learn basic japanese

How I did it: I taught myself, and I am not the most disciplined of people, so I credit deep interest for my being able to not only stick with it, but to grow in motivation. I did try a formal class, but didn't last long because it got stressful, and I'd made a rule for myself that this would be something that would add joy to my life. And it absolutely has. I started with a love for the SOUND of Japanese and was prepared to let interest and enjoyment lead the way rather than wanting to 'accomplish' something. I now have an organic and ever-deepening interest in the culture, which has influenced my life quite a bit.

I have to admit that my way was a little haphazard, with the result that there are gaps in my basic knowledge (I know the names of various plants and flowers but can never remember how to say 'toothpaste'...). On the other hand, I think I have a much better feel for the accent and colloquial than the average beginner because I took in lots of different media such as travel programs, dramas, manga/anime, music, radio and magazines.

My basic approach was to try and mimic the natural way kids learn a language. I first started by listening and getting my ear used to the sound of the language - this was and still is one of my favourite things to do because I'm a bit of an accent geek and love the sound of unfamiliar languages and dialects. (IMO this will also help a lot with your pronunciation because all languages rely on slightly different sounds, and you have a better chance of speaking successfully if you learn the sounds right off by ear, rather than by spelling them out in the English alphabet and trying to remember that way.) I watched some anime and began to pick up some basic words and phrases by ear. Then I learned my hiragana and katakana - repetitive but otherwise easy - just keep at it. You might find it easy to practice for short periods several times a day rather than try to commit to an hour each day. Once you learn the alphabet, get as much practise reading joined-up words as possible. I used to lie in the bathtub and practise reading my kana - very relaxing. I started with Kanji reading last, and admittedly this is is my weakest point. I read manga, the odd website, enka lyrics, and Hiragana Times' daily newsletter but that's mostly it. I admit to being a little complacent here because I already know Chinese characters, and anyway I want to speak and understand Japanese much more than I want to write it. Result: I have quite a sizable spoken vocabulary, but my grammar and reading could probably use a lot of work. I'm entirely motivated to keep at it, though.

I don't have many books as of yet. I got 'Kanji and Kana' (which I don't use much), a couple of phrasebooks (for when I'm at the bus stop), a book on particles,  a book on verbs, and a couple of books from the 'Minna no Nihongo' series. Oh, and a few volumes of manga. That's all I have at the moment. I haven't even worked through all the textbooks yet. I have to get on that.

Oh, and I went to Japan for a week or two, which was hugely inspirational. Tokyo in particular can be rather overwhelming, but much of Japan is deeply fascinating and often beautiful. I was really sad to leave. Mata ikitai - nan kai de mo.

Lessons & tips: 1. If you're more concerned about the end than the journey, stop. ;) In other words, do it for enjoyment.
2. Lead with the aspect you like most - spoken, reading, or writing?
3. Learn and practise your basic hiragana/katakana right from the start - it will open up so much of the language right off. Learn roomaji at the same time, but only to help you remember to distinguish between long and short vowel sounds - don't rely on it.
4. Listen, listen, listen
5. Read, read, read
6. Learn about the culture. If you feel an affinity for it, this will make things so much richer. If you find that you actually can't stand the culture, you really want to go with another language.
7. Look up words WHEN you come across them, so you'll remember the context
8. Take in programs and stories as much as textbooks, if not more
9. Focus particularly on things that interest you - for example, I love travel programs, music programs, food. I also get a bit geeky about names, surnames and train station names.

I'm afraid I don't have much tips for kanji - I started already knowing Chinese, and I don't envy people who have to learn this part from scratch ... best of luck.

Resources: - Hiragana Times. Be sure to check out their 'mail magazine' - daily reading practice in your email
- Dramawiki - http://wiki.d-addicts.com :)
- NHK World Premium - cable channel
- Kinokuniya bookstore
- http://jisho.org - online dictionary

May 02, 08:44PM PDT | 0 comments