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. Reading and writing are similar to physical exercise—The more you do, the more you can. It is entirely up to the individual to determine how much he/ she is willing to learn about any subject. Tackle all opportunities to expose your mind to the language of study. Write down foreign words for things like “telephone” or “fridge” on little pieces of paper, and then tape the papers to household items. Tape a chart of characters/ letters to the inside of the bathroom door. Wherever you look, you should see something about the language you intend to master.
