When you first start learning Japanese, you most likely start out with romaji. Romaji is using an alphabet you already know to write and read Japanese.
And when you get started out, romaji is great! “Pff, I don’t need to learn kanji,” you might think, “This romaji stuff is easy!”
Slow down there, sparky! Romaji might be easy for a while, but it’s just a matter of … [ Read more ]
Author: Hashi | Source: “Tofugu” | Subjects: Language Learning Tips, Language Study
In this series, Tofugu asks learners what Japanese learning resources and methods they use to study and why. Today, we talk to Jonathan Kirk, the guy who made the popular kanji learning app, *Kanshudo*. Jonathan focused on building up his reading skill first (which led him to create his kanji learning system). So if you want to boost your Japanese reading ability, pay attention.
Editor’s Note: … [ Read more ]
Author: Jonathan Kirk | Source: “Tofugu” | Subjects: Language Learning Tips, Language Study, Software / Tools
Typing in BOTH Japanese and English WITHOUT switching between the two in IME.
Switching IME modes is a real pain. Have you ever wondered if there is a better way? Well, there is. Actually there are two ways:
Subject: Language Learning Tips
Koichi at Tofugu has come up with a list of ten things he really wishes he had known during the days of his youth that would have made my Japanese-learning life so much easier.
Source: “Tofugu” | Subject: Language Learning Tips
I’m guessing a lot of you know how to type in Japanese (hint: you don’t need a Japanese keyboard), but did you know about all the “hidden” special characters you can type out while you’re in Japanese input mode? You aren’t only limited to hiragana, katakana, romaji, and kanji. There are a score of other weird characters you can use to make your text a … [ Read more ]
Source: “Tofugu” | Subjects: Language Learning Tips, Miscellaneous
The Japanese learning industry has, for all intents and purposes, failed you. It’s not your fault that learning kanji is like hitting your face on a curb, it’s the industry as a whole. Sure, there are pockets here and there that are pretty smart about it, but they tend to be small and nobody really knows about them. Most likely, you know what your teachers … [ Read more ]
Source: “Tofugu” | Subjects: Kanji, Language Learning Tips
An insightful take on how to study kanji. Particularly useful is the description of Jack Halpern’s skip system.
Subjects: Kanji, Language Learning Tips
Judging from bookstore displays and train ads, Chung Changyong’s Eigo wa zettai, benkyou suru na! was very popular with the Japanese public. Chung’s book, translated from the Korean, details his language learning method, which the author of this article says can be applied to JSL learners.
Source: “Toyo Gakuen University / R. Welch” | Subject: Language Learning Tips
Studying Japanse is not a trivial task. But it is no mystery either. You need an enthusiastic approach and a long breath.
Note: also check out the Zaurus Otaku Kurabu (Zaurus dictionary project) on this site…
Source: “Armin Rump” | Subject: Language Learning Tips
This is a pretty basic site, but what makes it worth a studied visit is the “appendix articles” section. This section, designed with the intermediate student in mind, offers about a dozen articles that analyze and break down concepts that many beginning students find difficult to understand.
Source: “Brian Rak” | Subject: Language Learning Tips