OK, It's time I finally said something.. again? about my meandering and shuffling course through language learning... self study. (cheers and clapping placed here)
Yeas, for the last... uhhh.. has it been a year + already? year or so, I have been attempting to teach myself Japanese. Talk about determination and tenacity!!? whew! I have learned a whole lot of little things, mostly online, along with a number of books for help.
learning the words/symbols/meanings, i have found, is one thing... learning what they sound like is a whole different ball of wax.
Thus far I have grouched through most of the grammar lessons I have found, (which hasn't been a whole lot really) and totally skipped over sounds in kanji... its a temporary thing though. I am learning to recognize and get the meaning of kanji first.. then back it up for the sounds they make so I can better pair them up with the words I have learned.
Along the way, I have found the occasional website or such, that I think has helped me learn and stay motivated. oh.. as for 'why' I am teaching myself Japanese? No super special reason.. I want to prove to myself I can do it. I want to be able to look at a manga.. or watch an anime, and have some idea as to whats going on. I want to be able to carry on, even a rough convo in Japanese.. and be able to be understood. To me, that's more than good enough.
I like how, of all the asian lingo's, Japanese sounds quite a bit like singing to me. speedy singing. :D
ok... so I've got this small list I'd like to share of places and games etc, that I have found helpful, what I liked and what I didn't like.
Top o the list...
-online- websites
Linguti
A bit like duolingo.. only for Asian languages
What I liked: what a terrific set of learning quizzes! with varying ways to work each question as well. writing, listening, multi choice and back and forth translation.It also tallys up your points and has a little 'store' to buy goodies with your hard won stars.
What I didnt like: the goodies were waaay too few in number. It only got me to level 9. *gasp* It's not complete! wheres your friends list? where to get more lessons, where is the explanations/textbook info? I really want there to be more to it!
Wanikani
It's not totally free.. but even the part that is, is well worth the look-see.
what I liked: very engaging quizzes. the memorizing by mnemonics is funny.
What I didn't like: after level 2 or 3.. the freebies are done and you have to pay to learn more. Even as I understand this... I'm a perennially poor kitty. This is also the case with its partner site, textfugu.
-games- for PC
Slime adventures.
For learning the meanings of kanji, this game is top of the mark with me.
What I liked: A simple game where even the free version will keep one occupied for hours at a time.
what I didn't like: Still thinking on this one.... perhaps the kanji list hasn't been updated in some time.. still has old obsolete symbols not used anymore, in it.
Jrpg
fun simple game that very quickly throws you head-first into deep waters.
What I liked: its a Japanese learning game. with sentences.
what I didn't like: I dont care much for jumping head-first into muddy deep waters. it gets too deep for me, very quickly and I run away from the game.
Worth a mention...
Koe
An up and coming Japanese learning game via Kickstarter, being painstakingly created for a hopeful first release this year. Looks like its going to be a blast!
-games- for the DS
Kageyama method
What I like: A great place for 'storing' what kanji you have learned to write/understand the meaning of.
What I dont like: Its all in Kana with kanji so you have to stumble about a little bit to find the right spot for kanji practice.
Kanji Sonomama
what I like: its a dictionary! with a tablet area for writing out kanji you want to know the meaning of.
What I dont like: a good percentage is in complicated Japanese as well.
Anpanman
(in special: Anpanman to asobo Aiueo kyoushitsu DX)
What I like: Its Anpanman!!! super bread with friends! easy to understand games. About perfect for beginners.
What I don't like: Whats not to like?
-books-
Japanese for busy people.
what I like: basic symbol study.. overview of numbers, time, etc..
what I don't like: its a text book.. doesn't keep my interest for very long. but still, its kept my interest for longer then most.
Beginning Japanese by Tuttle
what I like: applied Japanese in the form of study and comics concerning a girl new to the country and getting to meet her host family.
What I don't like: same as above. Its a textbook. difficult to keep my interest for very long. But has kept it longer than most.
Essential Kanji for everyday use.
what I like: good for figuring where to pick up random-ish kanji to study.
What I don't like: its a text book blah blah..
Kanji & Kana By Tuttle
what I like: great for that random kanji look-up stuff. think "dictionary" and youl have an idea.
what I don't like: getting used to how things are listed.
Websters new world compact Japanese/English dictionary
what I like: It's a stuffed dictionary in mini size.
What I don't like: um.. well, it doesn't have everything.
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