Do I need to learn kanji?
This is a loaded question. Accordingly, the answer is both "yes" and "no."
The first thing we need to do is define what exactly is meant by the word "learn" in this case. Let's be more specific.
Person #1: My goal is to reach a high level of Japanese proficiency, read manga, get a job at a Japanese company that requires the use of Japanese, and so on.
Person #2: I just want to travel around Japan, make friends, and so on.
Person #3: I don't want to read books, translate, or any of that, but I do want to be good enough at Japanese to enjoy TV shows, have complex discussions, and so on.
Person #4: I want to be as good as a native adult Japanese speaker at every aspect of the Japanese language.
If you're Person #1 or #4, kanji are essential. You can choose to start studying kanji using mnemonics or start studying kanji organically. I prefer starting with mnemonics, but either option is open to you. (More on the "mnemonic VS organic" distinction in just a little bit.)
If you're Person #2 or #3, kanji aren't as important. That said, if you use materials like ours, which include kanji (don't worry, we always have kana breakdowns), then you'll probably end up learning to read kanji eventually anyway (=organic acquisition). It will take longer to get used to kanji than it would using mnemonics, but on the plus side, you don't have to spend several months essentially preparing to learn Japanese at an accelerated rate.
Speaking of learning kanji at an accelerated rate...
Complete and Continue
The first thing we need to do is define what exactly is meant by the word "learn" in this case. Let's be more specific.
Person #1: My goal is to reach a high level of Japanese proficiency, read manga, get a job at a Japanese company that requires the use of Japanese, and so on.
- Do I need to learn how to read kanji?
- Yes.
- Do I need to learn how to write kanji?
- No.
Person #2: I just want to travel around Japan, make friends, and so on.
- Do I need to learn how to read kanji?
- No.
- Do I need to learn how to write kanji?
- No.
Person #3: I don't want to read books, translate, or any of that, but I do want to be good enough at Japanese to enjoy TV shows, have complex discussions, and so on.
- Do I need to learn how to read kanji?
- Probably.
- Do I need to learn how to write kanji?
- No.
Person #4: I want to be as good as a native adult Japanese speaker at every aspect of the Japanese language.
- Do I need to learn how to read kanji?
- Yes.
- Do I need to learn how to write kanji?
- Yes.
If you're Person #1 or #4, kanji are essential. You can choose to start studying kanji using mnemonics or start studying kanji organically. I prefer starting with mnemonics, but either option is open to you. (More on the "mnemonic VS organic" distinction in just a little bit.)
If you're Person #2 or #3, kanji aren't as important. That said, if you use materials like ours, which include kanji (don't worry, we always have kana breakdowns), then you'll probably end up learning to read kanji eventually anyway (=organic acquisition). It will take longer to get used to kanji than it would using mnemonics, but on the plus side, you don't have to spend several months essentially preparing to learn Japanese at an accelerated rate.
Speaking of learning kanji at an accelerated rate...
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