I used to use Anki a lot, but I've fallen out of the habit and never managed to take it up again. I was thinking more along the lines of quality of life apps, i.e. dictionaries with easy kanji look up, pitch accents, that sort of stuff. Basically anything that would make a 電子辞書 redundant and inferior.
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Learning Japanese |OT| ..honor and shame are huge parts of it. Let's!
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I used to use Anki a lot, but I've fallen out of the habit and never managed to take it up again. I was thinking more along the lines of quality of life apps, i.e. dictionaries with easy kanji look up, pitch accents, that sort of stuff. Basically anything that would make a 電子辞書 redundant and inferior.
Yeah, it comes with the Daijirin, same version as MacOS. As my other dictionary I use Super Daijirin by Monokaido, and Daijisen by Shogakukan (but this one hasn't been updated in a while).
Unfortunately not but according to the Duolingo Incubator it's supposed to be ready in a few weeks. I tried the iOS version for a few minutes and it seems to work really well.
Duolingo Japanese only is for very beginners, I tested out of it right after I updated. I thought it might be good to practice some of my weaker grammar points, but I didn't see anything harder than N5 when testing out.
Oh, yeah. Definitely.
Thanks.
Someone suggested I use Super Daijirin through the Qolibri app on Windows. The problem is: I don't know where to download the Super Daijirin files for it. They gave me a link to a torrent - no idea if this is legal, please edit my message if so -, but it's stuck at 0% with no seeders or leechers.
Anyone know where to get it?
Eien1no1Yami
Member
Ok, gaf here are some semi-random sentences in Japanese that I thought of as an exercise by using grammar and vocabulary from the most recent lesson chapters.
If you are so kind, please correct any mistakes you find on the below.
1)大人になったら、運転することがきます
２）もし、大人にならなければ、お酒をのむことができない（です）
３）昨日、病院から出て、雪子さんを出会ってしまった。
４）雪子さｎの優しい笑顔は、わたしにいつも嬉しくさせます。
If you are so kind, please correct any mistakes you find on the below.
1)大人になったら、運転することがきます
２）もし、大人にならなければ、お酒をのむことができない（です）
３）昨日、病院から出て、雪子さんを出会ってしまった。
４）雪子さｎの優しい笑顔は、わたしにいつも嬉しくさせます。
Others will provide more comprehensive/natural corrections and adaptations, as my Japanese is rusty, but here are a few comments:
1) I assume you mean "the time to drive will come", right? If so, replace こと with とき
2) Your sentence literally means "If you don't become an adult, you can't (as in, "don't have the ability to") drink", or "You have to become an adult in order to be physically able to drink". But what you want to say is "Only adults are allowed to drink", so something like 「大人でなければ、お酒を飲むことが許されない。」Again, others might give you something more accurate/natural. The main takeaway is that you can't use ことができない for this type of scenario. That expression is used solely when talking about your technical ability/capacity to do something (or lack thereof), not when expressin if something is okay to do or not.
3) 昨日、病院を出て、雪子さんに出会ってしまった。
I assume you didn't want to see her, right? If so, しまった is okay. If not, what are you saying?
4) 雪子さｎの優しい笑顔は、わたしにいつも嬉しくさせます。>> 雪子さんの優しそうな笑顔を見ると、嬉しくなります。
The way you phrase doesn't really sound natural to me. I know you're trying to say "Yukiko's smile makes me happy", but sorry, you can't just literally translate that into Japanese and call it day
.Apologies in advance if some of my corrections aren't sufficient or accurate enough. I always struggle to find phrases that sound natural myself.
Eien1no1Yami
Member
Thanks that you took the time.
What I wanted to say was :"When I become an adult, I can drive"
I think it has the same problem as the sentence below
Correct that's what I wanted to say.
Thanks for clarifying, although why use the で particle even if we have the verb naru?
I thought that with naru you always must put the particle に
I used しまった because I wanted to sound surprised, that I wasn't expecting to meet her there.I thought you could use -てしまう when something happens by accident or you expect it to be.
Also I thought that you would comment on the desu that inside parenthesis.Can I use that there or is it not allowed.Again just for emphasis
4) 雪子さｎの優しい笑顔は、わたしにいつも嬉しくさせます。>> 雪子さんの優しそうな笑顔を見ると、嬉しくなります。
The way you phrase doesn't really sound natural to me. I know you're trying to say "Yukiko's smile makes me happy", but sorry, you can't just literally translate that into Japanese and call it day
Haha, yeah I knew that one was weird xD.
Thanks for the correct way of saying, bu oh man right know I would never have guessed that you say it like that, because it sounds so weird when you literally translate it to your native language.I just need to get used to it I guess.
I knew that something was wrong in most of the sentences but I write them anyway because that's how I would have wanted to express some things in Japanese and it's better to find the flaws now that it's early rather than years later.
Again thanks a lot, merci beaucoup xD
He probably didn't notice the typo in your first sentence, my guess is you intended on writing: 「大人になったら、運転することができます」
You could say something like 「大人になったら、運転免許を取ることができます」"When I become an adult I can get my drivers license".
As to your question about で, that is not a particle, that is the copula, でなければ is "If (is) not".
Eien1no1Yami
Member
Thanks for clarifying, so it was the desu copula.Damn it I always mix those :/
Btw I edited the part of sentence 3) in my reply because I accidentally had it inside the quote
.てしまう is mainly used for something unpleasant, or in some cases, when an action is performed to its end. In this particular case, the meaning is basically "Shit, she's the last person I wanted to see" lol. If you want to sound surprised instead, er... I don't think there really is an auxiliary verb for that, so you'll have to express that some other way, like, I don't know... 「驚いたことに」?
I think you misunderstand the value of です here. It wouldn't emphasize anything, just turn a neutral form into a polite one... That's if できないです was common in the first place, which I don't think it is. You would more naturally say できません instead (or simply できない if you're going for a neutral register).
Incidentally, I'm having doubts about the use of 嬉しくなります. On second thought, 嬉しい is probably better, as it emphasizes the immediacy of the process. I could be wrong though.
God, my ability to identify actual natural Japanese sucks.
Hey, Japanese is hard, man. Your sense for what sounds right and what sounds wrong will develop as you study and practice. Don't sweat it, as long as you improve.
Not sure, unless you really like to practice これはペンです, it's not worth your time.
Jintor, surely you are far past whatever duolingo will teach you.
I hope Kanken Training can come to Switch, but with lack of stylus support I doubt it.
I've used the series for about 9 years now, they are my most played games. I've played Kanken DS 2, DS3 Deluxe, and 3DS. 3DS was a big downgrade from DS3 Deluxe, so hopefully they have brought more of the features back.
I highly recommend the series for studying kanji.
Probably
Porcile
Member
I'll probably check it out as the price is right. I see the original 3DS in second hand section all the time but I didn't buy it for whatever reason. What kind of features make it stand out?
It's pretty simple, the current 3DS version has 7 'modes':
Challenge - take new or past tests from level 10 the easiest to level 1 the hardest, there are 2 different tests lengths, 40-60 for the full test depending on level, and 10-20 for abridged test.
Categorized Training - answer new or missed questions based on question type
- Reading - write the hiragana for the red kanji
- Kana - select between 2 options for the correct kana orthography for a given word
- Stroke Order - write the number of the red stroke
- Stroke Count - write the number of the total strokes in a kanji
- Synonyms & Antonyms - write the similar or opposite word
- Writing - write the kanji for the red hiragana
- Radicle - write the correct kanji to complete a word only knowing the reading and radicle
- Tomehane - select if the circled stop of a stroke is tome (a hard stop) or hane ( a flick of the brush?)
- Okurigana - replace the katakana word using the supplied kanji and correct hiragana ending
- Kanji Selection - select the correct kanji among kanji that make the same sounds to complete a word
- On Kun - choose if a word is being read using a Japanese (kun) reading or Chinese (on) reading
- Two Kanji Compound Words - select the correct missing kanji to complete a compound word
- Three Kanji Compound Words - select the correct missing kanji to complete a compound word
- Compound Word Structure - choose what kind of relationships the kanji in a word have with each other (similar, opposites, decoration, goal)
- Four Kanji Compound Words - write the missing kanji to complete a 4 kanji compound or idiom
- Wrong Kanji Correction - In a passage write the kanji that is a mistake
My Kanken - Review questions you have bookmarked
View Achievements - See detailed graphs on your progress
- Viewed questions completion percentage
- Strengths - separated by level and category
- Online Ranking
Strength Test - Quick test to see what level of Kanken you likely would pass
Kanji Display - Look up kanji based on kana or character search
Idiom Dictionary - Look up 4 kanji idioms based on kana or character search
It's too bad they cut a bunch of features from DS3 Deluxe, which had all sorts of games - I especially liked 'Beast Master', where it quizzed your knowledge of the readings of different animal kanji. The dictionary was also more complete I feel. But 3DS has more questions and is more up to date with the actual test, as well as better statistics.
Can't say for Android apps, but I'll never stop advertising the Rikaichan plugin for Firefox, and Rikaisama, its companion plugin. Taken together, these two plugins give you:
- a built-in, offline JP-EN/EN-JP dictionary for Firefox
- a kanji dictionary, complete with a comprehensive list of readings, number of strokes and... Chinese readings lol
- pitch accent notation for most entries, including audio clips by actual native speakers (that's what Rikaisama brings to the table, everything else is Rikaichan)
- a hover-to-translate feature when you're browsing
Sadly though, while the latest versions of both plugins are still compatible with the current version of Firefox, Rikaisama is no longer supported and will therefore eventually stop working.
Chrome and Safari have their own version of Rikaichan btw, respectively called Rikaikun and Rikaitan.
Finally feel like I'm starting to get somewhere after years of failed attempts. Did almost all off Heisig but stopped just before the end and forgot most of it because I didn't do anything for 6+ months. Used some android app to learn to write and remember 700+ Kanji. Didn't do shit for 6+ months and forgot most of it. Tried tons of different books and other apps.
Now I'm 350 days into Wanikani at level 36, have only been unable to do anything on two days, one where I was at an event and one where I was really sick. All other days I've done 1-2 hours of WK and Satori Reader and I can actually read some stuff without too much trouble.
This damn language has been the most time I've ever wasted on anything in my life, but damn, I want to play some untranslated games and VNs at some point(literally all I want this language for is games, maybe mangas and light novels).
Motivation is such a difficult thing to keep up, but now my end goal seems in reach and I might do the N2 next year, could even help getting a job.
End rant.
Now I'm 350 days into Wanikani at level 36, have only been unable to do anything on two days, one where I was at an event and one where I was really sick. All other days I've done 1-2 hours of WK and Satori Reader and I can actually read some stuff without too much trouble.
This damn language has been the most time I've ever wasted on anything in my life, but damn, I want to play some untranslated games and VNs at some point(literally all I want this language for is games, maybe mangas and light novels).
Motivation is such a difficult thing to keep up, but now my end goal seems in reach and I might do the N2 next year, could even help getting a job.
End rant.
A shame because the -sama version lets one use the better epwing dictionaries instead of only just edict.
Hopefully somebody will manage to save it somehow.
If losing motivation is an issue, how about trying to learn using the source of your motivation?
Especially in case of VNs, it is very viable to use those to learn vocab, grammar and getting good at reading Japanese in general. There are also tools and tricks that help with doing the same for the other media as well.
You could still keep an older version of Firefox and use that as your RikaiXXX dictionary. In fact, I'll probably end up doing that once it stops working on current versions altogether. But yeah, it's cumbersome to say the least. Oh well, at least Rikaisan itself is still being supported.
I know about the text hookers, ocr vocab dictionaries and all that stuff, but I don't find it fun to do for every line of text. Like I said, though, I'm mostly over that now. So the fun stuff can happen relatively soon.
Eien1no1Yami
Member
Ok, last week I learned the Honorific and Humble Forms and they really gave me a hard time.
Below are the images I scanned from the chapter of the book I study.
http://imgur.com/a/bjedB
By reading this chapter I noticed that when Japanese use the humble/honorific forms they don't just change the verb and call it a day.It also changes the syntax and grammar at times, so
I don't know, for me at least it makes things way more difficult than before.
Fortunately my sensei said that this chapter is extra and the chances that N4 might have something like that are pretty slim, but of course it's something that I will definitely face in the future so it's better that I tasted some of it now.
Oh boy, I'm just getting Goosebumps when thinking about what comes in N3 and afterwards xD
Also can someone translate this for me?
The context was that I asked someone what a katakana phrase meant.I knew it was spelling "starter" but what kind of starter?So I asked him, he explained and I replied "Really, thanks I didn't know", so he replied with the above
Below are the images I scanned from the chapter of the book I study.
http://imgur.com/a/bjedB
By reading this chapter I noticed that when Japanese use the humble/honorific forms they don't just change the verb and call it a day.It also changes the syntax and grammar at times, so
I don't know, for me at least it makes things way more difficult than before.
Fortunately my sensei said that this chapter is extra and the chances that N4 might have something like that are pretty slim, but of course it's something that I will definitely face in the future so it's better that I tasted some of it now
.Oh boy, I'm just getting Goosebumps when thinking about what comes in N3 and afterwards xD
Also can someone translate this for me?
多分普通は知らないので(笑
The context was that I asked someone what a katakana phrase meant.I knew it was spelling "starter" but what kind of starter?So I asked him, he explained and I replied "Really, thanks I didn't know", so he replied with the above
He's saying that in japanese very specific abbreviations are used often, so if one is not in the know about that abbreviation you wouldn't understand what it means.Also can someone translate this for me?
The context was that I asked someone what a katakana phrase meant.I knew it was spelling "starter" but what kind of starter?So I asked him, he explained and I replied "Really, thanks I didn't know", so he replied with the above
(usually you can find something on chiebukuro or dic.nicovideo if you google it though)
Ok, last week I learned the Honorific and Humble Forms and they really gave me a hard time.
Below are the images I scanned from the chapter of the book I study.
http://imgur.com/a/bjedB
By reading this chapter I noticed that when Japanese use the humble/honorific forms they don't just change the verb and call it a day.It also changes the syntax and grammar at times, so
I don't know, for me at least it makes things way more difficult than before.
Fortunately my sensei said that this chapter is extra and the chances that N4 might have something like that are pretty slim, but of course it's something that I will definitely face in the future so it's better that I tasted some of it now
Oh boy, I'm just getting Goosebumps when thinking about what comes in N3 and afterwards xD
Also can someone translate this for me?
The context was that I asked someone what a katakana phrase meant.I knew it was spelling "starter" but what kind of starter?So I asked him, he explained and I replied "Really, thanks I didn't know", so he replied with the above
The grammar does not change at all. Some words are replaced with humble or honorific forms, many 'nouns' are beautified by attaching お or ご(御
, and most 'verbs' are decorated. です→でござる
いる、行く、来る→いらっしゃる
(honor)Aる→おAになる
(humble)Aる→おAする
There are probably about 30 irregular changes, but even those often share patters.
This is a link that is pretty comprehensive of all the irregulars. No need to study them now, but I am linking to show you that it is really a manageable list, and that in no time you will know most all of them.
https://townwork.net/magazine/knowhow/manners/baito_manners/13309/
This stuff gets easier with time and practice, you can do it.
dukeoflegs
Member
Just started learning Japanese this week and I am having a blast. I've been reading comments on here for suggestions of apps, and books so thanks to everyone posting this has been really helpful.
I picked up following apps:
Duolingo (was using it to learn German)
Human Japanese (really like this)
Kanji Study (for flash cards but not really liking it)
And picked up Genki I books (course book and workbook) along with a study sheet that was suggested on Amazon.
I tried learning Japanese after high school (15+ years ago), but that was reading books from the local library and that didn't work for me.
For what ever reason, the apps, where I am at in life, or what, but I am having a blast learning. I feel like a kid, really getting into it. I am taking my time though and going through learning Hiragana at a slow steady pace.
I'll probably post back here again soon once I am at a better ready comprehension level for some recommendation to children's books. I just read about Oshiri Tantei and that sounds hilarious, but probably a little too deep in comprehension for myself currently.
I picked up following apps:
Duolingo (was using it to learn German)
Human Japanese (really like this)
Kanji Study (for flash cards but not really liking it)
And picked up Genki I books (course book and workbook) along with a study sheet that was suggested on Amazon.
I tried learning Japanese after high school (15+ years ago), but that was reading books from the local library and that didn't work for me.
For what ever reason, the apps, where I am at in life, or what, but I am having a blast learning. I feel like a kid, really getting into it. I am taking my time though and going through learning Hiragana at a slow steady pace.
I'll probably post back here again soon once I am at a better ready comprehension level for some recommendation to children's books. I just read about Oshiri Tantei and that sounds hilarious, but probably a little too deep in comprehension for myself currently.
Valkyria
Banned
Hello everyone. I'm looking for a workbook or some kind of exercises compilation in order to memorize vocabulary, expressions,..... I'm using Marugoto, and I have just finished A1, but until September there are no more classes to continue with A2. I'm thinking about buying Minna no Nihongo, but now I only want to practice. Any recomendattion?
victreeb3l
Member
Thinking about getting a Rosetta Stone subscription for Japanese. Has anyone tried it?
I looked up some classes and they seem to be pretty expensive. Around $30-40/hour. I think learning with another person is the best way to go but I dont know if I can afford enough lessons for it to be worth it.
I looked up some classes and they seem to be pretty expensive. Around $30-40/hour. I think learning with another person is the best way to go but I dont know if I can afford enough lessons for it to be worth it.
AzureSkies
Member
Please don't use Rosetta Stone for Japanese. It's a glorified phrase book at best.
Your better off getting a text book. Repeat the sentences (aloud) till they start to sound funny, and you start saying them in your sleep. Then make some Japanese friends and read stories aloud, use some sort of SRS for vocabulary, and writing out kanji will help you remember it better.
victreeb3l
Member
Ah, thanks for the heads up. I didnt think it was that bad :O
welcome! i first tried learning right after high school, too, and that didn't work (god I can't even remember what that ancient textbook was called). tried again (but not seriously) in law school. finally about two years ago I started and more seriously, more thoroughly. there are so many resources available now and the entire mindset for teaching/learning japanese is so different. have fun!
anki is better for vocabulary. there used to be n5-n1 decks available on the anki site, not sure if they are still there. JALUP sells pre-made vocab, grammar, etc decks to work through, though I have no experience with them.
the genki workbooks are good for reinforcing grammar but they are tied to the textbook. i believe there's a series of workbooks that are tied to the n5-n1 levels, but i can't remember them right now (and have no idea if they are good). if i can recall, i will edit this later. you can also check shop.whiterabbitjapan.com, they have an extensive selection of workbooks.
it's probably the most widely reviled way to spend money on learning Japanese. don't do it.
dukeoflegs
Member
Hey everyone, got a noob question. I noticed ki is written differently between the apps I have and the hiragana print out from tofugu. Should I just make a mental note about it or is one used more than the other?
dukeoflegs
Member
Cool, thanks for the help!
maniac-kun
Member
Just started learning Hiragana and iam about to start learning Katakana. Is there a manga you could recommend for a beginner? I want to practice reading stuff.
Lunarwhale
Member
I think Yotsuba is still considered a really good intro to reading Japanese - back during my first self teaching attempt, it was a great way to get some more vocab in and start dissecting basic sentences. It has kanji with furigana, which will help you with getting used to kanji while still being able to work with and read the text itself.
Really though, anything that sounds interesting and isn't geared (exclusively) at an older audience will be fine. Make sure it has kanji so that you can get used to that (also hot damn kanji makes reading so much easier), and you're likely going to want it to have furigana as well.
Edit: in response to some of the DuoLingo discussion, I'm finding it kind of useful as someone who's been away from self teaching for a couple of years now. It's not too bad for refreshing some basics, though it's very much a first step that should probably be supplemented with or followed up by a more traditional text like Genki. Kind of laughed at the app's description of "intense" being 20 minutes a day. I remember lamenting only being able to dedicate an hour a day when I first started. 20 minutes feels like nothing.
Don't take this the wrong way, as I think it's awesome that you want to read stuff and all. You're obviously more motivated than I was back when I started.
But if you're thinking "maybe by reading stuff I'll get used to the kana", I think you're doing it wrong. If you think about it, learning kana is like learning the alphabet, except it's got 4 times as many characters. In other words: it's easy. By easy, I don't mean "you'll know all of them in 2 days". I mean "drill them for a few weeks and you'll be good to go". Don't necessarily try to read manga or short stories right now. Your basic reading and comprehension skills aren't high enough yet. You'll get there, but master the kana first. It's boring, I know, but it's short... Much shorter than learning kanji for sure
. There's a necessary drilling part to all this. It's not just fun and games and "oh, I can play a game in Japanese now!" Finish learning the very basics first.When you're ready, yeah, you can probably read things like Yotsuba.
tl;dr: you don't really need to "practice" something as basic as hiragana and katakana through actual reading material. Just power through it and you'll be fine. It's more efficient and effective.