I used to know how to write in Japanese
Marco Giancotti , August 15, 2025 Cover image: Kazuenokami Katō Kiyomasa Observing a Monkey with a Writing Brush, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi I recently came across a short essay about kanji—Japanese logographic characters—by a certain James W. Heisig. His point is that learning kanji presents two obstacles: remembering what the shapes mean and remembering how they are pronounced. And it is a bad idea, claims Heisig, to try learning both at the same time. Japanese children learn the spoken language fir