I gave up on learning characters and I'm way happier now

Kurokun

Hot take: if you're in China for under 2 years, learning to read characters is a waste of time.

Hear me out.

I spent 6 months doing flashcards every day. Learned maybe 400 characters. Could barely read a menu. Got frustrated and quit.

Then I pivoted to speaking + pinyin only and my life got infinitely better.

What I focused on instead:
• Tones (crucial, spent 2 months just on tones)
• Everyday spoken phrases
• Numbers (essential for everything)
• Food vocab (so I can order)
• Taxi directions (left, right, straight, stop here)

Results after 6 months of SPEAKING focus:
• Can hold basic conversations
• Can order food without pointing at pictures
• Can negotiate prices (badly, but successfully)
• Can ask for help when lost
• People compliment my pronunciation (ego boost)

What I still can't do:
• Read a menu (Google Translate camera)
• Read street signs (Baidu Maps handles navigation)
• Read a text message (WeChat has voice messages)

And honestly? I don't need to. My phone does 90% of the reading for me.

If you're here long-term (3+ years): Yeah, learn characters. It opens doors.

If you're here short-term: Focus on speaking. You'll get more mileage.

Change my mind. Or agree with me. Let's fight about it.