Learning Japanese

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

2000 seems doable. Also any tip on how to study Kanji?

If you are Korean and already have your brain assimilated to the writing system, then adapting kanji will be an easier ride.
Best way is to write, write and write some more, once stroke order in embedded, it makes figuring the other kanji out a lot easier too.
Write the kanji in sentences with actual context, so you can learn the correct readings and use the words accurately.

While we need 2000 characters to be at adult literacy, there are at least 6000 words needed to accompany it, each with its own way of reading, more times than not irregular (on and kun yomi).
That's the bitch of it all and where it's not so much the kanji that you can't recognise but how to correctly read the bloody mf things.
(Hai, this is my latest frustration at attempting to get my own adult literacy in this language, let's just say, it's a continuing long, slow torturous mental process...)

[Agito Akiyama]

Is "Bass-wa Watashi" is the correct way to say "I'm a bass player" or anything similar? If not what is the correct way?
And can someone write it in Japanese please?

Thank you.

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Mystique

If you are Korean and already have your brain assimilated to the writing system, then adapting kanji will be an easier ride.
Best way is to write, write and write some more, once stroke order in embedded, it makes figuring the other kanji out a lot easier too.
Write the kanji in sentences with actual context, so you can learn the correct readings and use the words accurately.

While we need 2000 characters to be at adult literacy, there are at least 6000 words needed to accompany it, each with its own way of reading, more times than not irregular (on and kun yomi).
That's the bitch of it all and where it's not so much the kanji that you can't recognise but how to correctly read the bloody mf things.
(Hai, this is my latest frustration at attempting to get my own adult literacy in this language, let's just say, it's a continuing long, slow torturous mental process...)

Ah thank you, so the way to read damn is difficult not memorizing itself. Yeah today I realized that the word 金 has two meanings, gold and money( かね). I thought even in Japanese 金 had only one meaning, gold but was very surprised when I found out it had two meanings.
Man, has there been a proposal of not using Kanji in Japanese?

Originally Posted by Agito Akiyama

Is "Bass-wa Watashi" is the correct way to say "I'm a bass player" or anything similar? If not what is the correct way?
And can someone write it in Japanese please?


Thank you.

With my limited week of Japanese class I believe watashi has to come first just as in English you would put I'm first. As for writing it can't just write in romanization of the word?

[Agito Akiyama]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Ah thank you, so the way to read damn is difficult not memorizing itself. Yeah today I realized that the word 金 has two meanings, gold and money( かね). I thought even in Japanese 金 had only one meaning, gold but was very surprised when I found out it had two meanings.
Man, has there been a proposal of not using Kanji in Japanese?


With my limited week of Japanese class I believe watashi has to come first just as in English you would put I'm first. As for writing it can't just write in romanization of the word?

Hmm I just watched that episode in K-On again, it stands for I'm the bassist
Fine with me :P

But what's the way of saying I'm a bass player or bassist?

[Tsuchi]

"Watashi wa Bassist desu.", or "Bassist desu."

The Katakana for "Bassist" is "ベーシスト" (beeshisuto), so the original English word could do in this case.

There are other ways to say it, anyway.

[Agito Akiyama]

Originally Posted by Tsuchi

"Watashi wa Bassist desu.", or "Bassist desu."

The Katakana for "Bassist" is "ベーシスト" (beeshisuto), so the original English word could do in this case.

There are other ways to say it, anyway.

I'm keeping my Bass-wa Watashi, if Mio said it it's fine by me

[Qikz]

I've been learning for about 2 months, I know how to write about 200 Kanji now but only really know about 30-40 reading wise as where I learn does it progressively, so you see certain ones more than others.

I learn on YesJapan.com and I've found it really rewarding, man. I love this language so much.

Also, to respond to the person on the previous page, from what I've read, most highschool students know about 300-500 Kanji by the time they leave highschool, most Japanese people don't even know the 2,000 that's generally meant for reading newspapers, but because It's their language they do what we sometimes do in English and can tell what something is by just picking out certain bits.

[Tsuchi]

Originally Posted by Agito Akiyama

I'm keeping my Bass-wa Watashi, if Mio said it it's fine by me

Well, it actually is another way of saying it...

...but if you already had that why did you ask in the first place? Wanted to know more possibilities?

[Agito Akiyama]

Originally Posted by Tsuchi

Well, it actually is another way of saying it...

...but if you already had that why did you ask in the first place? Wanted to know more possibilities?

Yeah, I really want to know Japanese and different ways to say stuff, I'm dying to learn that language already, only I'm lazy as hell (Not by nature but because I'm in a troublesome situation for 3 years already...)

[Leo Keichi]

I've studied Japanese for some time, and am planning to return to it later. From what I can tell, I think saying 'Bass wa, watashi' only makes sense if you're following some conversation like this, for example:

"I play the drums." - Ritsu
"And I play the keyboard." - Mugi
"And me, the bass." - Mio

If you're making a statement out of context, I guess the best option would be 'Watashi wa bassist desu', 'Bassist desu' (as said above), or 'Watashi wa bassist'.

[Agito Akiyama]

Originally Posted by Leo Keichi

I've studied Japanese for some time, and am planning to return to it later. From what I can tell, I think saying 'Bass wa, watashi' only makes sense if you're following some conversation like this, for example:

"I play the drums." - Ritsu
"And I play the keyboard." - Mugi
"And me, the bass." - Mio

If you're making a statement out of context, I guess the best option would be 'Watashi wa bassist desu', 'Bassist desu' (as said above), or 'Watashi wa bassist'.

Though Mio didn't say it in a conversation like that and I don't believe the translators have mistaken

[Mystique]

^
And this is why you do not learn basic japanese off anime.
Get your foundation grammar, vocab and writing skills down formally (websites, textbooks, classes, etc) and use anime mainly for listening practice and seeing your studies used in context (of some bizzare sort)

But don't be so quick to speak/stick with lines used in the series. These characters are scripted and their speech deliberately broken to reflect their character.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Ah thank you, so the way to read damn is difficult not memorizing itself. Yeah today I realized that the word 金 has two meanings, gold and money( かね). I thought even in Japanese 金 had only one meaning, gold but was very surprised when I found out it had two meanings.
Man, has there been a proposal of not using Kanji in Japanese?

More surprises for you:
To quote myself earlier in this thread...

Nope, you're spot on.
You learn how to write the character
Learn all its readings (therefore tripling the amount to memorise)
And what it means in English.
Japanese sure is fun, eh? /sarcasm.

You're thinking too hard as well.
First off, learn hirgana and katakana, learn to write those as well cause it'll include the stroke order in the simple characters.
When those are done, then you can write furigana on top of kanji for simple terms, for example the first 100 kanji (level 4) you learn, the days of the week are a good one to learn how to write.
And no, you don't take new kanji and memorise all the readings there and then, you memorise them in context with the new word you learn and write it out, make basic sentences with them.
An example of basic kanji is:
日 = day
(日曜日、平日、日本、日陰)
That alone has 5 readings, so trust me, you learn by context per word

We already had a mini debate about losing kanji from Japanese in this thread as well, lol.
The problem is that japanese is such a homophonic language that it'd be murder to read without the kanji giving context.

はしのはしにはしがある。

箸 【はし】 (n) chopsticks, (P)
橋 【はし】 (n) bridge, (P)
端 【はし】 (n) end (e.g. of street), edge, tip, margin, point, (P)

Take your pick to decide the order
(this is a small, simple example but just making a point about the 'no kanji' thing)

(edit: sorry about DP, actually didn't realise that) xD

[Terrestrial Dream]

Question about one of the verb.
かえる（帰る）, so despite being a るverb is there a reason why it changes to り instead of disappearing? And is there a same case with other verb?
And f**k me, katakana are harder than hiragana. Trying to create a foreign sound with the small vowel are quite hard. But compare to hiragana it is much easier to memorize, especially likes like　ﾆ､ﾐ､ and ﾊ as they reminds me of the number kanji.

Also for the sound ﾁﾞｭ, so can it be written as du and dyu?

[Raiga]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Question about one of the verb.
かえる（帰る）, so despite being a るverb is there a reason why it changes to り instead of disappearing? And is there a same case with other verb?

帰る is not a る-verb. Not all verbs that end in る are る-verbs (in the sense that textbooks define that term; I prefer calling them ichidan and godan because it's less confusing). You just sorta have to know which is which.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Question about one of the verb.
かえる（帰る）, so despite being a るverb is there a reason why it changes to り instead of disappearing? And is there a same case with other verb?
And f**k me, katakana are harder than hiragana. Trying to create a foreign sound with the small vowel are quite hard. But compare to hiragana it is much easier to memorize, especially likes like　ﾆ､ﾐ､ and ﾊ as they reminds me of the number kanji.

Also for the sound ﾁﾞｭ, so can it be written as du and dyu?

When confused about the conjuction of plain form verbs, turn to masu/desu mode to figure out it's group. (1, 2 or 3)

帰る 【かえる】 (v5r) to go back, to go home, to come home, to return, (P)
Is a group 1 verb, which in this case, it's the 'kanji' + 'ri' + masu
帰ります　(masu form)
帰って (te form)
帰った (plain 'past tense' form)

Similar would be to 切る (cut)
切ります (masu form)
切って (te form)
切った (plain 'past tense' form)

With the り verbs, the other conjunctions usually use a small 'tsu'.
帰り 【かえり】 (n) return, coming back, (P)
kaeri as a noun is something different, it's used in the 'okaeri nasai' phrase.

This is a simple ass explaination from me on how I figure it out, dunno if it shed some light on something but hope it helps.

And agreed, katakana is evil and I hate it.
That du sound can be written as both, depending on the romaji system you use to express it.
But I'd see 'du' in katakana as デゥ、 personally though.
(Similar to 'ti' for party - パーティ)

[Qikz]

When I did Katakana I found it quite easy to grasp compared to Hiragana, especially to write down as everything isn't so curvy. Still even now a month after learning it there's some katana I still forget, but I should go back and learn those ones again.

Got myself tentatively to the end of the course I was doing on YesJapan. I mainly went through it quite fast as understanding the grammar for me was something I wanted to get done before anything else. I learnt the させる form last night alongside using 中「ちゅ/chuu」 to show you're in the middle of doing something.

Now I need to go back and get back on top of learning my Kanji, going back over old grammar and getting ontop of my conversation stuff. Still get a massive buzz from understanding something new, I never even felt that in school. Might be because this is actually something I'm interested in.

[Alex Keller]

Originally Posted by Megane

yon is favoured sometimes over shi because shi also means "death".

Tis why shigatsu always tripped me out.
Month of Death and shit.

[Liddo-kun]

Originally Posted by Qikz

When I did Katakana I found it quite easy to grasp compared to Hiragana, especially to write down as everything isn't so curvy. Still even now a month after learning it there's some katana I still forget, but I should go back and learn those ones again.

Well, they are equal difficulty for me.
Started with Hiragana, wrote it everyday for a month, I used yellowpaper from the office. Pm'd my scanlator friend at least once a week when I had doubts on the way of writing some of them. After a month I know hiragana, and the basic rules in writing it.

For Katakana, it's a little easier since some of the rules on writing Hiragana apply to Katakana as well (except for a few differences, like on how long vowels are written). Learned it by heart also after a month.

Moving on to learning kanji, and it's quite hard (I respect scanlators more after realizing how hard it is to translate kanji)...
It's impossible to translate manga properly without knowing kanji though, so I'm hoping to learn at least 20-30 a month.

[Qikz]

Originally Posted by Liddo-kun

Well, they are equal difficulty for me.
Started with Hiragana, wrote it everyday for a month, I used yellowpaper from the office. Pm'd my scanlator friend at least once a week when I had doubts on the way of writing some of them. After a month I know hiragana, and the basic rules in writing it.

For Katakana, it's a little easier since some of the rules on writing Hiragana apply to Katakana as well (except for a few differences, like on how long vowels are written). Learned it by heart also after a month.

Moving on to learning kanji, and it's quite hard (I respect scanlators more after realizing how hard it is to translate kanji)...
It's impossible to translate manga properly without knowing kanji though, so I'm hoping to learn at least 20-30 a month.

Your pretty much up to where I am. The first 50 or so Kanji are relatively easy to remember as most of them are stuff like the directions and all the very basic ones, (atleast from where I'm learning from). Then the next 50 or so it slowly gets more advanced. I know how to write a decent amount of them down, but I'm not all that great at telling them apart yet. I especially have trouble reading some of them when they're written small, alot of them are so packed together I can't tell what's what. x.x