AnimeSuki Forums

Mueti · 2009-10-13, 20:01

I self-studied for about 2 and a half years - during my last 18 months in school (instead of doing anything for graduation exams

) and then during civil service. After I had the basics down I mostly read books. My first chance to really actively speak was pretty much when I moved here for my year of working holiday 3 months ago. Much to my pleasant surprise I was able to converse quite fluently from day one.

LeoXiao · 2009-10-13, 20:33

I do self-study and try to learn from my parents, but they aren't native Japanese speakers and I end up speaking mostly Chinese instead, which is cool too, since my Chinese needs some work. My mom has started to use more Japanese terms and stuff since I started learning, which means that there are now three languages floating around the house.

One thing that's annoying about Japanese is that they "sort of" simplified their Kanji but not as much as China did, so sometimes things get a little confusing, anow I have three sets of kanji to get used to.

Zu Ra · 2009-10-15, 00:23

I would say self taught . Earlier I had this diary whenever I used to watch fansubs I had a habit of writing difficult words and there meaning . Slowly thanks to that my Japanese vocabulary increased . Now I watch something untranslated I can follow understand 60-70 % of it . Grammar and sentence structure/formation is another thing all together .

At my old job we had an imported a Komori 16 Color Printing machine costing approximately 8.2 Million . So when the machine arrived the technicians and engineers came with it to assemble / test run . They were Japanese themselves and luckily I could be a part of the assembly process . I could understand what they were speaking and saying . But didn't want to sound weeabo so language of communication was English .

I still have a long ways to go till I can confidently say I can speak and understand Japanese but 60-80 % there

Jeffry2009 · 2009-10-15, 00:54

To me i've learn japanese since 3 years from now and I've got 5As & 2Bs in my grade.

Knowledge Seeker · 2009-10-15, 08:17

Yeah, I learned from the courses at my university.

It was pretty fun too! I remember feeling stressed about tests, but looking back at it all, I have no idea why I was stressed, it was fun. It's was an easier and more interesting class than perhaps something like Constitutional Law. =P

I'm competent with the reading, writing, and speaking. But I would like to learn more.

Proto · 2009-10-15, 08:29

I learnt it from those fortune cookies.

RandomGuy · 2009-10-17, 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proto

I learnt it from those fortune cookies.

You learned Japanese from those little strips of paper that have the "Learn Chinese!" bits on them?

Proto · 2009-10-17, 20:29

I guess that explains all the odd looks I get when I try to put it into practice.

Alchemist007 · 2009-10-17, 23:41

lol are you serious?

Proto · 2009-10-17, 23:43

Totally. I swear it on my collection of pirated Anime disks.

mg1942 · 2009-10-18, 01:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proto

Totally. I swear it on my collection of pirated Anime disks.

are they VCDs?

Proto · 2009-10-18, 01:16

They are LD's actually. I got a bunch of them when the Japanese guy next door was doing his garage sale. Back then I still believed into the Japanese I had learned from a language school for 3 years was worth something, so I used it, and see, it actually worked!...

... well not really. Sadly, he actually duped me into thinking they were LP's though. That taught me to never trust Japenese people who say you speak surprisingly well for a foreigner. They lie. They only want to get rid of all those LD's no one wants anymore. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

Not anymore. Since I used the patented learn it yourself fortune cookies method, no one has been able to dupe me into buying more LD's. I haven't got any more praises for my Japanese either, but we all know that only Japanese con men try to praise you so I must be doing something right.

mg1942 · 2009-10-18, 01:42

I bet his LDs were rotting too

Mystique · 2009-10-18, 07:14

Threw myself in the deep end with zero previous experience of the language by making it one half of my degree at uni.

It began with weekly tests from week 1, mass memorisation in a very short period of time, very strict (but amazing) teachers and a brutal schedule of homework and exercises to push ourselves every week on all 4 aspects.

Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking

Start slacking and you fail the class.
If a student didn't pass some of the prerequisite modules in the first 2 years, they weren't going to Japan for the 3rd year placement.
Kinda worked as a damn good incentive

The rest now is self study, but my discipline isn't as sharp as it used to be, however put me in a classroom with deadlines at an intense pace and I seem to do amazingly well

In addition, we had japanese exchange students and the 'japanese society club' to interact with natives, we had language exchange message boards to help each other with study and of course, there was always anime

DeadlySoldier37 · 2009-10-20, 23:43

Has anyone tried learning by using Rosetta Stone? I was thinking of giving this a try since my friend said he could get it for me for a cheap price. But before I do I wan't to know if anyone has tried it and how effective it was? so I can make my final decision whether I want to try it out or not.

View Poll Results: if you understand japanese but you don't live in japan - how did you learn?
Learned from parents/relatives	3	9.38%
formal university or college program in japanese	5	15.63%
took some courses	3	9.38%
self-study (books, tapes, cds)	20	62.50%
hired a tutor	1	3.13%
Voters: 32. You may not vote on this poll

2009-10-13, 20:01	Link #21
Mueti あ！ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Japan Age: 36	I self-studied for about 2 and a half years - during my last 18 months in school (instead of doing anything for graduation exams ) and then during civil service. After I had the basics down I mostly read books. My first chance to really actively speak was pretty much when I moved here for my year of working holiday 3 months ago. Much to my pleasant surprise I was able to converse quite fluently from day one. __________________

2009-10-15, 00:23	Link #23
Zu Ra ✖ ǝʇ ɯıqnɾl ☆ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mortuary : D	I would say self taught . Earlier I had this diary whenever I used to watch fansubs I had a habit of writing difficult words and there meaning . Slowly thanks to that my Japanese vocabulary increased . Now I watch something untranslated I can follow understand 60-70 % of it . Grammar and sentence structure/formation is another thing all together . At my old job we had an imported a Komori 16 Color Printing machine costing approximately 8.2 Million . So when the machine arrived the technicians and engineers came with it to assemble / test run . They were Japanese themselves and luckily I could be a part of the assembly process . I could understand what they were speaking and saying . But didn't want to sound weeabo so language of communication was English . I still have a long ways to go till I can confidently say I can speak and understand Japanese but 60-80 % there __________________

2009-10-15, 08:29	Link #26
Proto Knowledge is the solution Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 39	I learnt it from those fortune cookies. __________________ How to play Japanese games in Linux

2009-10-17, 20:29	Link #28
Proto Knowledge is the solution Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 39	I guess that explains all the odd looks I get when I try to put it into practice. __________________ How to play Japanese games in Linux

2009-10-13, 20:33	Link #22
LeoXiao 思想工作 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Vereinigte Staaten Age: 31	I do self-study and try to learn from my parents, but they aren't native Japanese speakers and I end up speaking mostly Chinese instead, which is cool too, since my Chinese needs some work. My mom has started to use more Japanese terms and stuff since I started learning, which means that there are now three languages floating around the house. One thing that's annoying about Japanese is that they "sort of" simplified their Kanji but not as much as China did, so sometimes things get a little confusing, anow I have three sets of kanji to get used to.

2009-10-15, 00:54	Link #24
Jeffry2009 Banned Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Age: 37	To me i've learn japanese since 3 years from now and I've got 5As & 2Bs in my grade.

2009-10-15, 08:17	Link #25
Knowledge Seeker Student/Lurker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Oklahoma Age: 35	Yeah, I learned from the courses at my university. It was pretty fun too! I remember feeling stressed about tests, but looking back at it all, I have no idea why I was stressed, it was fun. It's was an easier and more interesting class than perhaps something like Constitutional Law. =P I'm competent with the reading, writing, and speaking. But I would like to learn more.

2009-10-17, 23:41	Link #29
Alchemist007 Senior Member Author Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA	lol are you serious? __________________ Fanfics Art MyAnimeList

2009-10-17, 23:43	Link #30
Proto Knowledge is the solution Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 39	Totally. I swear it on my collection of pirated Anime disks. __________________ How to play Japanese games in Linux

2009-10-18, 01:16	Link #32
Proto Knowledge is the solution Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 39	They are LD's actually. I got a bunch of them when the Japanese guy next door was doing his garage sale. Back then I still believed into the Japanese I had learned from a language school for 3 years was worth something, so I used it, and see, it actually worked!... ... well not really. Sadly, he actually duped me into thinking they were LP's though. That taught me to never trust Japenese people who say you speak surprisingly well for a foreigner. They lie. They only want to get rid of all those LD's no one wants anymore. It's a conspiracy, I tell you. Not anymore. Since I used the patented learn it yourself fortune cookies method, no one has been able to dupe me into buying more LD's. I haven't got any more praises for my Japanese either, but we all know that only Japanese con men try to praise you so I must be doing something right. __________________ How to play Japanese games in Linux Last edited by Proto; 2009-10-18 at 01:34.

2009-10-18, 01:42	Link #33
mg1942 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008	I bet his LDs were rotting too

2009-10-18, 07:14	Link #34
Mystique Honyaku no Hime Fansubber Join Date: May 2008 Location: In the eastern capital of the islands of the rising suns...	Threw myself in the deep end with zero previous experience of the language by making it one half of my degree at uni. It began with weekly tests from week 1, mass memorisation in a very short period of time, very strict (but amazing) teachers and a brutal schedule of homework and exercises to push ourselves every week on all 4 aspects. Reading Writing Listening Speaking Start slacking and you fail the class. If a student didn't pass some of the prerequisite modules in the first 2 years, they weren't going to Japan for the 3rd year placement. Kinda worked as a damn good incentive The rest now is self study, but my discipline isn't as sharp as it used to be, however put me in a classroom with deadlines at an intense pace and I seem to do amazingly well In addition, we had japanese exchange students and the 'japanese society club' to interact with natives, we had language exchange message boards to help each other with study and of course, there was always anime __________________ Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. - Van Wilder "If you ain't laughin', you ain't livin'." - Carlos Mencia

2009-10-20, 23:43	Link #35
DeadlySoldier37 The players president Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Annandale, Virginia Age: 35	Has anyone tried learning by using Rosetta Stone? I was thinking of giving this a try since my friend said he could get it for me for a cheap price. But before I do I wan't to know if anyone has tried it and how effective it was? so I can make my final decision whether I want to try it out or not.