learning japanese

[TyCoGOd_RaiNy]

Lol.You two first-years in SP?In that case,me too!Haha.I recommend you go for it.Takes you all the way up to JLPT 3,if I'm not wrong.I don't personally need it myself though,since I'm self-studying JLPT 2 structures now.

And that kanji dictionary is Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten for the DS.My first ever Jap dictionary(be it paper or electronic XD)and it's amazing I tell ya.

yeah. I just registered... the textbook they give were in jap.. I can't read lol... hopefully i can pass the first year

 

[surfuz]

Hey guys,


I just want to vertify something. I heard from a friend (really quite good in Japanese and can read Japanese news blah blah) who failed JLPT2 that he failed because the listening comprehension was in casette tape format and the listening quality was very unclear and lousy ... Is it true that they are using casette tapes ...that dino format?

A friend who took JLPT 3 also vertified the same thing.

Is the listening quality really that bad??

Lastly I like to recommend "Detective Academy Q" for folks who wants to practice/test listening and understanding skills via anime. This anime is for kids and quite interesting. The Japanese used isn't too difficult. Except for the grammar (which my level is elementary) , I can mostly understand the vocabulary . And I only studied Elementary Japanese before.

Anyone here taking twice a week int classes at Ikoma for coming term? Shogun X, I read your comment about twice a week Japanese classes but I think I still want to try although my job is busy like hell.

 

[morohh]

BS lol the audio is crystal clear to me.

 

[melovemanga]

Yeah,audio is great.Can hear everything.It's whether your hearing is bad or not lor.haha XD.And when I took the JLPT 4 test last year,I saw CDs being used.Or maybe my memory fails me...XD.

yeah. I just registered... the textbook they give were in jap.. I can't read lol... hopefully i can pass the first year

Lol.Never mind.Sooner or later you will read it easily one.Most likely the text is only in hiragana and katakana,maybe with some kanji,that's it.

 

[doh]

anyone here use their palm of windows pocket pc to aid in their study of the japanese language?
am just wondering which sort of program do you guys use for palm / windows OS

 

[direbmem]

anyone knows y are pyaess fees so cheap compared to schools like bunka??level 4 200 x 3 bux already prepares u for jlpt 4 but bunka needs to take up to intermediate for jlpt 4 which means 800 bux...

 

[doh]

i do. but mine's tungsten E.

great. so which software are you currently using?

 

[ylsim]

Hi .. Me using Win PPC OS. 1. Mini Dictionary .. To Check Eng ==> Japanese Japanese ==> Eng
(Input in romaji) 2. MJDic .. (Input in Kanji, hiragana or katakana)

These 2 are the permanent ones that i am using until now.


There is many software around to aid learning. But I still prefer the human touch of learnning language

 

[alvinaloy]

anyone knows y are pyaess fees so cheap compared to schools like bunka??level 4 200 x 3 bux already prepares u for jlpt 4 but bunka needs to take up to intermediate for jlpt 4 which means 800 bux...

I recommend 2 things:
1. Don't take JLPT 4 preparatory lessons. Simple self-study will do fine. Save your money.
2. Don't even take JLPT 4 exams at all. It's so simple that it's laughable and I don't really see the value in obtaining it. Go for JLPT 3 instead.

 

[etteneaj]

Thank You!

Dear all,

Just wanna say that this forum is so useful for those deciding on the schools. I spent the entire afternoon reading all the posts. Very informative but many feedback/reviews to digest as well.

Like many students here, I was also confused between JCS and Bunka. I'll be taking JLPT 3 this year and given that it's only 7 months away, I still have to go through a frantic search of school at this point of time. But I'm grateful that I get to hear such useful comments from existing or fomer students of these schools.

Honestly, I still hasn't really decide between JCS / Bunka. But I will register with JCS first. My writting is ok but speaking wise is "terrible". I know JCS doesn't provide much speaking opportunities but meanwhile, I would like to build a strong foundation in my grammar (Pass JLPT 3 smoothly). Then next year, probably I will take my grammar at JCS/Ikoma and polish up my speaking at Bunka.

Or does anyone think that Bunka isn't that "fantastic" in its speaking either? Ikoma sounds very good (though expensive), if it provides BOTH emphasis on Grammar + Speaking, then I just have to study there, instead of 2 schools. Any comments??

Anyway, to all those who are on this learning journey.... ganbatte kudasai ne!

 

[surfuz]

If you want to take JLPT3 this year, I doubt enrolling in JCS will help you much leh. This is because their progress is rather slow. If you want to study all the grammar and such for JLPT3 which is only 7 mths away, you have to take classes which are something like twice a week. I am going for Ikoma's 2x/wk part time intermediate classes (starting on 8 May and the last class to make it in time for this year's JLPT) and it's already the 'fastest' out there besides full time classes to prepare for JLPT3.Unless your japanese is already very good then its another matter.

Ikoma emphasizes on all aspects- speaking, writing and reading BUT their admin sucks. Everything you have to keep calling them to confirm. and they even charges you if you want to photocopy a single piece of paper at their school.

Speaking wise, of course we will be bad at it. Not much chance to practise since this is not Japan and not to mention that it is difficult to make our tongue say the japanese words properly. I have problems pronouncing a lot of words too.

Sometimes I think it is lucky JLPT doesn't have oral exam otherwise maybe a lot of people will fail.

Good Luck to you!!

 

[etteneaj]

If you want to take JLPT3 this year, I doubt enrolling in JCS will help you much leh. This is because their progress is rather slow. If you want to study all the grammar and such for JLPT3 which is only 7 mths away, you have to take classes which are something like twice a week. I am going for Ikoma's 2x/wk part time intermediate classes (starting on 8 May and the last class to make it in time for this year's JLPT) and it's already the 'fastest' out there besides full time classes to prepare for JLPT3.Unless your japanese is already very good then its another matter.

Ikoma emphasizes on all aspects- speaking, writing and reading BUT their admin sucks. Everything you have to keep calling them to confirm. and they even charges you if you want to photocopy a single piece of paper at their school.

Speaking wise, of course we will be bad at it. Not much chance to practise since this is not Japan and not to mention that it is difficult to make our tongue say the japanese words properly. I have problems pronouncing a lot of words too.

Sometimes I think it is lucky JLPT doesn't have oral exam otherwise maybe a lot of people will fail.

Good Luck to you!!

Hi surfuz...yeah, it's a rush now. I had studied some grammar points for JLPT 3 in my existing school so by switiching to JCS, I'll continue to study those which I haven't learned yet. But there will also be some grammar stuff which I haven't learned in my existing sch and also not taught/already taught in JCS. So for such points, I will have to do self-study liao. Quite headache though.

I may consider Ikoma next year since it has many good reviews from those taking JLPT 2 or higher level. But the fees are really expensive....so see how lah.

Good luck to you too!!!

 

[surfuz]

Ikoma is very expensive. But worth it if u are working and really serious about learning japanese. Their teachers are quite above average. ettenaj, I suggest you go and find some internet guides on JLPT3 on grammar ...then you can self study those which JCS won't teach.

And everyone here, I wonder if punctuation in Japanese (i.e where to put "、”？）is important? Now I always punctuate instinctively and I think most of the times, it's incorrect or not necessary.Thanks.

 

[melovemanga]

Actually,the question mark is not supposed to be used AT ALL.Same goes for the exclamation.You can only use 。.But due to being exposed to the West,the usages of them have kinda been a bit accepted,although still considered wrong.

I'm not sure about the comma though.It's not really mentioned much in books.

 

[alvinaloy]

Your meaning of modern Japanese is colloquial Japanese. It is wrong officially. Same as other languages. Do you think the way we normally speak English/Chinese is correct?

The way we learn languages is to have the correct one in terms of reading or writing literature (in which I mean books, not the subject). Casual day-to-day spoken forms can actually be considered different from the formal language itself. And usually, it is better to have a firm foundation of the correct form of the language before you can veer away and indulge in colloquism.

Japanese language has a culture component. This involves knowing what form to use with different people. Dictionary form with friends and family, polite form with strangers, honourific form with superiors, elders, etc. Many Japanese mourn the fact that many Japanese teenagers nowadays simply forgot what form to use and when.

 

[3hubb3r]

If you want to take JLPT3 this year, I doubt enrolling in JCS will help you much leh. This is because their progress is rather slow. If you want to study all the grammar and such for JLPT3 which is only 7 mths away, you have to take classes which are something like twice a week. I am going for Ikoma's 2x/wk part time intermediate classes (starting on 8 May and the last class to make it in time for this year's JLPT) and it's already the 'fastest' out there besides full time classes to prepare for JLPT3.Unless your japanese is already very good then its another matter.

Ikoma emphasizes on all aspects- speaking, writing and reading BUT their admin sucks. Everything you have to keep calling them to confirm. and they even charges you if you want to photocopy a single piece of paper at their school.

Speaking wise, of course we will be bad at it. Not much chance to practise since this is not Japan and not to mention that it is difficult to make our tongue say the japanese words properly. I have problems pronouncing a lot of words too.

Sometimes I think it is lucky JLPT doesn't have oral exam otherwise maybe a lot of people will fail.

Good Luck to you!!

who is your teacher?

 

[yukaguri]

Help with learning plan

Hi there. Sorry to jump in on the thread like this, but since you guys are talking about schools, I thought I'd ask since I can't seem to get any decent response elsewhere.

I'm currently doing self-study using Minna no Nihongo and a number of other linguistic texts (I'm a Kino reference book fiend) and am really slightly beyond the beginner level. My schedule isn't really fixed at this point but I'd like to take up lessons so I can work towards JLPT 4 end of this year and so on.

Should I enroll in Ikoma and follow their schedule, try the JLPT 4 exam at the end of this year or should I just work on my own and sit for the exam? I really don't want to relearn whatever I've already mastered at this stage since it would be fairly pointless.

Any advice would be appreciated. Big decision for me since okane is involved. XD

 

[alvinaloy]

Hmmm... Personally, I would still go through the basic course if I were you. Because you might have mastered what was in the book but the classroom imparts certain knowledge that cannot be found in the text.

And like I've said many times before. Skip JPLT 4 and take 3. 3 and 4 are very similar with very little difference in difficulty.

 

[terraj]

Personally I know people who've never studied Japanese formally and are terribly fluent at Japanese learnt via od-ing on anime, manga and novels lol through the years. But for the rest of us there is Japanese class.

I studied at Ikoma (completed the advanced lvl series) and their regular classes don't focus on JLPT exams at all which means that you'd have to do a bit of self study on your own if you want to sit for the exams. JLPT 4 is terribly easy, and basically useless (heck even JLPT 3 is quite useless cos it's so basic and won't help you to understand any real life conversations), so don't bother wasting your time on it. You should be able to score quite well on JLPT 3 once you've reached the keigo part of minna no nihongo.

If you're quite comfortable with basic Japanese I think JLPT 3 shouldn't be an unreacheable target at the end of the year. Just for reference I did Japanese full time (5x a week) at Ikoma for about 4 months starting in July some years ago with 0 knowledge in Japanese and passed JLPT 3-4 that same year and it was really quite easy for me even without revising for the exams. It's the start of May now and if you start preparing early and attend the 2x a week classes you shouldn't have much problems. (Just don't start with the beginner-beginner course cos you'll be wasting money there.) BTW Ikoma has also a JLPT preparation course and it's apparently quite intensive (but I can't give you my opinion on it since I never attended it)

Anyway the fun part of learning Japanese is when you're able to start picking up conversational phrases, watching anime/dramas unsubbed/reading books so I hope you'll enjoy your learning journey as I have been enjoying mine.

 

[direbmem]

terraj u mean it is possible to register for jlpt 3 and 4 together???