I found a free website that has basic lessons with the kanji/hiragana/romaji and English translations.
so I believe saying the Romaji seems simple enough. However learning to read and write looks impossible at this point…
how long does it take to learn to read/ write? I took Spanish and French in highschool and was able to read and write easily as well as speak it with a perfect accent as if I was from France for example.
I seem to recall a similar question being asked a few months/years ago. Chances are you can’t learn Japanese without real human interaction, especially since you’re a western speaker, the etymological roots between Asian and Western languages are quite different, the former from Chinese pictographs, the latter from Latin.
I want to learn Japanese cause:
- I want to take a two week trip to japan in 2010.
this way I know what to ask/say and not get lost. - I like to play bishoujo games on my computer.
however there are so many of them that fail to get
translated I feel that I’m missing out.
Learn to speak and understand the language first, that’s what I’m doing. Pimsleur has an audio learning series that i’m using and so far so good. I’ve even had some simple Japanese conversations with co-workers. The key though is that in learning the spoken language first, the word orders and thought processes of the written become much clearer.
The problem I have is cost. Pimsleur shows 3 different lesson plans at 274 per set. Where as rosetta stone has all three sets for 549.00. If anyone knows of someone else maybe a smaller price please let me know where to go?
You might want to look into the Community Colleges in your area, they may have Japanese adult school classes for you to take.
I found the old thread about Learning Japanese by checking my post history. I hope it helps.
I took Japanese 1-3 in Highschool. And i was told at the End i still wouldn’t be able to fully Read a Japanese Newspaper. There are many Kanji and it could take awhile.
but as for Romaji and Katakana the alphebets are not terriably hard to learn and memorize. i had trouble with writing all the symbols do to my Bad hand writing
I simply decided to shell out for classes. Unfortunately, this is expensive. But it is the only way I found to force myself to do work reliably. Plus, the structure of a classroom setting provides practice in a way that’s hard to get with such language programs.
indeed Nandemonai I question any one who claims to be self taught because language isnt like literature one cannot rise and master it from simple reading and recitation of pop culture . to truly MASTER not simply become aware but truly put all aspects within his grasp requires academic facilities,fiery zeal , and the sacred honor of a scholar.
Wow that made alot of sense to me. i just need these “Shells” and Study Harder
I’ve always wondered if it was feasible to do a kind of remote learning of Japanese over the internets. I heard of many community college professors experimenting with this, and they say they do miss the personal face to face interactions, but on the other hand, students are more than students because they are more relaxed and able to be very frank in their conversations, which may be a product of our increasingly wired/social networking world.
when nandemonai said “shell out” he meant pay for classes.
You don’t need to learn japanese.
There are only two words you need to know depending if you prefer light or dark eroge.
Light eroge : Kimochi
Dark : ItaÔ
I think the poster wants to learn Japanese, it’s not a “I want to check the dialogue in Eroge for accuracy” thang.
That said, I think “Iku” or “Kanjichau” occurs far more often in light Eroge than “Kimochi.” I mean, c’mon, where’s the context in just saying “feeling (n.)?”
For me, the Pimsleur series just the first step, one that i’m using while on the commute to and from work. Once i’m at a level where i feel i can attempt a conversation, there’s a few Japanese people on my team, and plenty at the company i work for that i can broach the subject of honing my meager skills.
Not being born Japanese and raised in their culture, i never expect to truly be a complete master. But the whole culture and language fascinate me.
There are two components of language learning: accuracy (“I understand lots of vocabulary and know all the grammatical patterns of the language.”) and fluency (“I have the ability to carry on conversations with natives of the language.”). Academic classes will teach you the accuracy part, but not so much the fluency part. For fluency, it’s always best to practice talking to people who use the language natively. Sometimes, depending upon what you want to learn the language for, accuracy is better than fluency. Other times, fluency is better than accuracy. The approach to the best way to learn the language depends upon what you need/want it for.
I’d have to agree with you about the “self-taught” thing, though. While it’s possible to learn some components of the language on your own, you cannot gain fluency on your own. Language is all about communication, and communication involves two or more people.
FWIW, I really like the Pimsleur approach, since it does a good job of introducing concepts and building up a knowledge of the grammar by example rather than by stating rules. That and the interactive quizzes help to start a bit of that fluency thing going. But, Pimsleur is just a beginning-- good for a small sampling of the language to get you started. But again, depending upon what you want to leanr the language for, it might be enough. An example would be if you were learning the language because you were visiting Japan for a week or something. It gives you just enough to get by, in that case.
If anyone’s looking Pimsleur, I got mine off eBay at a reduced price, so I’d check out your online auction sites if you don’t want to pay the full retail price.
If you are in the US, you might also want to check if there is a Japan America society in your area, as they often offer classes and have informal gatherings at places like coffee shops in order to practice speaking fluently. (I’ll probably join the one where I live soon.) The National Association of Japan-America Societies has a list of societies here.
just found out yesterday there is a game for the ds called my Japanese coach.
I wonder just how bad or good it will be?
Dunno. I saw that advertised too, and am genuinely curious whether it could be a helpful aid for people who wish to drill Japanese. I don’t think I’ll go out to get it at full price though. I would recommend that you wait for some reviews before picking one up, 'cos if people could learn a language from a $30 software, there would be no more need for teachers of foreign languages.
If this program is any good, it just reinforces the fact that I should get a DS for my studies, given all the other learning programs for it that are for sale on J-List.