How to learn kanji as a beginner

Most people who quit kanji quit in the second or third week, when the new characters pile on top of the ones that never stuck. A plan has to survive that.

Before kanji: kana

Learn hiragana and katakana first. They take one to three weeks. Kanji readings are written in kana, so without them every dictionary entry is a wall.

Meanings first, readings second

Each kanji has a meaning, usually several readings, and many words. Trying to learn all of that at once is what burns people out. A workable order:

1. Meaning. One keyword per kanji. 山 = mountain.
2. Words. Learn readings inside real words: 山 in 富士山 (Fuji-san), 火山 (kazan, volcano).
3. Reading Japanese. Graded readers, NHK News Web Easy, manga with furigana.

How many per day

Five to ten new kanji, plus reviews. Ten a day is roughly 300 a month on paper, but reviews grow quickly, so judge by the time it takes: 15 to 20 minutes a day is enough.

Which ones first

Start with the JLPT N5 set (about a hundred kanji: numbers, days, people, basic verbs). See the N5 list. These come up everywhere, so you get reinforcement from every page you read.

A week that works

• Monday to Friday: 5 new kanji, then the review queue.
• Saturday: no new kanji; only reviews and some reading.
• Sunday: rest, or a quiz on the week’s kanji.

Where the app fits

Kanji Mnemonics covers step one: a keyword, a story and a picture for each kanji, plus readings and example words, and a two-way quiz (keyword to kanji, kanji to keyword). Lesson 1 is free. It runs offline, so the train counts.

Very beautiful

Here and there a few improvements would make the app wonderfull! I already learned my first 5 kanji, i think some pictures or resemblance are not perfect but when done better it deserves a 5 stars

★★★★☆ App Store review, Austria, 16 September 2026, herohim · App Store

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