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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When I first started learning Japanese the resource I found to be the most helpful was Japanesepod101.com. And, though I'm nowhere near fluent, when I took a beginning Japanese class years later, the professor was very impressed at what I'd learned already, just by listening to the podcasts, reading the lesson notes and practicing the dialogues. I took a break from Japanese to learn Spanish but now I'm back on track learning Japanese with Japanesepod101.com. I'm currently not a paid member but I follow them on Twitter (@japanesepod101.com) and YouTube (Japanesepod101.com). They offer so many free resources it's just smart to utilize them. And, the next time I have some extra cash, I'll sign up for one of their very affordable plans because they're well worth it. I'm going to be doing another mini-series on Wednesdays focusing on learning Japanese. If my readers like it, I'll continue. It's so much easier learning a language together, isn't it? Here are my favorite phrases so far: * Sushi is so delicious: Sushi wa totemo oishi desu - hiragana すし は とても おいしい です - kanji and hiragana 寿司 は とても 美味しい です * A polite way to say "nice to meet you" or "please be kind to me and I will be kind to you": Yoroshiku onegaishimasu - hiragana よろしく おねがいします - kanji and hiragana よろしく お願いします * Thank you very much: Arigatou gozaimasu - hiragana ありがとう ございます - kanji and hiragana 有難う ございます * You're welcome: douitashimashite - hiragana どういたしまして - kanji and hiragana 如何致しまして I'm excited! So, until next time, mata ne (またね- see you later)! Wait! Don't Go Yet: To help learn Japanese try Japanesepod101.com. Want 31%off? Use this short link: https://bit.ly/2IenJvs
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