learning japanese

[agenda]

なるほど。でも私が探した路線は２万円以下ですよ。 =p

1500円は気にしないで

 

[dimitri_can]

大金持ちですね。 =p

 

[dimitri_can]

So many Japan experts here. I still need to refer to a map when walking around Tokyo.

fox1, i am sure you will be ok la. =)

 

[coolwinx]

Just wondering, for beginners studying Japanese part time, how much time do you put in to study?

Besides homework given by school, what other resources or media do you use to help you to learn the language faster?

If you bought any Audio CD that is good, pls recommend the title.

Hope to hear from many of you!

 

[agenda]

Just wondering, for beginners studying Japanese part time, how much time do you put in to study?

Besides homework given by school, what other resources or media do you use to help you to learn the language faster?

If you bought any Audio CD that is good, pls recommend the title.

Hope to hear from many of you!

Buy this book called Genki by japan times. Written in japanese hiragana

There are two books, should cost about $150++ here in Kinokuniya.

I used them to self study while I was in Japan. I also bought this workbook but forgot the name.

as for audio, no point using. most of the time they speak so slow, its like a waste of time. i rather listen to music then look at lyrics or read some children book out loud

 

[ahmahippo]

Buy this book called Genki by japan times. Written in japanese hiragana

There are two books, should cost about $150++ here in Kinokuniya.

I used them to self study while I was in Japan. I also bought this workbook but forgot the name.

as for audio, no point using. most of the time they speak so slow, its like a waste of time. i rather listen to music then look at lyrics or read some children book out loud

Genki ... hmmm i think i saw it b4 but dont remember if it is the one i saw

 

[azumangadaioh]

There are children's books with accompanying pictures written mostly in hiragana in IMM Daiso. If remember correctly, whole series can be found there. Or if u fancy, buy the whole lot, after all, it's only $2 each.

 

[kaka01]

contemplating between JCS Elemenatry(intensive) starting this June or Bunka Elemantary 1 starting around end may, i think.

anyone give some insights on this two options?

btw, after taking elementary, can take JLPT 4? or need complete Intermediate first?

thank you!

 

[azumangadaioh]

Going by the Bunka route requires u to at least finish the whole intermediate series in order to ensure at least a pass in JLPT N4. If u have the budget, take up lessons on both sides to accelerate your learning. Elementary courses 1 & 2 are definitely not enough, even if u want to take N5, u still need to AT LEAST finish Int1 & 2 also.

The biggest bottleneck is u don't have enough time to do all that.

 

[SekishuAkiha]

contemplating between JCS Elemenatry(intensive) starting this June or Bunka Elemantary 1 starting around end may, i think.

anyone give some insights on this two options?

btw, after taking elementary, can take JLPT 4? or need complete Intermediate first?

thank you!

I took lessons from Bunka from Elementary 1 to Intermediate 4, and managed to pass JLPT 3 (N4) well with a little extra self-studying. If you want to take JLPT 4 (N5), I think Intermediate 2 should be enough to gurantee a pass.

 

[kaka01]

Going by the Bunka route requires u to at least finish the whole intermediate series in order to ensure at least a pass in JLPT N4. If u have the budget, take up lessons on both sides to accelerate your learning. Elementary courses 1 & 2 are definitely not enough, even if u want to take N5, u still need to AT LEAST finish Int1 & 2 also.

The biggest bottleneck is u don't have enough time to do all that.

thank you!

I took lessons from Bunka from Elementary 1 to Intermediate 4, and managed to pass JLPT 3 (N4) well with a little extra self-studying. If you want to take JLPT 4 (N5), I think Intermediate 2 should be enough to gurantee a pass.

u skipped N5?

 

[SekishuAkiha]

Yeah, I skipped JLPT 4 because I completed Intermediate 4 around August last year, therefore I had time to self study for JLPT 3. If you are trying to take N5 this year, you will need to self study on top of taking a course as there is not enough time.

 

[anfield22]

Just wondering, for beginners studying Japanese part time, how much time do you put in to study?

Besides homework given by school, what other resources or media do you use to help you to learn the language faster?

If you bought any Audio CD that is good, pls recommend the title.

Hope to hear from many of you!

"breaking into japanese literature" and "exploring japanese literature", published by kodansha.

it is a book of japanese short stories with parallel english text. on one page, you will have the japanese text (full kanji, with furigana) and the kanji meanings listed below. on each facing facing page, the english translation. you can go online and download the narration.

i find these books very useful for many reasons. i believe that there are 2 aspects to understanding a language: comprehension and prose. in other words, how well you read and how well you write. you can understand something someone else has composed perfectly, but that does not necessarily mean you can write at the same level. somewhat similarly, you may be able to listen and understand what someone else is saying but may not necessarily be able to articulate your own thoughts.

this is the reason why in practice, native english speakers are normally preferred for J to E translation (especially freelance) work, whereas native japanese speakers are preferred for E to J translation.

the other reason is that the stories in these books are classics. you may actually enjoy reading them. some of these novels were later adapted into classic japanese films such as kurosawa akira's rashoumon and yume.

i thought that many things could be lost in translation, so being able to appreciate such literature became a major motivation for me to study japanese.

for beginners, just remember that everybody sucks when they are just starting out, so dont put too much pressure on yourself and dont be discouraged. many things can be learnt systematically or by using 'shortcuts' per se, some things can be rushed, but many more things just require time and patience.

granted that these books may be a bit too much for a beginner to fully appreciate, but perhaps an insight into japanese writing can give you a perspective on how the language is applied.

youtube is another great resource. in this modern age, youtube and wikipedia should be your sources for... everything.

 

[anfield22]

Don't bother, people in tokyo can speak basic english. When I was in tokyo, I spoke to one of the staff in japanese and he immediately replied to me in english.

depends, as you know it is common for japanese undergrads to do part time work. many of them come from other cities, live alone and are broke, and also because japanese unis are slack. many undergrads even have time to moonlight as hotel/hostel receptionists.

japan unis have an english language uni requirement.

depending on which part of town you find yourself, some shop staff don't speak any english at all. and then there are some really old folks who volunteer as guides who speak excellent english.

an interesting social experiment you could do is to ask a guy on the street whether he speaks english. try asking people in english and in japanese.

you will actually get more positive responses if you asked in english.

anyway, is there really a need to ask someone if he knows english in any language other than english?

and remember that 'chotto' in this instance doesn't mean 'a bit', it really means NO

 

[unfinished07]

don't know about other languages but, to understand the japanese language, u have to understand the culture too.
one good example is the "chotto" above, and also 「いいよ」
literally it means to agree. but it can mean to agree, or to reject.
when does it mean what? u need to know much more than the surface meaning....

 

[myhomemas]

I recommend these 2 books for JLPT 3 and above students.

Nihonjin no shiranai Nihongo 1 & 2.

Books that explain some core basic of Japanese.
Enjoy!

 

[kaka01]

Yeah, I skipped JLPT 4 because I completed Intermediate 4 around August last year, therefore I had time to self study for JLPT 3. If you are trying to take N5 this year, you will need to self study on top of taking a course as there is not enough time.

thanks for the info.

 

[azumangadaioh]

I recommend these 2 books for JLPT 3 and above students.

Nihonjin no shiranai Nihongo 1 & 2.

Books that explain some core basic of Japanese.
Enjoy!

What's the ISBN number of the books ?

 

[dimitri_can]

What's the ISBN number of the books ?

http://www.amazon.co.jp/日本人の知らない日本語...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274579732&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.jp/日本人の知らない日本語...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274579732&sr=8-2

 

[Kermit_TheFrog]

im selling the txtbks and TYS i used to study. minna no nihongo
from beginner to intermediate, i bought from IKOMA. check this thread

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?p=45950492#post45950492