study japanese

I’m not making a lot of progress on the kanji, but I am enjoying the “grammar point a day” e-mail service from jgram. Here’s the site, if anyone is interested: http://www.jgram.org/index.php

They have different levels from 4 (the easiest) to 1 (the hardest). It is a community derived study tool, so take it with a grain of salt. But it’s still a good place to start.

Will get test app today, and figure out how to get a pic for it.

OK, huge motivation. I asked a friend to order an application for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, so now, I have to take it and study for it. Going for Level 1; I think I could do really well on Level 2, but Level 1 . . . I suck. Right now, I suck, in three months I’ll rock (-:.

So, I need to make a study plan.

Yesterday, I read a page out of a children’s guide to America. Today, I took a look at a practice test, and went through the first 20 questions, finding the furigana for the kanji (sigh . . . kanji). Kanji is a weak point. So, I went back to the kanji koohii site, and reviewed a little. On the plus side, I remembered about half of the kanji I reviewed. On the minus side, I forgot about half the kanji I reviewed.

Right now, the plan is to translate a little of the practice test each day, and review some kanji each day. If I learn/review 10 kanji a day, I’ll have 1000 kanji at the end of 100 days . . . which might add up to a little more, considering I’ve got some already.

(-: Also read my child’s permission form for a ECG. I pretty much rocked on that! But the chances of having an excerpt from an ECG permission slip on the test . . . not so great.

Ups and downs. Just gotta keep going.

Today, I have studied up to 400 kanji since I began a few weeks ago (again, most of them are review; and it’s only to a keyword, not the whole thing). I haven’t tested them all yet, but am doing fairly well with the ones I have tested.

They are getting harder. I’m no longer reviewing the reviews - this is somewhat new territory. But, in a way, making the images in my head is getting easier. (: I’m giving myself a pat on the back. I hope I can be up to 500 kanji by the end of June. If I set a goal of five kanji a day, then that gives me plenty of goof-off days to still make this goal.

And I reviewed 250 kanji on kanji.koohii!! I had no idea that I could do this!!!! I might be able to break 300 by the end of the month!!!!

Caveat: I already knew about 1000 kanji before I started on the Heisig last year. And I had done the Heisig to about 270, so this is basically a review. However, I think I’m doing a much better job of visualizing the stories to remember the kanji.

Things will probably slow down after I make it past 280 or so.

So if I do my kanji again today, then I will break the 3-day “mikka-bouzu” curse! I’m reviewing the Heisig kanji again on a website called http://www.kanji.koohii.com/ and right now it is super-convenient, because there’s the first 200 or so kanji in Heisig right on a Nanzan University website. Here: http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/miscPublications/pdf/RK4/RK4-00.pdf

I’m already up to 135 kanji, so I’m going to have to pull out my book by the end of May, if I keep working hard (-:. Of course, right now, it’s all review; I did these kanji last year (or many, many years ago, some of them, using more traditional methods). So it shouldn’t be too hard to break 200.

I’ve studied Japanese since I was a kid and used to live in Japan. After starting grad school years ago I’ve almost never practiced . . . it’s amazing how quickly I forgot my Japanese! Time to get it back.

OK, so I’ve been busy for about six months or so . . . and worse yet, been doing too much computer stuff (-:. So, time to get back in the saddle.

My goals this month: finish a translation for a friend; translate a speech and other various oddments for a seminar on April 3rd, and pay attention to the new words I come across.

If my work schedule isn’t too heavy, I will also re-work my Heisig kanji website thing-y, so it’s working appropriately. koohii, I think it was.

dekimasu, yo! kitto. zettai. yakusoku.

I took Japanese many years ago and was at least fluent at being polite (which is VERY important in Japan!). However, I never had anyone to practice with, so I’ve lost it all. I’d love to go back to it, but I’m in an area of the country that doesn’t have stuff like that (Appalachia). I’d be doing it on my own. Anyone wanna do it with me?

If I can speak japanese ,I WOULD MAKE MORE friends.

Taking a sabbatical from Japanese class due to extended illness/work pile-up.

Thinking vaguely of asking for Rosetta Stone for Christmas.