Attention all current or potential kanji learners!

I have just posted an updated guide for how to use the KLC to learn kanji through extensive reading.

This guide updates and unifies the instructions across all components of the KLC series. In particular, it overhauls the instructions to reorganize your learning process around extensive reading of N+1 comprehensible input.

This revised approach is grounded in the contemporary scholarship on language acquisition and literacy learning. The guide requires 10-15 minutes to read, but I believe it will save you a great deal of time in the long run.

Note that the guide supersedes the instructions given on pages 24-25 of the KKLC, which were written before the other parts of the series came into existence.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions. These were extremely helpful. Please send me your critical feedback on this guide, thank you.

This post contains concrete tips aimed at contributing real value to your Japanese learning process. This information is especially relevant for users of the KLC Graded Reading Sets series, which is designed specifically to help you apply these tips in a rigorous fashion.

Why you should learn kanji (and Japanese in general) through graded, comprehensible reading:

1. Language acquisition occurs through the comprehension of messages (VanPatten 2007) (<<References are listed at the end of this post). As the GRS series illustrates, your greatest ally in attaining such comprehension is to see a translation in your first language (Butzkamm 2003). And so to accelerate your learning, you should read large amounts of material that you can understand with the help of glosses in your first language, or at least a language you can read fluently (for simplicity, I will just say “L1” from here on).
   
2. You will learn most efficiently when each sentence you read presents you with a new challenge that is a single step beyond your current level (“n+1”). For this reason, graded readings are more effective than unstructured immersion.
   
3. While immersion in Japanese is of course paramount, do not fall for the old orthodoxy that your L1 must be excluded from this immersion. After all, your L1 is what puts the “comprehensible” in “comprehensible input”!  For in-depth information on why it is misguided to pursue pure, Japanese-only immersion (without regular leveraging of your L1), I highly recommend a book out of Germany entitled The Bilingual Reform (I especially recommend this book if you work in language instruction).
   
4. The preceding three points illustrate why unstructured, monolingual immersion in Japanese is ineffective:
   • It is not carefully graded to present material you can comprehend
   • It does not present new material in an efficient, n+1 fashion
   • It fails to leverage your L1 to maximize comprehension
5. In your immersion, you should first attempt to “actively puzzle out” the meaning of words and phrases, before reading the L1 gloss.
   
6. As with any process, the success of your language learning relies on continuous iterations of application and corrective feedback. With kanji, for example, you should immediately practice reading each kanji you learn, using sentences you can understand, and correcting mistakes immediately.
   
7. To become competent in a language, you need massive exposure to the full range of linguistic facts about that language. Many of these facts fall in a middle zone of semi-regular “phraseology” that lies between discrete vocabulary and rule-governed grammar (Butzkamm & Caldwell 2009). For this reason, you should not rely only on a combination of grammar study and SRS memorization of kanji & vocabulary. It is essential to massively consume authentic phrases and texts, graded to your level and supplemented with translations in your L1.
   
8. Even for learning rule-based grammar, the best approach is not to consciously study the rules, but to read illustrative sentences that you can make sense of with the help of an L1 translation (Elley 1991).
   
9. Generally speaking, it is better to learn kanji and vocabulary in the context of authentic phrases and sentences than to memorize SRS flash cards. Flash cards that are limited to short definitions provide only a shallow knowledge of each word’s meaning and usage (Krashen 1989).
   
10. It is essential to read authentic phrases and sentences so that you will learn how kanji are actually used while you are still in the process of learning them. If not, you will be unable to critically reflect on your own kanji learning process. Too many students spend months studying kanji out of context, blindly following one prescribed method or another without reading enough real material to understand what matters and what doesn’t. As a result, they are unable to critically evaluate their own learning process and correct course along the way.

Now, a few tips on how to use the KLC method to learn Japanese effectively through n+1 comprehensible input:

1. When studying each kanji in the KLC book, try to “actively puzzle out” the meaning of each vocabulary word/phrase based on the constituent kanji, before you read its English equivalent.
   
2. After finishing one or more kanji entries in the KLC, read the graded reading sets for those kanji (if it’s inconvenient to go back and forth, just split these tasks into separate time blocks).
   
3. When you see the kanji heading for each set, try to recall its meaning(s), and actively make the connection in your mind between form and meaning. In particular, focus on what distinguishes that kanji from similar ones, and how you can associate that feature with the kanji’s meaning.
   
4. Try to decode the reading and meaning of each exercise without referring to its phonetic and English glosses. Use Scrolling Mode to hide the glosses. Actively puzzle things out!
   
5. Read each item ALOUD several times. Complete the circle from brain, to tongue, to ears, back to brain.
   
6. Often you won’t be able to figure out one or more words, or the meaning of the item as a whole. Don’t worry—just focus on puzzling out the parts you can. Challenging items contribute more to your learning than easy items do.
   
7. Now check the phonetic gloss to make sure you have read the item correctly. If you read a word incorrectly, read it aloud several times with correct pronunciation. Then read the entire item aloud a couple more times, to reinforce. Corrective feedback is the MVP of your learning process.
   
8. Now read the English gloss to check your comprehension.
   
9. Now re-read the item, for both understanding and correct pronunciation. Using the new insights you gain from the English gloss, do more active deciphering of the words and how they fit together to make the overall meaning of the sentence/phrase.
   
10. Use the built-in J-E dictionary to look up unfamiliar words and read additional example sentences. This will help you better understand how the word is used, better understand the kanji it contains, and learn additional Japanese to boot. All of this learning is superpowered from the fact that it’s contextual.
    
11. Now look away from the book/app, and try to convey the information aloud to an imaginary listener (in chunks if necessary).
    
12. When you can’t figure out the Japanese text word-for-word (even after looking up the words), just focus on understanding the gist of each item, and how the target kanji is used within it.
    
13. To reinforce your learning, re-read the exercises every ten sets or so.

I  hope some of these tips will help you on your way.  Best wishes for a productive summer of learning and growing.
 
Andrew

References

Butzkamm, W. (2003). We only learn language once. The role of the mother tongue in FL classrooms: Death of a dogma. Language Learning Journal 28 (29-39).

Butzkamm, W., & Caldwell, J. A. (2009). The bilingual reform: A paradigm shift in foreign language teaching. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag.

Elley, W. B. (1991). Acquiring literacy in a second language: The effect of book‐based programs. Language learning, 41(3), 375-411.

Krashen, S. (1989) We acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional evidence for the input hypothesis. Modern Language Journal 73, 440-464.

VanPatten, B., Keating, G. D., & Wulff, S. (Eds.). (2020). Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction. Routledge.

VanPatten, B. (2007). Input Processing in Adult Second Language Acquisition. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (p. 115–135).

こんにちは！I hope your summer is off to a good start.

Volume 9 is done!
I am pleased to announce that I have released the FINAL volume of the KLC Graded Reading Sets, Volume 9. Please take advantage of this Opening Day Sale (30%), which will expire at the end of Wednesday, June 24, 2020 Hawaii time.

Volume 9 consists of 5,338 exercises covering KLC kanji 1901-2300. In all, it contains over 66,368 kanji—more than a quarter of the kanji in the entire series. At the sale price of 6.99 USD, that’s 95 instances of kanji practice per US cent.

If you have a chance, I would most sincerely appreciate your help with getting the word out about the Opening Weekend Sale on your favorite online forums using one of the sharing buttons. Thank you very much!!!

Vol. 2 paperback release and sale!
Sincere thanks to the many people who have requested paperback versions of the GRS series. I’m pleased to announce that I have released the second paperback of the KLC Graded Reading Sets, for Volume 2, which will also be on sale through the end of Wednesday, Hawaii time.  During this sale, the book will be sold at the Amazon-imposed minimum price for your marketplace, based on their printing and processing costs.

The paperbacks are handy for re-reading the material with a traditional book, away from distracting electronic devices. The paperback format has been optimized in various ways to offer a superior experience to reading a printout of the electronic version, and to require much less paper.

Thank you for helping spread the word, and best wishes for a productive summer of learning and growing.

Warmly,
Andrew Conning

First paperback release
I hope everyone is doing OK. I am writing to announce that I have released the first paperback of the KLC Graded Reading Sets, for Volume 1. It took many iterations, but I’m very pleased with how it came out.

Please take advantage of this Opening Weekend Sale, which will expire at the end of Monday, Hawaii time. If you already bought the Vol 1 paperback before reading this, you got the sale price.

This time the discount is an odd 22.5% off the planned regular price. The reason for the strange number is that I’m using the absolute minimum price imposed by Amazon to cover their printing & processing costs, so I couldn’t discount it any further.

If you have a chance, I would most sincerely appreciate your help with getting the word out about the sale on your favorite online forums. Thank you very much!!!

If you don’t yet have the ebook for Volume 1, keep in mind that the ebook is FREE. The purpose of the paperback is to give you a way to do reviewing or self-testing away from distracting electronic screens. The paperback format has been optimized in various ways to offer a superior experience to reading a printout of the electronic version, and to require far less paper.

Needless to say, looking up unfamiliar words will be less convenient with a paperback than with ebook readers, which have one-tap dictionary lookup. But one may perhaps get the best of both worlds by using the ebook the first time through, and then using the paperback version for offline self-testing without lookups.

How are you learning kanji, kanji-based vocabulary, and reading in general?
Whatever I might have to say about kanji learning, the real experts on how to learn kanji in 2020 are the folks reading this. I am very interested to learn about your experience with the KLC approach, and how it is working for you. How much do you supplement with SRS flash cards? To what extent has the GRS supplanted SRS in your personal learning system, if at all? How much time do you spend writing kanji out by hand? If you could start your kanji learning over again, what would you do differently?

Please share your reflections on the KLC User Group on Facebook, or by using the contact form on this site. If you are willing, I might like to you to share your thoughts as a guest blog post, to help maximize the impact of your ideas.

Stay well,
ASC

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is hanging in there. I send my heartfelt thanks to anyone out there who is working in medical care, medical research, or any one of the many front-line and other essential jobs that are keeping us alive through this.

I feel especially humble not to be contributing through such a job at this time. Yet we all must do our small part. For a few weeks now I have owed KLC users a release of Volume 8 of the Graded Reading Sets, which was due out last month. With apologies for the delay, I am pleased to announce that it is now available on KDP and iBooks.

Please take advantage of this Opening Weekend Sale (30%), which will expire at the end of Monday, May 11, Hawaii time:

Amazon Kindle (mobi)

Apple iBooks (epub)

Volume 8 consists of 4,108 exercises covering all KLC kanji 1601-1900. In all, it contains over 45,200 kanji—more than Volumes 1-4 put together. 

See this page for links to other volumes.

If you have a chance, I would most sincerely appreciate your help with getting the word out about this Opening Weekend Sale on your favorite online forums. Thank you very much.

I wish you all good health and progress in your studies.

Warmly,
Andrew Conning

I hope you all are safe and well during this terrible global health crisis. I post this update troubled with thoughts of how people and communities around the world are being affected right now.

This post is mainly to announce that I have released Volume 7 of the KLC Graded Reading Sets. Please take advantage of this Opening Weekend 30% Discount, which will expire at the end of Monday, March 23, Hawaii time:

Amazon Kindle / Apple iBooks

Volume 7 consists of 4,013 exercises covering all KLC kanji 1301-1600. In all, it contains over 36,000 kanji, with increasingly complex and stimulating material that builds gradually on Volume 6. 

If you have a chance, I most sincerely appreciate your help with getting the word out about the Graded Reading Sets on your favorite online forums related to learning Japanese. Thanks so very much.

Previously announced updates to Volumes 1-5
Amazon has now pushed out my last round of updates, so your content should now be updated if your auto update setting is enabled. Instructions on how to enable auto updates for either Kindle or iBooks can be found at keystojapanese.com/ebookupdates. 

Learning Kanji Through Extensive Reading
Ever since I finished the KLC textbook, I wanted to create some kind of kanji-graded reader like the GRS. I felt it would be more conducive to actual literacy to absorb kanji by reading them in their natural usage and context—after having learned their components and basic meaning(s)—than by rotely memorizing flash cards.

As you know, the resulting GRS series has drastically reoriented the entire KLC approach toward learning kanji in the context of reading (although it had already been focused on learning kanji in the context of vocabulary). I recently updated the KLC series homepage (keystojapanese.com) to reflect the new orientation, and to try to introduce more people to the idea of learning kanji through extensive reading. I will be posting blogs on this and using the site to try to nudge the field in that direction. If you think other learners might gain from learning about this approach, I would be very grateful if you could link to keystojapanese.com from your blog/social media, or on online forums for Japanese learners. Thanks very much for your support.

I wish you strength and health over the coming months as we try to make it through this 新型(しんがた)コロナ crisis. 

Warmly,
Andrew Conning