Playbooks
An alternative to Anki drawing add-ons for kanji
Anki handwriting add-ons exist but are fiddly. Here is a smoother way to add real kanji drawing to your study.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Playbooks
Kanji writing practice for Anki users
Anki is brilliant for recognition, but kanji stroke order rarely sticks from a flashcard. Here is how to fix that.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Anki stroke-order fonts vs actively drawing kanji
Stroke-order fonts make Anki cards show the order. Useful, but seeing the order is not the same as producing it.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Anki writing add-ons do not work on mobile: what to do
Built a kanji writing workflow with an Anki add-on? It will not run on AnkiMobile or AnkiDroid. Here is why, and how to practise writing on your phone.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
App vs paper for kanji writing practice
Paper has the best feel; an app has less friction and built-in spacing. Here is how to choose, honestly.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Practising kanji with Apple Pencil
An Apple Pencil makes writing kanji feel natural. Here is how to use it well, and what is real versus planned.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Apple Pencil vs paper for kanji practice
Paper has the best feel; an Apple Pencil has less friction and built-in spacing. Here is which to use, honestly.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
The best way to practise kanji handwriting
Mass copying is the old way, and the slow one. Here is what actually builds kanji handwriting, in less time.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A daily kanji writing routine that actually sticks
Consistency beats intensity for kanji. Here is a simple daily writing routine and how an app keeps it going.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Do you have to write kanji by hand to learn it?
You can read Japanese without writing kanji by hand. Whether you should is a different, more useful question.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Drawing kanji from memory: what to look for in an app
Drawing kanji from memory is the skill that turns recognition into writing. Here is what a good app does, and why it works.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Does Duolingo teach kanji writing and stroke order?
Duolingo Japanese builds recognition and vocabulary, but it does not train writing kanji from memory. Here is how to add it.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A free iPhone Skritter substitute for writing kanji
Skritter is a paid subscription. If you want a free iPhone substitute that still makes you write kanji from memory, here are three honest options compared.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A free app to practise writing Japanese by hand
From kana to kanji, a free Japanese writing app should make you produce characters from memory. Here is what to look for.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Is there a free kanji writing app? What to look for
Yes, free kanji writing apps exist. Here is what separates a real one from a flashcard app with a canvas.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A free Skritter alternative for writing kanji on iOS
Skritter is excellent, but if you want a free, writing-first way to drill kanji on iPhone, here is how to fill the gap honestly.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A free Skritter alternative for iOS: is it enough?
Skritter's subscription is worth it for some learners and overkill for others. Here is when a free Skritter alternative on iOS is genuinely good enough.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Free SRS kanji app: spaced repetition for writing
Spaced repetition is just a schedule, so a free SRS kanji app is entirely possible. The trick is aiming it at writing.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Practising kanji handwriting on your commute
A commute is dead time you can turn into real kanji practice. Here is how to make short, mobile sessions count.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Playbooks
How many kanji should you practise writing a day?
There is no magic number, but there is a sensible range. Here is how to set a daily kanji writing count you will actually keep.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to fix broken kanji stroke habits
Learned a character with the wrong stroke order and it stuck? Bad stroke habits are fixable. Here is how.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to practise writing kanji: a complete guide
The whole method in one place: produce from memory, lean on stroke order, space your reviews, and keep it daily.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to start a daily Japanese writing habit
The habit matters more than the method. Here is how to start a daily kanji writing routine that actually survives.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to practise writing hiragana and kanji on an iPad
An iPad and a stylus make Japanese handwriting practice comfortable. Here is how to set it up and whether it carries to paper.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Playbooks
iPad apps for writing kanji and stroke order
Want an iPad app focused on writing kanji and stroke order, not guided lessons? Here is what to look for and whether it carries to paper.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Essays
Is WaniKani bad for learning to write Japanese?
WaniKani is excellent for reading but never asks you to write. Here is an honest take on whether that is a problem, and how to fill the writing gap.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
JLPT N1 kanji writing practice: is it worth it?
N1 is the summit, with rare and complex kanji. Here is an honest look at whether writing them by hand is worth your time.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
JLPT N2 kanji writing practice
N2 brings advanced, less common kanji. Here is how to keep writing them, and an honest word on what is worth the effort.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
JLPT N3 kanji writing practice
N3 is the bridge to intermediate, with more abstract kanji. Here is how to keep writing them, not just recognizing them.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A daily kanji writing schedule for JLPT N4
Want a concrete plan to get N4 kanji writable before the test? Here is a daily writing schedule that scales the work across the weeks you have.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
JLPT N4 kanji writing practice
N4 roughly doubles your kanji. Here is a simple daily writing routine to keep the larger set producible, not just readable.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
JLPT N5 kanji writing practice
Prepping for N5 and freezing when you try to write? Here is a simple writing routine for the N5 kanji set.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Why your kanji flashcards aren't working
Flashcards feel productive but leave you unable to write, or drowning in leeches. Here is what is going wrong and how to fix it.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Kanji stroke order app: what to look for
A stroke-order app should build muscle memory, not just animate a character. Here is what actually helps.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Japanese Kanji Study on iOS: a free writing alternative
Japanese Kanji Study is Android-only, so iOS users need another option. Here is a free, writing-first path on iPhone.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Kanji Study vs Skritter: the free Apple app question
Kanji Study is cheap and reference-led; Skritter is a paid grading powerhouse. Here is how they compare on Apple devices, and the free writing-first gap.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Are kanji tracing apps worth it on iPhone?
Tracing apps feel productive and have a place, but tracing is not the same as writing from memory. Here is when to use them.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to learn kanji strokes on your iPhone
You do not need an iPad to learn kanji stroke order. Here is a finger-writing routine that builds real muscle memory on iPhone.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Essays
Motor memory and learning kanji: why writing sticks
Writing a kanji by hand stores it as a sequence of movements, not a picture. Here is how motor memory makes handwriting the most durable way to learn.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Overcoming kanji amnesia by drawing from memory
Can read a kanji but blank when writing it? That is character amnesia, and typing causes it. Here is how drawing from memory reverses the slide.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Quizlet vs active recall for kanji writing
Quizlet is great for vocabulary recognition, but it does not build kanji writing. Here is the difference, and how to cover both.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A Ringotan alternative for writing kanji from memory
Ringotan is a great free kanji writing app. If you want an alternative, here is what to look for and an honest comparison of the free options.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
RTK writing practice: drilling Remembering the Kanji
Remembering the Kanji teaches you to write characters from keywords and stories. Here is how to drill that writing so it sticks, and where an app fits.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Skritter alternative, free on iOS: what you keep
Going free on iOS keeps the writing reps and trades automated grading. Here is the feature-by-feature swap and a fast way to cover the one gap you lose.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to stop confusing similar-looking kanji
Pairs like wait and hold, or end and not-yet, blur together until you can write them. Here is how writing fixes the mix-ups.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Writing practice to supplement your burned WaniKani kanji
You burned a kanji on WaniKani, so you can read it cold. But can you write it? Here is how to supplement burned items with handwriting practice.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
A kanji writing app for WaniKani users
WaniKani built your reading and recognition. Here is how to add the handwriting it was never designed to teach.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Why you keep forgetting kanji stroke order
If stroke order will not stick, the reason is almost always how you practise it. Here is the fix.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
The best way to memorize kanji for writing
Memorizing kanji for writing means training recall, not recognition. The methods that actually work, ranked, plus a simple weekly routine.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Essays
How to remember kanji you keep forgetting
If you can read a kanji but blank when you write it, the issue is your practice, not your memory. Five concrete ways to make kanji stick.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Recognition vs recall: why you forget how to write kanji
You can read a kanji but freeze when you try to write it. That gap has a name, and a fix.
Lawrence Arya··6 min
Playbooks
How to practise kanji stroke order from memory
Stroke order is not trivia to memorize. It is the muscle memory that lets you write a kanji without thinking.
Lawrence Arya··6 min
Playbooks
Spaced repetition for kanji writing, not just reading
Spaced repetition made your recognition strong. Pointed at writing, it can make your recall strong too.
Lawrence Arya··6 min