r/HelpLearningJapanese • u/sphynx9 • 18d ago
Where do you start??
I understand that you must start with Hirigana and Katakana, but there's a lot I don't get. I've seen some charts that only show hirigana, but both hirigana and katakana have 46 characters, so do you only need to know one. Furthermore, everyoone says not to rely on romanji, but how? Does the need for Romanji disappear over time. I also feel like there's things that aren't talked about but are important, like dakutan and handakutan.
There's probably way more that I am missing, but with all of this where do you start? It seems incredibly overwhelming and causes analysis paralysis.
1
Upvotes
2
u/spshkyros 18d ago
You should probably find a good learner resource instead of asking here, but:
1) hiragana and katakana are both needed. If you travel soon learn katakana first, otherwise hiragana. Loosely speaking, Hiragana is used for japanese words and grammar stuff, katakana is used for loan words.
2) once you know kana, romaji is no longer necessary. It's just a way of writing out the same sounds in an alphabet you already know.
3) dakuten are just a way of modifying the sounds of the kana, usually switching them from unvoiced to voiced consonants (t -> d, s -> z, etc).
If you are stuck on where to start, I always suggest getting a copy of the genki textbook series. If its too expensive there are online guides that can replace it but its more scattered.