So you want to study Japanese?

I am starting this thread so that people who are having a difficult time learning Japanese on their own, or who need help outside of their classes, or whatever, to improve and have fun at the same time.

Administrators, if this is in the wrong place please feel free to transfer it :)

For now I will start by introducing myself, as I am in desparate need of practice for when I go to Japan in just over a year :), and my classmates all just quit on me, plus the teacher is rather inept.

Konnichiwa, Muku_Muku desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Watashiwa America-jin. Watashiwa akarui desu. Watashiwa sushiwo tabema****a.

Please correct any grammar mistakes that you see, and add your own questions, comments, or just simple practice sentences. Have fun :)

lol Jap's my first love (Anime - country), so I've been taking lessons for around 3+ years already.

Watashiwa sushiwo tabema****a.

It's not wrong or anything, but it'll be less messy if you put it as Watashi wa sushi wo tabema****a. =)

For reference:
Hiragana

あ い う え お か き く け こ さ し す せ そ た ち つ て と
a i u e o ka ki ku ke ko sa shi su se so ta chi tsu te to

な に ぬ ね の は ひ ふ へ ほ ま み む め も ら り る れ ろ
na ni nu ne no ha hi fu he/e ho ma mi mu me mo ra ri ru re ro

や ゆ よ わ を ん
ya yu yo wa wo/o n

Pronunciation:
a - aah
i - ee
u - oooh
e - ehh
o - ohhh

that's all for today. :p

sorry, cant get the romanized letters directly underneath the kana letters. =S

I'm not sure, but I think it might be Watashi wa America-jin desu. Don't take my word for it though. Also, does anyone know of a translation website that will translate romanji?

Oh I love Japanese I learnt it through highschool (which I just finished last year) this is a great idea I want to keep my Japanese up but it's difficult when you don't have anyone to practice on.

Muku_Muku I don't know what level your at but I just talk to you. I'll translate at the bottom. I haven't used my Japanese for 3-4 months now so it might be a bit rusty. BTW how do you get it so you can type in kana because I hate writting romanji.

Konichiwa Muku_Muku san. Watashi no namae wa Gemma (sorry I can't remember how it's written in Japanese without writting in kana) desu. Dozoyoroku. Muku_Muku san Nihon ni iku desu ka? Nihon wa totemo tanoshi desu. Nihon wa iroiro no koto ga dekimasu. Tatoreba nihon no tabemono o tabetari nihon no suppotsu o ****ari shimasu.

The last bit was more just practice for me. I don't think it's gramtically correct.

Translation
Hello Muku_Muku. My name is Gemma, it's nice to meet you. Are you going to Japan? Japan is a very enjoyable place. There are various things you can do in Japan. Such as eat Japanese foods and play japanese sports.

~ Gems

Arigatou gozaimasu. Anata wa kitsu desu, WitchHunter san. My grammar is very bad. My first teacher and my most recent teacher do not seem to agree on anything, and I do not know which is correct. The recent one has confused me by saying that one must only sometimes have desu or masu at the end of a sentence, so I have been slacking and forgetting them.

I am going to Japan in about 13 months to study abroad for a year. I do not technically have to know the language, but I want to learn it anyways.

Dozoyroshiku, Gemma san. Muku-Muku wa Fluffy desu. Watashi no kami wa muku-muku to kyo desu. Watashi wa Nihon wo to neko wo koishimasu. Watashi no tomodachi wa Australia ni ikimasu. Watashi wa heta Nihon-jin de desu.

Shiba_anna san, arigatou. Watashi wa hiragana wo yomemasu. They do not show up on my computer except as boxes, though.

Translations:
1. Thank you. You are right, WitchHunter.
2. Nice to meet you Gemma. Muku-Muku means fluffy. My hair is fluffy and large. I love Japan and cats. My friend is going to Australia. I am bad at Japanese.
3. Thank you Shiba_anna. I (can) read hiragana.


Domo arigatou gozaimasu for all of your help. Oyasumi.

I only know Konnichiwa means hello doesnt it? Ive always wanted to learn Japanese cause Im in love with Japan and everything from Japan! Should of been born Japanese! :upset:
I want to learn to impress my 2 new Uni friends, Mirror and Kelly who are from Japan!

こんにちは、 はじめまして！
フェエニクスてす。ドイツ人です。ちょっと日本語をはなします。
あなたのPMをありがとうございました。
おげんきですか。

Hm...I have no idea if this is right, and don't know how to say "thanks for..."

Muku-Muku san, anta no tomodachi wa Osotoraria ni ikimasu. Watashi wa Osotoraria ni sundeimasu. Anta no nihongo wa joosu (I don't think that's the right spelling) desu.
(Muku-muku, your friend is coming to Australia? I live in Australia. You are good at Japanese)

Flawkes - Konichi wa is generally used as Hello, though it means good afternoon, Ohayoo means good morning, and konban wa means good evening. What else would you like to know.

Feeniku san, dozoyorosuku. Where can you get a program to type the japanese characters?

I, too am interested in finding a program that will let me type the kana. I cannot even read those that you have written. They just show up as little boxes :cry:

Gemma san, hai, soo desu. Watashi no Nihongo wa kuso desu. Konnichi wa (/ha) desu, iie konichi wa. To ohayou desu, iie ohayoo. To dozoyoroshiku desu, iie dozoyorosuku. Or as I have been taught, at least.

Gemma, yes it is so. My Japanese is s***. It is konnichi wa, not konichiwa. And ohayou, not ohayoo. And dozoyrushiku, not dozoyorusuku.

Konban wa Flawkes. Dozoyoroshiku.

Good evening Flawkes. Nice to meet you :)

Feenikusu san, Sore wa nan kakima****a? (argh not sure of grammar or words...left dictionary at mom's house:()

Feenikusu, what did you write?

Watashi wa kakarui desu! Anata wa watashi no thread (lol no dictionary again;)) ni desu! :) Domo arigatou gozaimasu!

I am happy! You are on my thread! :) Thank you!

@ Muku_Muku: Try NJ Star. I've been using it for years. =) It's a good program. Just run a serach on NJ Star Communicator and you should be able to find it. ^^

@ Muku_Muku: Try NJ Star. I've been using it for years. =) It's a good program. Just run a serach on NJ Star Communicator and you should be able to find it. ^^
Yep, I use that, too.
I said hello, nice to meet you, I'm Phoenix, I'm german, I can speak a little Japanese, thanks for your PM,and I asked how you are.
Or something like that...xD

Gonna try of what I know.

Oyasumi. Watashi - no namae-wa Kathryna desu. Juu-ni desu. Jamaica-jin desu. Sayonara.

Muku-muku - yes my spelling is bad I'm used to writting in kana. anata wa nihon no joozu to omoimasu. (I think your Japanese is good)

NJ star is that free? They had it at my school so I'm pretty familar with it. It's a good program.

Pockiness - watashi wa Pocky o suki desu. Anata wa Pocky no suki desu ka?(Don't think the grammar is right) I like pocky. Do you like pocky?

That's all I got time for today. Happy Valentines Day everyone.

Oh cool :D. I'd like to learn Japanese, but I'd learn Mandarin first. Does anyone know any Mandarin? Can you guys teach me some Japanese or Mandarin please? Thanks :).

Konnichi wa. Watashi ga daigaku kara sotsugyo ****a tokoro da kara jugyou o toronai no dei de, nihongo ga don-don wasurete shimasu. Sore da kedo minna-san o tasukete ****ai. Senko wa Nihongo to Nihon no bunka datta no de, bunpo to ka tango to ka yoku wakaru. ****sumon ga attara, kite kudasai! Yoroshiku kudasai!

Hey, I just graduated from college, so Im not taking classes, and Im gradually forgetting all of my Japanese. However, I would like to help you all. My major was Japanese (Both language and culture) So i know the vocab and grammer pretty well. If you have any questions or want corrections, don't hesitate to ask!

Hi. If you have any specific questions about Japanese or Japan, I will try to answer them as much as my time allows. I am a bi-cultural and bilingual American who has been living in Japan for the last 20 years.

By the way, Mahoutsukai means witich or wizard. It literally means one who uses magic.

"How are you" wa nan desuka? (What is "how are you" in Japanese?) Tsuki, does anybody know the conjugation of future tense regular verbs? I would like to know how to say "I will ______" before I go to Japan :) Domo:)

Chiba_anna san, arigatou. I will check it out.

Feenikusu san, dozoyoroshiku. Watashi no tomodachi wa Gerumanni-jin desu. (not sure how to do German) (Nice to meet you Phoenix. My friend is German.)

Oyasumi gozaimasu, Kathryna san. Dozoyoroshiku. Watashi wa Pocky wo koishimasu! (Good evening Kathryna. Nice to meet you. I love Pocky!:yum:)

Gemma san, my spelling and typing are bad, too. Do not worry about it:) Part of it was just me wondering if you or I were correct. Happy Valentine's Day to you and everyone else, too!:love: Happy Year of the Rooster, too!

Konnichiwa Alfonzo san. Dozoyoroshiku. (Hi Alfonzo. Nice to meet you) We can teach you Nihongo (Japanese), but not Mandarin. Try checking the "What Foreign Language Do You Study or Know?" thread for other Mandarin learners. Or start a thread to learn Mandarin in. That's what I did :D Good Luck! :tu:

LilyWright san to Mahoutsukai san, dozoyoroshiku. Arigatou for your offer of assisatnce. Please feel free to jump in and correct my grammar all you want. It is very bad.

Zyane warashi no tomodachi! (Cya my friends!)

Japanese verb conjugation can be confusing as it depends on the whether the verb ends in u, iru or eru or is an irregular verb. The following page has a rather good explanation.
http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa031101a.htm

You would do well to use the -masu form in most cases.

For example tabe-masu means I eat or I will eat, depending on the context.

Also, "How are you?" is "Ogenkidesuka?"

Arigatou, Mahoutsukai :)

ウワー！ ポッキ大好きだよ！~ 超うまいぞ！ 何のフレイヴァを食べたの？ (Uwah! Pokki daisuki da yo!~ Chou umai zo! Nan no fureivua o tabeta no?) (Uwah! I LOVE Pocky! It's REALLY delicious! ^o^ What flavours did you try out?)

I really need to brush up on my Japanese. I haven't been practising since I sat for an important public exam last year. ^^""

:upset: I have found no others but chocolate and strawberry thus far, but they are very good :drool: When Pocky is around, watashi wa buta desu.:) (I am a pig) It has been so long, though, since I have had Pocky :( They should sell it at my school.

Same here, I need to fly off somewhere (usually KL, Japan or Singapore) to buy them. I highly recommend Pocky G and Pocky Decor so something like like (decorated cakes).

Just over a year until I go to Nihon, so i will get to eat plenty there, I hope:drool: Ever had mochii? My dad buys it for us sometimes at the local Japanese specialty store. Yumm...

Mochi's great! It's also known as Daifuku, meaning "big luck". If you're going to Tokyo, I recommend you to visit Asakusa, it's a temple area where they sell lotsa nice treats and you get to check your luck for the year etc.

One piece of advice, be sure to at least know how to ask directions in Japanese. Even when we knew kanji and all, we still got lost plenty of times. ^^"" (My sis and I went to watch concerts by our fav. group called w-inds. twice, chaperone by my mum lol)

Going there, you'll get to learn a lot of new kanji and words so it's a great learning experience. Taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) can be quite confusing at first too.

I can ask where things are :) That is one of the first things I learned from Yoichi (1st teacher:)) Heso wa doko desuka? Anata no heso wa kakarui desu:p

My teachers so far cannot teach kanji for kuso. I learned some under one teacher, but I think I only saw her three or four times. :sigh:

:wow: chiba_anna san. I just saw how new you areto Cosforums:welcome: dozoyoroshiku again, and happy Valentine's Day. Argh son ji shichi pon desu!

P.S. Your pics are awesome! I love the Sirius mini with the blue background especially! You have talent that I wish I had. My drawings are never half that good :(

German is doitsu-jin (or the language doitsu-go...).
And I have a question about grammar...
How do you say "I think, that..."? Or relative clauses in general...I haven't got a clue.

Hi. If you mean you what to know how to say "I think ....," it is as follows.

... to omoimasu. or
... to omou.

For example, "I think that it will rain tomorrow." is as follows.

A****a ame ga furu to omoimasu. or
A****a ame ga furu to omou.

Arigatou Feenikusu san. Doitsu-jin, that makes sense:lol: Doistchland(sp?) and all that. Hmm you are trying to learn the subjunctive mood in Japanese. Yucky subjunctives. I only know them in Latin (most recent one I had to deal with was "C u m domum viri divitis advenisset, servi eum abegerunt":sigh: at least it is better than Virgil)

I will not be around for a while, because I am going to the Capitol for about a week for Youth & Government. I am an officer:clap:, so(aside from possibly ruining the elementary education system for the whole state:elaugh:) I am going up even earlier than the others, hence I will be absent from Cosforums for quite a while.:upset:

Zyane when I get back watashi no tomodachi!:)

Arigatou gozaimasu, Mahoutsukai ^___^
Today I'll have my first Japanese lesson for a year...let's see, what I forgot...
And I hope, than I can get to the lesson, because our street is full of ice --"

It's Deutschland. And...Latin sucks. xD Quamvis sint sub aqua, sub aqua maledicere temptant. I like this sentence, but the rest...

You're from Germany??

Can somebody help me, I have to myself to introduce myself in Japanese for a questionary. So I'll try:

Ohayou gozaimasu ( or Konnichi wa..)
Watashi wa Mary desu. Doizujin desu. ... I forgot how to say my age and to tell from which town i come from. Does anybody know how to write in Japanese ( romanji)?

Mata ne
mary ^^V

Ja, bin aus Deutschland ^^

I think it's "xx-sai desu" and "xx kara kima****a ka", but I'm not sure...

Danke Feenikusu. Enough German, though(no offense meant of course). Japanese thread and all that.

Zyane no time to write now, LOTS of research to do :(

Konbanwa watashino tomodachi. I am back from the Capitol. They killed every one of my bills:upset:

I lived in Okinawa for a year when I was like 11. I spoke quite a bit of Japanese, but not having used it I forgot most of it. :grumble: From what I remember it's not at all a hard language to learn. I caught on to it very fast. But that may have also been because I was so young, it seems you learn better at young ages lol. When we were in Okinawa we lived off base in an apartment. I met a girl that was a year younger than me. She spoke some English. Well she spoke enough English and I spoke enough Japanese, that we could carry a conversation. We got confused occasionally and went to her father to help us, he was fluent in English and Japanese. When I was first learning languages I remember how I would ask her is, I would point at something such as a dog and say "Nani Nihongo?" (sp?) "What Japanese?" Not a full sentence but she knew what I meant lol. I remember "Konichiwa", Hello/Good Afternoon, "Konbanwa" Good Evening, "Ohio Goziemasu" Good Morning. Yes I know spelling is way off but that is pretty mucn the pronunciation of it I believe lol. I can count to 99, I forget how to say 100. I remember "Domo Arigato" Thank you. I remember how to say You're welcome, but cannot spell it out. I can't think of any other words off hand that I remember from the Japanese language.

You are welcome is "dozoyorushiku" and 100 is hyaku.

For the rest, the spelling is: konnichiwa, konbanwa, ohayou gozaimasu, and domo arigatou. I am not sure about nani, but I know the Nihongo is correct.

Lol, thank you, like I said I was 11 when I was in Okinawa, so it's been 11 years since I've studied the language, I can still pronounce words correctly, but spelling is a different story. Oh, I think I remembered a word... "Jisho" is dictionary. Again the spelling is probably wrong. When I talked to the girl I knew in Japanese, we also had a small english/japanese dictionary to help us out with out communication.

The spelling is all phonetic, so that is the easy part for me. I am going to live in Japan in a year, so I will experience something like to what you did, only at an older age.

I do not know where my Americago/Nihongo jisho is. Bad thing, since it isn't really mine...

Sugoii, tanoshii mitai yo! Btw, English = Eigo. I have tons of those at home lol

Kuso. Translation please? Watashi wa iie jisho wo uhh...have.

Arigatou for the Eigo, though:)

never thought about learning japanese....i suppose now's as good a time as any.....who knows, i may end up going to japan one day....

Konnichiwa Tuja. Welcome and nice to meet you (again...:p) Watashi wa Nihon-go koishimasu, to Nipon. I'm going there in under a year! Yippee!

the only thing that i know what you said in that statement was konnichiwa.....and i haven't said that since i was 8 and in Brownies......wow....

I know japanese :) only b/c my mom is japanese...

....Im horrible at writing in romaji, but here goes....

Hajimema****e!! Watashi wa kariforunia daigaku santa barbara de Nihongo o benkyo****eimasu. Yon nen gurai Nihongo o benkyo****andesu ga, jugyou no soba de hanashi no renshu o amari shinakatta.
Minna san, ****sumon ga arun desu... Nihongo de katta Harry Potter no hon ga hoshii!! Dareka ga, intaneto de kau uebusaito ga ****eimasuka?

translation kudasai?! Anata wa Santa Barbara ni desuka?! I live near there!

こんにち は! わたし は さくら です。わたし は アメリカ人 です。 にほんご が すき です。

Konnichi wa! Watashi wa Sakura desu. Watashi wa amerikajin desu. Nihongo ga suki desu.

My name's not really Sakura, but I've given up trying to make my first name work in katakana. I'm sorry that I don't have anything new to say, but I was so excited that I figured out how to say this that I had to post it.

Konnichiwa! Boku wa ichinenkan gurai Nihongo o benkyou****eimasu. Kariforunia Daigaku Santa Kuruuzukoo no sannensei desu. Senmon wa Amerika Bungaku desu, demo Nihongo no jugyou mo totemo tanoshii desu yo. Kookoo no toki, Supengo o hanasema****a ga, takusan wasuremasu ne. Zannen desu ne. Koko de dareka Tampopo no eiga o mita koto ga arimasu ka? Nihongo wa utsukushii kotoba da to omoimasu.

Pretty good The Rubber Duck, :tu: but few mistakes here and there.

Kookoo no toki, Supengo o hanasema****a ga, takusan wasuremasu ne.
This should be "Kookoosei no koro, Supeingo o hanasema****a ga, takusan wasureteshimaimasita." (When I was a highschool student, I used to be able to speak Spanish, but I forgot most of it.) "toki" and "koro" are similar but "toki" points to an exact date while "koro" points to a more broader time frame. It sounds more natural to be ambiguous here. "Wasuremasu" sounds like you were trying to forget instead of forgetting from stopping the study of Spanish. So "wasureteshimaima****a" to imply that you would rather have been able to speak Spanish than forgetting. Also, don't use "ne" too much. It makes you sound like ...well, "like a girl". (And if you are a female, using "boku" is... well, don't do it unless you know what you are doing :evil: )

Koko de dareka Tampopo no eiga o mita koto ga arimasu ka?
This should be "Dareka Tampopo no eiga o mita koto ga arimasu ka?" You can drop "Koko de" because in this case, "Dareka" implies that you are talking to someone who wants to be in this conversation.

good timing, people. i have my japanese final on wednesday, and this thread will be some extra review for me, hahaha.
*ahem*
konnichiwa! hajimema****e doozo yoroshiku! watashi wa zannah desu. amerika jin desu. okurahoma daigaku no ninensei desu. nihongo o benkyosuru no ga ski desu. jyugyo no naka de nihongo ga ichiban ski desu. nihon ni ikitai desu.


good afternoon/hello! how do you do/nice to meet you! i'm zannah. i'm american. i'm a sophomore at the university of oklahoma. i like studying japanese. of my classes, i like japanese the best. i want to go to japan.

nihongo o benkyosuru no ga ski desu. jyugyo no naka de nihongo ga ichiban ski desu.

"Nihongo ga ichiban suki desu." is enough here because you already said you are studying Japanese. Or put two together and say "Nihongo no benkyo ga ichiban suki desu." ((Out of all classes,) I like studying Japanese the best.) Again, you don't have to say "jyugyo no naka de" here because you had to be taking other classes when in a university.

nihon ni ikitai desu.

Unless you already have a plan for going, "Nihon ni itte mitai desu." (I'm hoping to go to Japan) is better. Using "ikitai" here implies either that or you expect the listener to help arrange a trip to Japan.

Well its been a month but here's for a late translation of my post hehehe.

Hajimema****e!! Watashi wa kariforunia daigaku santa barbara de Nihongo o benkyo****eimasu. Yon nen gurai Nihongo o benkyo****andesu ga, jugyou no soto de hanashi no renshu o amari shinakatta.
Minna san, ****sumon ga arun desu... Nihongo de katta Harry Potter no hon ga hoshii!! Dareka ga, intaneto de kau uebusaito ga ****eimasuka?

And it means:

"Nice to meet you(roughly..lol) Im studying Japanese at UCSB(University of California Santa Barbara). Ive studied Japanese for about four years but I don't get much conversation practice outside of class (I meant to type soto but I typed soba >.< lol). I have a question.. I want a Harry Potter written in japanese (aka Japanese translation of Harry Potter). Does anyone know if theres a website where I can buy one?"

Once again sorry for waiting a month to respond... lol. Oh, and in response to Mukumuku, I go to UCSB but I commute from elsewhere,but I do spend a good amount of time up at UCSB for school and such :p

Konnichiha all! Arigatou to all the new posters! I appologize for my complete lack of vocabulary anymore, but I stopped taking Japanese when my friends did, and I have had no time to practice recently. So...translation kudasai :) Zannah san, Goldberry san, The_Rubber_Duck san, to Nurikabe san, hajimema****e! Watashi no namae wa Muku-Muku desu. Nihon ni ikitai desu. Watashi wa neko wo koishi masu.

Zannah, Goldberry, The_Rubber_Duck, Nurikabe, nice to meet you! My name is Fluffy. I am going to Japan. I love cats. (for lack of anything better to say :P )

Malfoysferret: Watashi wa aikidoka Kariforunia daigaku Santa Barbara ni desu. Watshi no oyagi wa Goreta ni desu. Kare wa son dan aikido ni desu.

"Nihongo ga ichiban suki desu." is enough here because you already said you are studying Japanese. Or put two together and say "Nihongo no benkyo ga ichiban suki desu." ((Out of all classes,) I like studying Japanese the best.) Again, you don't have to say "jyugyo no naka de" here because you had to be taking other classes when in a university.

Unless you already have a plan for going, "Nihon ni itte mitai desu." (I'm hoping to go to Japan) is better. Using "ikitai" here implies either that or you expect the listener to help arrange a trip to Japan.

hmmm, interesting. we're still at the stage in class where things we say are really formal and probably needlessly detailed. hopefully soon we'll move to a more conversational style.
but all the same, arigatoo gozaimasu. :)

Hi, I can only speak a few words like sayoonara, konnichi wa, komban wa, dewa mata, baka :D ...
and a few sentences like "Ogenki desu ka"?

But I need help, could s.o. please translate the following sentences:

Zensokuryoku de mirai mo ima mo kake nukero

Sou boku wa ki zuitan da zutto shukudai wasureteta
Sore wa hitotsu no nazo nazo nazo "Boku wa dare nan darou?"

Suraidingu ****e surimuketa hiza itakutatte ne
Sugu tachiagaranakya chansu wa nigete yuku wakatteru sa


Yume miru koto ga subete hajimari sore ga kotae daro
Dare yori tooku e tonde miseru yo subete no asu wo tsuranuite

Chiheisen made tonde yuke hane wo moratta yuukitachi
Tsuyoku ookiku naru tame ni boku mo hashiridasou

Kikoete ita yo kaunto daun zutto mae kara
Junbi wa dekiteru sa ima sugu hajimeyou zero ni kaware!

Shinjirarenakya mabataki ****eru setsuna ni kieru yo
Kokoro no hyouteki sorasazu hashire subete no chikara butsukeyou

Zensokuryoku de mirai mo ima mo kake nukero


I know it´s a lot but it´s a song and I want to know what they are singing about.

Hagimema****e Tenchi san! I would help you, but my vocabulary right now is limited to crazy things like 'Anata no heso wa kowai desu' and 'Watshi no oyagi wa baka desu.' What is the song from? Opening to an anime?

One note, though: it is arigatou, not arigatoo, konban wa, not komban wa, and sayounara, not sayoonara.

Zyane!

Yes, your right. It´s an anime. It´s the opening song of Digimon Tamers, singer is Wada Kouji.

But in my dictionary it´s "komban wa" and I saw that s.o. wrote sayoonara (thought it´s the right way) :)

What is "'Watshi no oyagi wa baka desu". I know that yagi is "goat" and baka "stupid" and I believe Watashi is "You". So is it "You are a stupid goat?" :lol:

Oyagi is a very deragatory term for dad. It amounts to old fart or something. My dad taught it to me, so I use it sometimes. Watashi is 'I.' Therefore, 'my dad is stupid.' Don't blame me for my randomness. The other setence is 'your bellybutton is scary.' My first teacher had a weird sense of humor, so I know really strange words like heso and nori and biiru, but not ordinary things that I will need next year, except for 'toire/eki/hoteru wa doko desuka?'

I speak Japanese. I tried to teach Japanese to my friends and their pronouciation always make me laugh.

I learned Japanese when I was in preschool. The school was made in the eighties (when Japan was the center of comerce for the world) and the administration thought that we all should learn Japanese to give us an edge in the business world. Sadly, I remember nothing practical, save Jingle Bells and O Come All Ye Faithful translated into Japanese and sentences like "that is a cat"(sore wa neko desu). I do want to study it in college, though.

Benjo wa doku desuka?

That's the only sentence I know (and I'm sure I've remembered it wrong--doesn't it mean "where's the bathroom?"). I only know random words, like tea and peach. Does anyone know where I can learn Japanese easily and CHEAPLY? I want to learn over the summer.

Konbanwa Dobby san, HarryLass san, to Nemetoad san, Hajimema****e.

@Dobby san: My friends have atrocious pronunciation, as well. They say day-sue for desu, and other similar things.

@HarryLass san: You know more than I do at present, it would seem, and I initiated this thread. Would you post the songs in Nihongo please?

@Nemetoad san: The version I learned is 'toire wa doko desuka,' but benjo may be another word for bathroom. The only thing I know is that it should be ___ wa doko desuka to ask where something is.

Yes, your right. It´s an anime. It´s the opening song of Digimon Tamers, singer is Wada Kouji.

But in my dictionary it´s "komban wa" and I saw that s.o. wrote sayoonara (thought it´s the right way) :)

What is "'Watshi no oyagi wa baka desu". I know that yagi is "goat" and baka "stupid" and I believe Watashi is "You". So is it "You are a stupid goat?" :lol:

Hello,

Watashi means "I".

Baka does mean "stupid".

Oyaji: I think the correct spelling is oyaji. It is a term used by men to refer to their father (the corresponding word for mother would be ofukuro). It is a casual term and would be used only in informal conversation between friends. It is not derogatory but very casual and not classy.

So that sentence would translate as "My father is stupid."

....Im horrible at writing in romaji, but here goes....

Hajimema****e!! Watashi wa kariforunia daigaku santa barbara de Nihongo o benkyo****eimasu. Yon nen gurai Nihongo o benkyo****andesu ga, jugyou no soba de hanashi no renshu o amari shinakatta.
Minna san, ****sumon ga arun desu... Nihongo de katta Harry Potter no hon ga hoshii!! Dareka ga, intaneto de kau uebusaito ga ****eimasuka?


amazon.co.jp

Amazon has a Japanese subsidiary which sells Japanese books.

日本の勉強頑張ってください。

Hello,

Watashi means "I".

Baka does mean "stupid".

Oyaji: I think the correct spelling is oyaji. It is a term used by men to refer to their father (the corresponding word for mother would be ofukuro). It is a casual term and would be used only in informal conversation between friends. It is not derogatory but very casual and not classy.

So that sentence would translate as "My father is stupid."




amazon.co.jp

Amazon has a Japanese subsidiary which sells Japanese books.

日本の勉強頑張ってください。
You are correct that it is oyaji. I think I probably typed the wrong letter the first time. I don't know whether it is only used by men to refer to their dads, though, and I use it all the time (I am most certainly not a guy). My dad taught it to me, and he goes to Japan relatively often, and spends lots of time around native speakers for work. You may be right, though. The literal translation is a bit deragatory, though.

@Nemetoad san: The version I learned is 'toire wa doko desuka,' but benjo may be another word for bathroom. The only thing I know is that it should be ___ wa doko desuka to ask where something is.


There are several different words for bathroom/restroom.

Toire is one. It comes from the work "toilet" and is spelled using katagana.

Otearai is another. This is a more elegant word. 御手洗 is the kanji.

Obenjo/benjo is another. This is a less classy and would not be used in front of people that you do not know. (there may be regional usage variation.)

Makes sense. Arigatou Mahoutsukai san, to hajimema****e.

Oyasumi Mahoutsukai san. It is almost midnight here and I have a test tomorrow.

You are correct that it is oyaji. I think I probably typed the wrong letter the first time. I don't know whether it is only used by men to refer to their dads, though, and I use it all the time (I am most certainly not a guy). My dad taught it to me, and he goes to Japan relatively often, and spends lots of time around native speakers for work. You may be right, though. The literal translation is a bit deragatory, though.

Oh course there will also be women who use more masculine phrases.
Oyaji is primarily used by men.

I have been living in Tokyo for the last 20 years and the only women I have heard say oyaji are rebellious youth, those raised in more harsh
environments or those wanting present a street smart image.

If a man uses this to refer to his father, it is not derogatory at all. One Japanese dictionary I just checked even states that it is a term used to express familiarity/affection.

ETA:
Good luck on your test. Based on the time difference you must be on the west coast -- I was raised there as well.

Oh course there will also be women who use more masculine phrases.
Oyaji is primarily used by men.

I have been living in Tokyo for the last 20 years and the only women I have heard say oyaji are rebellious youth, those raised in more harsh
environments or those wanting present a street smart image.

If a man uses this to refer to his father, it is not derogatory at all. One Japanese dictionary I just checked even states that it is a term used to express familiarity/affection.

ETA:
Good luck on your test. Based on the time difference you must be on the west coast -- I was raised there as well.
I am rebellious, perhaps, but not in such a way. I don't care about being street smart. I will have to tell watashi no chichi, though, as he will find it very funny. Arigatou, though, for the clarification. I shall remember and not use it when I am in Japan.

Thanks for the luck :) It may or may not have helped. I think I did alright, though. English is so easy with my teacher.

But I need help, could s.o. please translate the following sentences:

Zensokuryoku de mirai mo ima mo kake nukero

Sou boku wa ki zuitan da zutto shukudai wasureteta
Sore wa hitotsu no nazo nazo nazo "Boku wa dare nan darou?"

Suraidingu ****e surimuketa hiza itakutatte ne
Sugu tachiagaranakya chansu wa nigete yuku wakatteru sa


Yume miru koto ga subete hajimari sore ga kotae daro
Dare yori tooku e tonde miseru yo subete no asu wo tsuranuite

Chiheisen made tonde yuke hane wo moratta yuukitachi
Tsuyoku ookiku naru tame ni boku mo hashiridasou

Kikoete ita yo kaunto daun zutto mae kara
Junbi wa dekiteru sa ima sugu hajimeyou zero ni kaware!

Shinjirarenakya mabataki ****eru setsuna ni kieru yo
Kokoro no hyouteki sorasazu hashire subete no chikara butsukeyou

Zensokuryoku de mirai mo ima mo kake nukero


Remember that a song is a type of poem and translating a poem usually makes it worthless. This is not a word for a word translation because doing that wouldn't make sense.

"Run at top speed through today and future.

Yes, I realized that I've been forgetting the most important question.
The question is "Who am I?"

My knee aches because I did a sliding tuckle,
but if I don't get up and start chasing, the chance will be lost. You don't have to tell me that.

To dream is the start of everything and that gives you the answer.
I'll go farther then anybody, going farther than anybody's tomorrow.

The braves have wings to fly over the horizon.
I'll run to become strong myself.

I've been hearing the signal to start the race,
I'm ready and waiting for that to signal a go.

If you don't believe, it wil be gone in a blink.
Keep your mind on the target and run with all might.

Run at top speed through today and future."

Oyaji is primarily used by men.

More on oyaji. You can use it affectionately to anyone old enough to be your father, has good skills or command a respect and owns a shop (or a factory). For example, someone who owns a tofu shop can be called "Tofu ya no oyaji" (ya=shop). The important point for this usage is that he has to be respected but is familiar or appears familiar to you.

When you use it on anyone who you don't respect or isn't familiar enough, oyaji is derogatory because it implies that he simply got old without doing the simple thing like working hard, to earn respects from neighbors. For example, if I saw someone older than me litter on a street, he is an "oyaji" because he is doing a stupid thing. Other examples are, someone who
*dress badly (and bald headed)
*keep making stupid jokes
*is boring
*is generally a nuisance

anyone willing to translate a couple of online interviews and some websites? If you are just PM me and I will give you the details

namida atsumete yozora e kaesou
yuragu koto nai ai dake baramake
stardust

Konnichiwa, Joanne_May san :) Hajimema****e. Eigo de itte kudasai. Please say it in English (translate). Arigatou!

Oh. My. Guh. Ok I'm what you would call semi-new and well.. this might be total sidelining (who am I kidding, it totally is), I just stumbled onto this place and I will so be using this thread. I'm in my final year of high school and my Jap is bits and pieces of just random stuff.

I once tried to say I was lazy and ended up saying "Gogo shimasu" in an exam/interview - in between holding their stomachs of laughter, my friends told me I had instead said something along the lines of "I do afternoon" ?? Ah well :D

Hajimema****e, fflama san. That's the whole purpose of this thread, so go ahead and ask any questions or practice or whatever. Your questions help us learn, especially me, since watashi wa baka desu (I am stupid), at least in Japanese.

Konnichiwa. Watashi wa namae hagiwara sumiko desu. Hajimema****e.
Hello. My name is Hagiwara Sumiko. How do you do? XD

Well, that's probably all I know for introduction. Heh. Unless I've forgotten what I've learnt. >.> Oh well.

I know that tomodachi is friend. So, how do I say "Can we make friends?" in Japanese?

Well, that'll be all for now.

I once tried to say I was lazy and ended up saying "Gogo shimasu" in an exam/interview - in between holding their stomachs of laughter, my friends told me I had instead said something along the lines of "I do afternoon" ?? Ah well :D

It will mean "(I'll do that) in afternoon." in a conversation. You should have said "Watashi ha nonbiri-ya desu." "Nonbiri" means good natured kind of acting slowly and addition of "-ya", literally "shop" but more like "person" here, makes it a description.

Hajimema****e, fflama san. That's the whole purpose of this thread, so go ahead and ask any questions or practice or whatever. Your questions help us learn, especially me, since watashi wa baka desu (I am stupid), at least in Japanese.

Use, "Nihongo ga heta (=sloppy) desu." for that. Or if you happen to be in Osaka, try "Aho na gaijin desu." This makes everyone from Osaka laugh. :tu:

I know that tomodachi is friend. So, how do I say "Can we make friends?" in Japanese?

"Tomodachi ni narou ne." (Let (us) become friends, okay?) should do it. If it's part of introducing yourself, try "Nakayoku ****e kudasai." (Please be friendly to (me).) "Naka" is spelled out using kanji meaning "friend" and "yoku" is just another form of "yoi" or good. "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." meaning literally "(Thank you for) letting me join." does the trick in a formal situation. Japanese language is really simple isn't it? :evil:

Hajimema****e, fflama san. That's the whole purpose of this thread, so go ahead and ask any questions or practice or whatever. Your questions help us learn, especially me, since watashi wa baka desu (I am stupid), at least in Japanese.

:lol: My friends and I call each other baka heads all the time. We always wondered whether it really did mean stupid or we were just saying some non-existent insult. But I doubt your japanese is as bad as mine - when I don't know something I tend to throw around particle like they're going out of style or say something completely random.

"... kuruma o... o... oh my god"

Anywho. I've got an assignment and I have to pretend I'm a tour guide showing tourists around my city, and write out this passage/commentary of what I'd say. I'm doing ok so far, but there's about four sentences that I'm totally destroying and need desperate help with:

1. Cairns is located close to the world famous Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.

2. The centre of town is a five minute walk from the resort.

3. The bus will be stopping at the esplanade soon.

4. Lunch will be served after the video.

Any help/suggestions will be muchly appreciated :D

Konnichiwa. Watashi wa namae hagiwara sumiko desu. Hajimema****e.
Hello. My name is Hagiwara Sumiko. How do you do? XD

Well, that's probably all I know for introduction. Heh. Unless I've forgotten what I've learnt. >.> Oh well.

I know that tomodachi is friend. So, how do I say "Can we make friends?" in Japanese?

Well, that'll be all for now.
Hajimema****e. Tomodachi ni narou ne.

Arigatou gozaimasu, Muku_Muku-san, Nurikabe-san.

If I want to enquire about something. How am I supposed to ask?
eg. I want to ask my friend what movie she watched yesterday.
or I want to know what is the title of a book my friend is reading.

Arigatou gozaimasu, Muku_Muku-san, Nurikabe-san.

If I want to enquire about something. How am I supposed to ask?
eg. I want to ask my friend what movie she watched yesterday.
or I want to know what is the title of a book my friend is reading.
'ka' at the end of a sentence can make something a question, I believe. Also, do- is the usual beginning of a 'question word.' For instance, 'Toire wa doko desuka' is a question. Doko means where, and deseka makes it a question. Other 'question words' are dore (which one of several ones), dono (which N), dochira (which way, which one of several, which person), and docchi (informal of Dochira). I don't have enough vocabulary to ask things like that, but I think "What did you eat?" would be "Anata wa dono wo (not sure if that is there or not) tabema****aka." The answer then would be, perhaps, "Watashi wa sushi wo tabema****a." I hope this makes sense. :D

Please correct me if I am wrong in any of this. This is just my best guess, and I know very little on the subject. :upset:

:lol: My friends and I call each other baka heads all the time. We always wondered whether it really did mean stupid or we were just saying some non-existent insult. But I doubt your japanese is as bad as mine - when I don't know something I tend to throw around particle like they're going out of style or say something completely random.

"... kuruma o... o... oh my god"
If you are translating things like that, you know far more than I. I wish I just threw in particles...instead, I tend to switch to Latin or Spanish or German or French or Italian, or sometimes even to English:rotfl: I say things like "Oyasumi, meine amica" or "Ego wa pelucheux desu":sad: Then I say things like that in my sleep, supposedly. Don't feel bad with particles :D

Konnichiwa. Watashi no namae wa Mirielle desu. Minasan, hajimema****e!
Good afternoon. My name is Mirielle. How is everyone going? (I think?!)

"What did you eat?" would be "Anata wa dono wo (not sure if that is there or not) tabema****aka." The answer then would be, perhaps, "Watashi wa sushi wo tabema****a." I hope this makes sense.

Hmm I always thought "What did you eat" would actually be '[Anata wa] nani wo tabema****aka.' I can't remember how to say this in a more casual way - would it be nani wo tabeta no??? (I remember vaguely my teacher saying "no" could be used as implying a question. Please correct me if I'm wrong here)
Plus I was always taught not to say anata, instead you should say the name of the person or even leave it out.
Kono thread wa ii desu yo! This thread is good - it's forcing me to refresh my very stale Japanese! :tu:

Konnichiwa. Watashi no namae wa Mirielle desu. Minasan, hajimema****e!
Good afternoon. My name is Mirielle. How is everyone going? (I think?!)



Hmm I always thought "What did you eat" would actually be '[Anata wa] nani wo tabema****aka.' I can't remember how to say this in a more casual way - would it be nani wo tabeta no??? (I remember vaguely my teacher saying "no" could be used as implying a question. Please correct me if I'm wrong here)
Plus I was always taught not to say anata, instead you should say the name of the person or even leave it out.
Kono thread wa ii desu yo! This thread is good - it's forcing me to refresh my very stale Japanese! :tu:
I have never heard nani used before, though it makes sense, since '___wa nan desuka' means 'what is ____?' Arigatou! As to saying anata or not, you can probably leave it out, but I am at the stage where I use things I know how to use and don't try to use anything complex (or in this case, simpler than the ordinary) because I will likely mess it up. Also, it is a generic word to place there for asking a question, rather than leaving a blank for a name or something.
YAY! That is what this thread is for! Arigatou! :D

の (no) can be used as a casual question marker, but I always found that confusing and just used か (ka).

あなた (anata) can be left out of questions, though I don't know if it's improper to put in there. The Japanese people I have conversed with didn't correct me or anything. I just finished my fourth year of Japanese in high school, and am going to minor in it at Gonzaga University!

こんにちは、みんなさん！私の名前はジェソンです。１８さいです。この夏に日本に行きます。この秋にGon zaga Universityでだいがくせいです。マンガとアニメがすきです。私の日本語はわるいですね。。。

(Konnichiha, minna-san. watashi no namae ha jeson desu. 18sai desu. kono natasu ni nihon ni ikimasu. kono aki ni Gonzaga University de daigakusei desu. anime to manga ga suki desu. watashi no nihongo ha warui desu ne...)

の (no) can be used as a casual question marker, but I always found that confusing and just used か (ka).

あなた (anata) can be left out of questions, though I don't know if it's improper to put in there. The Japanese people I have conversed with didn't correct me or anything. I just finished my fourth year of Japanese in high school, and am going to minor in it at Gonzaga University!

こんにちは、みんなさん！私の名前はジェソンです。１８さいです。この夏に日本に行きます。この秋にGon zaga Universityでだいがくせいです。マンガとアニメがすきです。私の日本語はわるいですね。。。

(Konnichiha, minna-san. watashi no namae ha jeson desu. 18sai desu. kono natasu ni nihon ni ikimasu. kono aki ni Gonzaga University de daigakusei desu. anime to manga ga suki desu. watashi no nihongo ha warui desu ne...)
Konbanwa Jeson san. Hajimema****e. Eigo de itte kudasai. (In English please) Some of us (or at least I) do not comprehend all of what you just said. It helps me learn more if I can see what it means. Arigatou! :)

Hello, everyone! My name is Jason. I am 18 years old. This summer I am going to Japan [as a side note, I'm visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Yania (a small town), and am homestaying in all buy Kyoto]. This fall I will be a college student at Gonzaga University. I like anime and manga. My Japanese is bad.

Hello, everyone! My name is Jason. I am 18 years old. This summer I am going to Japan [as a side note, I'm visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Yania (a small town), and am homestaying in all buy Kyoto]. This fall I will be a college student at Gonzaga University. I like anime and manga. My Japanese is bad.
Arigatou! Watshi no namae wa Muku-Muku desu. Jyu go sai desu. Watashi mo anime to manga ga suki desu, to neko to sushi ga suki desu. To watashi no Nihongo wa warui desu. (what's the ne for in that?)

Thank you! My name is Fluffy. I'm 15. I, too, like anime and manga, and I like cats and sushi. And my Japanese is bad.

Oh, sorry. It would actually translate to, "My Japanese is bad, huh?" Maybe I'm losing my mind, or can only think in English at 3 A.M., but why the "mo" in "watashi mo anime . . . ."?

Mo means also or too. So if you say 'anime to manga ga suki desu' and I do, too, then I can say watashi mo...or at least that's how I understood it. I don't know if it only works for the nominative or if it works for other cases, as well. For that matter, I have no clue if I am even using it correctly. I don't remember learning it, or at least the conditions under which I learned it.

I figured. I also remember "mo" being also, but not how to use it. Stopping by the Japanese classroom tomorow (even though I'm out of school now), so I'll ask the teacher.

i would love to learn it. the only japanese i know is Arigatou and counting from one to ten.

Why can't they teach Japanese at my school?! Watashi no er...school system... wa baka desu. *sigh*

i would love to learn it. the only japanese i know is Arigatou and counting from one to ten.
Konbanwa, Elish san. Hajimema****e! Welcome! That is what this thread is for, so enjoy!

It's Idaho... We have nothing better to do.

I have no idea how to say that in Japanese...

No more do I. I can say 'sore wa Idaho desu,' but that's it of that part. *sheepish grin*

wata****achi ha nothing better to do ga arimasen.

:P

:lol: Works for me :P

Watashi wa Gaia ni desu. Anata mo desu ne?
Does this make sense? Or am I being baka again?

Actually wouldn't it be:
Watashi wa anything better to do ga arimasen
OR
Watashi wa nothing better to do ga arimasu


On another note, are accusatives followed by ga or wo? I was taught wo, but you are using ga, so I don't know.

Nope. Made no sense to me, but I'm not fluent. Are you asking if I'm on Gaia?

You were right on the "nothing better to do ga arimasu."

As for accusatives, what do you mean?

Yes, I was, which is a bit silly on another forum, but I am on there right now, and was trying to come up with something to talk about.

Accusative=direct object
i.e. I sing a song.
He smacks her.
You read the book.

Well, it depends. "You read the book" is "anata ha hon o yomu." However, "you have the book" is "anata ha hon ga aru." The definitive rule? I don't honestly know, but I never use "ga" unless it's "suki," "aru," or "iru."

I dislike Gaia, and I think that sentence was incorrect. How do I fix it? I don't know, silly!

Forget it, then. My friend just made me join just recently, so I complied.

Gah. Watashi no men wa itaimasu. I need a teacher irl to help me and teach me rules, one who is better than my last teacher. Of course, even my English is pretty bad at 3am, so I may get it tomorrow.

By the way, hurts is itai.

And men is a really weird word to use there, I suspect... Assuming you meant head, "anata no atama ha itai!" If you meant brain, than "anata no nou ha itai!"

Men means face. Or mask. Or noodles. Do your noodles hurt? :P

I have always used men as head, and never had learned any other word for it. Arigatou. I think I needed to say "Watashi no nou wa itaimasu!" then. There is a masu on the end right?

I don't really think itai is a verb.

itai desu, I believe.

Is painful, then, or something like that?

Is in pain, I suppose. Or hurt in adjective form, whatever that would be. My dictionary defines "hurt" as "itamu," but I think that is "hurt" as in, "I am going to hurt you."

I can't find my dictionary...hurt as an adjective or something works for me, then.

LOL just looked up itai. It means:
corpse, remains
painful
different body
clothes and obi, full court dress

Your usage of "mo" was indeed correct.

As for "wo" and "ga," "ga" is only used on the posessive verbs ("iru," "aru") or before an "i" adjective.

Actually, wouldn't it help if we differentiate between 'ha' は and 'wa' わ here? According to romaji spelling at least. In addition, 'ga' can be used in many other different forms, for instance:

1) Watashi desu ga...the 'ga' here indicates that the speaker is going to elaborate/continue speaking (normally used in phone conversations)

2) Ringo ha suki desu ga, orenji ha kirai desu (I like apples but I hate oranges)...'ga' here is used as differentiator. Normally you'd say "Ringo ga suki desu" but as this sentence shows comparison, "ha" replaces "ga".

Yes, "ga" is also "but." I did not know you replaced "ga" with "ha" in such situations. ありがとうございます！

Yes, "ga" is also "but." I did not know you replaced "ga" with "ha" in such situations. ありがとうございます！

どういたしまして :blush: but actually, here you'd use 'arigatou gozaima****a' instead of 'gozaimasu', because as you've understood the message, the 'favour' had already been received as 'arigatou' is being expressed, so the past tense is used(it's quite hard to explain, more of a cultural thing lols).

E.g., in a restaurant setting:

gozaimasu

Waiter: Here's the food you ordered.

Customer: Arigatou gozaimasu. (Thank you-for bringing the food here)


gozaima****a
(After the customer had finished eating, paid the bill and is about to leave)

Waiter: Arigatou gozaima****a (Thank you-for patroning the restaurant; the acts of 'patroning' here, which entailed eating the food ordered and paying the bill, had been done)

Anyway, in times of uncertainty, do away with the formalities and a simple 'arigatou' will do :)

I understand! ^_^ No worries :P

Wow, most of that actually made sense. *shocked* Arigatou gozaima****a Ponabelle san to Jason san.

Would somebody please try to explain the titles (san, chan, etc) and the appropriate times for usage of each?

Just use san... JK, JK. I don't know though.

My methodology is 'when in doubt, use san.' I know that kun and chan are less formal and there is something about gender in which of those you use, as well as a slight age/formalitysomething or other. I know that sama is to be used in addressing neko and people like your boss's boss. Senpai I know, essentially upperclassman, and sensei I know, born before. Help kudasai?

Sensei is a teacher...

Kun and chan, I beleive, are someone younger than you. I thought chan was female specific, but I was told I was wrong.

Yes, sensei translates better to teacher, but literally to born before

I always thought senpai was

My only example is Ukkyo calling Ranma Saotome Ranchan, but that may mean nothing or just be a pet name

As Muku_muku has said, when in doubt, use the common san or even dono (a more polite form, less frequently used)

Sensei is used as a form of respect (normally profession-related), not necessarily someone born before. Some cases:

Doctor - The formal word is isha but doctors are normally called sensei (With or without names attached).
Mangaka (Comic artist) - It's common for comic/anime artists in Japan being addressed as 'sensei'.
Mentor - In general, mentors (including teachers) are greeted as sensei.

Kun and chan are more informal and affectionate; they're loosely used amongst friends, relatives etc (but it doesn't mean that mere acquaintances won't use these titles). Although no gender restrictions apply to these two affixes, normally kun is used for males or an elder/respected female in some cases while chan is used for females and children in general, very much like 'dear'. These two titles are normally attached to names and not surnames for close friends/family.

Sama is reserved for someone with high status or one who's greatly revered; also used on Gods.

Arigatou, Ponabelle san. (hehe :P )

Haha doumo Muku_Muku chan. Well kun for females is more of a slang used in certain dialect groups so you can just address me as ponabelle-san or ponabelle-chan :)

Pnabelle-san, it is impolite for you to use someone's given name unless you are really close friends, correct?

From what I have learnt, when first meeting someone, you address them as "surname"-san. Then after a while, when you get closer, you can address them as "given name"-kun/-chan.

Yes, sensei translates better to teacher, but literally to born before
I have always been told that sensei is teacher. Never knew that it could literally mean born before. =P

From what I have learnt, when first meeting someone, you address them as "surname"-san. Then after a while, when you get closer, you can address them as "given name"-kun/-chan.
Yup about that but you can still use kun/chan with surnames too, and for san, you can also use them with given names in special cases (e.g. Idols who go by their given names only) as well as profession (e.g. Koukaishi-san for Mr/Mdm Navigator)


I have always been told that sensei is teacher. Never knew that it could literally mean born before. =P
Yea, you can look at the Kanji characters, 先生. 先 (sen) means 'before' and　生(sei) means 'born'.

It is all beginning to make sense now :D Domo minna!

I have always used men as head, and never had learned any other word for it. Arigatou. I think I needed to say "Watashi no nou wa itaimasu!" then. There is a masu on the end right?

It should be "Atama ga itai desu." ((My) head hurts.). Since you are the only person who know your head is hurting, saying "itai" lets others deduce whose head is hurting. "Nou" means brain in most situations so don't use it here. You can never use "ha(wa)" here because it would mean "Head is something that hurts". "Kega ha itai" (A wound is painful) works, however, because we all know that a wound has to hurt.

One thing, no matter how much you got close, unless you are dating him or her, never use "kun/chan" for an older person. The only exception to this rule is for a child to call a grandparent or somebody old enough. Also using "chan" to call your favorite pop-idol (or any anime or manga character) should be done carefully, because it makes you sound like an otaku. You should never do so before a girlfriend because "chan" is only used to someone or something you love most. But it's okay for a female to call everything "chan" if she wants to and doesn't mind looking childish.

This thread seems orientated at people who already know some Japanese and it helps them improve it...but I was wondering if one said people could start a thread for the true beginners who wish to start learning.

It should be "Atama ga itai desu." ((My) head hurts.). Since you are the only person who know your head is hurting, saying "itai" lets others deduce whose head is hurting. "Nou" means brain in most situations so don't use it here. You can never use "ha(wa)" here because it would mean "Head is something that hurts". "Kega ha itai" (A wound is painful) works, however, because we all know that a wound has to hurt.

One thing, no matter how much you got close, unless you are dating him or her, never use "kun/chan" for an older person. The only exception to this rule is for a child to call a grandparent or somebody old enough. Also using "chan" to call your favorite pop-idol (or any anime or manga character) should be done carefully, because it makes you sound like an otaku. You should never do so before a girlfriend because "chan" is only used to someone or something you love most. But it's okay for a female to call everything "chan" if she wants to and doesn't mind looking childish.
I shall endeavour to remember this. Arigatou. This is my first time learning any of this, so this is a great help. *bows deeply*

This thread seems orientated at people who already know some Japanese and it helps them improve it...but I was wondering if one said people could start a thread for the true beginners who wish to start learning.
Konnichiwa Tonksaholic. Hajimema****e. It is actually oriented at total beginers, like you and I, but more advanced students and native speakers come and help us to learn, like Nurikabe. Without them, it really wouldn't work. Unfortunately, there are no other real beginers who post, so it has become more advanced.

I see...I think I should start by learning the alphabet...but I'm never sure hw to red the tables you find on the web.

If you don't intend to buy any textbooks, you can visit the Japanese Embassy in your town to borrow some language books from, or you can try the local library (best if you could grab one of those with tapes/CDs)...or how do you need help reading those tables? As in, you can't be certain on the pronunciation of the characters?

As in, you can't be certain on the pronunciation of the characters?
That's the problem...it's all very well reading it but I have no idea how each character is meant to be pronounced

Find somebody who speaks good Japanese. That is how I learned to pronounce them. Often the tapes/cds are too fast to understand as a beginner, or at least to learn well. I tried to use a cd before I had a teacher, and I really learned nothing of use;plus, it got boring very quickly because there was no interaction.

My sister studied Japanese but then she had to take health class instead.

Konbanwa, minnasan. Watashi wa Tarethen desu. American-jin desu.
Watashi wa sannensei desu.
Kyoo wa Harry Potter and the Champer of Secrets no hon yomima****a. Sono hon wa totemo tanoshikatta desu.
Kyoo, otenki wa warui de****a... Ima, Final Fantasy Tactics no CD o kikite imasu.

Sayonara.

Whew... Gotta study some more. Also, it's so hard for me to type all of that in romanji. So use to hiragana and katakana.

おやじKonbanwa, minnasan. Watashi wa Tarethen desu. American-jin desu.
Watashi wa sannensei desu.
Konnichiha :) You might want to add "Hajimema****e" when first introducing yourself. And instead of "American-jin", replace it with "Amerika-jin" (literal translation: [name of country]-[a person of]). You can also string the info together by using connectors, for example:

Amerika-jin de kousansei desu.

'Sannensei' literally means 'third year' so it could mean primary three or secondary three, since you're 19 I assume you're in 3rd year of high school, thus you can use 'kousansei' 高三生（こうさんせい） or 'koukou sannensei' (high school 3rd year) 高校三年生（こうこうさんねんせい）


Kyoo wa Harry Potter and the Champer of Secrets no hon yomima****a.
You don't need to add は (ha-or 'wa' as you typed it) after 'kyou/kyoo' here, the above sentence will translate into 'Today is...' with the 'ha' in it. In addition, you must write the action particle を　'wo' while expressing an action, as in, 'Chamber of Secrets no hon wo yomima****a'.


Sono hon wa totemo tanoshikatta desu.
This sentence translates into 'That book was very happy'. And 'sono' implies that either the person you're speaking to doesn't know of the book (If the book is common knowledge with the other person, use 'ano' instead), or the person you're addressing is positioned closer than you to the book when you're speaking. If you wanted to say that the book was very interesting, you can use 'omoshiroi' (interesting) and link it with 'to omoimasu' (I think...)

"...hon ha totemo omoshiroi to omoimasu" (I think the book's very interesting, because you're expressing an opinion here)

Or if you wanted to say that you felt happy after reading the book, you can simply say, "...hon wo yomima****a. Tanoshikatta." or "...hon wo yonde tanoshikatta/tanoshikunatta." (felt happy because you read the book)


Kyoo, otenki wa warui de****a...
'de****a' is past tense, and since you're talking about today, you should still use the present form 'desu', unless you're implying about a time of the day that's already passed, for example,

'Kesa, otenki ha warui de****a' (this morning, the weather was bad - assuming you're saying this in the afternoon/evening/night)


Ima, Final Fantasy Tactics no CD o kikite imasu.

The '-te' form of kikimasu/kiku is 'kiite', so the correct term should be 'kiite imasu'. Hope that helps :)

Konnichiwa Potions_Geek san to Tarethen san. Tarethen san, please post the translation with what you type. It makes it easier for us beginners to understand :D

Arigatou, Panabelle san!

おやじ
Konnichiha :) You might want to add "Hajimema****e" when first introducing yourself. And instead of "American-jin", replace it with "Amerika-jin" (literal translation: [name of country]-[a person of]). You can also string the info together by using connectors, for example:

Amerika-jin de kousansei desu.

'Sannensei' literally means 'third year' so it could mean primary three or secondary three, since you're 19 I assume you're in 3rd year of high school, thus you can use 'kousansei' 高三生（こうさんせい） or 'koukou sannensei' (high school 3rd year) 高校三年生（こうこうさんねんせい）


You don't need to add は (ha-or 'wa' as you typed it) after 'kyou/kyoo' here, the above sentence will translate into 'Today is...' with the 'ha' in it. In addition, you must write the action particle を　'wo' while expressing an action, as in, 'Chamber of Secrets no hon wo yomima****a'.


This sentence translates into 'That book was very happy'. And 'sono' implies that either the person you're speaking to doesn't know of the book (If the book is common knowledge with the other person, use 'ano' instead), or the person you're addressing is positioned closer than you to the book when you're speaking. If you wanted to say that the book was very interesting, you can use 'omoshiroi' (interesting) and link it with 'to omoimasu' (I think...)

"...hon ha totemo omoshiroi to omoimasu" (I think the book's very interesting, because you're expressing an opinion here)

Or if you wanted to say that you felt happy after reading the book, you can simply say, "...hon wo yomima****a. Tanoshikatta." or "...hon wo yonde tanoshikatta/tanoshikunatta." (felt happy because you read the book)


'de****a' is past tense, and since you're talking about today, you should still use the present form 'desu', unless you're implying about a time of the day that's already passed, for example,

'Kesa, otenki ha warui de****a' (this morning, the weather was bad - assuming you're saying this in the afternoon/evening/night)


The '-te' form of kikimasu/kiku is 'kiite', so the correct term should be 'kiite imasu'. Hope that helps :)


I was never good with -te form conjugation, and all of that was strickly coming straight from the top of my head after having not looked at a single japanese note since May 2nd.

Not only that, I was never good at translating from English to Japanese. It's far, far easier for me to translate from Japanese to English.

Also, I'm fully aware that ichinensei, ninensei, and sannensei are used for middle school, but when my sensei was teaching us, she used those classifications for college. Ichinensei being first year of college, ninensei being second, etc, etc.

Another edit, I was also taught "Tanoshii" not only meant happy, but it also meant enjoyable. So, basically, I was saying the book was enjoyable, not the book was happy.

I recall having been taught than tanoshii meant enjoyable, as well.

Yes it can mean enjoyable, what I meant was the context in which it was used here points to the book feeling enjoyable/happy (sono hon ha totemo tanoshikatta), which is why you should separate 'hon' and tanoshii, unless you use the 'yonde tanoshikunatta/tanoshikatta' or state the tanoshikatta as the next statement, to indicate that it's the speaker who's having feelings of happiness/enjoyment.

To start a study in Japanese, you can try "http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese". It's not perfect, but it has most of basics correctly. It has hiragana and katakana (=alphabets) lists too.

Also, I'm fully aware that ichinensei, ninensei, and sannensei are used for middle school, but when my sensei was teaching us, she used those classifications for college. Ichinensei being first year of college, ninensei being second, etc, etc.

If you are talking to a Japanese who knows US or similar system, you can say "Juuni nensei (12th grade)" and he or she will do the simple math and get "Koukou san nensei".

However, you can't say "Kousansei". The normal shorter form is "kousan". Also, "kouichi" and "kouni" works too. (If you had to do a year again, you can be "kouyon", "kougo"... but to avoid insulting, we usually say the grade he is doing over instead.) Except for daigaku, you can do the same thing, like "shou-ichi"(elementary school student, 1st grade) and "chu-ichi"(middle school student, 1st grade).

University students may have a unique way of saying what year they are in depending on the university they go to. Generally, only elementary and university students say "ichinen sei" without adding anything because it's quite obvious.
-----

On "tanoshii", "Sono hon wa tanoshikatta desu" works only when you have been previously discussing some boring books, and says it to mean "(Other books were boring but) that book was enjoyable." Otherwise, it sounds awkward.

"tanoshii" generally means a "noisy kind of enjoyment" so it often makes more sense to use "omoshiroi", which is more like intersting, for a book. For example, the first Harry Potter book is "Tanoshikatta" to most people because of a clear victory, but those who loves Sirius Black would not say later book was "tanoshikatta" because of his "death". They may go for "yokatta" (simply, "well written") instead of "omoshirokatta" to avoid claiming they had a fun time reading it.

I'd love to learn to speak a little Japanese but prounounceing a that... English was NEVER my strong point :(

Thanks for the link Nurikabe...its really useful for learning how to draw each character and understand what they mean.

konnichiwa. watashi no namae wa acire desu. Dozo yoroshiku. watashi was ju san sai desu. sayonara

There's my attempt at Japanese.

I've been studying Jap at school since I was 10? I'm 13 now.

Japanese is my fav subject.

This year I had a Japanese exchange student staying with me for 5 weeks which was REALLY helpful for my jap. I had another stay for six months a couple of years ago.

EDIT: I've learnt more Japanese now. :)
konnichiwa. watashi no namae wa acire desu. dozo yoroshiku. watashi was ju yon sai desu. watashi wa oosutoraria-jin desu. Harry Potter wa dai suki desu. sayonara.

This is a bit sad. I'm about to start my fourth year of Japanese and that's all I can think of to say... oh well. I'll work on it. I'm not sure about some of my spelling. I'm going to get that kana writing thing on my computer so I can write in Japanese.

Can any one recommend a Japanese-English Textbook, that I could purchase?

Can any one recommend a Japanese-English Textbook, that I could purchase?

The college text books a lot of colleges seem to use is called Yookoso, and I found that it helped.

I used Yookoso for a while when I was learning with a good teacher. I still have it in my room somewhere, if I had the time to devote to studying it religiously. I shall in a few days, though :)

After doing a search, this looks like the best place for me to ask this. I'm trying to look up information on a particular actress and there's not much out there on her save for a webpage that's in kanji.

I've tried to run it through the free translators and I can't piece much together off of it.

From what I can glean, the page is at the most PG rated because the actress in question's been mostly in horror films and there is some screen caps on the page, but to keep it safe here on the boards, I won't post the link.

If anyone's interested in helping me, just send me an owl.

w00t! Why didn't I notice this thread earlier? I'm going to be studying Japanese starting um...MONDAY!

What's the page? I consider myself fairly good at beating through Babelfish's horrible Japanese. Or, for a filmography, check out imdb.com. It usually has forieng language actors/actresses as well, though sometimes less information.

http://www2.plala.or.jp/MORIYAKEIJI/Cat.htm Here's the page.

*whistles*
I can make out most of what is said, though it would definitly take some time to transcribe because there is so much information on the page.

I'd be greatful for any help and give credit in the article I'm working on.

Konnichiwa :) I'd help, too, but my kanji skills are sorely lacking and I haven't yet managed to find a good translator. I wish you luck with it, at least :)

So far here's been the most offering of help on this, and unfortunately most of the folks I know who do have a better command of Japanese than I do (ie more than a handful of words) have either shied away because they only know the mangled variant the otaku glean from subbed anime or said they'd help but then dissappeared.

If it wasn't in kanji, I'd try to make a go of it since I can barely get my middle name's kanji right.

I know a friend who wants to learn Japanese. She's obsessed with anime. That may be why. =P

Quite a few of the anime fans I know do want to learn Japanese so they can get the 'full flavour' of the subbed shows/movies. I can't fault them on that since I've come across too many dubbed movies (not just Asian cinema) that the dubbing really wasn't up to par.

Besides, it's always good to be multi-lingual and it looks good on a job resume.

I'd like to learn Japanese but I don't have time :o
I alreayd know 6 languages and I'm learning swedish atm.

Quite a few of the anime fans I know do want to learn Japanese so they can get the 'full flavour' of the subbed shows/movies. I can't fault them on that since I've come across too many dubbed movies (not just Asian cinema) that the dubbing really wasn't up to par.

Besides, it's always good to be multi-lingual and it looks good on a job resume.

Many of the animes have particularly annoying voices when in Enlgish, especially for the girls. So aside from it being more fun to speak Japanese (and because it saves your having to read the subs if it isn't in inglish) that way they are more pleasing to hear.

I'm so glad that there are people posting here again :)

Xuz, what other languages do you know?

I wish I knew how to speak Japanese, as then I could talk to my aging great aunt who is forgetting English. I know a few random phrases, a bunch of names including my middle name (Akemi). I can count and I know a few random words and greetings, and I'm pretty sure that "happy new year" is akemashte omedeto gozaimas, but i'm not positive. I plan to take Japanese when I get to college, as after my older sister hit kindergarten she quit her lessons and the rest of us never got to take Japanese at all.

Konnichiwa Squawkingfish :) Sounds like you know about the same amount as I do, though the randomness of things may differ a bit. Ogenki desuka? (Unless I am mistaken that means how are you?)

*can't remember if I've posted in this thread yet*

I used to study japanese a bit, not really, but my japanese friends would always teach me little phrases and things. Yeah, I met one japanese girl and suddenly I know like all the japanese people in my city...?! Or something. But it's kinda fun. Especially when you can talk about people who are right beside you without them understanding.
Anyway, I don't think I'm ever going to seriously study it now though. Because... there was some wierd guys that kinda were obsessed with my friend and stuff. So yeah. Um... otaku people kinda... freak me out...

*runs*

konnichiwa, u_bunny :D Thank you for posting. May I ask what otaku means?

I have a page on myotaku.com with a lot of Japanese vocabulary if anyone wants to see or is interested. Just look through my post archives and you'll find them. They're in consecutive posts, so they're not spread out. There are also phrases. The link is in my signature (shinsei inori).

Note: Shinsei means Divine and Inori means Prayer. As for the yellow phrase in my signature, that translates to "Battle Spirit: Victorious, Eternal, Immortal, Unconquerable"

Arigatou Mists of Avalon san (great name, btw :D ). I will look at that and see if it helps me. Welcome and thank you for posting here.

im sooo gonna study japanesei in college i love the language.

Konnichiwa Plodder san :) I'm glad you love Nihongo. It's a wonderful language.

Konichiwa!
I just started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago (going very slow and steady). My sister learns the words, and teaches me, so I don't know much of the spelling.

I may be able to translate some Japanese stuff, but when it comes to kongi (? Japanese pictographs) I'm at a loss. Can anyone help? I'm not sure how, because the pictographs don't work in here, but ??

Oh yes, one more question. The words for 'house' and 'no' sound very similar to me. I can't remember how they're spelled right now, but I think 'house' is 'ie' and 'no' is 'iie'... right? Anyhow, what's the difference in pronouncing them?

I would really appreciate some help. Thanks!

Konbanwa Ignolopi san. For the words you might want to try http://www.freedict.com/onldict/jap For the kanji I cannot help you. I know but few myself and learned them from my old teachers. I would, however, suggest starting with the hiragana and katakana, as there are far fewer of those and often kanji are put in hiragana to the side for readers.

Yes, start with hirigana and katakana. Learn the sounds, then start learning the words. THEN start with the kanji.

Making up silly little associations for the hiragana helps, too, for many people at least. There is one set of them that several of my teachers have used, but I forget who came up with them.

Yes, those silly things are called nuemonic devices. (Though I think I spelled that wrong...)

For example, the character "to" (pronouced "toe") looks like a toe with a hangnail.

Or, the character "ni" sounds just like the knights who say NI! from Monty Python and hte Holy Grail. So, I see the character as one knight saying NI!

Also, "mo" - it looks like a fish hook. With it, you will catch MOre fish.

There are many for all of them. Just find ones that work for you. :D

hehe that's the one I came up with for "mo" too. Other ones:
"ko" looks sort of like a piece of coal
"mi" looks like an H - think of an egotistical person whose name starts with an H
"shi" looks like a fish hook to catch fish for sushi
can't think of all the others right now or else they're not ones other peope would get.

You are correct with "ie" as house and "iie" as no. The pronounciations, however, are just a smooth "ee-eh" (pardon my phoenetics) for "ie" and "ee-ee-eh" for "iie". You'll notice the difference when you hear it. I agree with the others, though. Begin with Hiragana and Katakana. Learn Kanji last, that way you'll have a better understanding.

Konichiwa!
I just started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago (going very slow and steady). My sister learns the words, and teaches me, so I don't know much of the spelling.

I may be able to translate some Japanese stuff, but when it comes to kongi (? Japanese pictographs) I'm at a loss. Can anyone help? I'm not sure how, because the pictographs don't work in here, but ??

Oh yes, one more question. The words for 'house' and 'no' sound very similar to me. I can't remember how they're spelled right now, but I think 'house' is 'ie' and 'no' is 'iie'... right? Anyhow, what's the difference in pronouncing them?

I would really appreciate some help. Thanks!

hey you guys. Do ya got any more webbsites where you can learn japanese.HA this is verry cool :D

You are correct with "ie" as house and "iie" as no. The pronounciations, however, are just a smooth "ee-eh" (pardon my phoenetics) for "ie" and "ee-ee-eh" for "iie". You'll notice the difference when you hear it. I agree with the others, though. Begin with Hiragana and Katakana. Learn Kanji last, that way you'll have a better understanding.

Ok!
Arigato, everyone!

Doitashima****a (I think that's you're welcome...can't remember at the moment) Ignolopi san :)

Elvia san, I wish I could help you out but I don't know any myself.

はじめまして、みなさん。私はエルジーです。十七さいで、高校三年生です。そして、日本語三年生です。バー ジニアに住んでいます。日本語が大好きですが、じょうずじゃありません。私はかんじがすくないしっています 。四十さんです。きょねんはかんじしっていませんから、いまとてもうれしいですねえ。どうぞよ ろしく。^^

(And for those, who can't see it)

Hajimema****e, mina-san. Atashi wa ERU JII desu. Juunanasai de, koukou sannensei desu. So****e, nihongo sannensei desu. BAAJINIA ni sundeimasu. Nihongo ga daisuki desu ga, jouzu ja arimasen. Atashi wa kanji ga sukunai ****teiimasu. Yon juu san desu. kyonen wa kanji ****te imasen kara, ima totemo ureshii desu nee. Douzo yoroshiku. ^^

Translation: How do you do, everyone. I am LG. (I am) 17 years old and a high school senior. Also, I'm a Japanese Three Student. I live in Virginia. I love the Japanese language, but I'm not skillful in it. I know a little kanji. 43(kanji). I'm very happy because last year I didn't know any kanji. Nice to meet you. ^^

I'm learning Japanese myself (just started the end of October). My problem is remembering my Hiragana/Katakana chart. I know some, but I still have a bit of trouble. Anyone have any tricks to learning it efficiently?

I spent roughly a quarter on hiragana and katakana (nine weeks) in my class, which is a lot longer compared to college courses (I'm told).

A good strategy to do is to learn 5-10 characters, find words that consist of them, and then after a week or two of practicing them, have a someone test you on the words. If you can't find someone to test you, make your own test when you first learn the characters, and then put it away until a week later. If you get the whole test right (the spelling, exactly how you write the characters, and the meaning of the words) then go to the next 5-10, repeating the same process and picking words that include the hiragana/katakana you learned before. If you get some wrong, write the word/character(s) about 20-35 times for three days and then test again.

I.E. Practice writing A, I, U, E, O, Ka, Ki, Ku, Ke, Ko. Memorize 8-10 10 words that consist of only those characters (Ao=Blue, Ai=Love, Ue=Above, Oi=Nephew, Keiko=Japanese Girl name, Kao=face, Aki=fall, Kikuko=Japanese Girl name) test on these, and if you get them right go to Ta Chi, Tsu, Te, To, and Sa Shi, Su, Se, and So and repeat the process. If you mispell 'Kikuko' or completely screw up the character "A", write them over and over for 20-30 times for three days and then retest.


Hope that helps :tu:

Whoa!! I wanna learn Japanese!! (Got hooked by ANIMEs!!) LOL

Anyone have any tricks to learning it efficiently?

I try to associate the characters with something they look like. For example, for the Hiragana "mo" I think of it as a fish hook, and consciously think "more fish on the hook".

It's kinda embarrassing, but it works!

Exactly as rotsie said...make those things up! Look up a bit further on the thread to hear a few MOre...

Also, make flash cards. Sit down and draw them yourself. Say the character in your mind as you write it, it will go a long way to help you remember. And, then read over them every once in a while.

I like all of those suggestions. I can't wait to try them out. I have to find a better way to study too. With work and at-home distractions, it's a bit difficult, but I'll manage. :tu:

i want to learn Japanese so bad! i have a couple of japanese drama tv shows, i can kinda understand it, but i love everything to do with Japan. i've made 2 foreign exchange japanese students. i happen to be Taiwanese, but i wish i was Japanese. yea, i'mpretty weird, but oh well. :)

Konnichiwa!
I don't know whether I will learn Japanese yet. I learn French and German, and that's a struggle. :lol:
Arigato. :evil:

Welcome minna! It is nice to see so many fellow Japanese learners. I have finally gotten my application in, so hopefully (if I am accepted), I will be headed over to Nihon in March 2006! W00t!!!

O_o
Nice! I'm just really sad that I can't continue Japanese next simester...it doesn't fit in my schedule! I must wait a year before I can continue it again! T_T

konnichi wa muku-muku san. jikoshokai-o saseteitadakimasu. watashiwa kimu desu!(real name kim) o genki desu ka?anata wa nansai desu k? hajimema****a, omenikakarete taihen ureshi desu.

tranlation: hello muku-muku. let me introduce myself. i am kim. how are you?? how old are you? how do you do? i'm glad to meet you.

well that it for now coz i'm still improving my japanese... i love everything about japan especially ANIME.


ja.. mata ne!

Welcome minna! It is nice to see so many fellow Japanese learners. I have finally gotten my application in, so hopefully (if I am accepted), I will be headed over to Nihon in March 2006! W00t!!!

Woot. Hope you get accepted :tu: There was a foreign exchange program offered here that I wanted to apply to, but the school year wouldn't count at all when I got back, causing me to repeat the entire year ><;

O_o
Nice! I'm just really sad that I can't continue Japanese next simester...it doesn't fit in my schedule! I must wait a year before I can continue it again! T_T

Same here if I can't find a school that offers the course ;_; But I've bought both of my textbooks so I could study on my own... but its really effective with a teacher... Like I skipped ahead in my book at the beginning of this year and tried to memorize Dictionary form, but it confuzzled me to no end ^^; But then when we went over it not too long ago I was all "Oh.. haha it's almost as easy as Te-form" But yeah.. I commend you guys learning on your own :tu:

Japanese is like the hardest language to learn.

Japanese is like the hardest language to learn.From what I was told, Chinese is harder to learn than Japanese, especially the writing since with Chinese, all of it is kanji.

Japanese is like the hardest language to learn.
No it isn't, at least not katakana and hiragana (I never learnt kanji or any other). The only thing is that the sentence construction is different from English but once you understand that it's easy enough to follow. I enjoyed learning the symbols as well and once you memorised those it was easy to write Japanese also. I found it much easier than French with their numerous consonants that apparently require no pronounciation. I've heard that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Don't know if that's true but I can see with all the nuances to the language, it may be.

Sayonara :tu:

howdy. I'm taking japanese at the university of TN and I really like it. It's a bit difficult at times but I think it's important to know another language than your native tounge. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one taking it!

Japanese is hard.. i take japanese 2 in high school right now.. and its so hard.. so much vocabulary... wakarimasen??

Well all I know is I dont ever plan on learning it any time in my life. Spanish is hard enough.

I think its just reallly hard in the begining.. learning katakata and hiragana was hard enough, but the vocabulary and how you put them into a sentence is hard.. I getting a B..

Man all you guys are so lucky that your highschools offerd japanese as a langage to learn. In my one highschool all they had was french and spanish. Then when I moved to another highschool they had spanish, french and german. I love german so much but would love to learn japanese. My friend is quite good at it through. Since I am in a business college they don't have you learn another language.

Edit: Spanish is the hardest thing to learn imo. I passed with a 59.5 :eyebrows:

so desu ka... well here in spore the school only offers tamil, malay and chinese. but if you dont like to study those you can enroll to some learning school to study the lunguage you like for your 'mother tongue' subject. so no worries.. mou daijoubo.(correct me if i'm wrong.. juz starting to learn japanese :b)

zyane..

I think what's really hard is the roomaji - and trying to read it. My sensei told me there were several ways to rominize words, but I never really notice 'til I went through this thread.

And then reading it takes me a second too, 'cause I'm so use to kana now ^^;

Man all you guys are so lucky that your highschools offerd japanese as a langage to learn. In my one highschool all they had was french and spanish. Then when I moved to another highschool they had spanish, french and german. I love german so much but would love to learn japanese. My friend is quite good at it through. Since I am in a business college they don't have you learn another language.

Edit: Spanish is the hardest thing to learn imo. I passed with a 59.5 :eyebrows:I'm actually finding the bit I've learned of Japanese easier than the four/five years combined of Spanish I took in High School/College. I still don't understand it well. I can catch some things, but I can't reply back in Spanish. My best friend is Spanish, so sometimes she may ask me things in Spanish. Unfortunately, since I have a limited vocabulary, and bad with verb conjugations (the verb rules are much too difficult for me, but I do plan on relearning this some day), I can only reply in English. I also tend to get nervous as well, so I sometimes forget what I want to say. ^^

Nihongo in High School? Don't make me laugh. My freshman year of High School was the last time any Japanese class was offered--Japanese III. My choices were Spanish or French. I took neither.

Nihongo in High School? Don't make me laugh. My freshman year of High School was the last time any Japanese class was offered--Japanese III.

There was only Japanese III?? Wow... we're getting more and more people applying for Japanese (since half the eighth grade are anime fans), so my sensei is hoping that Japanese III next year will be more than four people (our current class...). And since so many eighth graders are taking it now, she hopes that they will stay to be a part of Japanese V or maybe even AP Japanese ::jealous of the fact that they're young::

Man all you guys are so lucky that your highschools offerd japanese as a langage to learn. In my one highschool all they had was french and spanish. Then when I moved to another highschool they had spanish, french and german.

Wow... I'm feeling really lucky now. The fact that we offer Spanish, French, and German to Level V (or an AP class) and ASL and Japanese to level III (and I think an AP for ASL) didn't phase me until now.

Yeah, Japanese III was the last one. They'd had Japanese I last two years prior.

konnichi wa muku-muku san. jikoshokai-o saseteitadakimasu. watashiwa kimu desu!(real name kim) o genki desu ka?anata wa nansai desu k? hajimema****a, omenikakarete taihen ureshi desu.

tranlation: hello muku-muku. let me introduce myself. i am kim. how are you?? how old are you? how do you do? i'm glad to meet you.

well that it for now coz i'm still improving my japanese... i love everything about japan especially ANIME.


ja.. mata ne!
Konbanwa, Kim san. Watashi wa sowasowa desu. Ogenki desuka? Watashi wa dju-roku desu. (Forget how to say age ^^ ) Hajimema****e. Arigatou. Watashi wa anime wo koishimasu.

Translation: Good evening Kim. I am anxious. How are you? I am 16. Pleased to meet you. Thank you (for coming here). I love anime.

My school only offers three languages (Latin, French, and Spanish), though all up to AP and/or IV. I took Latin up until a few weeks ago, when I dropped out of AP to take art history since I couldn't keep up with the work and was going to fail and needed an art anyhow to get into college. So now there are no AP Latin students (or Latin IV, as they are the same what with low Latin enrolment), since the one other person in the class dropped shortly after I did since neither he nor I could get it all done alone.

I have found Japanese to be the most difficult of the languages I have studied so far. Latin and Spanish were both easy, taking them as real academic courses, and Italian and French (except for the spelling) and German, all three of which I have studied to some degree on my own or with family or friends or through dance, were just as easy. Japanese is so different in its basic structure and grammar and writing and formalities, et cetera, that it takes much more effort. Spanish has been the easiest of them all for me (closely followed by Latin, though the vocab for that we didn't memorize, so I cannot speak but a tiny amount). I still, years after taking it, have conversations for no reason at all with my friends in Spanish, and though my grammar and vocabulary are both limited, I can comprehend much of what is said. Japanese is muchmore difficult as we (Americans) do not well hear the breaks between words and misinterpret the stressed sylables and suchlike.

Yes, Japanese is a hard language for us Americans to comprehend. Only a syllable difference between prisoner and husband, after all. :P

Then again, English is about as hard for Japanese to learn as Japanese is for English speakers to learn.