Loving the dark
roasted bean ...
roasted bean ...
the teaching ...
and the learning ...
and, one day, the earning ...
and the learning ...
and, one day, the earning ...
Konban wa, mina san! Good Evening everyone. I'm posting this a bit early mainly because I wanted to introduce a new greeting: Konban wa (which means good evening). And, also because since you've all done a wonderful job learning the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets, it's time to think about where you want to go from here.
What's next? Should it be Kanji? Truth be told, I've done fine with my own learning with regard to Hiragana and Katakana. I'm also able to hear and understand really basic Japanese dialogues. But when it comes to Kanji, that's where I start to pull my hair out. Over the years, I've found many wonderful resources for learning Kanji. The best of all has been Japanesepod101.com. (<-- Yes it's an affiliate link but don't feel pressured to use it.) They have been by far the best resource for learning Japanese in general. And even with the resources there, I've had difficulty remembering Kanji. With that said, I'd be happy to muddle through learning Kanji with you all. If you're up for the challenge of learning more Japanese, Kanji included, and you're determined to do it without joining an online learning program, here are some suggestions and links to FREE resources that might help. [The following (aside from those of Japanesepod101.com) are NOT affiliate links.]
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☺ For memorizing Hiragana and Katakana characters as well as Kanji I find Mnemosyne an indispensable tool.
☺ It's a digital flash card program that, by noting which cards you've self-graded as "learned", analyzes what you're remembering (or learning) and chooses which cards to show, and their frequency, based on what you don't know by heart yet. The flash cards are fully editable and they even have pre-made cards by users available for download on their site.
☺The book Remembering the Kanji vol. I, by James W. Heisig, is an awesome reference and tool for learning Kanji. I like that it's has nice mnemonic/graphic memorization tricks that really seem to work for me. What I wished it would have had, was the On and Kun readings (along with hiragana) listed on each frame. It helps to see all of it in one place. But aside from that, it is a powerful tool.
☺Jisho.org says that it is, "a powerful Japanese-English dictionary. It lets you find words, kanji, example sentences, and more, quickly and easily." And it is powerful indeed! I've used it often when I've had a difficult time finding example words here for my Learning Japanese posts. If you come across a Japanese word you don't understand or a character you need the meaning of, it is the best search engine I've found that will help with that.
☺RomajiDesu.com is another very useful dictionary. It's main benefit is that it offers audio pronunciation of the words. You can type in any word in english or Romaji (Japanese words written phonetically in the Roman alphabet) and it will find the hiragana, katakana or kanji for you. And, it has the extra added benefit of breaking down the Kanji (Kanji Details) so that you can understand the radicals that make up the words.
☺Kana Loan Words by ARMiller has one of the most extensive lists of Katakana loan words (words that aren't of Japanese origin) that I've found to date. It has been very helpful to me when trying to find example words for the katakana alphabet.
☺Appendix:1000 Japanese basic words by Wiktionary has a large list of the most used Japanese words. It has also been very helpful to me in the making of my Learn Japanese series.
And there are probably some resources I'm forgetting. But the above should help you get a good start in learning the beautiful language of Japanese.
So, although I won't endeavor to post formal lessons on Kanji, I will try my best to introduce one or two Kanji of the week for each Wordly Wednesday post from going forward. Together we'll tackle the mysterious characters and practice writing them.
☺And, if you really want a head start with Kanji (in addition to the above resources) I strongly suggest you download Japanesepod101.com's FREE Mastering Kanji eBook. It's a very useful and colorful resource that will help demystify and breakdown the Kanji learning process into manageable, bite-sized chunks. Okay, mina san. That's it for this week. Make note of the above resources and buckle your seat belts. Next post it will be Kanji time!
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Hello! Hola! Bonjour! Ohayo! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to speak a different language? Well, what are you waiting for? Think it's too difficult? Well, maybe. But every journey begins with the first step. And, when you want to keep your brain sharp and working for you, doing new things can achieve that goal. In my previous Fun Friday posts, I've discussed ways to keep your brain in shape. Learning a language is a great way to do that. As you may know I am very frugal, so I try to find ways to do things for free whenever possible (or at least very, very cheaply). So if you feel the same way, let me give you a few suggestions for how to learn a language very inexpensively. My current favorite way is using Duolingo. You can use Duolingo on your computer via your web browser, on iOS or on your Android device. I use Duolingo on my smartphone and, as of this writing, there are over 20 languages I can learn. Right now, I'm actively working on Spanish, French, and Japanese, and sort of puzzling out Portuguese and Danish. I love the way the Duolingo learning method uses both audio and visual learning strategies. Having the audio examples makes it easier to pronounce the words correctly when you see them. The lessons put the words in context as well so not only do you learn the vocabulary but you learn how to use it. The learning is broken up into lessons with activities that I find fun. You get to speak your answers to some of the exercises as well so you can practice your pronunciation. The comment sections let you discuss the activities with other learners of various skill levels and, for the most part, everyone helps one another learn. This is a nice, convenient alternative to a formal classroom setting and you can go at your own pace. It's absolutely free. And, if you choose to opt for a paid plan you can help others learn for free. I love Duolingo! I've also tried using my public library's language learning resource: Mango Languages. The lessons use audio and visuals to help you learn. And just like Duolingo, you can practice your pronunciation by using your device's microphone. So far, they offer over 70 different languages including American Sign Language, Chinese, Tagalog, and Swedish. And if you have a valid library card this resource is absolutely free! In the past, I have also paid for and used Innovative Language. (I used to run an affiliate link here, which has lapsed in recent years.) I love their method for learning Japanese: Japanesepod101.com. I started every day by driving to work listening to the Japanesepod101 podcasts. They were fun, informative and filled with both vocabulary and cultural lessons that have stayed with me to this day.
They also have tons of free YouTube videos where you can learn for free and their website offers many free podcasts as well. Their paid version is pretty economical, especially if you catch it on sale. And I've used that as well. It comes with the line-by-line transcript of every podcast so you can see the language as you're listening to it. So, please check them out as well. Whichever way you choose to learn a new language, please know that it will indeed help exercise your brain and help keep it active and vibrant no matter what your age!! Thank you for reading. Au revoir and Enjoy! I was listening to a podcast on YouTube. The host, Jeff Brown, was interviewing Lee Cockerell about time management. He had excellent advice about scheduling your days and planning ahead so that nothing gets forgotten. I'm summarizing. His talk was very inspiring. Follow the links above and listen for yourself.
Lee gave some great advice about using paper planners. I've been using my phone and have found it less than stellar in keeping myself organized. But I kept on using it because, let's face it, my phone is almost always with me and it was easy. Even so, I thought about what he had to say and decided to find myself a good planner. As all may know by now, I'm on a tight budget. So, I went searching around the internet for free planner pages and stumbled on Scattered Squirrel's site. She has some really good free planner templates available for download and thought I'd share. I'm hoping that organizing my day on paper will help me keep track of the things I need to do. I'll let you know how it goes with paper planning in future posts. Whenever possible make today great and tomorrow even better. Looking for planners? Try my eBay affiliate search right here :) |
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