Comments for Learn the Japanese Language

Comment on Where in singapore can i learn the japanese language? by Yumi N

Yumi N — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:27:17 +0000

I am an experienced Japanese language tutor, and offer Japanese lessons via skype. Additionally I created Japanese course which includes video lessons, practice sheets and learning materials for the JLPT. Please feel free to check it out if you are interested in learning online.

Comment on learn Japanese by Learn Japanese Online Tips no.25 | Learn the Japanese Language

Learn Japanese Online Tips no.25 | Learn the Japanese Language — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:21:20 +0000

[...] are many ways of learning the counters that are used as endings on numbers in Japanese. Most Japanese textbooks tend to group them by the [...]

Comment on Japanese Kanji symbols by Learn Japanese online tips no.23 | Learn the Japanese Language

Learn Japanese online tips no.23 | Learn the Japanese Language — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:31:20 +0000

[...] years. How can you catch up with the natives…. My suggestion is that you should start with the kanji for the words which you are familiar with already. Especially the ones you would use or see often in [...]

Comment on How does the Japanese writing system "Kanji" work? by Mecartistronico

Mecartistronico — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:21:55 +0000

Once you know the kanjis, it’s not really that hard to know which pronnunciation to use.

Every kanji has an original (approximated Chinese) pronunciation and a Japanese pronnunciation.
As far as I know, for most of them, you’ll use one of them when the kanji is by itself (one-kanji word), and the other one when it’s besides another kanji. (Can’t remember which is which, though).

The problem is learning them all!

Oh, and, kanjis are usually formed from combining several other kanjis (they end up as “squashed” or little versions of the original one). Many kanjis that have the same “main” squashed kanji are usually pronounced the same.

Comment on How do I convert Japanese data symbols into Hiragana? by Mecartistronico

Mecartistronico — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:16:21 +0000

I’m not sure FlowingStarlight completely understood your question.

When you see characters like Æ‚È‚è‚Ì ƒgƒgƒ on a webpage, all you can do is try to change the Coding –not in the control panel, but in your Browser (Browser meaning Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari or whatever program you use to access the webpages). This option is located on different places on different programs. In Chrome, it’s on the Wrench menu, Tools, coding.

And FlowingStarlight is wrong. Although she is right in the fact that every kanji has several readings, computers CAN ‘convert’ that to hiragana. If you are using Firefox or Chrome, try the “Furigana Injector” extension. Or you can paste it in MS Word and look for the “Phonetic Guide” command. (In Word 2007, it’s on the Home tab, Font section).
This will insert small hiragana on top of the kanjis (“Furigana”), depending on the word. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s quite good.

References:
I studied Japanese for 3 years, lived in Japan for some months, and I’ve used computers for a looong time.

Comment on 6 Common Mistakes Made in Language Learning by annely

annely — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:19:59 +0000

Yes, it is. I’ve seen it happen many times, even to myself. A friend of mine who moved here from Korea at a young age now speaks both English and Korean with a strange accent. Just keep practicing your native language and soon you’ll pick it up and speak it like the natives around you do. It’s only a matter of time and effort. You have the opportunity to ask for questions now and there is no deadline for being able to "get things". And don’t feel bad about not understanding something occasionally; you can be perfectly fluent in that language and still not have a clue as to what someone else is talking about. Maybe a little context will help set you back on track. As for the "seemingly common phrases", you’re probably referring to the local slang that only the locals use and are familiar with. Since you’ve spent quite a bit of time away from that place, it’s not your fault that you’re not used to their vernacular. With enough time, you’ll pick that up too.
References :

Comment on 6 Common Mistakes Made in Language Learning by Midnight Quills

Midnight Quills — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:17:59 +0000

Definitely. I tend to pick up slight traits of a person’s accent if I talk to someone for too long just on the phone!

Because, when living abroad, you’re consistently hearing the language and diction of that local area, you’ll naturally start to speak with the same accents, just like you’ll pick up mannerisms or catch phrases of someone you spend a lot of time with.

It will come back to normal eventually, though!
References :

Comment on 6 Common Mistakes Made in Language Learning by Lexine

Lexine — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:15:59 +0000

yea my native language is spanish and i live in california so i speak English most of the time but i grew a mexican accent and i feel like it souds funny ehhh its ok though so yea its probably normal..
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Comment on 6 Common Mistakes Made in Language Learning by x

Fri, 06 May 2011 02:13:03 +0000

Is it normal to develop an accent in your native language after having lived abroad?
If you live in your native country from birth until age 7. Then you move to another country and learn the language real quickly, and learn to speak it with no accent in less than a year. You’re placed into normal classes with all the native speakers within a year of having moved there. Then, in the 7th grade, you move back to your native country.

Is it normal to have develop a bit of an accent in your native language? Even after 6 years, I still feel like there’s something "off" about my speech. Sometimes it’s my grammar/pronunciation and I’ll notice it right after, but sometimes people correct me mid-sentence. Sometimes I don’t notice the mistakes I made. People have asked me where I was from, but I’m from here. I also don’t understand a lot of seemingly common phrases. I guess when I first moved back, I just wanted to fit in so I didn’t ask many questions, I just pretended to get things. Now it’s catching up to me. I really have no idea what’s going on sometimes.

Comment on Japanese Phrases by PurifiedShadows

PurifiedShadows — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:14:02 +0000

Woh tom… LOL
Woh tom… LOL