Studying Japanese
Hello!
I missed posting yesterday. Sorry about that. We're updating the listings on Fudocom and it's left us a little busy.
Now onto my post:
Are you happy with your current level of Japanese? Not being able to speak is cool if you're happy not ever being picky, asking a question, making a complaint or exploring the smaller parts of Japan. It takes motivation, practice and money. But totally worth it if this is your chosen homeland. And even if it's not, being linguistic does look good on the resume/cv....
So how to do it? Well firsthand from Cee, she studied Japanese in school before arriving in Japan. And most say, if possible, this is the best way to go. If you can learn at least the basics in your home country, then learning natural Japanese when you arrive may be a bit easier. It certainly won't be as overwhelming. If you are here already then it's not too late. Assuming you work a full time job, why not have an hour or two on the weekend to learn the basics with a tutor? It's not as expensive as you think.
Here are 10 suggestions to better your Japanese from Celina and I:
1. Constantly read. Manga are 3-500 yen each in Tokyo. Buy one and read it. Even if you don't understand the words (the pictures can help you to understand the nuance of what's going on in the story). This will quicken your reading pace. Often these manga have furigana (hiragana written over the kanji) so you'll get used to seeing the kanji in context.
2. Use kanji flashcards on the train. Why not? This will help you to get used to the kanji so when you see them when reading manga you might recognize them.
3. Read advertisements on the train. There's tons of reading practice just waiting to be unlocked.
2. Use kanji flashcards on the train. Why not? This will help you to get used to the kanji so when you see them when reading manga you might recognize them.
3. Read advertisements on the train. There's tons of reading practice just waiting to be unlocked.
4. Don't hesitate to ask a Japanese person what that darn kanji is. They are happy to help. Really. Like a swell of pride. And, if you're an advanced kanji learner you might encounter that some Japanese people can't read that darn kanji either.
5. Do use your Japanese in public. At every excuse. Even if they speak their broken English to you. Practice makes perfect. Look at it this way, is your Japanese better than their broken English? If so, give them a break! They will be relieved and go slowly to ensure you understand.
6. Don't do as Japanese do and say "hai! (yes)" when you don't understand them. It'll be better for you in the end, trust me.
7. Do help other lost foreigners out. If you see them with a map in the street, try and help them. If it's a place you don't know, you can ask for directions in Japanese for them.
8. Watch tv. You might recognize more words than you thought.
9. Watch Japanese movies. Same reason. But if it has English subtitles and you can pay attention to what you hear and what you read at the same time, you'll find you might learn something.
10. And finally, make Japanese friends (like me!). If your friend speaks Japanese only, then you'll quickly learn, especially if you're sending text messages. If they're bilingual, then you can help each other.
It's not easy! I know, I'm still a student too. But please challenge yourself and don't get frustrated. Please post your study woes or questions. Perhaps even a Japanese learning strategy!
posted by Fudocom - Rei @ 3:15 PM
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