Common scene. You open the app. 山 appears. Immediate thought: "Yeah yeah, I know this one." Next. A week passes. 山 shows up again, but without any hints. Silence. Your brain stares at the void like it's your fault. Spoiler: it's not. It's the method.
Recognizing Isn't Remembering
When you see a kanji with the answer right there, here's what happens: the brain recognizes the shape and relaxes. It's like seeing someone on the street and thinking: "I know this person." But if they ask you for their name... nothing.
Recognition is passive. Recall is active. And kanji want activity, not compliments.
An Even Clearer Example
You see 日. You think: "Sun, day. Easy." Then you encounter it in 月曜日. Suddenly you're not so sure anymore.
Because you hadn't learned 日. You'd learned the idea of having learned it. Studying by feel creates this illusion: as long as everything is isolated, it's fine. The moment it enters the real world, it crumbles.
The Problem with "It Seems Clear"
"It seems clear" is a dangerous phrase. Because it closes the door too soon. The brain loves shortcuts. If it can avoid effort, it will, without warning you.
So you move on convinced you've studied while it files away... nothing. Zero. Empty folder.
Studying Kanji is Like Working Out
If you do an exercise while watching the tutorial, everything seems easy. When you have to do it alone, not so much. It's the same with kanji.
If you don't try to pull them out without hints, you're not training your memory. You're just watching pictures. And watching pictures builds nothing.
What a Good Method Does
A good method does something simple but uncomfortable: it puts the kanji in front of you and stays silent. No hints. No "let me suggest it." No pats on the back.
- It asks you: "This one?"
- If you answer correctly, good
- If you're wrong, it comes back later
- Not to punish. To fix.
How Kanjidon Avoids the Illusion
Kanjidon doesn't ask if you think you know it. It asks you to prove it. 山 alone. 日 without context. Then again inside real words.
If it works, it backs off. If it doesn't, it returns. Simple. A bit uncomfortable. Very effective.
When You Stop Studying by Feel
Something curious happens: kanji start appearing in real life and don't seem foreign anymore. You read them without thinking too hard. And you realize you're not "remembering by force." You're knowing.
And that's when you understand it didn't require more effort. It just required less illusion.
