How many of you are actually trying to learn Japanese or move to japan some day?

[lichtlune 915]

I'm curious to know how far you all have gone. Some of you may be living in japan right now, some may be actively studying, while others don't care much about the language at all and just listen to the music.

 

I used to be this way however I've been taking it more seriously lately. I've thought about all the reasons I'm depressed with my life and all of the reasons learning the language might benefit me in the long run. No i haven't decided if i will move to japan some day but there's no question that i have a love for the language and art of japan. I want to be able to actually SING and recall words from songs without having to look up lyrics or romanji. That's my goal. I also would love to be able to talk to Japanese girls and have some Japanese friends as well.

 

How many of you are learning the language, how far have you gone, and why are you are you doing it? 

[relentless 254]

 

 I also would love to be able to talk to Japanese girls

 

Don't we all?

[paradoxal 2948]

Haha, this is actually a really funny topic since I just started my first Japanese course. I started it for the 'usual' reasons - I want to be able to understand at least some parts of lyrics and to actually be capable of having some small talk in Japanese. My goal is to complete all six courses (each course lasts for half a year) my uni has to offer, and I should probably be able to have an actual conversation in Japanese after that. At least that's what our teacher says... But I really want to believe what he says.

[seikun 317]

I don't think I want to move to Japan. I don't know what I could do there (teaching Spanish, perhaps...). Besides, the toughness of the working world in Japan doesn't appeal to me at all. I need balance and me time and Japan doesn't seem to provide that to its workers...

 

But I am teaching myself Japanese more determined than in previous years. My goal is to be able to speak and understand basic Japanese by the end of the year. Thanks to Youtube I can exercise what I am learning.

 

When I reach the level to laugh at a joke in Japanese I will know I can SPEAK the language.

[beni 2149]

I am very determined to learn Japanese and hopefully speak it and write it fluently one day. Then I'd feel a lot more confident in visiting, and maybe, hopefully, even live there. It's a massive thing I desire most, so I'll hopefully just try harder and harder in getting there over the coming years. I've already had this big 'learning Japanese' starter pack for quite some time, and I've always liked learning another language, it's just remembering it which is my problem. I'm hoping I'll have more time and determination to focus when I'm a lot older, since right now college just makes me feel so drained and empty lol. My main reason for doing it though is by being inspired by online blogs that translate lyrics and such. Since I've been getting into that for the past year or so, I look forward to the thought I could understand music by myself and create my own translations blog.

[paradoxal 2948]

I don't think I want to move to Japan. I don't know what I could do there (teaching Spanish, perhaps...). Besides, the toughness of the working world in Japan doesn't appeal to me at all. I need balance and me time and Japan doesn't seem to provide that to its workers...

 

 

Yeah, the ridiculous work life is exactly the reason why I wouldn't want to move to Japan. When I graduate as an engineer (master's level) I might be able to get an actual job there IF I was fluent in Japanese. But I will probably never be fluent in Japanese, so that's another down side........ I'm just secretly hoping I'll end up in an international company which then decides to build a new chemical plant in Japan and send a few Finnish engineers there to supervise it. XD

 

So basically I'm studying Japanese so that I'll survive there when I have the funds & time to actually travel there.

[BrenGun 2259]

I try and try and try and I'm simply to lazy to learn every day which I should otherwise I forget everything and can start over again in book 1.

what happened...

 

I've dyslexia or no a sister of dyslexia aka dysorthography

So I simply forget all rules all the time and I cannot really remember words when I don't have repeat them... 1000 of times. I cannot remember sentences.

But for me its more easy to understand then to write the language myself. so... aka its like -> I understand way more than I can write.

I'm even able to translate some stuff. long not everything. But somehow I already succeed a bit (when things aren't to difficult). But then I still cheat a lot.

since if people talk, I can't really understand a thing if there is no Japanese subtitle (well, if I know about what they talk then I can understand a little)  yeah cheating ya know, google translate etc translate websites and dictionaries.

After all I'm still rookie as the fack. I still don't understand lots of things. But I finally finally remember things faster than in the beginning.

 

However it's not that difficult to remember kanji for me. still not really learning kanji seriously. But time by time I simply remember some and never ever forget the meaning of those kanji.

so maby I should swtich to chinese? lol

 

 

But I don't think that I ever really can speak/write the language. But I guess that one day I understand it pretty well. Still shouldn't give up.

But it's hard when having dysorthography... since you need to practice over and over and over again. and Japanese is still a very complicate language.

[ricchubunny 2013]

I speak Japanese and im probably moving to there on next year or 2016 Just message me if you have any doubts about Japanese and stuff, i may try to help

[paradoxal 2948]

I speak Japanese and im probably moving to there on next year or 2016 Just message me if you have any doubts about Japanese and stuff, i may try to help

 

Please move to Japan and open a shopping service, I'll throw all my cash at you

[Kles 1062]

I have been to Japan for one year I have learned everything there. My japanese is far to be perfect but I can hold a conversation and doing daily stuffs without problems. It was a good experience.

 

Maybe i'll be back there...

[stylelover 1086]

Japanese work life is basically the important point for me to not even think about living there.

 

I have quite a few friends who went there for working holiday in the past and the percentage that changed from "im doing this working holiday to get connections and possibly moving there later in life" to "i never want to work there " is really high.

 

Cant really imagine it myself and im ok with going on vacation 1-2 times a year if money allows it (probably way better in future)

[BrenGun 2259]

I speak Japanese and im probably moving to there on next year or 2016 Just message me if you have any doubts about Japanese and stuff, i may try to help

 

haha wanna translate 3 videos for me?!  about 10min each. lol XD

[Nisimaldar 153]

If Tatsurou finally acknowledges my existence, falls in love with me and proposes to me, I'd move to Japan. Otherwise I'd probably stay in Europe because I can't imagine living in Japan for forever and only coming back for holidays.... So, it's very likely that I'll be moving to Japan soon guys, just saying...

[violetchain 912]

I studied Japanese as an elective in university for 3 years, and it's helped a lot with understanding lyrics, anime, blogs, etc. and I made a lot of friends, so I think it was money well spent. I certainly use it a lot more than the French I learned in high school.

 

I can't speak or write very well in Japanese though, so I really need to put more effort into improving in those areas. Unfortunately, I'm super shy in person and I get especially self-conscious speaking another language, so it's hard to motivate myself to practice speaking. I've used Lang-8 a bit to work on my writing, and it helped a lot, so I want to try and get back into doing that.

 

No desire to live in Japan, though. I think I'm really lucky to live where I do.

[seikun 317]

I try and try and try and I'm simply to lazy to learn every day which I should otherwise I forget everything and can start over again in book 1.

what happened...

 

I've dyslexia or no a sister of dyslexia aka dysorthography

So I simply forget all rules all the time and I cannot really remember words when I don't have repeat them... 1000 of times. I cannot remember sentences.

But for me its more easy to understand then to write the language myself. so... aka its like -> I understand way more than I can write.

I'm even able to translate some stuff. long not everything. But somehow I already succeed a bit (when things aren't to difficult). But then I still cheat a lot.

since if people talk, I can't really understand a thing if there is no Japanese subtitle (well, if I know about what they talk then I can understand a little)   yeah cheating ya know, google translate etc translate websites and dictionaries.

After all I'm still rookie as the fack. I still don't understand lots of things. But I finally finally remember things faster than in the beginning.

 

However it's not that difficult to remember kanji for me. still not really learning kanji seriously. But time by time I simply remember some and never ever forget the meaning of those kanji.

so maby I should swtich to chinese? lol

 

 

But I don't think that I ever really can speak/write the language. But I guess that one day I understand it pretty well. Still shouldn't give up.

But it's hard when having dysorthography... since you need to practice over and over and over again. and Japanese is still a very complicate language.

 

Change your learning method based on what works for you.

Reading a book that teaches you grammar sometimes doesn't work much for many people.

 

In my case, I am teaching myself through text (online lessons), but as soon as I learn something I go and practise with the exercises and I make up my own sentences (orally mainly). If there are listening lessons on Youtube I go there and listen to oral examples which accelerates my learning process and make me feel more motivated too.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

Well, as I am living in Japan since exactly one year and 2 days ago, I guess I want to live in Japan lol.

 

I have been studying Japanese since (didn't know anything before that) and well, it's pretty fun. Seems like alot of people here knows Japanese as well.  I always had an interest in learning the language, but I was never motivated enough to do it by myself (there was no Japanese course were I am from in Sweden either so). I am planing on continuing studying Japanese when I get home though, which is in about 9 months.

[seikun 317]

How about homophones/homonyms in the Japanese language?

Has enybody experienced problems with them either while learning or living the language?

There are lots of them and I am not talking about the typical and regular words that have an average of three meanings such as 橋, 箸 and 端. I am talking about those words derived from Chinese that sometimes the same sounds can have up to 20 meanings.

 

For example, こうせい. Last time I checked, it had 17 meanings. How to deal with such an amount of meanings for the same sound...

 

Since I don't speak a language that has an overwhelming amount of homonyms this is one of the most challenging aspects of Japanese for me.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

For me it gets much easier with context. In a sentence it's often pretty clear what meaning it has, even though it can at times be difficult (I am in no way an expert in Japanese tho, so maybe other ppl have different opinions). The most difficult part of Japanese for me is homophones (as you said) and usage of keigo.

[Sakura Seven 593]

I study the language (French, too) as a hobby and have done so since I was a kid - I don't practice writing and speaking as much as I do with studying grammar and kanji, so my abilities are kinda spotty. I'm excited to study it formally next year when I attend Uni.

[Bear 1817]

I wouldn't mind learning Japanese, and French, and South-Korean, and whatever, but I don't have the taent or patience to do so. I struggle enough as it is with English, so starting on another language would probably send me to my grave.

[BrenGun 2259]

Change your learning method based on what works for you.

Reading a book that teaches you grammar sometimes doesn't work much for many people.

 

In my case, I am teaching myself through text (online lessons), but as soon as I learn something I go and practise with the exercises and I make up my own sentences (orally mainly). If there are listening lessons on Youtube I go there and listen to oral examples which accelerates my learning process and make me feel more motivated too.

 

I know how to learn. I even know better how to learn than most of people with dyslexia or dysortography.

My dad is a Remedial Teacher. Someone who knows perfect how to teach someone the ways how you need to learn a language.

But sadly he doesn't know much about Japanese. However the more easy ways to learn "English, French, Dutch and German" you also can use for Japanese.

What you also say with "Reading a book that teaches you grammar, sometimes doesn't work for many people"

Do you know why?, Because 99% of all books doesn't explain grammar in a few words or in 1-2 sentences.  since fuck the exceptions. since exceptions can be also given separate.

 

I can talk about this very long... I won't.

 

Things I need is

- be in a good mood.

- own made flash cards, small and big.

- Flash cards with pictures and words, not only with text only.

- trying to learn as a kid

- More than one notebook (I use 3) Maybe I will use one more.

- A Kanji dictionary on paper (so as real book) and digital dictionaries.  (still need to buy a better Kanji dictionary, but they are hell expensive)

- A good teaching book. (I use Japanese for busy people (I did finish book 1 (^o^)/), I think it's perfect, since they don't use much text to explain grammar and so on) includes audio lessons.

- Japanese friends who help out. (The shit thing is, many always have to work and don't have much time to help out but lucky there is lang-8, but people from lang-8 don't check your Japanese to English translations -__-)

- To chat (write) in Japanese, even if I use translation website myself. However it makes me to need to understand the "Japanese human". You pick up kanji and words.

- Translating lyrics and interviews. even with knowledge of poor Japanese, it also helps to learn. However you need to have someone who can check up your translation. So that you can learn from your mistakes.

- lots of time, lots of time. lots of time.

 

I did learn a lot from "Hibiki" when he still did chat to me and other people.

But now a Japanese woman talks to me (YEAH, which is better for me)  

 

 

As said, I can talk much longer about this.

 

After all it's all about motivation.

Which I simply don't really have at the moment.

 

[allisapp 303]

About a month ago I started studying my B.A of Japanese language. In about a month we have learnt all the hiraganas, katakanas and about 20 kanjis. I find it ridicilously fast, but I guess it gets easier. 

 

I have no plans to move to Japan permanently, but I want to use the studies in some way in my life and future job. 

 

I'd like to know how fast you have been studying japanese language? (In my school we will learn ~15 kanjis per week)

[eiheartx 1310]

No, I have no wish to move on there (I can't barely move on my neighbour country for 3 days on vacation, so...) nor to learn the language either. I'm just not interested. I'm too busy to try to speak english properly, I just cannot be bothered with this difficult language. I'm in the 'only for the music' category.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

About a month ago I started studying my B.A of Japanese language. In about a month we have learnt all the hiraganas, katakanas and about 20 kanjis. I find it ridicilously fast, but I guess it gets easier. 

 

I have no plans to move to Japan permanently, but I want to use the studies in some way in my life and future job. 

 

I'd like to know how fast you have been studying japanese language? (In my school we will learn ~15 kanjis per week)

 

It may differ because I am in Japan but, I started from scratch and we had 2 days to learn Hiragana and Katakana. After that we have 6 kanjis/day, 2 test/week and a big test every third month which has both grammar, listening, writing, reading and speaking parts. I've heard about people (and know) who does a ridiculous amount of kanji drilling though... As a matter a fact, a friend of mine did about 100 kanjis this week lol. I don't get how he can do it but... Also, I assume one simply learns more here since well... People generally don't speak english

 

edit: drilling kanji can be pretty fun tho, but I have to be in the mood to find it fun.. lol

[Lestat 2167]

I have no desire to live or work there, however I would like to learn some basic Japanese to keep a conversation with someone if I'd ever manage to save enough to go on vacation there.

However I am uncertain whether or not my favourite artists will still be active when I actually manage to get there.