WEBVTT -- English 00:00:02.029 --> 00:00:07.370 One of the biggest challenges when it comes to learning Japanese is the kanji. 00:00:07.370 --> 00:00:11.490 You have to learn thousands of them if you want to be literate and existing 00:00:11.490 --> 00:00:15.948 resources are seriously lacking. But there's good news. 00:00:15.948 --> 00:00:19.500 Learning kanji doesn't have to be so difficult. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.500 Hi, I'm John Renfroe from Outlier Linguistics. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:27.778 We're creating a new way to learn kanji using their real etymologies, 00:00:27.778 --> 00:00:33.500 based on the latest research into their origins and evolution. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:39.329 Here at Outlier we all learned Chinese characters as adults. We understand the pain and 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:43.679 suffering that it can take to go from not knowing any kanji at all to being 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.200 able to read a page full of kanji. 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.539 The problem is, current methods for learning the kanji 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:51.689 often break them into parts that don't make sense. 00:00:51.689 --> 00:00:55.000 For instance they might break them down into strokes 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:58.600 or into components which don't have a function within that kanji. 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:04.349 this hides the logic of the writing system so that even if one kanji is easier to learn, 00:01:04.349 --> 00:01:07.500 you're in a situation where you're winning the battle but losing the war. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:13.379 Our dictionary teaches kanji as they actually work. It's based on state-of-the-art research into the 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:17.459 origins and evolutions of the writing system, but it's written so that learners 00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:23.000 of any level can use it: from beginners all the way up to professional linguists. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:28.560 You can go as deep as you want to go. The dictionary's explanations are logical, 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:33.000 easy to follow, and teach you how kanji work as a system. 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:39.500 Understanding the logical system underlying kanji gives you a mental framework in which to put new kanji. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.530 That in turn reinforces the kanji you already know while also 00:01:43.530 --> 00:01:47.000 allowing you to learn new kanji more easily in the future. 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:52.618 For each kanji, our dictionary contains everything that's essential to know in order to master the kanji. 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:58.000 You get a brief explanation of why the kanji looks the way it does, 00:01:58.299 --> 00:02:00.819 a breakdown of the kanji's functional components 00:02:00.819 --> 00:02:05.200 and an explanation of each components function within that particular kanji, 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:09.659 a meaning tree showing the relationship between the kanji's different meanings, 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:13.500 example vocabulary, and stroke order. 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:17.000 And if you really want to dive deep, The Expert Edition 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:21.699 in-depth information about the history and evolution of the kanji. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:25.360 My co-founder Ash Henson and I studied 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:30.250 the history and evolution of the kanji at the PhD and Master's level under some 00:02:30.250 --> 00:02:33.849 of the world's top experts on the writing system, and we're distilling that 00:02:33.849 --> 00:02:39.000 information into something that's easy to use and understand for learners of all levels. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.840 The Outlier Kanji Dictionary will be released for the Japanese app for iOS and Android, 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.000 the best mobile dictionary app for learners. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:52.599 We released a version of our dictionary for people learning Chinese 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:57.500 last year, and to bring this information into the hands of Japanese learners, we're 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:02.400 bringing one of the world's foremost experts in Japanese lexicography onto our team. 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:07.099 Ulrich Apel has a PhD in Japanese and has worked in Japanese 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:11.800 lexicography for over 20 years. He developed a Japanese to German 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:16.699 dictionary called WaDoku, which is the world's most comprehensive Japanese to 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:18.699 Western language dictionary. 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:21.500 He's also the developer of KanjiVG, 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:26.800 the vector graphics software behind many of the most popular digital stroke order tools. 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:30.800 We've already released a version of our dictionary for people learning Chinese, 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:35.099 but we need your help to adapt it for the specific needs of Japanese learners. 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:38.800 Remember, we're building the ultimate kanji learning tool and putting it 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:43.699 into your hands to make your kanji learning more efficient, so please, pledge 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:47.699 for your copy of our dictionary today and share our project with everyone you 00:03:47.699 --> 00:03:53.599 know, so that we can make this thing happen and make it easier to master kanji. 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:58.000 Finally.