Kanji Kickstart: Putting It Together with Short Texts (Recognition and Writing Practice)

How this chapter works (recognition + writing in one loop)

You already know the building blocks (radicals/components), common layouts, stroke-order rules, meaning hints, and reading behaviors. Here you will integrate them by working with short, controlled texts. Each activity follows the same loop:

• Scan: identify radicals/patterns and predict meaning/word class.
• Read: read the text with furigana support (kana above kanji).
• Check: answer quick comprehension questions.
• Rewrite: write a small set of target kanji, focusing on structure and distinguishing features.

Rule for this chapter: the texts use only previously taught high-utility kanji (numbers, time/calendar, people/roles, nature/places, movement/everyday actions) plus kana. If you see a word you don’t know, treat it as a vocabulary issue, not a kanji-decoding issue—your job is to decode the kanji accurately and write it cleanly.

Quick setup: your “scan checklist”

Before reading each text, do a 10–20 second scan and mark (mentally or on paper):

• Layout: left-right / top-bottom / enclosure.
• Key component: the part that anchors meaning or category (e.g., person-related, place-related).
• Risk pairs: any kanji you personally confuse (e.g., 日 vs 目, 月 vs 肉-style component, 木 vs 本).
• Write focus: one feature per target kanji (a hook, a crossing, a spacing rule).

Activity 1: Mini-dialogue (meeting time)

1) Pre-reading component scan

Scan these kanji in the dialogue: 今 日 何 時 分 行 先 生 学 校 山 川.

• Mark which are time (e.g., 今, 日, 時, 分).
• Mark which are people/roles (e.g., 先生).
• Mark which are places/nature (e.g., 学校, 山, 川).
• Pick 2 kanji you will rewrite later and decide one structure checkpoint for each (example: “left side narrower than right side”).

2) Read (with furigana)

A: 今いま、何なん時じですか。

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B: 九きゅう時じ五ご分ふんです。

A: じゃ、学がく校こうへ行いきます。

B: 先せん生せいは山やまと川かわへ行いきます。

3) Comprehension questions

• What time is it?
• Where is A going?
• Where is the teacher going?

4) Targeted rewriting (structure + distinguishing features)

Rewrite these kanji 3 times each, slowly, with a box grid if possible: 時 分 行 校.

Micro-drill: write 時 once, then write 日 once. Compare: is 日 inside 時 square and closed? If it looks like 目, fix the internal spacing.

Activity 2: Sign reading (simple public notice)

1) Pre-reading component scan

Scan: 入 出 口 右 左 山 川 上 下.

• Circle any direction/location kanji: 右 左 上 下.
• Underline any enclosure/edge risk: 口 must be closed and boxy.
• Choose one pair to discriminate while writing: 入 vs 人 (if you confuse them), or 右 vs 左.

2) Read (with furigana)

入いり口ぐち：右みぎ

出で口ぐち：左ひだり

山やまは上うえ、川かわは下した

3) Comprehension questions

• Which side is the entrance?
• Which side is the exit?
• Where is the mountain (up/down)? Where is the river (up/down)?

4) Targeted rewriting

Rewrite 入 出 口 右 左 2 times each. Then do the discrimination drill below.

Discrimination drill (write in pairs, 5 lines total): 右 左 / 右 左 / 右 左 / 右 左 / 右 左

Checkpoints:

• 口: keep it closed; top line should not float.
• 右/左: protect the internal placement—don’t let the inside box drift.
• 出: stack clearly; don’t compress into one shape.

Activity 3: Schedule note (calendar + movement)

1) Pre-reading component scan

Scan: 月 火 水 木 金 土 日 午 前 後 行 来 休.

• Identify the weekday set and check you can read them as a group.
• Mark time markers: 午前, 午後.
• Pick one writing risk: 木 vs 本, or 来 vs similar shapes you confuse.

2) Read (with furigana)

月げつ：午ご前ぜんは学がく校こうへ行いく。

火か：午ご後ごに山やまへ行いく。

水すい：休やすみ。

木もく：先せん生せいが来くる。

3) Comprehension questions

• On which day do you go to school in the morning?
• On which day do you go to the mountain in the afternoon?
• Which day is a rest day?
• Who comes on Thursday?

4) Targeted rewriting

Rewrite 午 前 後 休 来 3 times each.

One-minute speed check: write 午前 and 午後 five times each, alternating lines. Your goal is consistent spacing, not speed.

Activity 4: Short message (people + places + time)

1) Pre-reading component scan

Scan: 友 先 生 学 校 今 日 明 行 来.

• Mark the time words: 今日, 明日.
• Mark the people words: 友, 先生.
• Choose two kanji to rewrite that you tend to “over-round” or “over-compress.”

2) Read (with furigana)

友ともだちへ：

今きょう日、学がく校こうへ行いきますか。

明あ日した、先せん生せいは来きますか。

3) Comprehension questions

• What two questions is the writer asking?
• Which day is mentioned besides today?

4) Targeted rewriting

Rewrite 明 友 先 生 2 times each, then write the two full words 今日 and 明日 3 times each as connected vocabulary (not isolated kanji).

Shape checks:

• 明: keep the two parts clearly separated; don’t let them touch.
• 先: protect the top vs bottom contrast; don’t flatten the top.
• 生: keep the central vertical stable; cross strokes should be level.

Cumulative review set (mix all themes)

Use this as a final integrated drill. Do it in three passes: (1) scan only, (2) read aloud, (3) rewrite targets.

Review Text A (announcement)

1) Scan

Identify time/place/action kanji: 今 日 午 後 学 校 休 行.

2) Read

今きょう日の午ご後ご、学がく校こうは休やすみです。山やまへ行いきます。

3) Questions

• When is the school closed?
• Where will they go?

4) Rewrite targets

Rewrite 午後 学校 休 行 once each, then write the full sentence’s kanji words (今日, 午後, 学校, 休み) as a list.

Review Text B (directions)

1) Scan

Spot direction/location kanji: 右 左 上 下 入 出 口.

2) Read

入いり口ぐちは右みぎ。出で口ぐちは左ひだり。川かわは下した。

3) Questions

• Where is the entrance?
• Where is the river?

4) Rewrite targets

Rewrite 入口 and 出口 three times each. Then write 右/左 alternating for one line, focusing on consistent internal placement.

Review Text C (micro-dialogue with numbers)

1) Scan

Identify number/time kanji: 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 時 分.

2) Read

A: 十じゅう時じですか。

B: いいえ、九きゅう時じ二に分ふんです。

3) Questions

• Is it 10 o’clock?
• What time is it exactly?

4) Rewrite targets

Write 九時二分 five times. Each time, check: (1) 時 right side stays tall, (2) 分 bottom is sharp, (3) numbers remain proportionate (don’t let 二 become ニ).