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Um i wasnt sure where to put this but im basically trying to learn how to speak and write japanese.
but the thing is everysite i find is either you have to pay or they dont teach you well like they just tell you what something is and automaticaly expect u to have memorized it and know what it means

so yea ive tryed these sites so far:
http://www.studyjapanese.org/
http://www.freejapaneselessons.com/

i kinda tried it out but im not sure if im capable of getting knowledge off this site.

anyone know of anyother site? or maybe online classes or something

     

Re: Learn Japanese

learning the spoking part of the language is not hard, however the writing part is a pain due to the many characters in the writen language

     

Re: Learn Japanese

I find speaking harder just because there’s so much to it. Writing really isn’t that bad. Hiragana and katakana are extremely easy, and kanji isn’t that bad. It looks complicated but after studying Japanese for a few years I’ve found it’s not the worst part of the language. If you ever go to Japan you’ll need to worry about your speaking more than your writing. I lived in Osaka and a lot of the signs and train maps were in kanji and hiragana. Hiragana and katakana are a MUST to learn.

I suggest getting school text books like Genki or Nakama if you really want to understand the language. I’m sure you can find them on amazon or e-bay. Nakama and Genki both go over all the basics and the different writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and a little bit of kanji.) Maybe take a Japanese class at your nearest university? There’s also <!—m—>http://www.rosettastone.com/<!—m—> I’ve never used it myself, but I’ve heard good things.

     

Re: Learn Japanese

hmm
well i there are no japanese courses at the college nearby me.. and that roseta stone stuff..
ive heard good things about it too but its like… UBER expensive… not made outa money lol

     

Re: Learn Japanese

You could always try buying a Japanese manga for younger kids (Doremon and such)

In manga aimed at younger kids, they primarily use hiragana(japanese words) and katakana(foreign words), which are phonetic-based. (Each character is a sound). If they do use Kanji, they have the hiragana/katakana

     

Re: Learn Japanese

Cels thats actually a really good idea, you should hold a panel explaining some simple techniques to learn japanese.
I might try your technique during the summer for fun.

     

Re: Learn Japanese

hehe..
im gunna try that our right now <!—s8)—><!—s8)—>

     

Re: Learn Japanese

One panels enough for me ^^;
It’s just a basic study technique for any language. Kid’s books are the best way to go.

     

Re: Learn Japanese

I agree with Cels.

I’m minoring in Japanese, and one of the only ways I could remember a lot of the adjective words was through children’s books. Oh, and colors.
They’re usually pretty cute stories too. Obviously they aren’t going to have some kind of yaoi scene or blood and guts everywhere, but it’s entertaining in its own right.

     

Re: Learn Japanese

go to a bookstore and look around in the language learning section…
in high school at once a week class for two years I studied from
“Japanese for Busy People” and if you study hard enough they have the book in the phonetic(kana) character form
and that will really test you but it also comes in levels..
People usually laugh at a book like that..but my class was very easy because the teacher was not strict at all..but I was determined and studied the book well
and in my freshman year of uni I skipped right into intermediate courses.
So I suggest that book and then you should also get a children’s vocabulary book..because it will teach everyday simple vocab thats useful
busy people teaches more complex vocab or just whatever lesson it suits best

if you want I can send you a Mixi invite..if you send me your email address
which is like a Japanese myspace…at first you have to click around on tabs and you’ll figure what is what if you’ve ever owned a social networking site..
you meet Japanese people and the writing, reading and chatting is good practice (but you’d want to study some alphabets first)

it just like trying to be good at anything, you have to write characters and vocab over and over and over again..it will sink in

also watch subbed anime and dramas..I found that helped me too

anyways I wrote A LOT..
good luck!

     

Re: Learn Japanese

ohhhhhhhh..

i completly forgot about this topic… hmm i think ill check out all those sites

     

Re: Learn Japanese

not sure if anyone said these, but u can look up Japanese for busy people, and genki japan times

     

Re: Learn Japanese

I used the Speak Japanese DS game and (I wanna say yahoo videos) of a japanese woman that would give 5-10 minute lectures of simple phrases like “good morning/evening/night” and such.
I’m still a novice however.
I also like to watch the Japanese news channel when i have free time to see if i can catch on.