learning japanese

[PingJun]

Hi surfuz. The previous posting was typed in a hurry, thus I might not have written that good.

Basically, I would suggest you to take next yr, either JLPT 3 or 4. This is because I believe you have just started your lesson. I believe of needing a good, solid foundation for learning any thing (including Jap lang). So, you may make use of the 1 yr + to build up your foundation 1st.

I took Jap language as 3rd language during my 1st yr in Poly. I remember that in 1st lesson, all hiragana words are taught, & all katakana in 2nd lesson. By 3rd lesson, our lessons started, learning the words, grammar, voc....

At that time, I had some hard time memorising hiragana & katagana, esp kata. Also, when I saw the words, I couldn't really pronounce the words. This have happened to me during my orals. Couldn't read the words & had to skip them. In the end, I can tell you I was quite lost in the class. Couldn't understand what sensei was saying or teaching. At that time, what made me confuse was time, present / past tense, counters, counting things & some other things.

Thus, it is better for you to slow down 1st. Try to remember or understand what was taught 1st (words, grammar....) before moving to a new lesson / chapter.

BTW, how come you have learnt the time so fast? Have you learnt the Present & Past tense for Japanese?

 

[PingJun]

A doctor can be called Sensei as well and also if you want to be really specific, it can be "medical doctor" (i Sha).

I see. Because I know doctor is called I Sha, but how come doctor is also called Sensei?

 

[ShougunX]

doctors are also called sensei. Sensei doesn't restrict onli for teachers. Technically speaking, anyone tat do you good be it teaching or healing can be called sensei. But teachers/doctors are more commonly referred to as sensei.

fun n pun for mins? it's rather ez.
ip pun
ni fun
san pun
yon pun
go fun
*** pun
nana fun
hap pun / hachi fun
kyuu fun
jup pun

notice those tat ends with p or n comes with pun? the rest are fun. there's no secret actualli in memorising numbers. It can be a bit confusing i admit. i also have it wrong sumtimes. eg, Shi gatsu (april) n yon kagetsu (4 months), one may confuse it at times. so onli way is to keep saying n practisin until it becomes second nature.

N yes, although i encourage ppl to take jlpt (who knows u might just pass it), but if ur foundation is still weak, i rather u study all the way next yr n jump to level 3.

Dictionary wise, kodansha is rather gd. I think pingjun bought this publisher's. it's a small portable dictionary blue n brown rite?

 

[surfuz]

Thanks Shogun X for the tip on the fun and pun. I certainly didn't notice that!! XD Now I am sure I'll remember this from today onwards.

Yes, Thanks for all the advice. I think I will go for 3 next year instead and study hard this year and next. Main reason is that I thought about it all day and also look at jap reading material. Given my speed of reading now, I'll never be able to finish reading the questions even let alone to think about them. And they have fixed times for each section. Although my sensei think I will be better in next 2 months, I am still skeptical lol.

I am going to get a grammar book too. Hopefully that will help me link my words into sentences. But based on what I have been studying so far, I have to say that jap grammar is really easy compared to English grammar. Not that it is easy for me to pick everything up immediately of course.

 

[PingJun]

Yes. I use kodansha dictionary (Eng - Jap & Jap - Eng).

I am also interested in buying some grammar / voc books. Can recommend some?

 

[JoySakurai]

ooo surfuz u're taking japanese at Ikoma too?
whose your teacher?

neway, i think i'll be taking JLPT3 this yr.. gonna go down on sunday to submit my application.
Thou now, im quite lost.. ><||
as in... alot of stuff very confusing, have been missing alot of lessons dued to my poly projs n stuff no time to go..
urgh..
but neway, just try lah.. or else need to wait an extra year.. to me lah..
and also can judge my standard [even if i fail] so next yr can try harder.

if u take jlpt4 this yr, u still got a few more months to learn.
u can try asking your teacher if she/he thinks you're equiped enough to take jlpt4 this year.

 

[PingJun]

ooo surfuz u're taking japanese at Ikoma too?
whose your teacher?

neway, i think i'll be taking JLPT3 this yr.. gonna go down on sunday to submit my application.
Thou now, im quite lost.. ><||
as in... alot of stuff very confusing, have been missing alot of lessons dued to my poly projs n stuff no time to go..
urgh..
but neway, just try lah.. or else need to wait an extra year.. to me lah..
and also can judge my standard [even if i fail] so next yr can try harder.

if u take jlpt4 this yr, u still got a few more months to learn.
u can try asking your teacher if she/he thinks you're equiped enough to take jlpt4 this year.

Hi. I am also learning at Ikoma as well.

What is your level & full or part-time?

 

[JoySakurai]

part time, finishing inter2 next next week i think.
But my learning kinda stopped at inter1.. >.>||
hard.

yours?
if there are quite a no. taking jlpt [regardless of wat lvl] we can actually have a study grp.
lolx.
=X

 

[PingJun]

Me? I just start my very basic 1 2 last week (part-time)......

BTW, if you study in Poly, you can take Jap as 3rd lang (This was what I did).

 

[JoySakurai]

hm.. i intended to [i just entered this yr]
but when i check their syl, what they study [SP's] in one whole yr is = to what we study in Ikoma for at the most 2 ~ 3months..
=(

at first they were also offering JLPT prep classes, but not enough ppl join so cancelled..
T-T

whose your teacher btw?

 

[surfuz]

s g

ooo surfuz u're taking japanese at Ikoma too?
whose your teacher?

neway, i think i'll be taking JLPT3 this yr.. gonna go down on sunday to submit my application.
Thou now, im quite lost.. ><||
as in... alot of stuff very confusing, have been missing alot of lessons dued to my poly projs n stuff no time to go..
urgh..
but neway, just try lah.. or else need to wait an extra year.. to me lah..
and also can judge my standard [even if i fail] so next yr can try harder.

if u take jlpt4 this yr, u still got a few more months to learn.
u can try asking your teacher if she/he thinks you're equiped enough to take jlpt4 this year.

I am now taking Basic 1 full time. My sensei is hori-sensei. She has only been teaching there for a month and only teaches full time classes.

I don't think I can take 4 this year. Because I take too long to read. My sensei is of no help. Everything she also said "no problem". I'll take 3 next year. Please share your experience after you take 3 this year.

By the way, if don't mind spend $$, taking prepartory classes might help. Maybe find another school. Ikoma is so expensive.A study group is good but at my present level, I think I am more of a hinderance. Maybe next year. lol. I want a study group for studying japanese not just to study for the JLPT. I really want to learnt the language properly not just for exams.

 

[PingJun]

s gI am now taking Basic 1 full time. My sensei is hori-sensei. She has only been teaching there for a month and only teaches full time classes.

I don't think I can take 4 this year. Because I take too long to read. My sensei is of no help. Everything she also said "no problem". I'll take 3 next year. Please share your experience after you take 3 this year.

By the way, if don't mind spend $$, taking prepartory classes might help. Maybe find another school. Ikoma is so expensive.A study group is good but at my present level, I think I am more of a hinderance. Maybe next year. lol. I want a study group for studying japanese not just to study for the JLPT. I really want to learnt the language properly not just for exams.

Actually, I am not good for this language as well. Thus, I hope that through this thread, we can post things we don't really understand & then perhaps can discuss, & / or ask the seniors here for some advice. What do you all think?

 

[JoySakurai]

yeah, im not very good at it either.. haha.. ^^;;
but if u all got any qns, i can try helping out [thou i dun frequent here very often anymore]
but still..
hee~

neway, i've not heard of hori sensei before.. hmmm...

 

[crazy777]

crazyyyyy, whose your teacher?

kotake? nishio? taniguchi? yamane?

what class are you from btw?

^^

Now my teacher is Taniguchi Eri Sensei

 

[PingJun]

Excuse me, everybody.

Mind telling me when learning Jap language, do you tend to use English Lang or Chinese lang as a "2nd" language? Thanks

 

[JoySakurai]

Ahh.. Taniguchi sensei, my friend's teacher too.. 2 of them infact.
haha.. =)

I sometimes use English when asking my sensei questions.
Never Chinese cause I, myself, don't know chinese.. hehe.. ^^;;

 

[PingJun]

Does this mean the textbook you use are using English lang as translations?

I think I have some communication problems with my sensei. How can I break this barrier when he knows limited English & I, limited Japanese?

 

[JoySakurai]

You're full-time?

I only know the full-time students in ikoma use the chinese one.
part timers use english one. [at least thats wat i tot..]

neway, im also not very sure how we broke the barrier..
my sensei also knows very lil english..
I guess we used gestures, actions, pictures, drawing, etc to help?

 

[PingJun]

Nope. Me part-time, but the textbook used is the Chinese one. BTW, I am also from Ikoma.....

 

[JoySakurai]

yeah i know.. u told me..
lolx..

eh.. mayb now a days de all use chinese textbooks lor..

my batch de we use english de, exactly the same as the chinese ones.

heng they gave me english not chinese or else i die on the spot!
lol.. cannot understand..
im so losing out now because of kanji...
ahhhh..
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