learn japanese with anime?

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

It won't be incorrect, but if you learn how to speak japanese from naruto, and specifically use the expressions in the context he uses them, i seriously doubt you're going to get that job in japan you always wanted, or be able to strike a lasting conversation up with that beautiful girl at the bar who winked at you. They might also give you funny looks at your neighborhood ramen shop.

In terms of actually being incorrect, think about it this way; you are trying to discern the distribution of the variable X, but you can only observe Y = F(X). It might work sometimes, and you might get something similar, but not necessarily 100% correct.

You CAN though, talk normally with friends and stuff. IE everyday normal easy conversation...which is something you'll need very often


You also don't want to always sound like some stuffy awkward guy right?

And picking up girls? HAH whole 'nother topic entirely, even the best language can't ensure 100% success with that one ww

[LifeILL]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

It won't be incorrect, but if you learn how to speak japanese from naruto, and specifically use the expressions in the context he uses them, i seriously doubt you're going to get that job in japan you always wanted, or be able to strike a lasting conversation up with that beautiful girl at the bar who winked at you. They might also give you funny looks at your neighborhood ramen shop.

In terms of actually being incorrect, think about it this way; you are trying to discern the distribution of the variable X, but you can only observe Y = F(X). It might work sometimes, and you might get something similar, but not necessarily 100% correct.

meh...there's more than enough normal convo Japanese in any anime.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by LifeILL

meh...there's more than enough normal convo Japanese in any anime.

Really.. you really think that its totally possible for a normal person to learn how to competently speak basic japanese from watching any one anime, without any sort of orthodox studying or training? without any interaction with a person/people who speak japanese?

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

You CAN though, talk normally with friends and stuff. IE everyday normal easy conversation...which is something you'll need very often


You also don't want to always sound like some stuffy awkward guy right?

And picking up girls? HAH whole 'nother topic entirely, even the best language can't ensure 100% success with that one ww

I wasn't being entirely serious about the first part , just that you might sound a little odd. The example I used is naruto; the fact that naruto, sasuke, and say, lee, would all react to a certain event in a different manner is enough proof that if you emulate any one particular anime/character, you might sound odd. On a more serious As far as sounding like some stuffy akward guy, from my experience being a foreigner in japan, and having foreigners speaking the language in india, I can tell you its a lot more normal to sound 'stuffy and akward' (if thats what using orthodox grammar means), than trying to sound like a local who obviously isn't completely comfortable with the language. As far as being stuffy and akward, there's no reason to be ashamed of the fact that whatever language you're speaking isn't you're mother-tongue. Besides, its the content of what you say that is a much better determinant of what kind of person you are, not how you speak it. This again is especially true if the language is not the one you grew up with.

[Cosmic Eagle]

That's true but I mean that if you settle down somewhere you are bound to make friends over time and it's those situations I'm talking about

*I don't watch Naruto BTW so if they all talk like samurai or something then I wouldn't know...*

[LifeILL]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

Really.. you really think that its totally possible for a normal person to learn how to competently speak basic japanese from watching any one anime, without any sort of orthodox studying or training? without any interaction with a person/people who speak japanese?

I never said he doesn't need studying or training. But if he's serious about learning then he should watch Japanese shows WITHOUT subs. This is one of the most effective ways to improve.

[sunchips18]

I noticed that I've actually been picking up a lot of Japanese from anime, honestly. But I studied a little Japanese when I was younger so that makes it a bit easier for me.

I think that is possible to learn Japanese from anime. The easiest way to learn a language is by immersing yourself in it.

With that being said though, I doubt that you would gain much knowledge from just watching anime. If you study Japanese whilst also watching anime, it could certainly be a big help in boosting your vocabulary.

[LifeILLPT2]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

It won't be incorrect, but if you learn how to speak japanese from naruto, and specifically use the expressions in the context he uses them.

Oh and this thing right here...exactly in what "context" does Naruto use Japanese?

There's a million contexts in the show itself. There's countless situations that arises in the show. It's not just endless fighting nonstop.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by LifeILLPT2

Oh and this thing right here...exactly in what "context" does Naruto use Japanese?

There's a million contexts in the show itself. There's countless situations that arises in the show. It's not just endless fighting nonstop.

Eh.. actually a lot of it is endless fighting and standoffs, that would be the 'context' . If you pick up what naruto says and think its 'normal' , and constantly harp on how 'thats my way of living' , or ' because he's my friend!' , or be like sasuke always trying to act brooding, you're going to miss a lot of what 'regular' conversation will be like. Anyways, like I said, it won't be incorrect as such, but if you emulate the way people speak in naruto, it will be strange. If that's your only basis or sample of conversation of course it's going to influence how you speak. I specifically used naruto as an example because people have very particular ways of talking and particular catch phrases, not to mention the majority of the show being standoffs and fights. I explained why trying to learn Japanese only from anime was inefficient in my other point, that you only observe the conversation and not the rules, and that you have to discern the rules for yourself, instead of learning the rules, and then interpreting the conversation.

[LifeILLPT2]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

Eh.. actually a lot of it is endless fighting and standoffs, that would be the 'context' . If you pick up what naruto says and think its 'normal' , and constantly harp on how 'thats my way of living' , or ' because he's my friend!' , or be like sasuke always trying to act brooding, you're going to miss a lot of what 'regular' conversation will be like. Anyways, like I said, it won't be incorrect as such, but if you emulate the way people speak in naruto, it will be strange.

Even in those fights and standoffs, most of the dialogue in those situations are normal Japanese. Even in battle, they use normal Japanese phrases and vocab that can be used in countless other situations. Of course, whether the student can pick this up or not depends on his level. But an advanced speaker can easily take the phrases and spins them however he wants.

Take for example this episode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_OKVtDf3l0

Here is the dialogue in the middle of a fight:

強すぎる。。

こんなのどうやって。。。

確かに、このままでは。。

戦い方が雑になってるぞ！

死なぬともそのやり方でまっすぐにバテん！

命かけって戦ってんだ、この以上のやりかたはないんだよ

しまった、このワシが写輪眼如き幻術に。。。 (name of spell)

戦闘経験値の差が出始めた

スサノを加重岩 (name of spell) の術で止めて、雷影(name)まで助けたか。。

立って！影ども (name)。生死を分ける時に、弱音を吐くな！

五影 (name) の端くれなら最後の言葉は、その肩書きに恥じないものにせ！

ワシがナルトに預けた戦いがあるんじゃ、あいつに預けられたここでの戦いは絶対に勝つと誓った んじゃぜ！

それにももう一つ、ワシが忍びのもの全員から預かったものがある

五影 (name) の預かったもの、無駄にするな

やはり問題はオオキか。。

もっとじゃ。。

言われなくても

チャックラ (name of spell) も残り少ない、これが最後だと思え

限界剥離 (name of spell) の術

ササノを出していた分、ジントン (name of spell) の吸収が間に合わなかったな

俺には物理攻撃しか利かんと言ったはずだな

ジントンで分身 (name of spell) を消しつつ陽動しかけたつもりだろう

砂だけではない

砂が嫌なら術の吸収を止めればいいのよ

In that battle scene, nearly everything they used are normal phrases and vocabulary that are seen everywhere and can be used in many other situations.

The words in bold are uncommon, but only because they either spells or names.

The only words that are truly uncommon is the ワシ, 死なぬとも and じゃぜ, everything else is normal Japanese.

[Hazou]

Thing is by now I understand a lot of Japanese puns. Even made my own Japanese spinoff puns from the words I understand.

I think its possible to learn the Verbal Language from anime.

I think the writing of the language would be harder.

[Seitsuki]

Yes, anime (or dramas, or standard TV shows, or to a lesser extent music) can be a great aid in boosting your speaking since formal education tends not to be as effective in teaching you normal, day-to-day conversational Japanese. However that's just it, it's an addition to proper learning.There's no replacement for sitting down and actually studying the grammar structures, vocab, forms etcetc.

[225megan]

Anime helps you learn Japanese because it increases your listening comprehension. It's the same with any audio source in any language, listening will help you become fluent.

However, beware of the anime that you choose to watch. Most mecha and high school anime is not good to learn from in my experience. Too much slang and informal phrases.

I would stick to historical or mini anime movies when at a beginners level. Also, you should have a basic grasp of Japanese language structure and basic vocabulary before you start learning from anime. It's easier this way so you can tell the slang apart from the formal japanese.

You can learn Japanese through anime but you have to be dedicated. Watch anime while taking notes of all the vocabulary and structures.

[kirikirito334]

A friend of mine used anime as a foundation of learning Japanese. She just read one book on learning japanese and now she can understand Anime w/o subtitles.

[Preciize]

I don't see how someone could learn Japanese from the ground up with anime. It can definitely improve their Japanese with the listening comprehension involved, but it's not enough to teach them the language.

[KanbeKotori]

No. Just no. Bad idea.

Take a proper class to learn them. Learning from anime won't bring you very far since you're missing one aspect: Tonality, or rather forms.

Anime is more of using casual forms, something you do not use when you communicate with the Japanese unless they are quite a friend of yours.

[agoodcupoftea]

I'm from Japan, I still speak Japanese, I have tutoured JP as well as EN and ES before.

DON'T DO IT.

If you want to learn from TV, watch Live Action family series set in the Kantoshin (Toukyou, Chiba, etc) or Yokohama or something. There are diallects everywhere, but most shows on tv set in these regions will just use standard the end Watch documentaries with calm, slow-speaking voiceovers. Don't go for the quirky, blundering cop dramas (those ARE great fun once you've learned, though)

Also, I'm from Hyougoken and my lineage goes back to Oosaka (then Ryukyu and the Phillipines). I will tell you for the hell of it, that Kinkishin diallect on tv is fake. It "sounds Southern" but is made specifically so anyone can understand it via Standard. I've had to tell ppl who asked OP's question this, too.

Often amime charas have quirky speech, or if nothing else, speak like the equivallent of 50-Cent in his lyrics.

[225megan]

I agree with agoodcupoftea. You can learn Japanese through anime but you have to be careful when choosing the genre of the anime that you are learning from.

I would steer clear from high school animes because thier language tends to sound immature and lots of slang is used. It can get very confusing.

However, you can learn well using most Historical animes. The language tends to be neutral and the slang is limited. You can learn honorifics speech patterns by watching these also.

It should be noted you cannot learn the Japanese written system by watching anime only.

[agoodcupoftea]

Originally Posted by 225megan

I agree with agoodcupoftea. You can learn Japanese through anime but you have to be careful when choosing the genre of the anime that you are learning from.

I would steer clear from high school animes because thier language tends to sound immature and lots of slang is used. It can get very confusing.

However, you can learn well using most Historical animes. The language tends to be neutral and the slang is limited. You can learn honorifics speech patterns by watching these also.

It should be noted you cannot learn the Japanese written system by watching anime only.

HS/Shounen animes, a lot of the guys talk...basically like 50 Cent would if he was Japanese (note that "women must always speak polite and humble" bc Chinese-style mysogyny yadayada)

Historical dramas, at least, are going to try their damndest to make everything sound archaic, even if not really actual archaic speech. Most ppl born in the 20th century would have a real hard time w 16th cent. JP, trust me, I'm a history nerd. But they will use some more recognised things such as "senu" for "sinai" (don't/won't do).

But when you live in Japan for years and every damned evening, like clockwork, all but maybe one channel is filled w historical dramas, and you don't rly like them, you get sick of it (I would be thrilled w documentaries, though), so I haven't watched a historical anime recent enough to rec.

I highly recommend news for higher level and family dramas for lower level learners.

The real problem is if you don't know what you're hearing, at LEAST you're gonna offend someone. At worst, you're going to make a total ass of yourself.

Once you actually have decent footing in JP, it's another listening excersise, but if you start from scratch and make Bleach your teaching tool, that is not going to end well. You are gonna show your ass bad. You are going to really insult someone.

Now, there are ppl who talk like shounen action chars. They're not the ones you imitate.

(I should mention I do use this speech pattern for comedic effect where it makes sense.)

Higher level learners can use just about anything. But I'm assuming you are all talking about lower level here, so don't.

[jcdietz03]

Originally Posted by agoodcupoftea

The real problem is if you don't know what you're hearing, at LEAST you're gonna offend someone. At worst, you're going to make a total ass of yourself.

I feel like, no matter what, you're going to make an ass out of yourself anyway. So it's best not to worry about it.

I would not be offended if a Japanese person who knew very little English swore at me. This person obviously doesn't exactly know what they are saying and probably does not mean the offense that they are committing. I feel like Japanese people will forgive you since you are not Japanese and don't mean to offend them.

Anyway, there is this program subs2srs. Google it. Maybe it will help you.
Check this youtube video:
http://youtu.be/3WFf1w_QnBM?t=6s
It will help you create audio-visual flashcards like this based on the divisions in subtitle timing. To use it, you need a movie file and Japanese and English subtitle files. Only a small number of works fit those criteria, but it works well.

There are Japanese videos on how to use subs2srs itself, but I didn't find any English ones. Even though the program was written by a native English speaker.

[Lord of Fire]

Originally Posted by agoodcupoftea

The real problem is if you don't know what you're hearing, at LEAST you're gonna offend someone. At worst, you're going to make a total ass of yourself.

Well, practice makes perfect.

I don't know if Japan has a different take on this, but I do think many other types of foreigners won't really think bad of you for messing up their language, as long as you show a decent amount of effort.

There are of course exceptions...