5.15.2009

Some Griping And A Question

A friend sent me a link to this site today (specifically the Yakuza pineapple post). The first thought that popped into my head was that it would be an excellent way for me to brush up on my written Japanese. The second thought that popped into my head was how completely ridiculous it is that having studied the language for a little more than 5 years, none of my instructors really taught Kanji. These weren't private lessons, but the Japanese language curriculum for Baltimore County.

To get an idea as to just how crazy that is, imagine taking an English class where you're taught to speak English, but only taught to read and write prefixes, suffixes, articles, and a handful of basic nouns, verbs, and particles (ex. days of the week, numbers, to run, to read, up, and down). Imagine studying English for over 5 years and being less literate than a kindergartner. Exactly.

At any rate, that's in the past. Right now I'm looking to refresh and improve my Japanese language skills. So, my question for you fine folks is this: Do you know (or have you heard) of any good study guides (preferably specifically for Kanji)?

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