How to Memorize Kanji Easily for Spanish Speakers

2025/10/14

How to Memorize Kanji Easily for Spanish Speakers

Why kanji feels so difficult (and why it doesn’t have to be)

If you speak Spanish, learning Japanese can feel like stepping into another world. The sounds, the structure, and especially kanji can seem overwhelming. Unlike Spanish, where letters represent sounds, kanji are visual concepts — each character tells a story through form, meaning, and sound.

But here’s the good news: Spanish speakers already have skills that make kanji learning easier than you might think. Spanish is a phonetic language, meaning we pay close attention to how words sound and how they’re written. We also deal with gendered nouns, verb conjugations, and complex spelling rules — all of which train your brain to notice patterns and details.

That ability to focus on structure and meaning is exactly what kanji requires. You don’t need a photographic memory — you just need to understand how kanji are built and how to create associations that make sense to your way of thinking.

Method 1: Learn kanji through radicals – the hidden building blocks

Every kanji is made of smaller parts called radicals (部首). They’re the DNA of each character, offering hints about meaning or pronunciation. Once you recognize them, kanji stop being random symbols and start forming logical patterns.

Let’s look at a few useful radicals:

• 氵 (water radical) → appears in 海 (umi, sea), 河 (kawa, river), 洗 (arau, wash), 泳 (oyogu, swim). Whenever you see these three drops, think “something related to water or liquid.”
• 扌 (hand radical) → 打 (utsu, hit), 押 (osu, push), 持 (motsu, hold), 探 (sagasu, search). This radical tells you it’s an action using the hand.
• 忄 (heart radical) → 悲 (kanashii, sad), 怒 (okoru, angry), 忙 (isogashii, busy), 快 (kai, pleasant). Emotions or states of mind often include it.
• 女 (woman radical) → 妻 (tsuma, wife), 姉 (ane, older sister), 好 (suki, to like). You’ll often find it in words about family or relationships.
• 口 (mouth radical) → 叫 (sakebu, shout), 味 (aji, taste), 唱 (tonaeru, chant). Usually related to the mouth, speaking, or sound.

How to practice:
Make a short list of 30–40 common radicals, and each week connect them with 3–5 new kanji. You’ll start seeing patterns everywhere, and memorizing will feel intuitive rather than random.

Method 2: Create stories and visual associations – mnemonics that actually work

The human brain is wired for stories, not abstract shapes. Turning kanji into small visual stories makes them unforgettable.

For example:

• 木 (tree) → looks like a trunk with two branches. 林 (forest) is two trees together, 森 (woods) is three. Simple and logical.
• 休 (rest) → a person (亻) leaning on a tree (木). Resting under a tree.
• 明 (bright) → sun (日) + moon (月). When both shine, it’s bright.
• 好 (to like) → woman (女) + child (子). Love or affection = to like.

Create your own visuals based on what’s familiar. For Spanish speakers, linking kanji to Latin-rooted words works great. For example, 山 (mountain) might remind you of the Andes; 川 (river) could look like water flowing between rocks. The more personal and emotional the story, the more your brain keeps it.

A simple framework:

1. Identify 1–2 radicals.
2. Combine them into a short, fun image or sentence.
3. Add meaning + main reading.
4. Repeat it mentally every time you write the kanji.

Method 3: Learn kanji in context, not in isolation

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is memorizing kanji like flashcards — isolated from real language. The secret is to study them inside words and phrases.

For example:

• 食 (to eat) → 食べる (taberu, to eat), 食事 (shokuji, meal), 食堂 (shokudō, cafeteria).
• 行 (to go) → 行く (iku, to go), 旅行 (ryokō, travel), 銀行 (ginkō, bank).
• 見 (to see) → 見る (miru, to see), 意見 (iken, opinion), 見学 (kengaku, study visit).

Context builds three connections at once: meaning, pronunciation, and usage. You start noticing the same kanji popping up in different combinations, which reinforces memory naturally.

Mini tip for Spanish speakers: our brains are used to word roots and families — like corazón, cordial, recordar (all from Latin cor, heart). Similarly, Japanese uses kanji compounds built around a shared idea. For example, 心 (kokoro, heart) appears in 悲しい (kanashii, sad), 感じる (kanjiru, to feel), and 心配 (shinpai, worry). Recognize the pattern, and it sticks.

Method 4: Use spaced repetition systems (SRS) – train smarter, not harder

If you’ve ever tried Anki or WaniKani, you’ve already met spaced repetition: a scientifically proven way to review information right before you forget it. Instead of cramming, SRS spreads reviews over time, making long-term memory effortless.

Here’s how to use it well:

• Front side: Kanji (食) and maybe one example word (食べる).
• Back side: Meaning (“to eat”), readings (た / ショク), a short sentence, and your mnemonic.
• Rule of thumb: Add 10–20 new kanji per day max. You’ll retain more with less effort.

Rough timeline for JLPT levels:

• N5: 150–200 kanji (basic daily life).
• N4: +300 kanji (work, travel, weather).
• N3: +400 kanji (social topics, simple news).

The key is consistency. Five minutes twice a day beats one long weekly session.

Method 5: Write by hand – yes, even in the digital age

Typing is convenient, but handwriting strengthens muscle memory and visual recognition. Writing forces your brain to process each stroke in order, which improves retention dramatically.

Try this 4-step mini routine:

1. Watch the stroke order (use an app like Kanji Study or Skritter).
2. Write the kanji 3–5 times, saying the reading and meaning aloud.
3. Write 2 words containing it (e.g. 山川 Yamakawa, 山道 yamamichi).
4. Write 1 short sentence using it (山に行きます — I’m going to the mountain).

Avoid common traps:

• Memorizing shapes without sound. Always repeat the reading.
• Ignoring stroke order. It helps your hand flow naturally.
• Writing without meaning. Add a word and sentence each time.

You don’t need to fill notebooks — 10 minutes a day is enough if you stay focused.

Method 6: Spot and separate look-alike kanji

Many beginners get stuck mixing up similar-looking kanji. Instead of ignoring the confusion, study them in pairs — your brain remembers differences more easily this way.

Examples:

• 未 vs 末: both look like “tree + line,” but in 末 (end) the top line is longer.
• 土 vs 士: in 土 (earth), the bottom line is longer; in 士 (scholar), the top line is.
• 日 vs 目: 日 (sun) is more square; 目 (eye) is taller and includes internal lines.

Make a list of 10 confusing pairs and write your own mini “difference sentence” for each (e.g., “末 ends with a longer line!”). Ten minutes a week can clear up months of frustration.

Method 7: Study by themes – connect meaning through topics

Our brains love patterns. Grouping kanji by theme helps you learn faster and recall more naturally.

Try studying in clusters like these:

• Nature: 山 (mountain), 川 (river), 海 (sea), 空 (sky), 雨 (rain).
• Time: 日 (day), 月 (month), 年 (year), 週 (week), 時 (time).
• Body: 口 (mouth), 目 (eye), 手 (hand), 足 (foot), 体 (body).
• City & transport: 町 (town), 駅 (station), 道 (road), 車 (car), 電 (electric).

Learn 5–7 kanji per theme and write 2–3 sentences mixing them. You’ll build a mental network of related ideas instead of isolated facts.

Method 8: Combine reading and listening – double input for stronger memory

When you read while listening, your brain ties sound to shape. Even if you don’t understand every word, this dual input makes kanji stick faster.

Try this 10-minute exercise:

1. Choose a short beginner audio with furigana text.
2. Listen once without reading.
3. Read while listening a second time, highlighting 3–4 target kanji.
4. Revisit the same clip tomorrow — that natural review reinforces memory effortlessly.

Anime with Japanese subtitles, YouTube channels for beginners, or short NHK Easy News clips are great for this.

Method 9: A realistic weekly routine

You don’t need hours every day. A short, consistent plan works better:

• Mon: Learn 8–10 new kanji (by radical or theme).
• Tue: Review with SRS and handwriting.
• Wed: Read a short text using them.
• Thu: Compare look-alikes and build mnemonics.
• Fri: Add vocabulary in sentences.
• Sat: Practice recognition in real life (menus, signs, manga).
• Sun: Quick quiz + adjust your deck.

Two to three hours weekly is enough to keep steady progress without burnout.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on recognition — write and use them in sentences.
• Adding too many new cards per day — keep it under 20.
• Learning meaning without readings — always include one kun and one on reading.
• Ignoring context — every kanji deserves at least two example words.
• Comparing yourself to others — your memory rhythm is unique.

Start learning kanji with Nihongo Online School

If you’re a Spanish speaker beginning your Japanese journey, Nihongo Online School can help you go beyond memorization. Our online courses include:

• Radical-based kanji lessons explained in Spanish.
• Story-driven mnemonics and real-world vocabulary.
• Spaced repetition routines and writing practice with feedback.

You’ll learn kanji step by step, understand their logic, and use them naturally in conversation and reading.

Ready to make kanji learning easier and more enjoyable?
Start today with Nihongo Online School’s short online courses and experience how learning through culture helps you remember more in less time.