I mean, think of it this way: it comes down to how often you come across words in any language including English (even in ENG: you may forget how to spell words correctly if you don’t use or encounter them often), kind of the same logic with Kanji: a Japanese person doesn’t know all Kanji in the same way English speakers doesn’t know every single word that exists in ENG.
There are over 5000 Kanji but only about half of that is used in Japanese or closer to 2136 while the remainder consist of ones only present within technical jargon (medicine, science, politics, etc.). or certain Kanji only has limited uses in some words (but mostly written in kana). That is also accounting for grammar being “straight forward” more than English or Euro languages.
The “real” hard part is numerous readings (depending whether it’s paired with kana or another kanji, reflected from kunyomi & onyomi plus nanori when applied in people’s names). What I hate about most online translators is that it often gets lost in translation (like words used in the wrong context but on their own it’s correct, however not right for the situation or topic at hand).
Very much. Takes too long to write, and can be difficult to read when hand written or is too small. My ability to listen and understand Japanese is much better than my ability to read, except with Katakana (or the rare occasions something is written out in Romaji)
Nevermind the fact that there are over 50,000 of them. Only around 2000 are used daily, and that is still many magnitudes more than the 26 total letters in Roman characters I’ve known most of my life as an English speaker.
I recently reached the stage where katakana are worse because you kind of have to find out what they are supposed to mean to get the intonation right. Sometimes it’s freaking impossible without looking it up, like with オードブル