learning japanese

GottaCatchEmAll

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I am working so am taking twice a week part time.

http://www.ikoma.com.sg/en/jp/n-c/part-basic.html

I self-studied from textbook 10 years ago. Memorized hiragana, katakana, some common vocabs and kanji (but mostly forgotten 😂). Touched on the basic -masu, -tai, -nasai, etc usages. IIRC, I stopped at shitai, -katta.

Since it was self-learnt, my learning syllabus is not well-structured. Anyhow learnt abit here and there. So to play safe, I just go ahead with basic lessons.

may I ask is your basic lessons Full Time (intensive)?
http://www.ikoma.com.sg/en/jp/n-c/full-basic.html

Do you have any prior knowledge or experience before this course?
if Nope, it is possible to get N4 by year end.

For N3, it is still possible but it would be a very intensive experience for you. Basically, you would be submerged to Japanese Language day in day out 24/7 for the whole year.

meanwhile you may want to start to look at other books (Vocab, Grammar, Kanji, JLPT, etc) in Kinokuniya.

For conversation, the key is practice and ability to process in Japanese Language in your brain. Every
 

jeremiahtong

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I just began basic lesson with ikoma.

May I ask is it possible to attain Conversational jap (JLPT N3?) by year end?

As one progresses from basic to advanced Japanese, what are the differences? more complex sentence?

Please kindly advice me what can I do during freetime to learn faster.

You can request for a placement test if you have already learned what is been taught in your current class. The teacher will determine which ongoing class you can join.

The Pre-Advanced level is also known as the conversation class in Ikoma. You can ask the staff to let you take a look at the textbook for the Pre-Advanced level - Shin Nihongo no Chuukyuu, in order to get a better idea of what to expect for N3.

Just make sure you do all your homework, revise your work and prepare yourself for the next lesson. Make this a routine and it will serve you well as you progress to the advanced levels.
 
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Ah_keong

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I am working so am taking twice a week part time.

http://www.ikoma.com.sg/en/jp/n-c/part-basic.html

I self-studied from textbook 10 years ago. Memorized hiragana, katakana, some common vocabs and kanji (but mostly forgotten 😂). Touched on the basic -masu, -tai, -nasai, etc usages. IIRC, I stopped at shitai, -katta.

Since it was self-learnt, my learning syllabus is not well-structured. Anyhow learnt abit here and there. So to play safe, I just go ahead with basic lessons.

Great decision.

I would recommend to restart all over again. Treat it as revision.
Unlearn the wrong concepts, learn the new concepts and relearn the concepts as revision.

If you are comfortable with the progress at such pace (twice a week part time), you may want to try N5 this year.

:D

Good Luck!
 

Scooby-Doo

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My take on this as a person having amateur-level of Japanese:

First step is to enroll yourself into a language school to learn the basics, till the point of JLPT N4 level. N4 is enough for your travels (to read signs and ask the locals) to Japan, albeit you will end up using wrong grammar here and there.

Then from N4 onwards, do not make the mistake of chionging all those JLPT prep books, textbooks or workbooks. It is a very flawed Singaporean method. You pass your JLPT but 80% of your Japanese is returned to the textbook. I have seen N2 graduates who can't converse with Japanese people beyond the basic greetings. Think how Mandarin is thought in Singapore and the standard of Mandarin here, and you get the picture.

My advice (from my failed experiences) is to watch drama and live-action movies for learning. Best is those with Japanese subtitles. Kill two birds with one stone - you learn Japanese at a 'fun' setting and you know their mannerisms (when to use certain terms). Anime should be watched for entertainment, but not as learning since the Japanese used is not what the Japanese normally use in their conversations. I learned much more from watching drama than keep hitting the books.

You can watch NHK if you are hardcore but it is very formal Japanese with 80% kanji. Don't ever rush the learning of Japanese just because you want to take N2 or N3 exams, you miss out on the basics sometimes.

And lastly, after learning all these, don't end up as a weeb. lol. like some of my friends.
 

Idme231

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My take on this as a person having amateur-level of Japanese:

First step is to enroll yourself into a language school to learn the basics, till the point of JLPT N4 level. N4 is enough for your travels (to read signs and ask the locals) to Japan, albeit you will end up using wrong grammar here and there.

Then from N4 onwards, do not make the mistake of chionging all those JLPT prep books, textbooks or workbooks. It is a very flawed Singaporean method. You pass your JLPT but 80% of your Japanese is returned to the textbook. I have seen N2 graduates who can't converse with Japanese people beyond the basic greetings. Think how Mandarin is thought in Singapore and the standard of Mandarin here, and you get the picture.

My advice (from my failed experiences) is to watch drama and live-action movies for learning. Best is those with Japanese subtitles. Kill two birds with one stone - you learn Japanese at a 'fun' setting and you know their mannerisms (when to use certain terms). Anime should be watched for entertainment, but not as learning since the Japanese used is not what the Japanese normally use in their conversations. I learned much more from watching drama than keep hitting the books.

You can watch NHK if you are hardcore but it is very formal Japanese with 80% kanji. Don't ever rush the learning of Japanese just because you want to take N2 or N3 exams, you miss out on the basics sometimes.

And lastly, after learning all these, don't end up as a weeb. lol. like some of my friends.
Learn japanese with creativity and knowledge, esp convo... dont need use full sentence or straight forward like a book...:)
Although i use JLPT and structured books, create what you wan to say.. but slower in answering...
 
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Idme231

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agree.... I have classmates from early 20s to late 40s...

Went to a convo class, although i still forget what to say sometimes and alittle unclear...



At least i dont lag out previously when i spoke .
But not useful for JLPT
Not interchangeable...
 

zhirong

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Went to a convo class, although i still forget what to say sometimes and alittle unclear...



At least i dont lag out previously when i spoke .
But not useful for JLPT
Not interchangeable...

what do you mean by not useful? You will still use grammar vocab and need lots of listening skill in order to converse in Japanese.


Now I am taking 2 classes, one in Ikoma and one in Bunka. Bunka advance classes is basically a conversation class.. you are expected to know how to converse in Japanese in that level and you still learn new vocab, grammar, ways of expression etc through the conversation classes.
 

Idme231

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what do you mean by not useful? You will still use grammar vocab and need lots of listening skill in order to converse in Japanese.


Now I am taking 2 classes, one in Ikoma and one in Bunka. Bunka advance classes is basically a conversation class.. you are expected to know how to converse in Japanese in that level and you still learn new vocab, grammar, ways of expression etc through the conversation classes.

Probably you didn’t get what i mean.
How is convo useful in JLPT? Unless u tell me got Convo section? It’s different and you have to keep practicing it. JLPT is more about doing while convo is more about speaking...
two different things. apples and oranges. Unless you tell me you can speak by remembering from a textbook of words... you have to prepare alot of your clear theory before practical... You can practice for listening...

Ppl passed their JLPT, but do they know how to speak? Especially someone i know, passed N1... couldn’t speak at all.. than a person , who has yet to take a JLPT , can speak ... It all depends where they start from and their outcome..
 
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nogizaka46

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Probably you didn’t get what i mean.
How is convo useful in JLPT? Unless u tell me got Convo section? It’s different and you have to keep practicing it. JLPT is more about doing while convo is more about speaking...
two different things. apples and oranges. Unless you tell me you can speak by remembering from a textbook of words... you have to prepare alot of your clear theory before practical... You can practice for listening...

Ppl passed their JLPT, but do they know how to speak? Especially someone i know, passed N1... couldn’t speak at all.. than a person , who has yet to take a JLPT , can speak ... It all depends where they start from and their outcome..

I take JLPT and I speak Japanese, go business trips in Japan, they are still related to some extent, especially listening part. Convo is a two way thing, you speak and listen/vice versa. Obviously you can't speak to someone and expect him/her to listen to you all the time.

Some people take JLPT to give them minimal form of measurement that they are able to understand Japanese. There are other tests available but JLPT is more commonly recognized esp. in Japanese companies. There are scenarios where you are required to read and reply to emails, answering phone calls e.t.c. just like any other languages, so if you do not have any nothing to certify you are able to do all these, then it becomes very difficult to gauge your abilities.
 
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Ah_keong

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Went to a convo class, although i still forget what to say sometimes and alittle unclear...



At least i dont lag out previously when i spoke .
But not useful for JLPT
Not interchangeable...

As for me, I find conversation good for listening and vice versa.
It works as a pair....

I have met many who score for JLPT but I find they struggle for conversation.

I have met one who have worked in Japan for many years and can come across as a native Japanese but does not have JLPT cert.

In summary, I would say the JLPT cert is a kind of measurable benchmark for your Japanese Language proficiency. There are more elements than certs when it comes to third language. :D
 
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jeremiahtong

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Yes yes... scare I am too old to learn

Mai tu liao. You are missing out on so much fun.

I had a classmate who was in his 60s, in my Intermediate class, years ago. He learned Japanese as he wanted to understand the Japanese dramas he watched. I also have a friend who is in her 50s. She will be taking N1 for the third time this July. She does not need to use Japanese at work but she uses JLPT to assess her improvement.

Whatever may be your purpose for learning Japanese, do not let age stop you from taking the first step.
 
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aexlle

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Just wanna ask, is Inoue School of Language & Art still open at peace centre? seems like their website is down.. Kinda deciding between Pyaess and well Inoue if they still exist LOL. And also, is anyone here in Pyaess now? or had studied there before?
 

Idme231

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I take JLPT and I speak Japanese, go business trips in Japan, they are still related to some extent, especially listening part. Convo is a two way thing, you speak and listen/vice versa. Obviously you can't speak to someone and expect him/her to listen to you all the time.

Some people take JLPT to give them minimal form of measurement that they are able to understand Japanese. There are other tests available but JLPT is more commonly recognized esp. in Japanese companies. There are scenarios where you are required to read and reply to emails, answering phone calls e.t.c. just like any other languages, so if you do not have any nothing to certify you are able to do all these, then it becomes very difficult to gauge your abilities.

So if i took another form of test besides JLPT (or a Test equivalent to itself),does it mean it is less recognised?
I see the gauges are very different.

For listening, i am not sure if the speed convo in the test is the same as the speed the converse over there, so that’s my POV. (Which is kinda incorrect)
 
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Idme231

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Just wanna ask, is Inoue School of Language & Art still open at peace centre? seems like their website is down.. Kinda deciding between Pyaess and well Inoue if they still exist LOL. And also, is anyone here in Pyaess now? or had studied there before?

I studied before there. Structured. They select your level where you are suitable for.
 

jeremiahtong

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Just wanna ask, is Inoue School of Language & Art still open at peace centre? seems like their website is down.. Kinda deciding between Pyaess and well Inoue if they still exist LOL. And also, is anyone here in Pyaess now? or had studied there before?

Inoue has closed down.
 
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