Japanese Diary 36: the Five Stages of Learning Kanji

1. Denial
There are how many kanji in everyday use? Over two thousand? With tens of thousands more after that? And they almost all have more than one reading? That just can't be right!

2. Anger
Japanese has such a stupid writing system! Why can't they just use the alphabet like normal people?

3. Bargaining
If I just learn hiragana, katakana and a hundred or so kanji, that’ll get me by in most situations, right?

4. Depression
I’ll never do it. I may as well give up now.

5. Acceptance/Hope
Finally it’s starting to make sense. Sometimes these kanji are actually pretty useful…

I think I'm finally making it to 5, but with frequent relapses to 4 and 3.