Sidenote: Stroke order

Stroke order, the sequence of writing a character, is an important aspect of the Japanese writing system. Following standard Japanese stroke orders can improve your muscle memory, writing efficiency, and handwriting legibility. When you combine kanji component knowledge with following a standardized stroke order, writing kanji shifts from memorizing every individual stroke to assembling the kanji from memorized building blocks.

Not only that, knowing the number of strokes in a kanji or component is important if you ever use a dictionary that organizes radicals or kanji by stroke count. By learning the stroke order of the components, you can easily calculate the total number of strokes in a character.

That said, you don't need to master the stroke order of every component or kanji out there. What matters is following a consistent system—ideally Japan's—since following a consistent system makes reading and writing easier. Even if your stroke order deviates from a standard system, consistency when writing will help you in the long run.

Finding resources

To find stroke order resources online, look up "kanji stroke order diagrams" in English or "書き順" in Japanese. Some dictionaries, like Jisho for example, also include stroke order diagrams, and the Genki textbooks provide diagrams for all lesson-assigned kanji.