Learning Japanese

[Marcus H.]

The online dictionary I always use is Jim Breen's WWWJDIC (WWW Japanese Dictionary).

On its Translate Words feature, you're not given a direct machine translation; instead, you're given the words' meaning and its verb form (for verbs), formality and other stuff. If in doubt, you can look over unfamiliar kanji on its Kanji Lookup and Multi-radical Kanji functions.

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/c...wwwjdic.cgi?1C

[Tenken's Smile]

How do you say this in Japanese? --> "I wonder if he is one of my students" or "I wonder if he is among my students"

[Qikz]

Would it be

かれは僕/私の生徒ですかな
kare wa boku/watashi no seito desu kana

I'm not sure, but I think it's that.

[ryohei]

Most neutral Answer:
彼は私の生徒だろうか
Kare wa watashi no seito darou ka

From "desu kana" expression, I imagine speaker is old gentleman.
And the choice of the first-person expression strongly depends on the context, so whether boku is good or bad cannot be judged. (watashi is formal for both of man and woman)

[idiffer]

could anyone by any chance recommend a textbook which can be easily downloaded from the internet??
i do not wish to learn to write hyerogliphics, just speak. oh, and i am a beginner of course...
help would be very appreciated)).

[Raiga]

Originally Posted by idiffer

could anyone by any chance recommend a textbook which can be easily downloaded from the internet??
i do not wish to learn to write hyerogliphics, just speak. oh, and i am a beginner of course...
help would be very appreciated)).

Learn to write it. Just... do it. I doubt there are any textbooks that will walk you through the entire thing using just Romanization. Furthermore, understanding the writing system will provide you with a good deal of insight into verb structures, noun compounds, etc. etc. Insisting on just learning how to speak/listen without learning how to read/write... if you were born and raised in Japan then fine, but if you're learning it later in life with a non-Japanese background, then it's just not happening.

If you want a downloadable textbook, http://nihongoresources.com has a good sized (300+ pages) one up for free download. Of course the book stops using Romanization after the intro chapter on Hiragana.

[thevil1]

Originally Posted by idiffer

could anyone by any chance recommend a textbook which can be easily downloaded from the internet??
i do not wish to learn to write hyerogliphics, just speak. oh, and i am a beginner of course...
help would be very appreciated)).

Text books can get expensive, If your not taking a class, I would recommend some free web sites that are a lot more fun then just reading. I recomend you make flash cards of the
ひらがな (Hiragana) characters using Yoshida Institute, and genki. For learning vocab in a fun way I highly suggest Erin's Challenge. Erin's Challenge is a lot of fun, and if you do the exercises and the extra lesson vids that go along with the skits, that can be an excellent way to learn. I'm taking a class, so I have a text book, but I would not be at the level I'm at without those sites.

[Kudryavka]

Originally Posted by idiffer

could anyone by any chance recommend a textbook which can be easily downloaded from the internet??
i do not wish to learn to write hyerogliphics, just speak. oh, and i am a beginner of course...
help would be very appreciated)).

If you just want to speak basic Japanese and don't care for reading it, I highly suggest the Japanese for Dummies book - it's specifically written for people who just need to know how to get around Japan, and it's written with a tourist's interests in mind (its intro clearly says it's not for people who are planning on majoring in Japanese and the like ). The book is pretty hefty though, about 5 lbs; there's a cheaper, pocket book version under the Dummies brand, but that one only teaches basic phrases, not how the language works like the full version does. Also, no Japanese characters at all (which is usually a very bad thing, but for a fleeting interest in the subject is okay ). The full version can probably be found in your local library, it's where I found my first copy before I bought one of my own.

And imho free downloadable good books from the internet are scarce and few. Best to start raising some bucks.

[idiffer]

thanks all of you))
i'll check out all the suggestions, if i can find the time.
Raiga
i knew there would be someone like you. i know what i want and hyerogliphics are not that. i just want to undestand raw anime...

[Raiga]

Originally Posted by idiffer

thanks all of you))
i'll check out all the suggestions, if i can find the time.
Raiga
i knew there would be someone like you. i know what i want and hyerogliphics are not that. i just want to undestand raw anime...

Good luck reading signs in anime.

I gave you the advice I did because nobody who isn't serious about learning a language, nobody who doesn't truly love and respect the language itself, will actually be able to learn it. It's not a matter of ability; it's a matter of motivation. I mean feel free to think to yourself, "Whatever, I'll just learn enough to understand anime" but that doesn't mean it'll get you anywhere.

But whatever. It's your choice. I'm just wondering if you'll give up in two weeks or three.

[thevil1]

Originally Posted by Tenken's Smile

How do you say "AMONG" or "one of"???

2/ Is it appropriate to use "san" (or any honorific) after a FULL name? For example: Masuda Takeshi-san (Matsuda is last name, Takeshi is first name).

Not sure on the first part, but as for using san, from my understanding it is used in both first and last. If you don't know the person well, you would refer to him/her by their family name (last name) using the 'san' ending. Same for the first name but only if they are close to you.
If anyone else knows better then please correct me.

[Orizuru]

彼は私の生徒の中/内の一人だろうか
kare wa watashi no seito no naka/uti no hitori darou ka

if you should let me know this situation in detail, I will be able to give a full translation

[Kudryavka]

Originally Posted by Raiga

Good luck reading signs in anime.

I gave you the advice I did because nobody who isn't serious about learning a language, nobody who doesn't truly love and respect the language itself, will actually be able to learn it. It's not a matter of ability; it's a matter of motivation. I mean feel free to think to yourself, "Whatever, I'll just learn enough to understand anime" but that doesn't mean it'll get you anywhere.

But whatever. It's your choice. I'm just wondering if you'll give up in two weeks or three.

^This. Sorry Diff, but it's the truth. Learning a new language is no joke. The best way you can just learn enough Japanese to watch raws is to go and live in
Japan for a year; it'd be impossible not to learn the spoken, everyday language. Not that that's a good idea unless you have family/friends living there or like backpacking, since any other option would involve spending a lot of money and/or having to work there (from what I've heard, it's not easy for foreigners to get decent full time jobs in most countries, because of labor laws and whatnot).

[thevil1]

What does the AS header mean?
Also, Notice the small letters under the word 'anime'. What do those mean?
Also, I know that often Japanese will have a word or sentence then a small word or sentence after it. Why do they do that? Get my question?

[ryohei]

Originally Posted by thevil1

What does the AS header mean?
Also, Notice the small letters under the word 'anime'. What do those mean?
Also, I know that often Japanese will have a word or sentence then a small word or sentence after it. Why do they do that? Get my question?

好き is suki, means like. アニメ is anime. This header means Anime Suki(like anime).

>a small word after a word or sentence......
you mean ruby character?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_character

[thevil1]

Originally Posted by ryohei

好き is suki, means like. アニメ is anime. This header means Anime Suki(like anime).

>a small word after a word or sentence......
you mean ruby character?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_character

Thanks... So it's correct to say that Ruby characters are the equivalent of accent marks in English?

[Marcus H.]

Nope. Ruby characters only exist on languages with logographic characters like Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
And perhaps Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

[Kudryavka]

fyi they're also called furigana in Japanese. I've never heard them called rubi.

[thevil1]

What's the difference between "kun", "san", and "chan"?

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by thevil1

What's the difference between "kun", "san", and "chan"?

Spoiler for San:

San:

Overview: This is the most common. It can be used on boys or girls. It can be used in formal and (somewhat) informal situations. Pretty much, san is your fail safe when you don’t know which one ot use. You probably won’t get in trouble if you use this one, so it’s good to use with frequency.

Do Not: Refer to yourself as [your name]-san. This is very rude. You might as well start asking people to get on their knees and bow down to you. Only use this on other people.

Other Uses: You can also attach san to some nouns, usually jobs. For example, booksellers are called honya-san. I know that some uses like this are more common than others so I’d say it’s best not to jump to conclusions and start turning every noun you see into name-honorific enders.

Trivial Fact: Ever notice how a lot of Japanese usernames on the net end with three? I just read this on Wikipedia, and it completely makes sense. Since the number three in Japanese is san, some people use this to end their names. I think it’s clever, anyways.

Also, in the Kansai area of Japan (they speak a different dialect, kind of like how people in Texas would have “southern accents” in America), some people use han instead of san (apparently). I can’t confirm this from experience, but that’s what I read.

Spoiler for Sama:

Sama

Overview: Most likely, you’ll never run into an appropriate situation to use sama, unless of course you want to be a little sarcastic. The only time you’ll be using sama is if 1) you’re working for a company and you’re talking to a customre, or 2) you want to be sarcastic about someone who thinks really highly about themselves.

Do Not: EVER refer to yourself as sama…well, that is, unless you’re making fun of yourself. Otherwise, there’s no reason to do it, and if you do it with a serious face, people will think you’re a big stuck up snob.

Trivial Fact: Aparently, there’s also a “Chama” version of sama. Typically, you would use this when talking to someone who is older.

Spoiler for Kun:

Kun

Overview: This is where you start getting more casual. Kun is primarily used when refering to other males, usually by someone of high status to someone younger / lower status than them. A good example would be a teacher talking to a (usually male) student. Some (masculine) females get called (name)-kun, though this is less common.

Do Not: Use this on someone of higher status than you. That means teachers, people that are older than you, parents, etc. You get the picture. If you aren’t sure, then just use san – at least you’ll be safe that way.

Spoiler for Chan:

Chan

Overview: Now we’re in deep waters. Chan is primarily used on children, female family members, lovers, and close friends. Really, it’s a term of indearment. Often times, one’s name will be shortened to add chan to it. For example, I get the Ko-chan treatment instead of Koichi-chan, which just sounds awkward.

Do Not: (once again), use it on anyone of higher status than you. If you are using chan, the person should be much younger, or you better know that person really well.

Trivial Fact: Unlike all the other name honorifics, it’s actually not too horrible to refer to yourself and add the chan to the end. Children do this a lot, but so do some adults. Adding chan to a name can sometimes become a nickname that’s used instead of the real name, at which point it becomes acceptable to refer to yourself while using the honorific.

Another interesting thing about chan is that it is paired up with ojii and obaa (oji-chan / oba-chan), roughly meaning grandma and grandpa. Once Gma and Gpa get old, they come full circle, and you get to use the honorific reserved for children on them. Poor guys.