I am currently sitting on my bed, trying to confidently increase my skills of the Japanese language. This is part of my daily routine, but as trip back to Japan is only a few days away, I’ve pushed my learning pedal with a little more force, in hopes that I’ll be able to test out my (very limited, but never-the-less) awesome grammatical, symbolic, and general conversational abilities. When I traveled there last year, I had no idea about most aspects of the language, including the basics of proper pronunciation; I was incredibly naive. This trip, for sure, will be a lot more interactive and educational, even with my minimal knowledge of the language (for those of you who don’t know, Japanese takes a while to learn, unless you already speak it, in which case you probably still haven’t fully learned the essentials of the language yet, or so they say…) For those who are currently learning Japanese, we’re very fortunate for all the sources we have to study, provided we have a computer, internet connection, and hands with operative fingers. Here are my references I’ve been using throughout my journey of the learning Japanese that have been part of my daily study…
in no particular order…
For the Language
1. Japanesepod101.com
I owe it to JapanesePod101.com. This was the first reference I started using in my studies of Japanese before my first trip to Japan in Nov. 2000. Even if you’re not serious about learning the language, I recommend this site/podcast because it simply makes one feel good listening to it~
There are many awesome things about JapanesePod101.com . It’d be impossible to address them all here, but I’ll give you a few highlights. It’s set up in a quasi talk show format, which gives it this casual feel to it, making it a lot more entertaining to listen to than your typical language cd set. It’s professionally produced, so the voices are clear as is the content they’re trying to get across…but not so produced where it sounds, well, overproduced. Depending on the episode, you’ll hear different people, but there will always be at least one native japanese speaker, and a native english-speaking host. There are podcasts for all skill levels, and they’re all free… However, if you’re serious about learning the language, I’d recommend getting the basic subscription, which, for 3 months total, I’m paying 14 dollars. The basic subscription gives you access to PDF file for each lesson, which includes a transcript of the lesson, the vocabulary covered, and additional information not noted in the podcast. The premium subscription gives you access to a lot more; however, most of the additional premium features can be found elsewhere on the web for free…JPD101 also works through iTunes, so I have my iPod filled with a lot of lessons that I can listen to while walking, commuting, etc…The only warning I give is that you use this as a solid supplement, rather than your primary source of learning the language. I recommended a textbook (such as the one mentioned below) if you’re self-studying Japanese, because, for example, JPD101 doesn’t teach you the hiragana or katakana in their podcasts, and many other elementary aspects of the language…But aside from that, it’ll make a fun, entertaining, informative supplement to your everyday training: I’ve been using it for about a year now. Check it out! …….JapanesePod101.com - Highly Recommended
2. Elementary Japanese – by Yoko Hasegawa
Elementary Japanese has been the primary text I’ve been using to study the language. I’ve looked at a couple other texts before, and this has been the most superior in my opinion (I think I may have even converted a professor at DePaul University to use this book for her classes..) The format is excellent! Each chapter begins with a cartoon-box-style dialogue that introduce grammar and vocabulary to be covered in the rest of the chapter. You can listen to these dialogues and more on the accompanying CD. The dialog is then provided in a line-by-line format, translated into English, and then you are provided with special remarks, such as exceptions to what you’ve been taught previously, etc. The chapter continues by covering the grammar used in the dialog, as well as provides small examples of each individual grammar point. After the grammar is covered, various exercises and quizzes are provided to use either with yourself, or with another. The end of each chapter provides the vocabulary learned.
3. 250 Essential Kanji for Everyday Use – by University of Tokyo Kanji Text Research Group
I haven’t used this text in great length, yet, but I’ve gone through the first 2 chapters. The great thing about the book is its practicality. It provides you 250 of the most common kanji (Japanese symbols representing a complete object or idea) used in Japan, and does so in a concise manner. As the title says, the book provides examples for situations that you would encounter in a typical week living in Japan, such as eating out, shopping, going to the post office, etc. The format is simple. The first page of a chapter shows a photographic taken in Japan (for example, the first chapter shows a photo of food for sale at a store.) The next section translates the meaning of the each set of kanji shown in the picture. Then, each kanji is displayed singly and the various meanings of the kanji are provided, as well as the strokes involved in writing the kanji. That’s pretty much it to this one~ It’s very practical, and the real-life photos make this an exciting way to learn kanji.
That’s it for today. Tomorrow I will cover the mostest awesomest of the awesomer than the awesome Japanese learning dictionaries there is…plus will mention a few books and websites I’ve been using to learn about historical and modern Japanese society.
おやすみなさい
