learning japanese

[Sadist4life]

Cos I like studying for the 漢検 and don't like talking on the phone? Seriously though, I prefer to take tests that Japanese people recognize. It'll be nice if someday someone creates a recognized test that's like the TOEFL/IELTS of Japanese that tests all skills and not just one or two.

As long as the validity isn't limited to 2 or 3 years, I'm all for it.

 

[funksoulava]

Hi guys. I'm interested to take up elementary Japanese class using Skills Future credits. My friend suggested me to buy a English to Japanese / Japanese to English electronic dictionary. I mentioned there are iphone apps for this purpose but he said the dictionary is more accurate in translations.

Since this is not a cheap item to buy, would like to hear opinions from those who own one and those who don't. Thank you in advance.

 

[dimitri_can]

An electronic dictionary is more recommended for those who are in their immediate level of studies.

There are some words which the English-Japanese dictionary cannot translate properly. Thats where the electronic dictionary come into place. It comes equipped with the Japanese-Japanese dictionary to explain the word in simplified Japanese.

Another benefit is that you can check the accent for most of the common words, so you know if you are pronuncing the word correctly.

 

[funksoulava]

An electronic dictionary is more recommended for those who are in their immediate level of studies.

There are some words which the English-Japanese dictionary cannot translate properly. Thats where the electronic dictionary come into place. It comes equipped with the Japanese-Japanese dictionary to explain the word in simplified Japanese.

Another benefit is that you can check the accent for most of the common words, so you know if you are pronuncing the word correctly.

Thanks dimitri_can for your reply. I guess I'll hold back the purchase of the electronic dictionary for now. I've been reading through this thread backwards (will be tough reading from page 1 LOL) to gather some tips for which school to go for which allows Skills Future credits to be claimed. So far, it seems JCS and Hougang are the best choices. Since I prefer to take the class on Saturday mornings, this should help me shortlist the schools (but I hoipe I won't choose the wrong one just because they don't have a class in my preferred timing). Decisions, decisions. =p

 

[dimitri_can]

For JCS, registration only open once a yr in Dec. but u can call JCS and enquire.

 

[Crescy]

didnt know this thread exist until i google learning japanese.

read through the last few pages backwards.. and think the hougang school might be more 1st timer friendly..
once i clear the elementary courses and claim the finish skillsfuture credit, maybe might enroll to dimitri class..

anybody knows if they have a registration period or anything like that? i emailed them few days ago, but didnt get any reply yet..

 

[HectorTan87]

Actually, i feel the fastest way to learn japanese is through watching anime, their variety shows & dramas/movies. Through the subtitles, u can understand easily & can learn the language in a much faster fashion as compared to traditional learning through courses/lessons or electronic dictionary... you can also practice it by speaking simple conversations to your close friends so as to minimize the moment of awkwardness too

If u want to go the extra mile, after you have done all that you can go take up courses on japanese... you'll master the language in no time !

 

[Janetsk]

didnt know this thread exist until i google learning japanese.

read through the last few pages backwards.. and think the hougang school might be more 1st timer friendly..
once i clear the elementary courses and claim the finish skillsfuture credit, maybe might enroll to dimitri class..

anybody knows if they have a registration period or anything like that? i emailed them few days ago, but didnt get any reply yet..

Just call them.

 

[unfinished07]

Actually, i feel the fastest way to learn japanese is through watching anime, their variety shows & dramas/movies. Through the subtitles, u can understand easily & can learn the language in a much faster fashion as compared to traditional learning through courses/lessons or electronic dictionary... you can also practice it by speaking simple conversations to your close friends so as to minimize the moment of awkwardness too

If u want to go the extra mile, after you have done all that you can go take up courses on japanese... you'll master the language in no time !

Just to give you an idea, but let's say you come to Singapore to learn English. Would you want to build your foundation by learning informal / Singlish first?

 

[flyingeagles]

Hi guys, I have interest in learning japanese lately.

When I was young, watched anime, and picked up a bit. Last time I watched anime was like 6 years ago, since then threw all my very elementary knowledge on Japanese and converted them to Korean by watching Korean variety shows.

I pick up well watching shows and reading the subtitle. Would like some recommendation on what variety shows I can watch, and where to watch?? Have tried searching for them but seemed like its very rare on the net

Also, I'm not rly good in my Chinese, and totally give up reading traditional Chinese because they look alien. It is hard for me to pick up Japanese?

TIA.

 

[PingJun]

Hi guys, I have interest in learning japanese lately.

When I was young, watched anime, and picked up a bit. Last time I watched anime was like 6 years ago, since then threw all my very elementary knowledge on Japanese and converted them to Korean by watching Korean variety shows.

I pick up well watching shows and reading the subtitle. Would like some recommendation on what variety shows I can watch, and where to watch?? Have tried searching for them but seemed like its very rare on the net

Also, I'm not rly good in my Chinese, and totally give up reading traditional Chinese because they look alien. It is hard for me to pick up Japanese?

TIA.

Well, if you know Chinese language, kanji might not be difficult for you. But then, many non Chinese are also learning Japanese.

All languages are difficult at the beginning. But if you make an effort, you will be able to learn.

 

[avalanste]

I watch dramas, variety shows and a few animes raw, they keep me motivated on studying Japanese, yes they are really interesting.

But my advice for starters, don't use these as a formal tool to study your Japanese. There's a difference between studying and learning. Watching dramas, listening to Jpop e.t.c are just part of the learning tool. They are called entertainment for a reason.

Without a solid foundation from school, you'll have no freaking idea wtf they are talking about without subs, and even if there are subs, some anime or manga use informal words that you'll never hear in real life, esp. in Japan.

If you can't tell apart which are formal sentences that can be used in real life situations, it's better to watch it for casual purposes. Don't use them as an excuse for studying Japanese.

Just like how you communicate and study English or any other languages, you need to go to school, take classes, practise with friends or native people, do tests to know where you stand e.t.c.

 

[yuukiXkaname]

Hi there,

I'd like to ask for some help if possible :|

In the pic above, the question I want to ask is, why was 可哀想 written as 可愛そう？ I tried googling and I'm mostly getting people saying it's written wrongly etc but I'm not too sure about that since the scenario writer is native and a professional in his field, there must be a reason why he wrote it that way. One article mentioned about it being Ateji but I tried searching and got nothing on it.

Would anyone mind explaining it to me? Thanks

 

[avalanste]

Hi there,

I'd like to ask for some help if possible :|

In the pic above, the question I want to ask is, why was 可哀想 written as 可愛そう？ I tried googling and I'm mostly getting people saying it's written wrongly etc but I'm not too sure about that since the scenario writer is native and a professional in his field, there must be a reason why he wrote it that way. One article mentioned about it being Ateji but I tried searching and got nothing on it.

Would anyone mind explaining it to me? Thanks

There are instances where people used this word to describe people who are cute/lovely but yet feeling pitiful at the same time.
Meaning: 可愛く想うさまであり

e.g.
Sometimes the person is cute but looked so cool at the same time, some Japanese will shrink it to かっこかわいい。

But take note that these are informal words that is not supposed to be taught until the learner is able to differentiate vocabulary well enough. Try not to use it too often because even some Japanese do not usually use these kind of words.

 

[dimitri_can]

Anyone interested to make some Japanese friends while being able to teach Chinese?
Click here

 

[dimitri_can]

Natsumatsuri 2017 event page is up.
http://www.facebook.com/events/1315214905259811

 

[yuukiXkaname]

There are instances where people used this word to describe people who are cute/lovely but yet feeling pitiful at the same time.
Meaning: 可愛く想うさまであり

e.g.
Sometimes the person is cute but looked so cool at the same time, some Japanese will shrink it to かっこかわいい。

But take note that these are informal words that is not supposed to be taught until the learner is able to differentiate vocabulary well enough. Try not to use it too often because even some Japanese do not usually use these kind of words.

Thanks a lot for the explanation!

I wonder why people on chiebukuro didn't thought of that since that's the first place I go to.

Sorry for the late reply, I thought no one was going to reply me :| Thank you very much!

 

[dimitri_can]

For those who are looking for suitable Japanese language learning books, below is a list of the books that i own for teaching purposes. Hope it helps...

List: http://bit.ly/BooksJP

Link for pictures: http://bit.ly/JPBooks

 

[Ottoke]

Thread closed pending further review.

 

[Ah_keong]

Learn Japanese?

Hi! This is a new thread for learning Japanese and for sharing pointers, advice, etc.
Strictly no advertisements.

Thanks in advance!

恐れ入ります
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