If you would like to get started learning Japanese, you might be wondering what is the best way to study it. There are strategies to learn aside from taking a class or reading a textbook. Keep reading to discover some interesting ways you can start studying the Japanese language.
The first thing to do would be to check out some Japanese cartoons called "Manga". These kinds of Japanese cartoons are made for kids but also adults too. You'll see businessmen read their favorite manga on their way to work. You might see some businessman get their copy of their favorite Manga on the subway and read them on the way to work. Manga could make your casual Japanese better and it is full of casual Japanese and slang that you probably won’t find in many textbooks.
The second thing to try and do is to visit restaurants that serve Japanese food. This will let you practice your communicating and reading skills when you go to a Japanese restaurant. The menu might be written in Japanese and you can test yourself if you are able to read the words in Japanese. Impress your waiter by ordering in Japanese. If you can't order in Japanese, you can practice simple words like "Thank-You" (arigatou).
Third, read some local Japanese newspapers. In many large cities around the world where there is a Japanese community, you will find free Japanese newspapers or magazines. They are directed to the local Japanese community. Even if you only know a few characters in hiragana, katakana, or kanji you might be able to understand some advertisements and articles. If you can understand a few words and symbols to see them used in real situations, it will feel great!
The fourth activity is to learn Japanese with a computer program. Having a computer is great because it could help you learn the language and pronunciation. You can find games or other methods to help you learn or you can buy Japanese language software. Programs on the iPod or iPhone are also popular for understanding and learning Japanese.
Lastly, an effective way to experience Japanese language and culture firsthand is to go to Japan. You will be astonished at how quickly you can master the language once you are in the actual country. One of the great way to meet people and push yourself to speak Japanese is in a homestay program.
You'll be able to learn Japanese with these five unorthodox tips. I think you can find ways to continue learning Japanese in a fun way.
Showing posts with label learn japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learn japanese. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Learn Hiragana and Katakana, not Romaji
Lots of new students of the Japanese language often rely too heavily on Romaji (also know as the Roman alphabet) to get by while they are studying or figuring out Japanese. This is primarily because whenever we first start learning Japanese, you want to jump right in and learn to speak the language. Just studying Hiragana or Katakana can take a while, and after you really can't even comprehend much (you can read, yes, but fully grasp...no).
Am I simply bothering you like your Japanese teacher? What is the real downside to using the Roman alphabet?:
You Are Presently Used to Romaji
You are currently familiar with saying things a certain way when you read Romaji letters. Japanese characters, alternatively are fresh to you and you will not need to be worried about this. The mere point that you are not familiar with pronouncing Japanese characters in a particular way is actually very beneficial for you. You can essentially start from scratch and benefit from an infinitely more natural and quicker way to become smooth with your pronunciation.
You Will Not See Much Romaji in Japan
Okay, you school textbooks may well use Romaji (and if they persist on using it for longer than instructing you on Hiragana, I would honestly think about finding some new books), but You will not likely find much Romaji getting used in Japan. Not even in modern metropolitan areas like Tokyo or Osaka. You'll likely just see names of department stores written in Romaji and maybe a handful of English words. Japanese people just do not use Romaji.
Today's Shortcut is Tomorrow's Liability
If even a tiny part of you would like to really master Japanese and try to get fluent, you will sooner or later have to forget about the Romaji and learn some Japanese symbols. It's a lot easier to do this right from the start than to wait a few month or years.
Alright, so Romaji seriously is not the easiest way to go. What should you do when you're just starting out? It certainly is dependent upon what type of Japanese student you are. From my perspective, there's two kinds of Japanese students:
The Committed Student
Maybe you are studying Japanese in college. Maybe you're going to live in Tokyo for a couple of months or a year. Maybe you are a business person that has several Japanese clients. Or maybe you simply have a lot of Japanese friends and you are tired with them talking about you behind your back.
If this represents you, the very best thing you can do is to sit down and master Hiragana and Katakana. These are definitely not difficult to master and by taking it a little bit at a time and going at your own speed, you can most likely learn them in a few weeks by using some flash-cards. As soon as you get good at the Kana, you should have a quality foundation to build on and you may begin learning vocab, sentence structure, and the rest of the things on the correct foot.
The Hobbyist
Maybe you are going to Japan for a fast vacation. Maybe you truly like anime and want to find out more on the culture. Maybe you simply have some spare time and want to learn one or two languages for the fun of it.
If you are like this, my suggestion is to begin with some simple conversational Japanese instruction. These can be less difficult than trying to read and write Japanese at the same time, plus they are much more useful if you're traveling to Japan as a visitor and all you really want to do is ask where the taxi is. Once you've got some straightforward conversational Japanese down, it could be that you might choose to take it further and really learn the language diligently. Moving ahead you'll be in the ideal position to take the path listed above and learn all the Japanese characters (including all those pesky Kanji).
So I hope you can comprehend now why relying on Romaji really isn't to your advantage. It doesn't matter what your eventual goals are with learning Japanese, you will end up significantly better off if you spend the trouble by leaving the crutch behind and either master Hiragana and Katakana or practice some conversational Japanese.
Am I simply bothering you like your Japanese teacher? What is the real downside to using the Roman alphabet?:
You Are Presently Used to Romaji
You are currently familiar with saying things a certain way when you read Romaji letters. Japanese characters, alternatively are fresh to you and you will not need to be worried about this. The mere point that you are not familiar with pronouncing Japanese characters in a particular way is actually very beneficial for you. You can essentially start from scratch and benefit from an infinitely more natural and quicker way to become smooth with your pronunciation.
You Will Not See Much Romaji in Japan
Okay, you school textbooks may well use Romaji (and if they persist on using it for longer than instructing you on Hiragana, I would honestly think about finding some new books), but You will not likely find much Romaji getting used in Japan. Not even in modern metropolitan areas like Tokyo or Osaka. You'll likely just see names of department stores written in Romaji and maybe a handful of English words. Japanese people just do not use Romaji.
Today's Shortcut is Tomorrow's Liability
If even a tiny part of you would like to really master Japanese and try to get fluent, you will sooner or later have to forget about the Romaji and learn some Japanese symbols. It's a lot easier to do this right from the start than to wait a few month or years.
Alright, so Romaji seriously is not the easiest way to go. What should you do when you're just starting out? It certainly is dependent upon what type of Japanese student you are. From my perspective, there's two kinds of Japanese students:
The Committed Student
Maybe you are studying Japanese in college. Maybe you're going to live in Tokyo for a couple of months or a year. Maybe you are a business person that has several Japanese clients. Or maybe you simply have a lot of Japanese friends and you are tired with them talking about you behind your back.
If this represents you, the very best thing you can do is to sit down and master Hiragana and Katakana. These are definitely not difficult to master and by taking it a little bit at a time and going at your own speed, you can most likely learn them in a few weeks by using some flash-cards. As soon as you get good at the Kana, you should have a quality foundation to build on and you may begin learning vocab, sentence structure, and the rest of the things on the correct foot.
The Hobbyist
Maybe you are going to Japan for a fast vacation. Maybe you truly like anime and want to find out more on the culture. Maybe you simply have some spare time and want to learn one or two languages for the fun of it.
If you are like this, my suggestion is to begin with some simple conversational Japanese instruction. These can be less difficult than trying to read and write Japanese at the same time, plus they are much more useful if you're traveling to Japan as a visitor and all you really want to do is ask where the taxi is. Once you've got some straightforward conversational Japanese down, it could be that you might choose to take it further and really learn the language diligently. Moving ahead you'll be in the ideal position to take the path listed above and learn all the Japanese characters (including all those pesky Kanji).
So I hope you can comprehend now why relying on Romaji really isn't to your advantage. It doesn't matter what your eventual goals are with learning Japanese, you will end up significantly better off if you spend the trouble by leaving the crutch behind and either master Hiragana and Katakana or practice some conversational Japanese.
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