Need Help with Kanji?

Kanji! The one thing many of us who study Japanese can seriously struggle with, don't worry you're not alone in that struggle! Now if you don't study Japanese, or just don't know what Kanji is... Kanji is the traditional Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. They can be a bit hard to tackle, being that it takes a good amount of strokes to write some of them and truthfully they can be a bit hard to remember... 

So here, to help you guys out a little.... 

 

 These are some simple Kanji that you can study and try to remember! Now to actually get these down, I have a few recommendations. But I must warn you all... it involves *gasp* studying. 

• Try learning one of these a day, or if that sounds like to much for you just try 2-3 of these a week. 
• Keep at it, and by that I mean don't just give up because they seem hard or confusing. 
• Write it as much as possible! You have to keep writing this, along with your hiragana until it feels natural, or else you might forget. 
• Look for kanji in Japanese writing, try reading Japanese news in Japanese.
• If you want to spend money, then I recommend buying flash cards with beginner level kanji and studying them as much as possible. 
• Remember why you wanted to learn Japanese in the first place and imagine how good it will feel when you have kanji down packed. This should help you get through any of those "I wanna give up..." moments. 

And for good measure... another kanji chart!

Something Sweet...

Everybody loves sweets, and I mean everybody! Of course we all don't have the same tastes in sweets, but that doesn't change that fact that we love them. Every wonder what people in Japan reach for when they're craving something sweet? Well, I've got a few good examples for you...

 

• Roll cakes: They're pretty popular in Japan and come in a wide array of colors and sizes. Now in Japan, extremely bright and odd coloring on a cake its really unpopular and actually unfavorable. So don't be surprised if you only see mutable coloring on baked goods.   

•   Meiji Chocolate: Everyone loves chocolate! Meiji is a yummy and easy to find chocolate candy that's pretty popular in Japan. 

• Macha Flavored...?: Macha flavoring is really popular in Japan. You can find macha flavored anything really. From ice cream to candies, to drinks and even candy bars. As a tip for any one with more of a western taste, macha ice cream wouldn't be too good if you're looking for something really sweet. The green tea flavoring can be kind of bitter, so it might surprise you a little. 

•  Pocky Sticks: Last but not least, the all popular Pocky! Now for any of you wondering, Pocky is a sweet biscuit, usually covered in chocolate. It comes in many different flavors though, from strawberry to macha. It's extremely popular in Japan and can be bought in many different countries.

Do you have anymore ideas of Japanese sweets that you don't see mentioned here? You can leave a comment talking about your favorite Japanese sweets too \^.^/ And don't forget to look out for the post next week!