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Studying Japanese Language/Literature/History

boutux
ladyfaile wrote: it is Kotoba that i'm using LOL i don't find it too bad, you have to explore a little bit to figure it out but it depends on what you want to get out of it too.
i dunno about you but personally as soon as i open the app it takes me to the dictionary. just hit cancel in the top right and you'll see all the options at the bottom. under kanji i've been using the 'school grades' lessons. i find they don't all have the actual japanese word in roomaji. it will give you different readings, i don't know the difference for some of them, but some of the kanji don't have the actual common pronunciation. what i do (for pretty much all of them anyways to make sure i'm getting the right wording) is then go to dictionary and enter the english word.. it will show different translations just find the one with the same kanji and it will give you the roomaji and hiragana/katakana. it's pretty easy to flip back and forth and you don't lose your spot, so that's the way i've been doing it so far til i understand more about the different readings and stuff.

then for katakana i have an app called hiragana & katakana, it was free also. under lessons you can choose hiragana or katakana and then which line/chapter and then each individual kana. it gives you an audio of the pronunciation, stroke order, examples of words using that kana, and fun little descriptions to help you remember the strokes.
i just wish that you could easily flip through all the kana in order instead of always having to go back to the chapter listing and select the next kana. being able to swipe to go to the next kana would make it much easier but that's really my only complaint. that and the review quizes are way too easy because it gives the kana and the audio and then multiple choices of the roomaji. i suggest turning the volume off for them or there's no point unless you're totally new to the language pronunciation-wise


kotoba confused me the 1st time i opened it but i figured out ...eventually...how to get to the 1st grade section. but then i got even more confused and realised i need to brush up on my katakana. the thing that stunned me is the definitions of some of the words were in katakana. some of the kun readings made no sense to me because i know some of these kanji(like numbers or hito ) but the japanese meaning were not what i know them to be. i guess kanji have multiple meanings but it throws me off from what i already know. then i discovered the view kanji compound section for each kanji which has helped but for some words has added to the confusion. thank god i have a dictionary or i would be completely lost. the one really really positive thing about this app is it teaches u how to write the kanji. i haven't started that yet but i will soon.

i recommended hiragana and katakana. i used it myself a while back. but i'm gonna go back to the wikapedia katakana page to do a few more writing practices. i have the pronunciation down. it's just that i use hiragana more than katakana. i see more hiragana on variety show captions than katakana so i kinda forgotten some of what i learned. a few more writing practices and i'll be good.
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ladyfaile
i hear you. i actually just learned recently that katakana is sometimes used to show emphasis as well though, ever since i read that i'm suddenly noticing it being used that way a lot, i just never realized it i guess. i think it may have even been that app where i read it not sure.
anyway like i said you can flip back and forth in kotoba between the lessons and the dictionary so you can look words up quicker that way than fumbling with a seperate dictionary, i find it really helpful. cause yeah like you said sometimes the readings they show isn't the most commonly used, and i have a hard time telling which reading is which etc etc and for now i prefer to just learn the most common words. once i have those down i can go browse through and learn some of the other readings

i always write whatever i'm studying. when i do lessons on livemocha or watch irasshai or anything, i write out everything. i find it's really helped with my hiragana a TON. before i started doing that i was still getting some kana mixed up and couldn't always remember certain ones. now i still sometimes have to look at it for a second, it's not instant like reading english, but i have no real difficulty reading hiragana. i'm hoping this method will help with katakana and kanji as well so i'm gonna keep at it. going through lots of paper but oh well. technology is great, i love that i can do all this stuff online, but sometimes nothing beats a paper and pen especially for retention.

i just did a couple of lessons in LM (I see that Hava's on too, i'm catching up to her lol except that i don't do all the submissions so it looks like i've only half completed 101 and she has a shiny green 100% but in terms of lessons i think i'm not far behind her)
and i'm starting to have long blinks (lol not quite falling asleep but my eyes don't want to focus) and i'm in a university library so falling asleep would be sorta embarassing hahaha. so i think i'll do a bit of katakana writing practice and then watch some drama lol
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Kawaikochan
LM is good. I think doing all the submissions and the extra ones that don't count towards percent completion is really really helpful. I honestly don't think I would have learned the lessons if I didn't do them. Also, in the optional quizzes they use kana and kanji, which would help with reading.
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ladyfaile
you're right of course. i usually do the written submissions but i've been slacking lately. i do handwritten notes like i said so i think that somewhat makes up for it but it's always nice to get feedback. the audio submissions i couldn't do before cause i had no mic. i have a mic now so i may go back and do them one of these days
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Kawaikochan
I came across this website on a forum and thought I would share.

http://kids.goo.ne.jp/shirabemono/index.html

It's like this educational site for kids. I haven't had a chance to properly look through it, but if you know some grammar and a little kanji you can work your way around. :)
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Kawaikochan
I found a recommendation for a show with natural japanese. It is called サザエさん. It's super cute, but it's a kid's show. I'm gonna try to fin dclips of it on youtube though :)
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boutux
i've been following this guy on youtube superscheu and he uploads some awesome videos about life and work in japan. (he's an american assistant language teacher). anyways he started a contest for his subscribers to win a ds shounen jump game or some other inexpensive japanese item of the winners choice and lo and behold i won. Yay panda!!!!(sorry... i'm currently watching love shuffle and using that phrase every chance i get lol) and i'm happy cuz i've never won anything ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXh7sCsZk0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

the prize i have asked for is an arashi cd, or magazine or smtng to help with my learning japanese. i'm excited. lol it's gonna be interesting to see what he gets me cuz he dislikes arashi and japanese pop in general.
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Kawaikochan
yay! it's exciting to win something. I wonder what he's gonna get too :) come back and tell us :) btw, when do you go to Japan?
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ladyfaile
yay congrats :) let us know what he sends you. if it were me i'd probably as for something random and unique to Japan and see what he comes up with. and mocchi.
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boutux
thanks. i'll definitely tell u what i get when i receive it.

i'm going to japan in march. one of the girls who interviewed with me is already teaching in hiroshima. she says she has a lot of work but japan is fun. she is happy that she decided to go. reading her email about her positive experiences has made me even more eager to go. hey maybe when i get settled over there i can have my own contests...i guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.
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ladyfaile
... orrrrr... you could just send us all presents!! :D

haha just joking, but you totally should blog/vlog about your experiences
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boutux
yeh i realise that the easiest and cheapest way to let ur family know how u're doing over there is to vlog. they get to see u, see japan and what life is like over there so i plan to vlog just like many ALTs are doing.

we'll see about the presents or contests when i get there and settle in.
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ladyfaile
lol was totally joking about presents :P
you'll have to post a link for us when you get your blog/vlog set up so we can all stalk...err....keep in touch with you :D
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boutux
what's happening with the crew? no one is studying anymore?

unfortunately my studying has come to a complete halt. i used to do most of my studying at work but things there have gotten to hectic i have no time to myself much less japanese education.
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Kawaikochan
I'm still studying :) Still taking lessons. My strategy hasn't changed at all recently. Like you, I don't have as much time as before, so I just do flash cards and a joi lesson twice a week. Learning a language is along process. I feel like I'm running a marathon, lol.
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