learning japanese

ahmahippo

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Hi all, for begineer ... should i remember everything on Katakana and Hiragana like how to say, how to write and remember each and every words?

just wondering, taking JLPT exams no open books right.
 

ahmahippo

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ok noted. meaning I dont rely on romanji right? :D

just want to know, when we learn Hiragana from basic level, does it mean we are learning all the words in hiragana that enable us to read story books in Hiragana? eg of what I am trying to say is, chinese words normally got a lot, so when we read chinese story books, some words we might not know coz we didnt study b4. So I wondering if Hiragana we study is everything or just part of it.



Lastly, wonder anyone know is there any different between Shin Nihongo No Kiso I & Minna no nihongo books?
 

Niaoson

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yes u are right. but u can only read it. knowing how to read alone won't tell you the meaning.
 

terraj

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Long answer:
All Japanese books have a mixture of Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana, this means most of your typical Chinese words are there, some with completely different meanings, some with alternative forms of writing (traditional, simplified, and adapted). Not to mention that Japanese has On and Kun pronunciation forms for Kanji whereas in Chinese there's usually only 1 pronunciation for 1 word.

Japanese also uses some Chinese idioms because it's historically adapted from Chinese, for example 唯我独尊, or even have their own variations of other languages' idioms (although I'm not sure of etymology; maybe it's just a coincidence), for example, "When in Rome do as the Romans do" has an equivalent in Japanese, except you replace "Rome" with "Hometown".

Shorter answer:
Japanese, like all other languages, is very rich, and cannot be simplified to just Hiragana and no, knowing hiragana will not be your only universe, just like knowing the English alphabet does not tell you anything about English. BTW, Japanese is categorised by the Americans as a Category III language so expect it to be very difficult to master (maybe a bit easier since you know Chinese). I think the amount of time I've spent trying to learn Japanese to basic conversational level (and even then is CMI), I would have probably been able to attain a much higher proficiency in say Italian...
 
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dimitri_can

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ok noted. meaning I dont rely on romanji right? :D

just want to know, when we learn Hiragana from basic level, does it mean we are learning all the words in hiragana that enable us to read story books in Hiragana? eg of what I am trying to say is, chinese words normally got a lot, so when we read chinese story books, some words we might not know coz we didnt study b4. So I wondering if Hiragana we study is everything or just part of it.



Lastly, wonder anyone know is there any different between Shin Nihongo No Kiso I & Minna no nihongo books?
The contents are about the same.
 

ahmahippo

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yes u are right. but u can only read it. knowing how to read alone won't tell you the meaning.

yes, agree with you. But during basic level wonder if we able to understand at least some of them. :D

Long answer:
All Japanese books have a mixture of Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana, this means most of your typical Chinese words are there, some with completely different meanings, some with alternative forms of writing (traditional, simplified, and adapted). Not to mention that Japanese has On and Kun pronunciation forms for Kanji whereas in Chinese there's usually only 1 pronunciation for 1 word.

Japanese also uses some Chinese idioms because it's historically adapted from Chinese, for example 唯我独尊, or even have their own variations of other languages' idioms (although I'm not sure of etymology; maybe it's just a coincidence), for example, "When in Rome do as the Romans do" has an equivalent in Japanese, except you replace "Rome" with "Hometown".

Shorter answer:
Japanese, like all other languages, is very rich, and cannot be simplified to just Hiragana and no, knowing hiragana will not be your only universe, just like knowing the English alphabet does not tell you anything about English. BTW, Japanese is categorised by the Americans as a Category III language so expect it to be very difficult to master (maybe a bit easier since you know Chinese). I think the amount of time I've spent trying to learn Japanese to basic conversational level (and even then is CMI), I would have probably been able to attain a much higher proficiency in say Italian...

hmm ... i do understand what you mean.


The contents are about the same.

thanks for letting me know :D


Once again, thanks all for the answer. :)
 

terraj

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ahmahippo

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dimitri_can

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In case if anyone wants to borrow, this is my library of book. Terms & conditions apply (like a deposit). PM me with your MSN if interested. I think i can run a small library le. lol


JLPT 4

Minna no Nihongo 1-1 (ISBN:9784883192236)
Minna no Nihongo 1-1 Translation and Grammatical Notes

Minna no Nihongo 1-2 (ISBN:9784883192243)
Minna no Nihongo 1-2 Translation and Grammatical Notes

JLPT 3

Minna no Nihongo 2-1 (ISBN:9784883192779)
Minna no Nihongo 2-1 Translation and Grammatical Notes

Minna no Nihongo 2-2 (ISBN:9784883192786 )
Minna no Nihongo 2-2 Translation and Grammatical Notes


Additional Grammer Books for JLPT 3/4

完全マスター3級日本語能力試験文法問題対策 (ISBN:4883193543)
どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型200 初・中級 (ISBN: 9784757401747)
あなたの弱点がわかる!日本語能力試験3級模試×2 (ISBN:4896894499)
JLPT 4 2000-2007 Exam Papers
JLPT 3 2000-2007 Exam Papers
実力アップ!日本語能力試験 3級改装聴解問題(ISBN:9784896894608)
日本語を話そう! 初〜中級編 (ISBN:4874243541)
1日10分の発音練習(ISBN:4874242863)
JAPAN 英語~日本語 (ISBN:9784533067846)
Basic Connections Making Your Japanese Flow (ISBN:9784770028600)
日本語で歌おう (ISBN:9784872176001)
英語で答えるニットンの不思議 Juicy Japan! Answers to Question about a Curious Country (ISBN:9784806128373)
Japan at a Glance (ISBN:4770026234)

JLPT 2
新日本語の中級 本冊  (ISBN:4883191613)
新日本語の中級 分冊英語訳 改訂版 (ISBN:4883192849)
新日本語の中級 文法解説書英語版 (ISBN:488319230X)
中級から学ぶ日本語 (ISBN:978-4327384432)
中級を学ぼう―日本語の文型と表現56 中級前期 (ISBN:9784883194476)
徹底分析日本語能力試験文字.語彙2級 (ISBN:4336047340)
耳から覚える 日本語能力試験2級 文法トレーニング (ISBN:9784757412286)
完全マスター2級 日本語能力試験文法問題対策 (ISBN:9784883190881)
完全マスター2級 日本語能力試験読解問題対策 (ISBN:9784883194032)
日本語能力試験1・2級語彙対策標準テキスト(ISBN: 9784798016658)
実力アップ!日本語能力試験2級 文法編 (ISBN:9784896894301)
日本語総まとめ問題集 2級語彙編 (ISBN:9784872176162)
日本語総まとめ問題集 [2級語彙編] (ISBN:4872176162)
日本語総まとめ問題集 [2級漢字編] (ISBN:4872175719)
JLPT 2 2000-2006 Exam Papers
出題傾向対策1.2級文字・語彙
日本語総まとめ問題集 [2級読解編] (ISBN:4872175700)
日本語総まとめ問題集 [2級文法編] (ISBN:4872176154)
完全マスター漢字 日本語能力試験2級レベル (ISBN:9784883192298)
実力アップ!日本語能力試験2級聴解問題 (ISBN:9784896894516)
あなたの弱点がわかる!日本語能力試験2級模試×2 (ISBN:9784896894486)

JLPT 1
日本語能力試験20日で合格文法1級 (ISBN:9784336048493)
完全マスター1級 日本語能力試験文法問題対策 (ISBN:488319356X)

Additional Grammer Books for JLPT 1/2
ポイント整理日本語文法 [1・2級直前問題集] (ISBN:9784872176193)
日本語能力試験20日で合格文法2級 (ISBN:4336048150)
日本語能力試験 漢字ハンドブック (ISBN:487234314X)
新基準対応漢字・語彙問題 日本語能力試験1級・2級 50日完成 試験に出る漢字と語彙 (ISBN:4342881721)
日本語能力試験1・2級文法対策標準テキスト (スーパー合格) (ISBN:4798013056)
どんな時どう使う 日本語表現文型500―日本語能力試験1・2級対応 (ISBN: 9784872345896)
日本語能力試験20日で合格文字・語彙2級 (ISBN:4336047529)
どんな時どう使う 日本語表現文型辞典 (ISBN:4757412355)
 

terraj

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Dimitri, your Japanese learning collection is scary... I think I've at most 10 books and I didn't finish half of it. Did you actually finish reading those?
 

dimitri_can

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Dimitri, your Japanese learning collection is scary... I think I've at most 10 books and I didn't finish half of it. Did you actually finish reading those?

Not all... I need for reference ma.... Haven't add my japanese collection from china.
 

ahmahippo

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dimitri, wonder if you know where can get a copy of JLPT 4 2000-2007 Exam Papers :D
 
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