learning japanese

[XasakuraX]

haha n5 ... n4 dec =D

 

[dimitri_can]

Not bad.

 

[MetaHarimau]

hi. is it even remotely possible to self learn japanese from scratch? i'll be honest. i only have 3 aims.

1) Watch japanese drama/anime
2) Play japanese games
3) Understand jap porn!

If yes, what would be the resources required? thanks!

Haha, no. 3 quite funny. Just watch and enjoy, why do you need to understand? XD

Yes, it's possible to pick up phrases/words and get a gist of what is being said. Even possible to memorize hiragana/katakana/kanji on your own.

But self-study is very risky and hard. Your pronounciation and your kanji strokes might not be accurate (but then again you don't want to talk, just watch). Words like bridge and chopstick are both 'hashi' but has slightly different pronounciation.

Grammar is a big issue for beginners, it's better to have a teacher who can correct you as well as guide you on the different uses of kanji. She/He can also answer your questions and inform you more about the culture - something you can't get from reading alone.

 

[solarwings]

Anyone took N2? I heard the listening was quite hard.

Nah...only around 3 questions in the listening was hard(esp the one question with the picture =.=). Other than that, I found listening the easiest part of the exam.
I found the grammar/vocab/reading sections harder. urgh...Much harder compared to the mock tests I practiced with...

 

[dimitri_can]

I found the listening quite tricky. For the grammar, was quite happy to see N4 and N5 words.

Lesson learnt: Make sure your basics are ok first before you move on to N2. (^_^)

 

[dimitri_can]

JAS starting their courses soon

http://www.jas.org.sg/event/kouza/lang/japanese lang/jlc.html

 

[lefei8]

At Bunka, it really depends on the teacher of that class. I don't know about the newer teachers but i think it would be better to choose a female teacher's class cos 2 out of four of the male teachers (excluding kobayashi cos idk abt him) are really weird. As for the other 2, one talks and teaches really fast but if you can cope, he can be quite funny while the other one talks too much for you to learn anything You may want to consider taking Ms Yamamoto's class. I think she can teach pretty well and her class had been quite fun. According to my friend, Ms Namba is quite ok also.
Taking Bunka's intermediate lesson is not enough to pass N4. It takes a lot of self-studying especially on vocabulary. For Grammar, Bunka covers about 90% only so the remaining 10% you have to take prep class to learn.

Your recommendations for the teachers, for intermediate or basic level?

 

[Ah_keong]

SUMMER FESTIVAL 2012

see u there


SummerFestival

 

[dimitri_can]

keonｇ、行きますか

 

[jeremiahtong]

N4

What is the coverage like for N4? Minna No Nihongo chapters 1 - 50?

 

[dimitri_can]

Jeremiah, yea+ additional 20 grammar points not really tested.

 

[asdrubal]

Haha, no. 3 quite funny. Just watch and enjoy, why do you need to understand? XD

Yes, it's possible to pick up phrases/words and get a gist of what is being said. Even possible to memorize hiragana/katakana/kanji on your own.

But self-study is very risky and hard. Your pronounciation and your kanji strokes might not be accurate (but then again you don't want to talk, just watch). Words like bridge and chopstick are both 'hashi' but has slightly different pronounciation.

Grammar is a big issue for beginners, it's better to have a teacher who can correct you as well as guide you on the different uses of kanji. She/He can also answer your questions and inform you more about the culture - something you can't get from reading alone.

wahaha. alot of them got conversation one ma. must immerse in.

So i gather it's tough... can i check how much i can expect to spend on lessons before i can be capable to at least understand and read?

 

[dimitri_can]

wahaha. alot of them got conversation one ma. must immerse in.

So i gather it's tough... can i check how much i can expect to spend on lessons before i can be capable to at least understand and read?

About $800-$1.2k a yr.
Need minimum about 2-3 yrs.

Not that different schools charge differently, some cheap, some expensive. But of course, you pay peanuts, you get peanuts. So think carefully

 

[XasakuraX]

for N4 which guide book would you rec? the same one u rec for N5?

 

[dimitri_can]

Can try the following books

White Rabbit Express Shop Nihongo 500 Mon - Beginner - JLPT N4 - Learn Japanese

White Rabbit Express Shop Do It Yourself: Japanese Grammar Review (Beginner-Level) - Grammar - Grouped by SKILL > - Learn Japanese

White Rabbit Express Shop JLPT N4 Official Practice Workbook - JLPT N4 - Learn Japanese

 

[XasakuraX]

coool saw all these books at kino just nw and wanted to buy... hahaha. shall buy it the nxt time kino got 20% sale =D

thanks!!!

 

[dimitri_can]

どういたしまして。 (^_^)

 

[mirukuboi]

This was a useful book for N5 but unfortunately there's none for N4, only N3 and N2.

 

[jeremiahtong]

Where can I find these 20 grammar points?

 

[dimitri_can]

Buy the book as mentioned above by me.