Vocabulary building #16
First vocabulary post of the year! For all new followers, be advised that these vocabulary posts are based on the material in books 1 and 2 of the Genki series. Currently, we are on chapter 15 of book 2. After I complete these, I plan to offer vocabulary lists I have created myself~
Monthly feature: Jan. 2017
Conditional #4: なら
I’m sure you’ll all be glad to know that this is the last post on conditionals (for now :p)
Hey everyone!
Sorry it’s been a while!
How did those of you taking JLPT get on? Personally, I found it pretty tough this time around! Waiting for those all important results in about a month’s time!
Happy new year too!
Do any of you have Japanese learning related resolutions? I wish you all success!
Ok, time for a grammar post to get back into the swing of things!
Sorry for the lack of posts recently!
I am actually studying for the upcoming JLPT. I’m going for N1 this time! Any other JLPT-takers in the room?
If any of you are by some chance taking N1, feel free to join me on Memrise. I’m building a kanji flashcard deck over there for the exam~
I will be trying to post here again really soon! I hope your studies are going well~
Vocabulary building #15
Back with another vocabulary list~ Lots of katakana in here! The list originally contained a few counters in Japanese, but I really think we should cover those separately. It also included ageru and kureru, which is part of the way one expresses giving and receiving in Japanese. This is a much larger topic that, again, should really have its own post.
Hey guys, just dropping by with something nice for you to read. I follow the blogs and adventures of a number of polyglots, as I would like to be one in the future :D. One of the people I follow is Luca, a lovely polyglot from Italy who can speak 11(!) languages. He sometimes has guest posts, including the one I have posted today, which comes from a Brit who is fluent in Czech. I think it’s a nice and novel way of looking at language learning and what it means to become fluent. After I read this piece, I decided to try and do a little of what Anthony does to improve in my other languages. I hope you take something away from this too~
Conditional #3: と
It’s time for another conditional!
I know, I know. Not many more to go now. Promise.
kyoumigaareba reblogged
Hello! I am learning any languages but I can talk with no one. Do you know a webpage where I can find language exchange friends? :)
Hi Buksika!
There are tons of websites where you can find language exchange friends! Here’s a list of sites we know that can help with this kind of thing:
There are probably a ton more too. If anyone has any other suggestions, please feel free to add them!
Relevant to the anon answer I just posted!
Wanted to tell you that even if I don't like nor reblog, I always read & reread all the posts and they help me a whole lot. Thank you so much for doing this!!
Thank you for your kind words ^o^ I don’t focus too much on how popular Tumblr thinks I am lol as long as somebody out there is learning something, I’m happy :)
Anonymous asked:
Hi, I'm interested in self studying Japanese but I don't have any idea on where and how to start. I was wondering if you have any tips? Thank you.
Hey there~Thanks for your message!
This is a toughie, because it really depends on you, your goals, and your learning style. I’ll explain to you how I started out with Japanese and how I self-study other languages, and hopefully that will help! If anyone else has any other tips, I hope they’ll chip in~ The following is purely my personal opinions.
When I first started out, I made sure to learn both hiragana and katakana. Some people might not agree with this - particularly if they don’t want to read or write Japanese - but I feel like it opens up your learning resources and you can see and hear the sounds of Japanese much better than if you are following romanized texts. After the first couple of beginner books, you’re going to need some reading skills, so it’s really worth investing a couple of weeks in memorizing these basic scripts. How you do this is up to you. You might like to make flashcards or simply rote write until you remember. I really like images and mnemonics, but it’s whatever works for you! Kanji is really useful too, even if you only learn maybe one or two hundred, but don’t feel like you have to rush.
If you are struggling to map out a course of study, textbooks might help you get started as you can follow a path of some kind and learn some necessary information, vocabulary and grammar, all while going at your own pace. Invest in a book that covers everything and not just one particular thing. Books like Genki, for instance, will offer you vocabulary, grammar, kanji, reading exercises, listening exercises, and speaking prompts all in one volume. Personally, I would advise against once a week classes as I strongly believe - like many other language learners - that you need to be interacting with your language in some way every day, and three hours a week or so will quite simply not get you very far unless you are very proactive outside the classroom, in which case, these classes may help in your endeavour.
If you can’t get hold of books for some reason, fear not! The internet is filled with lots of helpful things for self-studying Japanese, whatever your goal may be. Have you learnt any other languages? Do you have any old textbooks? These can be helpful in figuring out paths too. Right now I’m studying Gujarati, for which there is very little resources available for English learners. I took my Japanese beginners books and plotted out the themes and skills I’d covered and I’m simply mirroring that as a way of structuring my self study of Gujarati :)
When self-studying, I like to approach from all four directions - reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Time of course doesn’t always permit for this daily, but I will do something with my languages every single day. At first, you won’t be able to do this of course, but once you’ve laid the foundations, it will really help to try and round all your skills. For example, for speaking, nobody expects you to start speaking fluently after a month, but try things like repeating phrases you hear, talking alongside - or after - audio exercises, reading out loud, that kind of thing. Your best friend in learning Japanese will be planning. Plan ahead what you want to cover in a day e.g. a grammar point you want to study, or a group of words you want to memorize. Make concrete goals you can work towards so you can actually see your progress e.g. “In two weeks time, I would like to be able to order a meal in Japanese”. Come up with a timeframe that you think you can attain this goal in and feel that buzz when you complete the goal~
If, like a lot of people, you’re really focused on your speaking, then hook yourself up with a Skype partner, either directly or through sites like iTalki, local community groups (university groups are particularly good), and so forth. This is a good idea in general to be honest, because forcing yourself into a position where you need to use the language on a regular basis will naturally improve your skills (especially good if you are not in Japan.)
Above all, I think the two best pieces of advice I can give you are: be patient and don’t compare yourself to others. Learning languages takes time, and it’s quicker for some and tougher for some. I see now that Japanese isn’t as tough as people like to imagine it is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without its challenges. You should reward yourself at every step and take time in crafting your skills. One day you’ll hear a conversation or read a sentence and suddenly realize you just understood without any help! Those are the moments you should be working towards~
Vocabulary Building #14
Sorry for the slow updates recently. I’ve been in the middle of organizing my return to university - hurrah! I hope there’s been enough on the blog to keep you all busy ^o^ Just so you know, I’ve now moved on to Genki II for vocabulary lists and inspiration. As always, I’ll add anything I think is useful along the way. Please feel free to request particular vocab lists or words :)
~*~ Anime Recommendation ~*~
[Bungou Stray Dogs]
If you like anime, and you’re on Tumblr a fair bit, I bet you know this series already, but I watched it recently and loved it, so I want to recommend it to you all. I’m sorry I couldn’t find a English-subbed trailer, but maybe this trailer will be fun listening practice for some of you out there with a bit of experience under your belts.
The story of this anime basically revolves around Atsushi Nakajima (the kid with the grey hair you can see above) and the Armed Detective Agency, who he is taken in by after being kicked out of the orphanage he was living in. Yokohama is the backdrop to this action-fantasy show, featuring rival gangs and individuals with special powers. Atsushi is wanted for his special powers, and the Agency protects him while going about their duties. His colleagues include a wily charmer with a disturbing, yet somehow hilarious, obsession with suicide, and a kid with superhuman strength when he’s hungry. To top it all off, most, if not all, of the characters are named after writers - and not just Japanese writers either! I found it quite amusing that there’s a villain named Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, who actually uses the phrase “old sport”.
Season 2 is due to premiere in October, so if you hurry, you can be ready for it!~
Monthly Feature: August
Somewhat late, but here’s something fun for you guys this month!
Look at all that tasty food!
I’m afraid to tell you that it’s all actually fake; nothing more than plastic!
Perhaps some of you are already familiar with the quite wonderful yet wacky world of shokuhin sanpuru, but after a friend of mine discovered that this was actually an industry in Japan, much to her great surprise, I thought it would make a fun theme for the month.
I don’t think I have ever seen this kind of thing outside of Japan (perhaps in South Korea, but I honestly can’t recall) and even up close these dishes look super real. You’ll find them in shop and restaurant windows to show you what’s on offer inside. According to this article from The Japan Times, it is thought that this practice began in the Showa Period (1926 - 1989, and the period just before the current period, Heisei). Apparently, back then menus weren’t all that common, and this was a way for potential customers to find out what was on the menu without having to ask about it. From the Meiji Period onwards, Japan was rapidly exposed to all kinds of foreign foods and goods, so it was probably also easier to just show people what these new dishes were!
If you’re enticed by these fancy, fake dishes, do not despair! You can get your mitts on a variety of miniature phone straps that echo these designs. UK followers, your best bet is Tofucute! Followers elsewhere, please let everyone know where they can get these in your country~ Of course, if you are in, or will be visiting, Japan, you’ll be able to find these straps quite easily.
___
Photo from Mag.Japaaan.com
Conditional #2: ば
"Not sure if I’m getting better at Japanese or not”
Hey guys! Sorry for the little break between posts. Today we’re covering another conditional! The ば conditional.
Textbook Guide
We’re all different learners, but for some people it’s nice to have some structure and perhaps a course to follow. Here, I’m going to list textbooks I’ve used, or been recommended, over my learning journey so far. Please feel free to let me know what you have used too~