My plan in studying Japanese

After being involved in studying Japanese on and off a little for years, and now on for almost 2 weeks(as of sept 2009), I came upon good resources and ways to study Japanese. I think I thought good ideas and good plans for me and also for anyone else wanting to learn Japanese. Right now I cannot take Japanese courses and cannot go to Japan. I thought those would be the best and I recommend if you can to do that. With courses, the teachers will guide you right. With immersion, you will learn really quickly. And the resources I write here would be outstanding supplements. If you can't, I still think you can learn Japanese through these methods I will mention a little later.

When learning a language, I think a person should note these things; Vocabulary, Pronounciation, the Writing System, Grammar, and Expressions. Those I think are the most important elements of knowing a language. For vocabulary, I say you need to know 5,000 (common) words to understand most of the dialogue, 10,000 to be fluent, and 15,000+ to be on a native-level language speaker. Grammar is needed to know how to use the words and to understand how the speaking person is using those words (such as past, future, etc...). In the Japanese language, the grammar is relatively easy and flexible. Learning the grammar may be the easiest part of learning Japanese. Maybe not for an English-speaker or so. The expressions are important because sometimes the words of a language might be used cleverly or in a different manner, depending on the language and culture, that are different from the grammar. Its a language and culture thing for each language of a country to have expressions different from the language spoken. Not only that, but also learning expressions will help you know what to say when. So expressions are important. The hard part is learning the writing for the Japanese learner.

There is the Hiragana alphabet of 45 words and Kanji. Hiragana and Kanji are the most frequently used Japanese characters in writing. There are 2,000 Kanji symbols that are used in common writings such as newspapers. That's a lot of letters. But if you work hard, I bet you can learn all 2,000 in just one year. Hey, at least you have a number goal. Japanese students need to learn 1,000 Kanji by 6th grade, and all 2,000 by 9th. The first 1,000 learned in Japanese secondary school consist of 95% of Japanese media, newspapers, and writings. I bet if you set aside an hour to learn 10 Kanji symbols a day, every day, you will learn all 2,000 symbols in just one year. And since each Kanji represents a word, a meaning, you will be learning words AND writing at the same time! I wouldn't recommend doing more than 10 Kanji a day. And would say never go over 20. As in previously made post, this person came upon seemingly good advice to remember the Kanji.

I have listed good resources at the right. I haven't had any experience with most of them, but according to my research, they should really help. Let me write what I know about each of them, I will edit this article when I learn and experience more of these:

1,000 Japanese Words(book): This seems to be an effective way to get you started in Japanese vocabulary. First 1,000 words, that is really good.

About.com: Japanese Language- An excellent grammar reference I have found. One of the best I have seen.

Declan Software: Heard to be a somewhat effective software for vocabulary building. I heard it has some interesting features such as multiple choice etc... It has tens of thousands of words. Hiragana.  Kanji. Depends on what you buy.

EduFire: See for yourself here: http://edufire.com/superpass_alt/?gclid=COXAxLKJlp0CFdFL5QodhDRA1A&v=1&g=spsp&loc=all&sub=j&ct=c

And here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHAmzfRxK5A

English-Japanese, Japanese-English Dictionary: Good dictionary if you want to find a Japanese meaning for an English word or vice-versa. One of the best on the internet.

First 1,000 Kanji: Good reference. Has explanation and Romaji written form too.

Full list of 1,945 Kanji Symbols: All the symbols. Also has explanation and Romaji written form too.

Genki Book 1 and 2: Someone recently recommended this book and book 2 for me to study from. That person said you will learn the language quickly and efficiently from it. I took a sneak peek and it says it has been used on students with good results. I heard it before a few times too. I think its a popular book as well. If you are gonna get this, get Genki book 1, Genki 1 workbook, Genki 1 Answers, and Genki book 2. 

Google Search: Not as much of a resource, of course you can think that it is in a way, but more of a plan. I say use google to look up words you cannot otherwise find. Look up conversations. Search for good resources. Be creative.

Google Translator: A good way to translate dialogues between any languages. I use it to translate something people tell me and some things I want to tell others. Can be useful.

Japanese for Busy People: Used by teachers and students in classrooms to learn Japanese. Really famous Japanese learning book.

Japanese the Manga Way An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure: Seems like a very promising book. This I think is really good for grammar learners.

Lang-8: I had a little experience on this one. This website has a lot of people that are willing to correct your mistakes when writing something in any language. You can also connect to people on Skype and practice speaking with them. Practicing speaking is important and Lang-8 can help find those people you need. I already found some. Lang-8 is a really good tool if you need someone to correct your writing.

Mango: I'm not sure but I know its just another software to help you learn Japanese (or any other language).

Michel Thomas Method: A different approach to learning Japanese. Its an audio. It is effective for grammar and pronounciation, Michel Thomas uses therapeatic environment to teach you Japanese. Instead of repetition and textbook-like learning, this one uses a different way to teach you. The effectiveness is different depending on the person.

My Japanese Coach: I had some experience with this game. How interesting, there is a Nintendo DS game that teaches you Japanese. The My Coach games teach you all kinds of skills. This one teaches you Japanese. For a Nintendo DS game and for only $30, I am quite impressed. It has 10,000 words, like 1000 phrases, it teaches you alphabet, how to pronounce the words, and some grammar. It has games to help you learn and retain your memory. You use your stylus to write on the bottom screen the symbols such as Hiragana and Kanji. It helps you to learn it. It has a dictionary. A place on how to say the words. How to make sentences. How to write differently. Has Hiragana and Kanji. This one might actually be better than any computer software made, and its only a Nintendo DS game! Very impressive for a handheld system mostly kids play. This really is a coach. Its not perfect, but for $30, this is a great investment indeed.

Over 1000 Common Japanese Words(pdf): A PDF file which has 1,000 common Japanese words for building vocabulary.

Pimsleur: A very popular and effective way to learn a language. Its an audio. Very good for grammar and pronounciation. 90 lessons in total but only 500 words altogether. But this is good for grammar, great for pronounciation, and excellent in learning how to get around and do the simple things if you were visiting Japan. Great if you want to learn basic grammar. Up to lesson 15 is perfect if you want to understand how the sentences are structured. The downside of Pimsleur is that it costs a lot of money.

Remembering the Kanji I: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters: Seems a popular and excellent way to learn the 2,000 Kanji symbols for a foreigner. It uses methods that are different from regular repetion and memorizing to remember the characters.

Rosetta Stone: A popular software in learning languages. I had no experience with this but I think this is just for vocabulary.

Your local Library!: Self explanatory. Go to the library and get a book. Especially the ones I just listed. I have them in my library, maybe you do too. Seek to find anything that can teach you. Find all titles online and choose the best rated one. The ratings you could see on amazon.com.

So I say, if you want to learn Japanese on your own, I recommend the above. Use all resources and strategies that you can. I listed not only resources but plans as well. Read them carefully. Learn 10 of the common essential 2,000 Kanji characters a day. Use the resources to build your vocabulary. Through audio learn how to pronounce and how to say the sentences in proper grammar. Get the programs. Go to your library. Buy books online. Write out each Kanji many times. Google your questions. Write articles on lang-8. Talk with Japanese-speaking people. Learn about the culture through books, through newspapers, through talking to the Japanese, and especially going to Japan yourself! Be creative and think outside the box.

Can you learn Japanese from Anime?

The secret to learning Japanese

A Fun Japanese Lesson

Check out this series. On the youtube link it says

"The lessons here are from: Eiichi Kiyooka. (1953). "Japanese in 30 Hours".
Tokyo The Hokuseido Press. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway, if they see this as an infringement I will remove the videos-- though I will probably post my own lessons, origional ones of course."

Its fun. Continue here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AB457907DC1C4CF2&page=2

Continue here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AB457907DC1C4CF2&page=2

Grammar Explanations

This is the best Japanese grammar lesson I have come to thus far:

Interrogative words:

Learning the Alphabets: Good Advice?

Someone asked for help in learning the Japanese alphabets and one of the answers seemed to, logically, give a really good answer, in my opinion. Here it is:

"Here is how I learned them:

1. Pick a syllabary. I found it is easier to start with Hiragana rather than Katakana. 
2. Pick a series. I found it is best to start with the vowel series, then k, s, t, h, n, m, y, and finally w (which usually includes the standalone n).
3. Practice writing each character in the series individually on a page of paper, saying its sound each time. Also, use this time to really master the proper shape and size of the characters as well as the stroke order.
4. Once you have about a page done of each (or half of a page of the easier ones), begin writing the entire series together.(saying out the sound of each corresponding character). Fill an entire page with this. 
5. Now, devote an entire page to writing out this new series along with all of the previous ones you have learned (if it isn't the first one).

Note that it isn't really necessary to do this with the g, z, d, b, and p series. Just use a couple of lines practicing them along with their corresponding series.

MAKE SURE TO ONLY LEARN ONE OR TWO SERIES PER DAY. You should work for only 1-2 hours a day. After that, not much more will really sink in. Don't get overzealous. It may just end up making it harder for you, and get you discouraged."

The website is http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=950647&topic=49645135 and the post is by someone usernamed "sarevokmb".

Also, on the very same board, someone wrote their study recommendations that seem quite good, sharp, and thorough. This is a guide for grammar, structure, vocabulary, etc... by this person usernamed "Anhk Morpork" and it can be found here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=950647&topic=44131379

Common Japanese Words

Source/Full Article: http://www.japanesewords.net/3/common-japanese-words/

Words are the building blocks of language. In order to have any type of conversation in Japanese, you will need to know a certain amount of Japanese words. The more Japanese words you know, the more you will be able to communicate. However, it’s not just the number of Japanese words that’s important, but also which ones.

When most people think of learning the Japanese language, they think of the years of hard work they will need to put in. The majority of people consider this hard work and the amount of time it will take to reach fluency, and decide it’s impossible. Having studied Japanese and language learning for over 9 years, I have heard quite a few people say they could never do it. However, learning a new language, even one like Japanese, isn’t as difficult and doesn’t take as long as most people think. In fact, with diligent study and the right materials, I believe someone can have a level of fluency within a matter of months.

Source/Full Article: http://www.japanesewords.net/3/common-japanese-words/

A small introduction

Hello everyone. I have made this blog for my own progress in learning Japanese. I want to learn Japanese for several reasons of my own. Some of them are that Japanese pressures the world and America with their culture. They are a big player in technology and inventions. Japanese video games, J-Pop, and anime & manga are very popular here. Not to mention visiting and living in Japan is very interesting and I am looking forward to it. I also like Japanese swords and I like Japanese words. Japanese is a very nice sounding language and has a smooth vocabulary. I thought that by making this blog, I could improve on learning Japanese. I can post new words I have learned, the sessions I have completed, new software I found and installed, writings I have learned, I could post pictures of the symbols, I could post youtube videos helping, I could share online tutoring websites, I could get help, I could help people, I could learn from communicating, and much more! As for me, I have been learning through Pimsleur. But I am not sure I will want to post the words I have learned. Would be quite the task. Anyway, thank you for stopping by. I hope you improve in learning Japanese, if that's what you are doing.

Check this video out:

Tofugu's 10 free online resources for learning Japanese.