Synth_floyd
Banned
Osaka is nice but Tokyo is better IMO. I've lived in both. You do have to be careful about getting stuck in an "English bubble" but if you put in some effort it's not hard to find friends that only speak Japanese.
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The Big Ass Superior Thread of Learning Japanese
- Thread starter RevenantKioku
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Being forced to use english is something I've thought a lot about and thus actively trying to avoid schools whose students are mostly made up of westerners.
All I can do other than that, is to avoid using english as best I can in any given situation; which probably won't be too difficult, seeing as english isn't my main language.
shanshan310
Member
Oh really? I think the experience varies depending on where you're from. As someone who is blonde I kind of stick out as an English speaker
Oh really? I think the experience varies depending on where you're from. As someone who is blonde I kind of stick out as an English speaker
Yeah, I won't stick out in that regard, but then there's the issue of being built like a tank and being seen as a giant. ;P
a good one for beginners is actually aimed at Japanese people learning english.
the premise is they hear an english riddle describing a word and they try to work out what the word is.
This way you're not totally thrown in the deep end and have a general idea of what they're talking about.
http://www.tbsradio.jp/eiken/index.xml
look for "聞き耳リスニングクイズ"
eg:
http://www.tbsradio.jp/eiken/2012/03/2012319-1.html
http://podcast.tbsradio.jp/eiken/files/listening20120319.mp3
the premise is they hear an english riddle describing a word and they try to work out what the word is.
This way you're not totally thrown in the deep end and have a general idea of what they're talking about.
http://www.tbsradio.jp/eiken/index.xml
look for "聞き耳リスニングクイズ"
eg:
http://www.tbsradio.jp/eiken/2012/03/2012319-1.html
http://podcast.tbsradio.jp/eiken/files/listening20120319.mp3
shinobi602
Member
Every time I see "Big Ass Superior Thread" I get so excited and then... =(
HisshouBuraiKen
Member
Oh really? I think the experience varies depending on where you're from. As someone who is blonde I kind of stick out as an English speaker
Just say in Japanese that you're Finnish or Norwegian and it should be enough, I always said "sorry I'm italian I don't speak english" and that was usually enough.
So AJATT recommends putting the story for each kanji on the front of the card, yet the OP and other places just place the keyword there. Is there any particular problem with having the story as an immediate prompt? The shared RTK deck in Anki has a hyperlink to the story on koohii, which would be fine if the story page didn't also display the kanji itself, defeating the purpose of the prompt.
Well the way RTK works is that you remember the story when you see the keyword and not the other way around. If you rely on the story too much, it'll hinder your progress, I think, since the final goal is to just remember the Kanji and stroke order instantly, without the need to go back and remember the actual story.
Hm. Is there anyway to set up an in-between card in Anki? Like, you see the keyword. Click once to get the story, click twice to get the kanji?
Or should I just stick the story on the back of the flashcard - if I can't remember the story, I've failed outright?
edit: to answer my own question, yes, I can do that. If anyone is curious, I use this as the front of my card template:
Code:
{{Front}}
<span style="color: #FFFFFF;" onmousedown="this.style.color='black'"
onmouseout="this.style.color='white'"> {{{Story}}} </span>So the story remains hidden, unless I click (or on my phone, tap) the story field.
Fantastic.
shanshan310
Member
I was always worried they'd speak whatever language I pretended to speak though
Guess i'll pick something obscure like Ukrainian. haha.bigmit3737
Member
Hey guys, I found a couple of sites with tons of subs (Japanese subs) for Japanese Dramas and Japanese Anime.
I find it very useful for my studies, and I wanted to share it with you guys.
Here is the one with tons of Japanese subs (just scroll down past the English subs):
http://fc7c0ed1.zxxo.net/
And here is one with Anime subs:
http://kitsunekko.net/subtitles/japanese/
I hope it helps you guys. I wanted to give back to the community for helping me out. =)
I find it very useful for my studies, and I wanted to share it with you guys.
Here is the one with tons of Japanese subs (just scroll down past the English subs):
http://fc7c0ed1.zxxo.net/
And here is one with Anime subs:
http://kitsunekko.net/subtitles/japanese/
I hope it helps you guys. I wanted to give back to the community for helping me out. =)
What's up with that first link? It's just the d-addicts subtitles forum. Linkbucks?
Just know that it can take up to six years of intensive studying to be able to play games and actually understand what is going on without constantly looking up words, so pretty big commitment of your time if that is the only reason you want to learn it. I think apps etc have gotten better but there is no silver bullet when it comes to learning language, you have to factor in time
Lord Ghirahim
Member
You should be able to play almost anything with no serious hindrance if you've passed N1. And that definitely takes much less than 6 years if you're studying intensively.
bigmit3737
Member
Not sure what's up with the first link, but I was given the link the way I posted it, and it was bookmarked that way in my bookmark manager.
I don't really understand it either, but it's legit as I have used the link many times.
Garou
Member
VanillaCakeIsBurning
Member
Wondering if JPGaf can help me with this sentence.
俺は俺だ、どんな時でもな。。。
I've come up with "I'm me, but any/what time". And I don't know where to go from there. I mean the second part doesn't make any sense to me so I must be doing something wrong.
Any help would be appreciated.
俺は俺だ、どんな時でもな。。。
I've come up with "I'm me, but any/what time". And I don't know where to go from there. I mean the second part doesn't make any sense to me so I must be doing something wrong.
Any help would be appreciated.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
どんな時でも is pretty much "whenever".
So...
"I'm me, whenever."
Or,
"I'm always myself, no matter what."
Synth_floyd
Banned
I want to watch anime/drama with Japanese language and JAPANESE subs. LOL, if I can read what they're saying then it's not too hard to understand. All foreign movies have Japanese subs but the way they translate in the subs is different than how they would translate if it was a dub. So annoying.
Some context would be useful in that sentence. You got the translation right. "I am me. Any time (or "no matter when/what")" But other than that you need a little more context to help with the meaning.
Some context would be useful in that sentence. You got the translation right. "I am me. Any time (or "no matter when/what")" But other than that you need a little more context to help with the meaning.
Zoe
Member
"I'm me, in whatever situation"
It's 時で も, not 時 でも.
VanillaCakeIsBurning
Member
Thanks for the replies, I think your translations sound a lot better, as in "no matter what/any time". Makes a lot more sense that way.
To elaborate on that, 「どんな・・・でも」 (where 「でも」is actually the -て form of the verb -- だ/である in this case -- + the も particle) always means "whatever... may <verb>". Pretty much everytime you see 「どんな」 in a sentence that's not a question, you can be sure to find 「でも」 or -て form + も at the end of the clause.
More generally speaking, Japanese has a way of dealing with the potential issues that arise from having a sentence structure where the verb (arguably the most important part of a sentence) is always at the end: many common expressions are broken down into two parts, one of which is at the beginning of a sentence. That way, when you read words like 「どんな」, you sorta know what kind of statement to expect.
Would you guys recommend taking the low level JLPT exams? I'm studying half for personal enjoyment and half because it will hopefully be useful at landing a job in the gaming industry at some point in the future. I'm considering taking the N5 exam in July, as it would be a good goal to strive for and would give me a bit of extra motivation, but the £75 fee is somewhat off-putting, especially seen as I will hopefully take the higher levels eventually which would actually be worth putting on a cv. Thoughts?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Unless you can't find motivation any other way, I really don't see the point of taking anything lower than N2. By all means buy the study materials and practice for the test, but I don't see the point in throwing money away to get such a low level certification. It won't have any practical use.
N3 is okay I suppose (the new level, between the former 3kyuu and 2kyuu), if only to get an idea of the whole thing. It won't have any practical use, but it's the only level besides N2 and N1 where there's a hint of difficulty.
But I agree with you: N5 and even N4 are useless. N3 is the starting point.
shanshan310
Member
I just passed N3 last year, but I'm not sure if I can pass N2 this year (though I would love to). Is the jump pretty high?
Listening and speaking practise. Spending time in country is good for that, but if not you can download programs to listen to (even in the background). Something like keyholeTV is useful. If you listen to it enough you begin to pick up nuances about good places to pause, and the general flow of the language. Repeating back sentences you hear can help too, then you can compare the difference in accent and hopefully make yours the same.
It'll be good in that, yes its something you can put on a cv, it will give you more confidence and you'll get to understand the layout of the exams (so you know what to expect from the higher levels). It might be worth waiting till the December round and trying for N4 though, depending on how well you think you'd go. Try taking the practise exams on the official website, or working through a workbook. Since they are based on past tests, getting those correct might give you the confidence you need without spending a lot of money.
Listening and speaking practise. Spending time in country is good for that, but if not you can download programs to listen to (even in the background). Something like keyholeTV is useful. If you listen to it enough you begin to pick up nuances about good places to pause, and the general flow of the language. Repeating back sentences you hear can help too, then you can compare the difference in accent and hopefully make yours the same.
Angrymoth said:
It'll be good in that, yes its something you can put on a cv, it will give you more confidence and you'll get to understand the layout of the exams (so you know what to expect from the higher levels). It might be worth waiting till the December round and trying for N4 though, depending on how well you think you'd go. Try taking the practise exams on the official website, or working through a workbook. Since they are based on past tests, getting those correct might give you the confidence you need without spending a lot of money.
Thanks. Looking at waveforms of native speakers in Rosetta Stone you can see pretty dramatic pitch shifts within words. While I have the pronunciation sensitivity up all the way, and always get the words right, I still can't get my voice to make those same changes. Will keep working on it though. Cheers
So looks like I might have some job opportunities in Japan in the next few months.
What's the best/quickest/most efficient way to become fluent/literate? Should I focus on speaking before reading, or at the same time? Are there any "mindless" ways of doing it.
I've been doing Rosetta Stone for the last week. I have all three language packs. Are there things better out there? How many hours a day should I use it? I can generally blow through them, and always get over 90%. Should I slow down, and make sure I can say/read/understand everything, or should I go for speed and repetition?
Immersion wise, what are some good methods? TV (recommendations on good shows?), podcasts that focus on lessons or speaking slowly? Gimme your thoughts. Level-wise, I've never formally studied the language, but I've got pronunciation down fine, and I know a couple hundred words. I also took two years of Mandarin in college. I know Mandarin uses simplified characters, but a lot of them are still the same so I've got a basic understanding of how it works. So while I don't really know the language I'm pretty familiar with it.
Thanks for the help
What's the best/quickest/most efficient way to become fluent/literate? Should I focus on speaking before reading, or at the same time? Are there any "mindless" ways of doing it.
I've been doing Rosetta Stone for the last week. I have all three language packs. Are there things better out there? How many hours a day should I use it? I can generally blow through them, and always get over 90%. Should I slow down, and make sure I can say/read/understand everything, or should I go for speed and repetition?
Immersion wise, what are some good methods? TV (recommendations on good shows?), podcasts that focus on lessons or speaking slowly? Gimme your thoughts. Level-wise, I've never formally studied the language, but I've got pronunciation down fine, and I know a couple hundred words. I also took two years of Mandarin in college. I know Mandarin uses simplified characters, but a lot of them are still the same so I've got a basic understanding of how it works. So while I don't really know the language I'm pretty familiar with it.
Thanks for the help
Count Dookkake
Member
Going in to the final with a solid A.
Will be taking classes this summer.
Feels good, man.
Will be taking classes this summer.
Feels good, man.
KidA Seven
Member
LeroyPantwether
Member
Quick question ....I have to write a speech about someone close to me for class. I am writing about a lady friend "Anna". I am having a fear of sounding redundant in my presentation by saying アンナさんは as the subject over and over again. Obviously throughout the speech I can omit the subject when contextually appropriate. But I wonder how else I can refer to her that would be acceptable....? maybe. 私の友達は.....or what about 彼女は.... thoughts please.
....For a bit more context Anna is a friend from back home who is younger than I am. We are not dating but are very close. I included this as i figured it may help shape the language I use to refer to her.
....For a bit more context Anna is a friend from back home who is younger than I am. We are not dating but are very close. I included this as i figured it may help shape the language I use to refer to her.
shanshan310
Member
I'd say 彼女 or something like こちらwould be your best bet. Or just avoid referring to her as much as you can after you've introduced her, when its clear you're speaking about her.
LeroyPantwether
Member
ありがとうございます
lolez2matt
Member
So, I´m learning japanese since 1 month ago, and I need to practice my hiragana.
Does anyone know a page or something to read with only basic hiragana??
Thanks in advance!
Does anyone know a page or something to read with only basic hiragana??
Thanks in advance!
Like shanshan, I would suggest you just refrain from using a は-subject as much as possible. The basic rule of Japanese is that, as long as you're still talking about the same person, you shouldn't have to spell out the subject every time. Think of the は-subject as the theme or topic of the (group of) sentence(s), i.e. what it's generally about.
I wouldn't even suggest you switch things up by using 私の友達は or 彼女は. I mean, you can use them, but only when you went from talking about someone else to talking about her again. Don't use them so you can keep having actual subjects in your sentences, because unlike English or German where they're needed, they're not in Japanese. They're not natural. This isn't just about oral language being more to the point. It applies to written language as well.
In many instances the は-subject in Japanese is actually closer to the English phrase "As for <insert whatever/whoever>" than to, say, a pronoun like "I" or "she" or even a person's name. When you're using a は-subject, you're telling the audience "okay, get this, now I'm talking about this, not about that anymore". That's why the Japanese don't use them all the time. You wouldn't need to say "As for me" all the time in English, would you? Only for specific situations, right? Well, that's -- more or less -- how the Japanese reason with は-subjects.
LeroyPantwether
Member
@kilrogg. thank you so much for the detailed write up. I had huge apprehension about over-omiting the subject but you have calmed my fears. Thanks again
You're welcome. Obviously you don't want to omit the subject all the time either, no need to go to the extreme
. But yeah, if there's one thing you shouldn't worry about, it's the subject: just use it when establishing who you're talking about (you, Anna, someone else...) and when you actually change the subject. But, say, if you're writing a sentence with アンナは and Anna still is the subject in the next sentence, don't write アンナは a second time, or 彼女は or whatever. Just omit it altogether, like "well, of course I'm still talking about her, isn't that obvious?"If you want further reading on the subject, I suggest you read Making Sense of Japanese by Jay Rubin. Short, easy-to-read cheap book. Basically, the Japanese subject is a "zero pronoun": it actually is in the sentence; you just don't express it.
Etrian Oddity
Member
Kilrogg, I've read through this thread and noticed you're very well-versed in the language. Did you have a formal education, or did you teach yourself in other ways? How did you improve your kanji repertoire?
Also, does anyone have any sites in Japanese you would recommend to a basic-intermediate speaker/reader? I want to immerse myself more, since I'll be having a summer break from my class.
Also, does anyone have any sites in Japanese you would recommend to a basic-intermediate speaker/reader? I want to immerse myself more, since I'll be having a summer break from my class.
You could try reading some of the entries from Nana's hiragana diary.
Yep, it's called Slime Forest Adventure.
Thanks for the compliment. I've had formal education for 3 years and a half now (including a year in Japan) and actually started learning the language at a slow pace (an hour-and-a-half-per-week course) 11 years ago. Considering how long I've been studying it I actually find my level to be very lacking. What you're noticing reading my replies is that I know finer points of grammar for instance, but that's mostly because 1) some of my grammar classes were very in-depth, and 2) I just like languages and grammar and stuff. That kind of knowledge, while interesting and useful in some ways, doesn't necessarily translate to a good practical level of proficiency. I fumble a lot when talking in Japanese, and I often struggle to use words I've learned in an active fashion. I'm sure many people here actually speak much better than I do because they've been in Japan for a while or haven't been focusing much of their energy on theoretical like I did. I mean, I can't even follow a drama or a movie really well without subtitles! Most recently I've noticed my writing ability for kanji has taken a dramatic hit (because I just don't write them any more). Fortunately, it seems that once you've reached a certain level you barely forget how to read them.
Speaking of kanji and since you asked, the Japanese department of my university has kanji requirements for all undergraduate students. They give new kanji handouts every semester, and it basically goes like this: 400 kanji the first year, 600 the second, and around 800 or 1000 the last year I think. We're supposed to learn them and the kanji compounds for some classes, and what can I say: I was just very motivated
. As for how I studied them, I use a piece of software called Anki/I], which I'm sure you've seen recommended here by me among others. I've stopped using it since I got my bachelor's degree, and that's why my level sucks now. It's a very demanding program at first, but very rewarding. I remember acing every kanji class back then. Good times . I would enter all the kanji and kanji compounds found in the handouts and review them pretty much every day.I don't have any specific recommendations for what you ask, but if you're interested in gaining an understanding of several Japanese concepts (such as all that stuff about the Japanese subject I talked about earlier), you should read Making Sense of Japanese by Jay Rubin. The ideal time to read it is when you have a modicum of knowledge of the language (which seems to be your case) but can't seem to grasp some of the concepts you're handling nonetheless. Also, it's the only grammar book that I know of that's actually fun to read. Imagine that: fun and grammar.
Recently I learned the Mandarin word for cute which is ke ai (pronounced kuh-ai) and I thought it was remarkably similar to the Japanese kawaii and even the Korean gi-yeo-weo. Anyone know if these are something like false cognates or if they originate from the same Chinese character?
Edit: Heh, just Googled for the answer myself and this thread (and my post) was already on the first page. Google's fast!
And I found an answer here:
Cool bit of information!
Edit: Heh, just Googled for the answer myself and this thread (and my post) was already on the first page. Google's fast!
And I found an answer here:
David Eddyshaw said:
Cool bit of information!
I've tried quite a lot, and the 2 I'd recommend are 'Midori' and 'Japanese Lessons and Phrases'. The second one is a good tool for beginners, you can listen to all words by tapping them which is useful for pronunciation, and it has a good set of beginner lessons and vocab which helped me out a lot to start with. Midori tough is what I use pretty much exclusively now. Its a great reference tool and dictionary. You can search for kanji/words by drawing, radical or romaji, there is a seemingly endless supply of example sentences attached to each of them. It also great flashcard support and somewhat helpful japanese to english translator.
They're both a tad expensive for the app store but thats pretty much par for the course with this category and they're both good value for money.
Thanks for the suggestions, they both look pretty good! Midori seems awesome for advanced learners, but I prefer to have a lesson structure to guide me, I'll download both tonight and give them a go (Japanese lessons and phrases is on sale right now btw).
If anyone else has any other suggestion they'd be welcomed
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