Kanji dictionaries are organized by radicals. The radicals are small parts of a Kanji located in a specific position that allow different Kanji to be grouped together. Opening the cover of a Kanji dictionary often reveals a chart containing radicals, organized by the number of strokes used to produce each and often including variations of the same radical. Learning to recognize these and their standard locations within a Kanji can make studying Japanese easier.
Memorizing the Kanji is generally insufficient. You can spend hours staring at a group of Kanji that all look similar and still struggle to recognize which is which. Writing Kanji while memorizing can improve memory recall and overall Japanese fluency. To save money you can scan a sheet of Japanese composition paper (genkou yoshi) and just print pages for practicing Kanji; this is more economical than buying the paper since most practice sheets are simply thrown away when done. To improve memorization, try speaking the Japanese readings for each Kanji aloud while you write the character over and over.
Becoming fluent in a language involves the ability to read, write, speak and understand. Without the ability to read and understand Kanji, you will be unable to read Japanese newspapers and magazines, manga (comics) and other text. Without the ability to speak Japanese, you are extremely limited in communication abilities. Learning Kanji can greatly improve your Japanese speaking. Since many Japanese words sound similar, knowing the Kanji can help clarify what was said as well as help you explain when you are unclear. Additionally, with the 2,000 or so Kanji you must memorize for total fluency, you are increasing your vocabulary by at least 4,000 words since many Kanji are used in at least two ways, not to mention Kanji compounds. Knowing one or some Kanji in a compound can help you deduce the meanings of written words as well.
The best way to improve reading abilities is to read; read anything you can get your hands on that is written in standard Japanese. If manga (comics) are your reading material of choice, note that manga dialogue is written colloquially, so it may be challenging at first to determine grammar and implied meaning in some text. For speaking practice, if language partners are unavailable to practice with you can practice solo. When you think different thoughts throughout the day, try saying them in Japanese aloud after you think them. If your Japanese skills are not at that level yet, don't fret! Simply say the words you do know, and if time permits you can look up the rest. Speaking the words often, even if inaccurately or incompletely, will help you become more comfortable using the language and speed up your response time when you are actually conversing.
Mastering Kanji will take time. In order to devote sufficient time to studying, you must make mastering the Kanji a priority. Set goals that are realistic and stick to them. A reasonable goal for a full-time student who is not majoring in Japanese is one to five new Kanji per day; for a student majoring in Japanese, 10 or more Kanji per day is the minimum. Read the Kanji and memorize the meanings while practicing writing each character out at least a dozen times each time. Before learning new Kanji, review the previously learned characters to reinforce memorization and recall. You can use note cards or cell phone Apps to review memorized Kanji while waiting in line or for an appointment. This can maximize your study time by reducing the need to review hundreds of Kanji before learning new ones each day.