How Much Should One Learn About the Writing System in a Foreign Language?
The degree to which a student of a foreign language masters a writing system measures his or her worth in a society. For example, in Japan, children use Hiragana (a basic writing system of simple characters) to write in school. During the elementary school years, children gradually learn Kanji (a very complex writing system of characters), which they will use for the rest of their adult lives. In Japan, being literate requires an adult to have mastered not only the two basic writing systems (Hiragana and Katakana), but a few thousand Kanji characters as well. Although Kanji originated in China, what makes the Japanese Kanji different is the combination of Kanji characters and Hiragana to change pronunciation and meaning. With that having been said, the degree to which a student of Japanese needs to learn about the writing system depends on the student’s ambitions, as well as a desire to be recognized by Japanese peers, coworkers, friends, and superiors as a literate member of society.
