20 jouyou kanji that most Japanese can't read. Interestingly enough in the questionnaires a lot of people can't read jouyou kanji in isolation but can read a lot in the context of words. There are about 20 jouyou kanji that most Japanese can't read.

]]> By: Karl Henrik Falck http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-594 Karl Henrik Falck Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:47:00 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-594 Anonymous,<br />I think being literate in Japanese means being able to at least read common fiction and non-fiction books and newspapers, and for that you need to be able to read words written using "all" (all minus a handful of useless ones) joujou kanji (plus some more). I guess you could argue what constitutes "knowing" a kanji, and that literacy is quantifiable and not absolute, but basically yes, I think that not being able to read all the jouyou kanji constitutes illiteracy in Japanese. I don't think you need to know the stroke orders. I'd love to read your dissertation... :) Anonymous,
I think being literate in Japanese means being able to at least read common fiction and non-fiction books and newspapers, and for that you need to be able to read words written using "all" (all minus a handful of useless ones) joujou kanji (plus some more). I guess you could argue what constitutes "knowing" a kanji, and that literacy is quantifiable and not absolute, but basically yes, I think that not being able to read all the jouyou kanji constitutes illiteracy in Japanese. I don't think you need to know the stroke orders. I'd love to read your dissertation… :)

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-593 Anonymous Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:05:00 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-593 I am writing my dissertation on Japanese litearcy. Do you relly think not knowing all the jouyou kanji constitutes illiteracy? I don't. I am writing my dissertation on Japanese litearcy. Do you relly think not knowing all the jouyou kanji constitutes illiteracy? I don't.

]]> By: justin http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy.html#comment-573 justin Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:43:00 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2008/08/learning-kanji-its-called-literacy-dumbass.html#comment-573 I can't agree more, these folks are not worth debating. If you actually are learning so slowly or unintensively that knowing which "20 to 50" kanji on the list are "not necessary" is invaluable information to you, you're never going to get anywhere near literate IN YOUR LIFETIME anyway so just forget it and find a new hobby. I say: don't like having this little list as an invaluable kick start of stuff to learn ASAP, ? Okay fine. Shut up about it and go pick a random assortment of 2,000 out of a 60,000 kanji dictionary and tell me how spotty your coverage of a newspaper is when you are done. I can't agree more, these folks are not worth debating. If you actually are learning so slowly or unintensively that knowing which "20 to 50" kanji on the list are "not necessary" is invaluable information to you, you're never going to get anywhere near literate IN YOUR LIFETIME anyway so just forget it and find a new hobby. I say: don't like having this little list as an invaluable kick start of stuff to learn ASAP, ? Okay fine. Shut up about it and go pick a random assortment of 2,000 out of a 60,000 kanji dictionary and tell me how spotty your coverage of a newspaper is when you are done.

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