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Dude, why are you so stubborn? Have you ever tried to learn those languages? Do you really think that learning 20~30 simple characters is on the same level of d

Dude, why are you so stubborn? Have you ever tried to learn those languages? Do you really think that learning 20~30 simple characters is on the same level of difficulty as learning 2000~4000 characters, some of them very complex? But sure, Japanese and Chinese people think that kanji is hard because the media told them, not because they had to spend several hours a day of study for 12 years just to reach basic fluency. > You might be right that it takes 12 years for the average kid to learn a particular set of Kanji but that's a very arbitrary standard applied to a language that does not demand you know all of those Kanji to be functional in society. 12 years is what it takes to learn the joyo kanji list (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_j%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_kanji https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_j%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_kanji) (I don't know the Chinese equivalent), a set of 2136 which is considered the *minimum* to function in modern society, what you will find in newspapers and government publication. Can you do with less than that? Maybe, but it won't be easy.

dheera 5y ago
> Dude, why are you so stubborn? Personal attacks not appreciated here > Have you ever tried to learn those languages? Yes? I grew up with both Chinese and English? What gave you the impression I was saying stuff out of nowhere? > Do you really think that learning 20~30 simple characters is on the same level of difficulty as learning 2000~4000 characters, some of them very complex? Yes. I'm happy to elaborate as to why I think so but if you're only going to stand on the opposite side and not interested in even trying to understanding my perspective it's a waste of time on my part. > a set of 2136 which is considered the minimum to function in modern society For an adult, fine, but (a) "number of characters remembered" not a good way to measure the ability to function, any more than "number of SAT/GRE words memorized" to an English speaker, and (b) to function at an 8-year-old level in society you most definitely don't need 2136 characters. An 8-year-old in an English speaking country would trip up trying to read The Economist as well.
- pezezin 5y ago
  Ok, then maybe you are a genius, because everybody else has told me how painful it was to learn all the characters. I'm going through the process myself, and while sometimes I enjoy it, there is no point in denying that it is way more difficult than learning an alphabet-based language.

dheera 5y ago

> Dude, why are you so stubborn? Personal attacks not appreciated here > Have you ever tried to learn those languages? Yes? I grew up with both Chinese and English? What gave you the impression I was saying stuff out of nowhere? > Do you really think that learning 20~30 simple characters is on the same level of difficulty as learning 2000~4000 characters, some of them very complex? Yes. I'm happy to elaborate as to why I think so but if you're only going to stand on the opposite side and not interested in even trying to understanding my perspective it's a waste of time on my part. > a set of 2136 which is considered the minimum to function in modern society For an adult, fine, but (a) "number of characters remembered" not a good way to measure the ability to function, any more than "number of SAT/GRE words memorized" to an English speaker, and (b) to function at an 8-year-old level in society you most definitely don't need 2136 characters. An 8-year-old in an English speaking country would trip up trying to read The Economist as well.

pezezin 5y ago
Ok, then maybe you are a genius, because everybody else has told me how painful it was to learn all the characters. I'm going through the process myself, and while sometimes I enjoy it, there is no point in denying that it is way more difficult than learning an alphabet-based language.