Breaking down Japanese: Writing Systems

Even after studying Japanese for nearly a year, it is only recently that I've begun understanding exactly what a massive undertaking it is to endeavor achieving literacy in the language. In some ways, Japanese is far simpler than English or Spanish; it's a very minimalist language and omits as many words as possible whenever possible, because assertion is seen as aggressive, and hence, a bad thing. On the other hand, due to how the language and culture has evolved over centuries, the language lacks many of the straightforward rules that other language possesses. Here's the scoop for anyone that's never attempted to learn about it:

• Romaji - Latin-based script for writing Japanese. Basically created to communicate with Western cultures that use romantic languages. Not so much a part of their writing system as it is a tool for tourism and a point of intellectual nourishment for fledgling otakus. 

• Kanji - Often viewed as the primary obstacle for anyone hoping to become literate in Japanese, this system was derived from Chinese letters even before the AD period. It is highly pictographic, much in the same way Egyptian hieroglyphs are, essentially meaning that every stroke is supposed to contribute toward the appropriate mental image(s) to be associated with the word. Rather than letters though, these are used to represent words, and there are thousands of them. Usually the last thing you should attempt to learn how to read and write, since there are almost certainly too many to ever entirely learn.

Hiragana Chart

• Hiragana - Modern Hiragana usually consists of 46 letters, though these can be combined with modifiers to form an additional 58 sounds. Far simpler than Kanji, and often "...used to write native words for which there are no kanji . . . words whose kanji form is obscure, not known to the writer or readers, or too formal for the writing purpose" (Wikipedia).  Basically simplified kanji for laymen (lucky for me).

• Katakana - My favorite part of written Japanese, Katakana is used primarily to indicate transcription of a word from a foreign language to Japanese. This is hugely beneficial, particularly given that so many of these words are derived from English and would be almost immediately recognizable to anyone aware of the significance (example: Amerikajin = American, kisu = kiss, anime = animation, etc.). Like Hiragana, there are 46 letters and 58 sounds, and when used, it has a similar effect to using Italics in English to draw attention onto a word. 

Most of what I have learned about the written language has come from a few books. Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners by Timoth C. Stout and Remembering the Kanji by James W. Heisig have been the primary two that I've looked over religiously since I began striving for literacy. I also have Kanji Kanji by The East Publications, Inc. and Japanese Phrasebook by Lonely Planet on the back-burner, so I am optimistic that with enough devotion, I can eventually begin hitting my goals one by one. If anyone has any recommendations on learning Japanese (preferably books, but I will take note of apps and games as well), please leave a comment so I can check them out!