Part of the reason for this is that Kanji actually originated in China and came to Japan many centuries ago. The Chinese are similar in this regard because they also don’t put spaces in between words. As such, the three forms of writing in Japanese (which of course includes Kanji) compliment each by actually helping put distinctions between words. Unlike a lot of western languages, the Japanese don’t actually put spaces between each word. Languages come from common use throughout time, which accounts for many odd or difficult elements. Only afterward are grammar and usage rules created.
Interesting fact: Languages develop first. Like any language, there are plenty of odd things that come about over time, yet that shouldn’t necessarily mean that it should be changed. So, just because Kanji might be hard for you to learn, it does not mean it should change. Definition from Merriam-Webster dictionary. Idiom-an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for “undecided”) or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way). Yet, many people learn English everyday just fine despite idioms being a foreign concept to some people of different languages and cultures. For instance, the English language includes idioms, which are sayings that mean something entirely different than what one actually means to say. In every language, including English, there are plenty of silly and unnecessary confusing phrases or rules. Though it’s understandable where these positions comes from, nonetheless they’re flawed. There are even some who would go as far as to say that the Japanese should drop Kanji altogether because it’s so hard to learn. Some Japanese language learners wonder why Kanji exists in the first place. Just Because Kanji Is Hard Doesn’t Mean We Shouldn’t Use It Why isn’t there something better and easier that won’t require you to memorize thousands of Kanji images? Why not just use Hiragana or something like that instead? It’s not surprising for those who are learning Japanese writing to wonder why Kanji is still being used despite it requiring a lot of work to learn. Sense Kanji is difficult to learn (we’ll get into some of the reasons why later) Japanese children at a young age instead focus on learning Hiragana and Katakana first. In most cases, children’s writings use Hiragana exclusively.
That being said, they are some exceptions in where Kanji is used sparingly. Kanji can make phrases and concepts that otherwise Hiragana or Katakana would be limited in doing.Įven though learning Kanji can be a difficult goal to achieve, it is certainly a necessary requirement to be able to live in daily Japanese life comfortably. It reduces complex or long sentences, by giving much needed structure as opposed to only Hiragana or Katakana usage. Kanji plays a vital role in the Japanese language in numerous ways. Unfortunately, considering the alluring prospect of abandoning Kanji altogether will be a useless endeavor since Kanji plays a vital role in the Japanese writing systems. When learning Japanese, one will quickly encounter how Kanji can be quite a mountain of work to muddle through, thus leading one to wonder if it’s even necessary to become literate in Japanese.