I want to learn Japanese!

[wolf116]

Is it true that it's about the hardest language to learn?

What is the fastest way to learn without leaving my computer? lol

How long will it take?

Any tips?

Thanks

 

[SharinganUser]

Yeah, it'll take about 3 - 4 years just to become intermediate. You are going to have to take some classes. Also you should practice about 3 hours a day.

 

[wolf116]

Ouch! is that just the spoken part? I don't want to learn to write.

I have one year before I want to work over there.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Pimsleur is the best, but it's expensive. (although I've known people that have found it for free if you know what I mean)

Anything by Kamiya is good, a good one for beginners is this one.

If you have the time, You can knock out a couple semesters at a JC. When I studied at my then local JC, it was filled with other asian girls studying Japanese (chinese, korean). I actually hooked up with a korean girl that lasted a couple years.

Lots of vids on youtube as well.

If you have the money, or the wherewithal to get yourself the three pimsleur series (which would be a total of 45 CD's) AND read through Kamiya's book, AND take a couple semesters at a JC, AND spend an hour or so a day studying, you'll be plenty of fluent enough.

If you don't have the time or the money, I'd suggest you, ahem, borrow the pimsleur's. They are hands down the best, and all you do is listen and repeat.

But get the book, it's priceless.

And forget the critics, Japanese is easy. (if you don't care about reading that is) the grammars simple and the pronunciation is similar to spanish.

 

[SharinganUser]

Just do the best you can with what you have. Do as Otoko says and get some books, videos and you will almost certainly need to take some classes.

One thing I want to add is that your real learning won't start until you get over there. I've met many people who studied chinese in uni for 3 or four semesters, but once they get over here they get frustrated because no one understands them.

Just keep at it, but don't try/think you'll master it in a year.

 

[wolf116]

Taiyuu, Thanks so much for that

 

[AAAgent]

im supposedly almost done my minor and only need one more writing class and speaking class. i rarely study and always get by my test's through cramming.

I'm pretty decent with foreign languages, im not sure if its talent or if its just through watching a sh!tload of anime/cartoons and korean drama's.

i can understand japanese at about 35-40% and korean about 20%. i know enough in both languages to be able to get around by myself in those countries.

japanese grammar and korean grammar and very similar so if you ever take korean it should be somewhat easier in the beginning.

I suggest listening to alot of those tapes like taiyuu otoko said or watching alot more cartoons to increase your vocabulary and phrase catching skills.

 

[wolf116]

Haha yeah I'll just order a sh!t load of japanese anima with subtitles. Easy

 

[AAAgent]

order???? its free online man. don't waste your money.

 

[Maxtro]

Ouch! is that just the spoken part? I don't want to learn to write.

I have one year before I want to work over there.

Any structured class you take will also cover writing. And the writing is one of the hardest parts. In Japanese there is not one, not two but three writing systems.

I was fine with hiragana, got most of my katakana down, kanji oh boy

I did understand and speak it better then I could write it. But the writing does help you on how to speak and pronounce things.

 

[wolf116]

Yeah, no way I will be able to and I don't want to learn 3 writing systems, I still havn't even grasped english properly.

I'll just do the CD's and book Taiyuu recomended and watch anime, and learn the rest by living there.

I can't attend any classes.


Maybe I could find some Japanese person who wants to learn english and just traid languages by talking lots.

 

[AAAgent]

you can't talk unless you have learned something to use.

 

[wolf116]

you can't talk unless you have learned something to use.

???

 

[AAAgent]

meaning basically it will be a while after studying until you can use japanese well enough to have basic conversations. it's still hard for me almost having a minor in japanese to hold a decent basic conversation.

 

[War Against Betaism]

Pimsleur's is the best language learning program I've ever used and Japanese was the language I wanted to learn. I actually stopped at lesson 20 months ago because I just got lazy, but I still remember the lessons and what I was taught.

The best part is that they come in the form of audiobooks so before you sleep and after you wake up, you can rest in bed for 30 minutes (each lesson is 30 minutes long) and just listen away. In fact I was told this is the most effective way of learning a language since we intake more information from something after we wake up and before we sleep since our minds are fresh. Although it was just a fictional made up number I've heard you can intake up twice as much information.

Though I think it has more to do with Pimsleur being just so effective. It doesn't teach you lessons, trying to break down sentences and explaining and such, it repeats sentences over and over again and it does it in a way that you'll notice a pattern in these sentences and automatically know their meaning.

 

[e-lie]

do a google search for time ferris

 

[Sojourn]

Pimsleur's is the best language learning program I've ever used and Japanese was the language I wanted to learn. I actually stopped at lesson 20 months ago because I just got lazy, but I still remember the lessons and what I was taught.

The best part is that they come in the form of audiobooks so before you sleep and after you wake up, you can rest in bed for 30 minutes (each lesson is 30 minutes long) and just listen away. In fact I was told this is the most effective way of learning a language since we intake more information from something after we wake up and before we sleep since our minds are fresh. Although it was just a fictional made up number I've heard you can intake up twice as much information.

Though I think it has more to do with Pimsleur being just so effective. It doesn't teach you lessons, trying to break down sentences and explaining and such, it repeats sentences over and over again and it does it in a way that you'll notice a pattern in these sentences and automatically know their meaning.

I found listening to Pimsleur while walking to be effective.It killed two birds with one stone for me I could exercise while learning Japanese. Although I did look like a crazy man talking to himself. I stopped using Pimsleur because I didn't have any real time to dedicate learning Japanese. I am going to start learning Japanese again soon. Ohh I think taiyuu_otoko was the person who recommended this to me this site www.alljapaneseallthetime.com its a different way to learn Japanese. He uses Heisig's book Remember the Kanji. This seems to be the most controversial way to learn Japanese. I would suggest you do some research on this to see if it suits you.

 

[FireOnTheMountain]

Here's a suggestion.

Do you live near any universities? Or even community college?


Go there and visit the office for international students. Every college I've visited has one. When you get there, ask if there is a Japanese student club.

If there is, ask them to give you an email address or phone number or whatever of whoever it is you need to contact so you can attend their events and meet Japanese people.

Most international students really like to practice speaking English and will gladly 'trade' and help you learn Japanese. Make sure you study with a book or program to learn basics, but this will really renforce what you learn and you will pick up new words just by hanging around people speaking that language.


I worked on learning Chinese for a while, and I joined the Taiwan student organization at my school. There were several Americans in the club who weren't students, they just lived in town and were interested in that culture.





Also, if there isn't a Japanese club, ask if you can put up a flyer about looking for someone to learn Japanese with. There's always one or two out there. Even at the two-year college in the middle of Missouri I started out in, I still met a Japanese girl in one of my classes.

 

[FireOnTheMountain]

Oh, and a warning about learning Japanese from anime.



I knew a guy who did that. He actually was able to have a conversation with some Japanese people using what he learned in anime. But they ended up busting out laughing because the style of words in anime isn't really the same as conversation.



Imagine if someone started talking to you like they talk in Lord Of The Rings. Really serious, dramatic language. That's what it was like.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Also, if there isn't a Japanese club, ask if you can put up a flyer about looking for someone to learn Japanese with. There's always one or two out there.

Great idea. I forgot about that. If you can, look for a japanese supermarket. Likely they'll have a bulletin board where you can advertise for "language exchange." I met several friends that way.

Also, there are loads of sites that specialize in language exhange. You can talk over skype a couple times a week. There are LOT of bored lonely housewives in Japan that would LOVE to practice english with a gaijin in exchange for some japanese practice.

About.com is a good place to start.