Learning Japanese

[sanghyun1990]

Originally Posted by raikage

By itself (white)? Haku ( はく ).

As a descriptor (white <insert object here>)? Shiro-i ( 白い ).

wow, so i guess my last name would be haku in Japaense.

[sorvani]

Originally Posted by sanghyun1990

wow, so i guess my last name would be haku in Japaense.

well since you are apparently not japanese, your last　name would still be White(assumption since you said haku) just in kana.

most likely: ワイーテ　or something similar, i'm no expert on the language, but names are pretty fun. they don't help with my word memorization but meh ....

[sanghyun1990]

Originally Posted by sorvani

well since you are apparently not japanese, your last　name would still be White(assumption since you said haku) just in kana.

most likely: ワイーテ　or something similar, i'm no expert on the language, but names are pretty fun. they don't help with my word memorization but meh ....

Well I am Korean and if you transalte my last name Beck (백) in Chinese it is call Bai and it means white.

[wao]

Yeah, that would be Haku... but to sound like an anal freak I should point out that "white" in katakana is usually spelt as ホワイト or possibly ワイト (I think ホワイト is more common?).... ワイーテ would be "waite" (not like wait, more like waii in hawaii, and te in TEH WIN.)

[samurai666]

Those of you that use Firefox might find this extension useful.

Moji

Dictionaries

This extension allows you to look up the definition of Kanji characters with a simple right click. Install the extension, then install the dictionaries, restart Firefox and you're all set.

[Syaoran]

Wow samurai666. That is a very interesting plugin

[zalas]

While the dictionary feature isn't that impressive to me (probably because that's kind of what you expect), the presentation and layout of it looked really nice, and I am impressed by the furigana approach.

(Meanwhile, I'm just using online dictionaries via Opera's "search engine" feature)

[Gaiarth]

You know, I never realised Opera had the translation feature! When I came across kanji I didn't know, I've been sitting here with my dictionary counting strokes on really small typed characters like an idiot...


Of course, I'm going to say that I deliberately did it that way, because looking it up makes you remember it better

[Thalarian]

Hey everyone, first time posting.

I'm finally looking to bite the bullet and learn Japanese, then hopefully move on to written Japanese (Kanji, Kana, etc.)

I've wanted to do this for a long time, and there's a few kickers now that are driving me.

1. Definently going to visit Japan some day (After college of course.), and would like to know the language of the land when I get there, so I can worry less about what the hell is being said everywhere, and more about the trip itself.

2. I import MANY items from Japan. Games (Fate/UBW/HF is the latest), as well as mangas/doujins/animes. I know it's pretty stupid to import something you can't fully appreciate, but would rather have it and learn to understand it at a later date, then to finally learn and find I can't get said item anywhere anymore.

Anyways, I guess I'm asking everyone for tips and tricks to how everyone went about learning it, and also some advice. Try to assimilate where everyone started and kinda go my own way from there. Also how long it took many people to fully learn it. I know it's difficult to self teach, and I know for a fact I won't learn it overnight, I mean, it is another language. Just looking for a good foothold to start.

So far I'm thinking about buying a few audio CD's from the local book store. (They run about 8 hours a piece I believe) and they are broken in from Basic, Advanced and Advanced Terminology. Listen to them and trying to learn that way.

So, for those of you that have any advice, feel free to scream it out at me. Also any advice on where to move on after Japanese in regards to learning written Japanese would be extremely helpful as well.

Thanks!

Chris

[Keios]

Hey hoy!

I've been self-studying Japanese for a few weeks now. So far I've used Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar and a kanji-dictionary. The guide doesn't use romaji at all and kanji are introduced right from the beginning, which in my opinion, is a good thing, but whatever works for you.

I started off by memorizing hiragana and katakana and then moving to basic grammar... well, that was quite obvious. :/

But I'm just a newbie. ^^ Let's wait for someone who actually knows about these things to answer . Just stay away from romaji!

[Thalarian]

Hey any advice is sound advice in my book! Like I said, want to see where everyone started out, get a feel for what's going on around me and then jump in.

Did you learn to speak first, or did you jump right into reading?

[Keios]

I jumped right into reading. I'd love to speak it aswell but there's no-one to talk to. I could speak Japanese to my parents, I guess, but it'd be a rather one-sided conversation.

[C.A.]

Hmmm a japanese dictionary is also a handy tool, an essential actually, if you are learning.

[Shini_GamI]

i started out learning japanese at school because there are languages i can learn at school. I've been studying japanese for 1 year or more.... It's pretty easy if you know the structures of the sentences japanese people uses. Also, if you're a chinese background, you will definitely have advantages in Kanji though they arent the same pronounciations, but the meanings are the same :P
goodluck

[Thalarian]

Originally Posted by Shini_GamI

i started out learning japanese at school because there are languages i can learn at school. I've been studying japanese for 1 year or more.... It's pretty easy if you know the structures of the sentences japanese people uses. Also, if you're a chinese background, you will definitely have advantages in Kanji though they arent the same pronounciations, but the meanings are the same :P
goodluck

Unfortunately, I'm a damn American through and through LoL, and don't know a whole lot of the structural background. Since you've been studying about a year, how would you gauge yourself? Just so I can start seeing a timeframe in my head.


Thanks also for that link Kei, should help. I find it amazing that you started out reading instead of speaking. (Although spouting off at your parents in a language they don't understand would be quite humorous) I figured learning to speak it would help in learning to read it. Perhaps I'm just mixed up.

Any references for the kanji dictionary?

[Keios]

I'm using Kanji & Kana: A Handbook of the Japanese Writing System by Wolfgang Hadamitzky & Mark Spahn.

It has basically everything I need. All the 1945 Jouyou Kanji + 284 extra kanji used in names, stroke orders, compound words...

[Quarkboy]

The only kanji dictionary that's worth the money for a beginner is Kodansha's Kanji learners dictionary. At some MUCH later time you'll need something bigger like the new Nelson, but the Kanji learners has all 2000 or so standard kanji and a really efficient lookup system (SKIP), that makes looking up kanji a breeze even for a complete beginner.

As for a self study book, I kind of like "Japanese Step by Step" by Nishi. It's almost like a programming language reference, and builds up japanese grammer like java . You'd need to supplement it with some dialogues or something, but it's a pretty deep book and very efficient.
General textbooks I'd recommend Genki, the books I learned with, or even Japanese for Busy people (kana edition) isn't too bad, really.

[Shini_GamI]

Originally Posted by Thalarian

Unfortunately, I'm a damn American through and through LoL, and don't know a whole lot of the structural background. Since you've been studying about a year, how would you gauge yourself? Just so I can start seeing a timeframe in my head.

mm.... I have worksheets and exercises to keep me going on japanese, well they are all given by my teacher. Are you planning to learn japanese by yourself??

[Thalarian]

Thanks for all the rec's, found most all of them on Amazon.com.

Once again, sorry for all the questions to the explanations that you guys are giving me, but like I said, I'm serious about learning the language, and willing to put forth the time, and the money to learn it.

Quark, I looked up the Genko books, the Level 1 book and the Workbook for it. Think I should go for the CD as well? Seems that might help with speech and the pronunciation.

Thanks again for that rec Keios.

[Shini_GamI]

Ya, getting workbooks and cd should be a start.... hopefully the level 1 book starts with all the basics which it should lol....
goodluck in learning jap