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The Big Ass Superior Thread of Learning Japanese
- Thread starter RevenantKioku
- Start date
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bigmit3737
Member
You can't use 「ます」と　「でしょうか」。　I'm pretty sure that's grammatically incorrect.
[鈴木部長もご飯を召し上がりますか] is okay though.
I made the same mistake many, many times and was corrected by native speakers.
So just be careful with that.
Thanks! I had known it was 二重敬語, but for some reason I thought it was often used 二重敬語. However, a quick google search has shown me otherwise. I use it a lot in emails too! >_<
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
While there is a lot of debate on whether ますでしょうか and similar forms are strictly correct in grammatical terms, it doesn't really matter, because they're extremely common and people aren't going to stop using them soon.
A simple ますか can sound way too forward or direct sometimes, and adding a でしょうか to the end allows you to soften the expression and make it sound more polite, especially when you are making a request in a business situation.
Obviously, context is everything, but you should continue to do so.
Yeah, actually before I read your message I was writing an email and I couldn't not add a でしょう (it was 空いている時間を教えて頂けますでしょうか
, and so added it anyways regardless of thinking it's "wrong". Just sounds so direct and almost like an order without it. Funny the search results for ますでしょうか were basically "you shouldn't use it".
Although advice from Japanese people from Japanese sometimes is not using things specific people don't like. (I shouldn't end things with じゃん, etc.)
そういう語尾表現にはマイルールを持ってる。
迷った場合は、「ゃゅょ」などの小さい文字を使わないですむ表現を探す。特に「っ」は使用しない。
文法は詳しくないから文法的な裏付けはないし、どんな文脈でも使えるとは言い切らないけど、ビジネスメールならこのルールに従って問題無いと思う。
前にも似たようなこと書き込んだことがあるかも。
迷った場合は、「ゃゅょ」などの小さい文字を使わないですむ表現を探す。特に「っ」は使用しない。
文法は詳しくないから文法的な裏付けはないし、どんな文脈でも使えるとは言い切らないけど、ビジネスメールならこのルールに従って問題無いと思う。
前にも似たようなこと書き込んだことがあるかも。
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, actually before I read your message I was writing an email and I couldn't not add a でしょう (it was 空いている時間を教えて頂けますでしょうか
Funny the search results for ますでしょうか were basically "you shouldn't use it".
Although advice from Japanese people from Japanese sometimes is not using things specific people don't like. (I shouldn't end things with じゃん, etc.)
I think it's just that a lot of people don't encounter it until they're in a business environment. Of course, when you Google something so specific like that, it's not surprising you'll be directed to some 知恵袋 stuff.
I can only speak from my personal experience, but the construction seems extremely common in the various business settings I've been a part of. Just like you said, without it, requests come across as more direct, so it's very useful when you want to soften your tone and make sure you're not sounding anything but humble. Something like "教えて頂けるのでしょうか" might be more correct grammatically, but it comes across even stronger than simply omitting the "でしょう" from "頂けますか."
bigmit3737
Member
So it's well accepted in Japan? I've been corrected a few times and told to use the regular form with でしょうか to soften the expression.
Porcile
Member
Finally decided to make the step up from self-learning and pay for a private tutor for some one-to-one lessons over the next months. Tutors are slim pickings in my area but I've managed to find a native-Japanese tutor, and it's all looking positive that I can start in the next week or so. Without being able to talk to someone consistently in Japanese I know for sure my skill level (and motivation for learning) is only going to be able to reach a certain point. Hopefully this time next year I'll actually be in Japan, and will gain the benefits of that, but for now this is certainly a better way forward to learning than talking to myself all day.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Career Forum Tokyo was interesting. Thanks to all of you for coming out.
I wanted to get a tutor, but they all live too far away and won't go further than 25 miles away. Anyway, がんばる。.
kunonabi
Member
I'm having some trouble with this youtube trailer. I think my speakers are finally giving out as I'm having a heck of time hearing some of the dialogue.
The line at :07
The line at :16 the speed is getting me here
The line at :32 - the part after あしたわ
The line at :33 - Iぱぱがみているの...そとだけ。 I'm having trouble with the part between みているの and そとだけ
The line at :57
The line at 1:10 - it sounds like おれたちしんでもおなじだ　but I'm not sure
The line at 1:21 to 1:24 - Not so much my speakers but I've having trouble with his accent.
So if anyone can help me with the Japanese that would be great. I don't need it translated or anything I just need to be help with what is being said.
The line at :07
The line at :16 the speed is getting me here
The line at :32 - the part after あしたわ
The line at :33 - Iぱぱがみているの...そとだけ。 I'm having trouble with the part between みているの and そとだけ
The line at :57
The line at 1:10 - it sounds like おれたちしんでもおなじだ　but I'm not sure
The line at 1:21 to 1:24 - Not so much my speakers but I've having trouble with his accent.
So if anyone can help me with the Japanese that would be great. I don't need it translated or anything I just need to be help with what is being said.
kunonabi
Member
I just realized that, lol. Maybe it isn't my speakers just my brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2FTLggK7zY
Evoker1995
Member
Hey everyone!
So I just got through my 1st year of Japanese ever! I've learned a lot, but this summer has been really hard to motivate myself to keep studying with work and all that. What do you do to keep studying exciting?
Also, I want to start reading more to improve my reading skills. I do not know a lot of kanji (maybe 100 characters?) or combinations that form words, so what is a good place to start reading as a beginner? And what method do you use to study kanji for writing and reading so it sticks in your head? I do have Heisig's book, so I might go back to that.
Thanks!
So I just got through my 1st year of Japanese ever! I've learned a lot, but this summer has been really hard to motivate myself to keep studying with work and all that. What do you do to keep studying exciting?
Also, I want to start reading more to improve my reading skills. I do not know a lot of kanji (maybe 100 characters?) or combinations that form words, so what is a good place to start reading as a beginner? And what method do you use to study kanji for writing and reading so it sticks in your head? I do have Heisig's book, so I might go back to that.
Thanks!
Yeah getting the readings through vocab has been way, way easier. I'm getting them in on relatively low brain power which is great, if a leech pops up on anki that's where I go in and try to memorize the onyomi/kunyomi properly.
And honestly even then I end up forgetting it afterwards anyway, after a while I revert back to getting the readings by thinking about words that include the kanji. At least for me hardwiring the kanji to their readings is really unnatural.
Porcile
Member
Well, it's probably good to know the other common readings though right? Like, if someone says some totally unknown vocabulary to you, but you recognise part of the word from another vocab, then you can make a good guess, based on context, at what that word might mean by narrowing down your options based on the readings you know.
TheSporkWithin
Member
There's such an extreme amount of overlap (many kanji sharing the same sounds and often the same set of sounds can be several different words) that you're almost never going to be able to guess the meaning of a word just from hearing it in isolation and guessing based on the sounds. Often you can infer from context, and maybe after you know the meaning you'll make a connection (oh, THAT ふく!) and it'll help you remember the new word.
Basically kanji readings(like many things having to do with kanji) are a bit of a catch-22; it doesn't really help to know them until you find that you already mostly know them. You can study them earlier but they'll be of relatively little value until the rest of your knowledge is built up to support them.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
kunonabi
Member
awesome, you're a life saver.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
So, one pronunciation I've always been confused about...
サイ
カイ
Like, do you pronounce them still individually, or does the イ blend with the syllable before it? Like take サイ, do you say it like "sigh", or is it "sa-ee". Sometimes when I listen to Japanese it seems like they do the former, but maybe they just say it fast enough it sounds like it blends.
Also, の巻...I noticed the title of each chapter in a manga ended this way, so does this basically just used to basically say "Chapter n"?
サイ
カイ
Like, do you pronounce them still individually, or does the イ blend with the syllable before it? Like take サイ, do you say it like "sigh", or is it "sa-ee". Sometimes when I listen to Japanese it seems like they do the former, but maybe they just say it fast enough it sounds like it blends.
Also, の巻...I noticed the title of each chapter in a manga ended this way, so does this basically just used to basically say "Chapter n"?
The basic rule with Japanese pronunciation is that everything is pronounced with the same length and emphasis (unlike English for instance). Every syllable counts as 1 unit of sound, so to speak. So in your example, you still pronounce "i" as one full individual syllable as far as length is concerned.
However! Obviously, this doesn't mean that you should exaggerate a pause between "sa" and "i" as if they were two different words. They're just two syllables inside one word. The whole thing has still gotta flow as one word, right?
I think what's throwing you off is that, again, English doesn't treat syllables equally. In every English word, one or two syllables/sounds will always end up longer and more stressed than the rest. Even in "sigh", if you listen closely to the way you say it and break it down into sa + i, you'll notice that "sa" is much stronger and longer than "i", which is barely uttered. Japanese can't work that way. The length contrast between "sa" and "i" in Japanese will never be as strong as it is in "sigh" in English,
So in other words, there's really not much point thinking about this. Depending on the speed of your speech it will either sound more blended in or more individualized. It's better to think more generally about this fundamental difference between English and Japanese: one discriminates between important syllables and less important syllables, the other treats every sound equally, like its own 1-time musical note. When you get that difference, everything about the rhythm and pronunciation of the language will click, and you'll lose a good chunk of your foreign accent... Assuming you're American, British, German or speak another stress-based language.
Does that make sense? It's alright if you don't get it right away, but keep that idea of "every sound is equal" in mind and you'll notice things little by little until it clicks.
Yeah, it just means 'volume' or 'chapter'.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
In addition to what Kilrogg said, it also kind of depends on the word.
For example, you would pronounce "サイ" (rhinoceros) as one blended sound more like "sigh," but a word like 差異 (difference) would be pronounced with a clear break between the sounds more like "sa-ee."
Same with something like 貝 (shell) being pronounced as "kai" versus 下位 (lower rank) being pronounced as "ka-ee."
For example, you would pronounce "サイ" (rhinoceros) as one blended sound more like "sigh," but a word like 差異 (difference) would be pronounced with a clear break between the sounds more like "sa-ee."
Same with something like 貝 (shell) being pronounced as "kai" versus 下位 (lower rank) being pronounced as "ka-ee."
That's right, thanks for the addition.
I'm not sure they're really shorter actually. The vowel is definitely less clear, but I don't know that the duration of the whole syllable is shorter. But I you might be right, this could one exception.
Porcile
Member
What about "ikimasu" and so on though? Which i always hear as "kimasu" like with a silent い, though I do hear faint one in there at times. Also "suki" is another one which sounds shorter ("skeedess" almost).
I think it's just a classic case of "that's just the way they are, don't think too hard about it and eventually it will be natural".
I think it's just a classic case of "that's just the way they are, don't think too hard about it and eventually it will be natural".
Any idea how successful I'm going to be looking for Japanese people to talk to on Skype?
I hear the i in "kimasu". suki does fall into what I said earlier though. Also, what's the "mass" part? suki isn't going to be followed by masu, instead you use desu since suki is an adjective.
I hear the i in "kimasu". suki does fall into what I said earlier though. Also, what's the "mass" part? suki isn't going to be followed by masu, instead you use desu since suki is an adjective.
Porcile
Member
Sorry, yeah I made a mistake. Was thinking too much about masu - haha
Porcile
Member
There's probably a more specific website for this sort of thing, but have you tried connecting with some Japanese people on Lang-8 and just asking if anyone wants to Skype chat? They want to speak and learn English, you want to speak and learn Japanese. It's a win-win situation.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Yeah, I get the equal stress part, but to be honest it's hard to do that for me...I have to sometimes *think* the word over in my head to avoid doing that.
But so it depends on the word, that makes sense. Like my name written in katakana is タイラー (Tyler), I imagine in this case I'd probably go with the more blended "tie" like how I pronounce it in English rather than the "ta-ee" probably. Right?
Also I just discovered the Rikaikun plug-in...pretty nifty and fun for picking up some Kanji. But do you think that might be a handicap for memorizing Kanji if I use it too much and become dependent on it?
But so it depends on the word, that makes sense. Like my name written in katakana is タイラー (Tyler), I imagine in this case I'd probably go with the more blended "tie" like how I pronounce it in English rather than the "ta-ee" probably. Right?
Also I just discovered the Rikaikun plug-in...pretty nifty and fun for picking up some Kanji. But do you think that might be a handicap for memorizing Kanji if I use it too much and become dependent on it?
Porcile
Member
Yeah man, sounds about right!
As for for Rikaikun, it doesn't matter what you're learning, but anything which makes make it super convenient for you to look up something without actually having to learn it properly is always going to mess you up. What happens when you don't have it to fall back on? I think that plugin should be used when you have a much larger grip on kanji characters. I'm learning kanji too and I'm not using it. Personally, I prefer to manually look up a kanji character if I'm curious about its meaning or reading.
there is intonation in Japanese, a common thing is the second syllable is more stressed than the first. Japanese people's mimic of an English person speaking Japanese usually includes a strong first syllable.
Regarding seperation of syllables, I find the general use being if the word is a single concept (as Zefah shows). Then there's also verbs vs nouns (行こう vs 以降. However, there's always the example of "hashi" (橋、箸、端, and how they're all pronounced slightly differently, and they're all nouns and a single concept.
I'd say with any language it's best to not think about it, and focus more on mimicking native speakers when learning pronunciation. The more people you listen to, the more easy it is to find your voice.
Regarding seperation of syllables, I find the general use being if the word is a single concept (as Zefah shows). Then there's also verbs vs nouns (行こう vs 以降
. However, there's always the example of "hashi" (橋、箸、端, and how they're all pronounced slightly differently, and they're all nouns and a single concept.I'd say with any language it's best to not think about it, and focus more on mimicking native speakers when learning pronunciation. The more people you listen to, the more easy it is to find your voice.
stump sock
Member
my current favorite way to do this is via the google translate app on my phone, using the handwriting feature. that way it forces me to draw the kanji as i'm looking it up. helps it stick, even though i know i'm screwing up the stroke order pretty regularly
So I'm going to the rugby world cup this year (for the third time!), which is awesome, if not exactly japan related. I'm also playing Atelier Rorona Plus with the voices in Japanese, and it's fun to see what you pick up on, as I've always played with subs, despite having no idea what I'm listening too. I was thinking about all the games I've played in Japanese throughout my life, understanding almost nothing, and then right after while looking at rugby fixtures I noticed that the next world cup in 2019 - is in Japan. The two things stuck me like a thunderbolt and I said 'It's time to give this a whirl - you WILL be going in 2019' (I always go, plus my friends went to the soccer world cup there and loved it) 'so let's get this done.'
It gives me a full 4 years to get ready for an amazing holiday and trip-of-a-lifetime. During which, I can learn using textbooks and practise using games. The games will keep me motivated short-term, the trip longer term. Is that a valid reason for starting a language? A decent plan? I feel like it is.
So for the past three days I've been learning off the hiragana. Seems like a good way to start, and more importantly I'm having fun. I've got the first 30 down to where I can write them on demand. So, nearly there. And I'm trying to read some stuff too (not to understand, just to 'pronounce the hiragana.' Recognising them is harder, I feel like Davos from GoT. And I've noticed that a lot of 'fonts' show characters very, very differently, which is weird as hell. (Example, ki and sa, which seem to look completely different printed as they do drawn at first glance.)
So, first question: Some japanese stuff online or in comics goes top to bottom. But does the meaning of a word (just a word) ever get split between lines? So could a 'two kanji word' have one kanji on one line and the other on the next? Or a hiragana word that say contains 4 characters, could that get split up? Because I'm struggling to see where one word ends and another begins and I feel like that would help.
I stumbled onto a website that was awesome, only to find out it's the Tae Kim one and has been recommended multiple times. Genki also seems good. Those will be my two main resources for now. Both make it clear that Romaji is death. My plan is not to use it whatsoever, which is why I'm getting the hiragana down before I really start.
So, any other tips, advice, anything? Support, lol?
I am already doing this, that google translate scratchpad is such a great way to recognise and practice characters. I'm glad I found it almost immediately while looking things up. Is there any standalone site that does this kind of character recognition? Like a dictionary or thesaurus or something?
It's also massively frustrating to have to draw out a bunch of hiragana you know just to get the full meaning of a word you saw somewhere.
It gives me a full 4 years to get ready for an amazing holiday and trip-of-a-lifetime. During which, I can learn using textbooks and practise using games. The games will keep me motivated short-term, the trip longer term. Is that a valid reason for starting a language? A decent plan? I feel like it is.
So for the past three days I've been learning off the hiragana. Seems like a good way to start, and more importantly I'm having fun. I've got the first 30 down to where I can write them on demand. So, nearly there. And I'm trying to read some stuff too (not to understand, just to 'pronounce the hiragana.' Recognising them is harder, I feel like Davos from GoT. And I've noticed that a lot of 'fonts' show characters very, very differently, which is weird as hell. (Example, ki and sa, which seem to look completely different printed as they do drawn at first glance.)
So, first question: Some japanese stuff online or in comics goes top to bottom. But does the meaning of a word (just a word) ever get split between lines? So could a 'two kanji word' have one kanji on one line and the other on the next? Or a hiragana word that say contains 4 characters, could that get split up? Because I'm struggling to see where one word ends and another begins and I feel like that would help.
I stumbled onto a website that was awesome, only to find out it's the Tae Kim one and has been recommended multiple times. Genki also seems good. Those will be my two main resources for now. Both make it clear that Romaji is death. My plan is not to use it whatsoever, which is why I'm getting the hiragana down before I really start.
So, any other tips, advice, anything? Support, lol?
I am already doing this, that google translate scratchpad is such a great way to recognise and practice characters. I'm glad I found it almost immediately while looking things up. Is there any standalone site that does this kind of character recognition? Like a dictionary or thesaurus or something?
It's also massively frustrating to have to draw out a bunch of hiragana you know just to get the full meaning of a word you saw somewhere.
It's great that you have a clear deadline and motivation - makes studying so much easier!
It sounds like Wanikani might be right up your alley. It's a web application aimed at beginners that teaches you kanji radicals, kanji and vocabulary by using SRS, mnemonics and timed quizzes. It's an amazing tool to build your Japanese reading skill and it does a great job of making learning fun. You start at level 1 with only the most basic radicals and kanji available to you, which you get quizzed at at timed intervals. Once you "master" that set of characters by answering correctly a certain amount of times, you level up and unlock new learning material. You're quizzed on those new characters as well while at the same time you keep reviewing material from level 1. The pace is slow at first but picks up very fast later (but you still have control on when you start studying new material in case you get overwhelmed by reviews). They say it takes about 2 years to complete the course, and once you've mastered that you will be able to read most of the joyo kanji and about 5000 vocabulary words.
The downside is, you don't learn to write kanji and they don't teach you grammar either, so you'll still need to combine it with other study material. Oh, and... it costs money! $8 for a month and $80 for a year. Levels 1 and 2 are free though (will take you about 2 weeks) so doesn't hurt to try it out and see if it works for you. I think you get a discount if you're a Textfugu subscriber, which might also be useful to you. Never tried Textfugu though so can't really say much about it.
Anyway check out Wanikani and read their FAQ if you wanna know more! I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and while I already know all the material (been studying Japanese for ~4 years now) I still can't wait until new reviews unlock and it's a good memory refresher. I even put a widget on my desktop that tells me when my next review is... I'm quite addicted to Wanikani, haha. I guess this is how people obsessed with Candy Crush feel...
I only know of this one, but maybe there are better ones out there. Also, if you have an iPhone, install Chinese handwritten as a keyboard layout and you will be able to use handwritten kanji on your phone as well
. Useful for when you want to look up words on your phone. (Also if you use iOS, get the app "imi wa" - best dictionary ever).TheSporkWithin
Member
This can happen in handwritten things or longform writing, like an essay or newspaper, but you're very unlikely to come across it in games or manga.
Your best bet is to buy a N5/N4 text book (there are plenty, I can link you to some if you're intending to actually use them) and use those to start learning grammar patterns and words. Learning through manga/games is nearly pointless except for improving your reading (if the games have furigana); you won't benefit from this until you have a basic understanding of simple grammar patterns.
IMO, learning off all these websites is convenient and cheap, but will lead you to a dead end at some point where you're stuck/they don't teach you enough to take you to the next level. They're good compliments, but don't depend on them.
I guess the i is a bit faster, but not fully devoiced. However, the "u" in "masu" is usually devoiced. Some people will pronounce it, but most of the time they will just say "mass".
The mere fact that you're thinking about it means you're aware (or trying to be aware) of it. It will click eventually, don't worry.
Sure.
there is intonation in Japanese, a common thing is the second syllable is more stressed than the first. Japanese people's mimic of an English person speaking Japanese usually includes a strong first syllable.
Regarding seperation of syllables, I find the general use being if the word is a single concept (as Zefah shows). Then there's also verbs vs nouns (行こう vs 以降
Let's not mix things up. You're talking about pitch accent, which is different from stress accent. Stress accent is what's found in English for instance, and results in this strong emphasis on or two syllables in every word. But it's best to think of the Japanese pitch accent as a 'height' accent, where one syllable is higher than the rest, but still as long as the others. So in your example, "hashi", there is no difference in pronunciation, in the sense that all the sounds are all formed exactly the same way with the same length, whether it's 橋、箸、or 端. What differs is the pitch. This is all hard to explain in writing sadly, but I can't stress enough the importance of differentiating betweend the English stress accent and the Japanese pitch accent.
The first time someone told me about pitch accent, I made tremendous progress. I used to have this horrible French accent (even though my pronunciation per se was good!), but once I became aware of pitch accent everything changed. And I suspect that change is even more radical for speakers of a stress-accent language like English.
(Now, if only there were rules for pitch accent that allowed you to guess every word's pitch accent...
) 100% agreed. But it helps to put words onto concepts to help your ear notice things. Mimicking is the best form of practice, but it doesn't come as easily to everyone.
Have any of you ever reached a point in which a part of your study routine doesn't feel useful anymore? I've been doing Remembering the Kanji reviews in Anki for years now but it's starting to feel like it's not doing much for me anymore. I'm familiar with the characters enough to the point where I don't have much difficulty in remembering them in vocabulary I learn, so writing a character after seeing an English word just doesn't seem to do much for me anymore. It's not a skill I really have to ever use.
Part of me feels a bit of guilt about cutting out part of my routine, as if it's from laziness or something. I guess I'll have to keep thinking about it -- it just really doesn't seem worth doing anymore (especially with the amount that I dread doing it).
Part of me feels a bit of guilt about cutting out part of my routine, as if it's from laziness or something. I guess I'll have to keep thinking about it -- it just really doesn't seem worth doing anymore (especially with the amount that I dread doing it).
I finished adding new RTK1 cards a couple years ago or so and I still do the reviews, mostly out of habit but also because this far out I only have a handful a day to do, doesn't really take up too much time. Eventually I see myself stopping but I would have a hard time defining at what point that should be. I have some desire to get back into handwriting (haven't tried in a while) or do the remaining 常用 kanji I haven't been reviewing or RTK3 even.
I have this big apprehension to stopping SRS reviews for some reason, even though I have a few decks that I probably don't need to review anymore.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Man, I'm really getting confused about verbs...
Found out that my resources are using inconsistent terminology...some use "U" and "Ru" verbs, while others use the apparently more correct "Godan" and "Ichidan" terms for them instead.
Beyond figuring that out I'm getting pretty overwhelmed looking at these massive conjugation charts.
Found out that my resources are using inconsistent terminology...some use "U" and "Ru" verbs, while others use the apparently more correct "Godan" and "Ichidan" terms for them instead.
Beyond figuring that out I'm getting pretty overwhelmed looking at these massive conjugation charts.
Conjugation is far from formidable. You should probably learn them in stages though.　U = godan and ru = ichidan.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
On average, how many of the conjugations do you regularly use? I imagine a lot of the chart probably isn't used too much in everyday speech, correct?
TheSporkWithin
Member
Most important forms are dictionary (る
, negative (ない, polite (ます form, ます stem (used for many things, notably "want to do" as したい, present/conjunctive (て, and past (た using only those you can pretty much get by while sounding like a caveman, and you can pass the N5.You really do need to know all of them eventually though, and yes, they are all used on a daily basis.
I guess the i is a bit faster, but not fully devoiced. However, the "u" in "masu" is usually devoiced. Some people will pronounce it, but most of the time they will just say "mass".
The mere fact that you're thinking about it means you're aware (or trying to be aware) of it. It will click eventually, don't worry.
Sure.
Let's not mix things up. You're talking about pitch accent, which is different from stress accent. Stress accent is what's found in English for instance, and results in this strong emphasis on or two syllables in every word. But it's best to think of the Japanese pitch accent as a 'height' accent, where one syllable is higher than the rest, but still as long as the others. So in your example, "hashi", there is no difference in pronunciation, in the sense that all the sounds are all formed exactly the same way with the same length, whether it's 橋、箸、or 端. What differs is the pitch. This is all hard to explain in writing sadly, but I can't stress enough the importance of differentiating betweend the English stress accent and the Japanese pitch accent.
The first time someone told me about pitch accent, I made tremendous progress. I used to have this horrible French accent (even though my pronunciation per se was good!), but once I became aware of pitch accent everything changed. And I suspect that change is even more radical for speakers of a stress-accent language like English.
(Now, if only there were rules for pitch accent that allowed you to guess every word's pitch accent...
100% agreed. But it helps to put words onto concepts to help your ear notice things. Mimicking is the best form of practice, but it doesn't come as easily to everyone.
I didn't mean to ignore this. I had no idea and learned a lot reading it. I just had nothing to add.
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