Can you write Japanese with only hiragana

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Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.Survive with just Hiragana?2011/6/26 20:51

This may have been asked before...but ''will I survive in Japan using just Hiragana?'' I plan on learning all of it; Hiragana, Katakan, Kanji, etc. (i.e. culture, calligraphy, etc.) but I was just wondering whether I'd survive in Japan using just Hiragana...because I know that children learn Hiragana first so all adults must be able to understand Hiragana just by itself, correct? So if I went to Japan and used just Hiragna, I'll be ok?

Again...I plan on learning as much as I can about Japan and it's epic-ness. :)

by OniRara

difficult or nearly impossible

there are of course some people who get by without knowing kanji or even japanese altogether in the big cities of japan but they are regarded poorly by basically everyone for being lazy/disrespectful.

you need at least some kanji to be able to make basic decisions in every day life.

for example you're waiting for a train but don't know what time it comes. there are 3 different types of train that stop at your station but all 3 are different services. without kanji you won't know if it's a local, express or special express train and may end up riding the wrong one. the service speed of the trains are usually written in kanji only. some stations have english but not all. out of tokyo it gets rarer.

by winterwolfrate this post as useful

Winterwolf made a very nice response. You simply can't survive with hiragana only as many kanji are simply considered basic knowledge, as much as hiragana.

by Psycho Mike (guest)rate this post as useful

If you are thinking of simply visiting/traveling, then knowing some handy phrases (including how to say thank you, or how to ask for directions) would help, but that is not even necessary.
If you are thinking of studying or living, I'd say hiragana alone would not do. At least you will need to memorize some common kanji combination as "signs" and learn to recognize place names and types of trains, etc. in kanji. Of course there are some "expats" in Tokyo who go with almost zero knowledge of the language, but those are special circumstances.
Some things are simply written in mixture of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. So if you write only hiragana, then it would make more sense to use romaji altogether. (Note that "romaji" is a Japanese writing system using western alphabets, and equal to hiragana in that it is all phonetic.)

by AKrate this post as useful

I would recommend learning at least hiragana, katakana and a couple of basic kanji. It would be nice to know where toilet is, wouldn't be? ;)
As the trains are concerned, all information is displayed in Japanese and in English so no need for learning such difficult kanji, imo.

by himciarate this post as useful

You're learner, so for now hiragana will lead you to certain extent, hiragana is a core of learning Japanese to greater pasture. and it would be fun for you to explore like a puzzle, wouldn't it? Some kanji you may come across will have furigana written next to it which is hiragana or some of the signs may have words printed in kanji and hiragana both. And often you'll see signs in Romaji. Some of the train stations in certain town may have signs in Hiragana so the younger school children who commute to school can read it and commute safely. Younger children haven't reached the capacity of learning all of the kanjis yet.
Most major cities have signs in Romaji (English.)

by umiumi (guest)rate this post as useful

I would recommend learning at least hiragana, katakana and a couple of basic kanji.

A couple can mean anywhere between 2 and dozens and hundreds, though!

by . (guest)rate this post as usefulGet the most out of it2011/6/28 01:11

Learn it all. Hiragana is Japanese based, Katakana is foreign based. Try and learn a Kanji a day AFTER learning both Hiragana and Katakana to the max.

Kanji isn't difficult to learn. Think of them as similar to our big words like 'chicken' or phrases like 'city centre'.

by Mogtakirate this post as useful

Excuse me, guys, are you sure?? I can't tell you how many expats I know who don't even know hiragana and has been living here in Japan for ages.

I think it all depends on your definition of "survive." If you have a proper job or status and don't expect too much out of life or know your way of relying to others, then I think you'll be okay.

But if you are trying to start a business or trying to collect information just as much as the locals do, then you not only need to learn kanji but you will need to know Japanese itself fluently. Otherwise, you should be able to hire a good interpreter.

In other words, if you're coming here on your company's expense or homestaying with a host family, I don't think you have to worry about "survival" in the first place. And if you know hiragana, you can at least survive as much as a 7 year old can.

by Uco (guest)rate this post as usefulbasic kanji2011/6/28 09:40

A couple can mean anywhere between 2 and dozens and hundreds, though!

I would say a basic 50 (just to read / know the meaning) like kanjis for woman, man, body parts, numbers etc.

by himciarate this post as useful

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