Classes...

[Z-Gundam]

Just wondering if anyone here is taking college courses [or even majoring in, like me] Japanese? I'd be interested in knowing what to expect, though most classes tend to differe between institutions and all...

[fujyoshi]

hmm wish I could get Japanese I'm trying to hunt it down myself.

[ghed]

If you meant at an American university then I am. Im starting up my 3rd year of Japanese language classes this fall. My university only offers a minor in Japanese so we have only a few cultural courses.

Based on my experience, if you're just starting Japanese then you can expect your first semester to focus mainly learning how to write and pronouce the hiragana/katakana. Theres 42 hiragana and 42 katakana. It sounds like alot but its pretty simple. Most people pick this up quickly, but some people in my class still have trouble with it after 2 years. Id doubt youd have to learn any kanji, except maybe some very basic ones (like numbers) at the end of the year.
After you finish learning the kanas, youll probably do basic counting and week days. Youll probably also learn some very simple sentance patterns like "grandma is 62 years old." Vocab will probably focus mainly on nouns, no verbs except arimasu and desu (both are basically 'is').

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask more questions.

[Z-Gundam]

Thanks ^^. Right now I'm teaching myself kana via flashcards/re-writing a bunch of times. It isn't so bad, but sometimes they get confusing due to their similar nature. But from what I can gather via the course descriptions, the class isn't likely to be expected to have them memorized for a few weeks anyways. I just want to be ahead so I can worry about my other classes.

BTW, what book series does your school use, ghed?

[Prons]

If you meant at an American university then I am. Im starting up my 3rd year of Japanese language classes this fall. My university only offers a minor in Japanese so we have only a few cultural courses.

Based on my experience, if you're just starting Japanese then you can expect your first semester to focus mainly learning how to write and pronouce the hiragana/katakana. Theres 42 hiragana and 42 katakana. It sounds like alot but its pretty simple. Most people pick this up quickly, but some people in my class still have trouble with it after 2 years. Id doubt youd have to learn any kanji, except maybe some very basic ones (like numbers) at the end of the year.
After you finish learning the kanas, youll probably do basic counting and week days. Youll probably also learn some very simple sentance patterns like "grandma is 62 years old." Vocab will probably focus mainly on nouns, no verbs except arimasu and desu (both are basically 'is').

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask more questions.

Good enough to come translate anime or manga for me yet?!

[animeotaku99]

Im only going to a small two year college. THey have excellent instructors, One of them is a lt. in our local PD who is also the SWAT team commander but they dont offer ANY foreign languages

[ghed]

Thanks ^^. Right now I'm teaching myself kana via flashcards/re-writing a bunch of times. It isn't so bad, but sometimes they get confusing due to their similar nature. But from what I can gather via the course descriptions, the class isn't likely to be expected to have them memorized for a few weeks anyways. I just want to be ahead so I can worry about my other classes.

BTW, what book series does your school use, ghed?

Yea, thats pretty much the way I learned kana. I also found it was kinda fun and helpful to write down the names of my favorite anime characters in kana for practice :P.
And our book series is called Nakama.

Good enough to come translate anime or manga for me yet?!

I dunno yet, Im trying to get my hands on some import shounen titles!

[Z-Gundam]

Ah. We're using the Yookoso! series, and it looks pretty good so far in terms of pace. I like how my school doesn't make you worry about kanji until 102... Anyways, I love learning languages, so I'm pretty determined to get this down sooner or later, and don't intend to burn out like a lot of other JP students. I know the later classes are going to be a PITA, though lol...

[DazzleKitty]

I'm a freshman in college and am taking Japanese. I start on Monday the 21st. I'm a little nervous about it....I'm not sure what to expect.

[Z-Gundam]

I'm a freshman in college and am taking Japanese. I start on Monday the 21st. I'm a little nervous about it....I'm not sure what to expect.

Are you nervous in general, or just about taking Japanese?

[Prons]

I dunno yet, Im trying to get my hands on some import shounen titles!

You should start accepting PRivate messeges (It won't let me PM you) because I've got something you may be interested in!

[DazzleKitty]

Are you nervous in general, or just about taking Japanese?

Both. College is totally new to me, and I am scared about how my level of persistance will go with me learning Japanese.

[Z-Gundam]

Both. College is totally new to me, and I am scared about how my level of persistance will go with me learning Japanese.

Well, from my experiences with learning languages, I would say that you really want to try and do the extra work to get ahead. Try learning the next chapter after you've mastered your current one, etc. That definitely helped me in Latin, since you move so damn fast. The alphabet is the first thing you'll learn, like any other language, so just keep making flash cards and get it down pat before everyone else, and you should be fine.

As for college, don't be too nervous. The thing about Freshman year is that most people are pretty "cliquey", and a lot of the people you meet might not be the same type of person a few months later... That's just due to the nature of college itself, as people are exploring what kind of person they really are. Easiest way to make friends is to join clubs... I made most of my GOOD friends at my old college via QCF [a fighting game club], Anime Club, and other various things that interested me. Are you living on campus, or commuting?

[DazzleKitty]

I was flipping through my textbook for the Japanese I class, and it looks like they only have the hiragana and katakana alphabets. Do they move on to kanji later? It looks like they use the same exact book for Japanese II as well. The book has a lot more romanji than actual Japanese characters, which sort of worries me because I hear that's a bad thing. ) I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about this? I thought about asking my teacher about this, but I am afraid of offending her.

I hear the cliques die down pretty fast. I don't think I'll be socializing too much until I am comfortable there. I looked at the clubs, and they have nothing interesting, sadly. I figured they would have an anime club since they teach Japanese, but I guess not. I would have liked an art club too, but they don't have one. The clubs were so boring that I can't even remember the names of any of them, lol. And I am not going to live on campus. I'm just driving there everyday (it's about 30-40 minutes away).
In total, I only less than 7 hours of class each week, so that's pretty nice.
I'll try not to be too nervous, but right now as I type this I am very nervous (I'll be getting up in about 9 hours to get ready to leave.....). I should get used to it fast. I hear it's much better than high school.
And thanks for the useful tips you gave me, Z-Gundam.

[Z-Gundam]

^^ NP. Good luck, and just make sure you don't get too worried about the social issues. As for the book, it sounds like it may not be the best book, from the way you described it... However, I wouldn't worry too much about that right now. Just getting kana down should be your main priority.

[Suiko Eiji]

I've tutored friends and associates whom were taking classes at the Uni. They used the Nakama series of books. I'm not 100% sure if its how the books goes or how the professor's teach it at my Uni, but I don't think they stress enough kana writing early on (something like mid-way through first semester) and don't stress kanji early enough. Though, our Univeristy is small enough and still more focused on some key areas that foreign language is merely an add on, so most FL courses here are only minors and even then, I think it is only German, Spanish, and maybe French out of the five or six that are offered.

As for how I learned myself, I was fortunate to have night community school sessions in Japanese through high school and an independent work ethic.

I'm a freshman in college and am taking Japanese. I start on Monday the 21st. I'm a little nervous about it....I'm not sure what to expect.

I almost forgot what it was like to start Uni... I must have been here too long :lol:.

Whatever nerves you may have, its something everyone goes through. I know people who are in their third and fourth years who still get nervous about thier classes every semester. Don't worry, so long as you don't let professors get you down, keep up the work, and study outside of class, you'll do just fine.

[Jo Sama]

I'm going into second year of a Japanese studies degree in the UK. It's quite good, but we don't learn very much in the first year. Only about 150ish kanji and very basic grammar. In second year we do about 500 kanji and are suppose to reach lower intermediate in spoken Japanese. Then we have our compulsory year in Japan for 3rd year, which should hopefully be the most intensive for language learning. It's a very rewarding course, the only pitfall I had was not realising that the workload is much higher than most other arts degrees (In general depending on your course and institution)

It's a bit frustrating not being able to speak much Japanese after 1st year though. Ima, jouzu na nihongo o hanashitai lol

Jo

[Suiko Eiji]

Then we have our compulsory year in Japan for 3rd year, which should hopefully be the most intensive for language learning.

Jo, I have an anecdote concerning this. Recently, two old friends of mine did their compulsory year in Japan (one returned in May and the other in August). They both are doing BAs in Japanese, though each at different Universitites. Both expected to learn so many more practicalities of the language and develop much better speaking skills. One was a good student here in the States, and he maintained that sort of record while studying in the Osaka area. The other, a reletively lackluster student, also maintained that record in a small(ish) town in Saitama Prefecture. So, what happened to each of them.

The good student complained of not learning much more at all. The lazy one, learned a lot. So, I compared thier lifestyles over there and found that, it is true, you can move to a foreign country, be in and involved in the local culture and language but still not be "immersed". The good student hung out a lot with friends from the Japanese college, also all foreigners, and made few lasting Japanese contacts. The lazy student; however, went out and picked up a part time job and constantly made Japanese friends who were local to the area and made only a few friends out of his group at school.

So, the moral of the story, I suppose, is that the level of immerision is completely up to you and the real results of that year abroad at school are totally up to your decision about immersion.

[GokuMew2]

I go to a community college and I've taken all 6 Japanese courses they offer (2 years). First year is beginning Japanese and the second is intermediate. Before I took classes, I had already taught myself a lot by watching anime, reading manga (in Japanese), and listening to drama CDs. I remember in my Japanese 1 class, I was the only one in the class who already knew both hiragana and katakana. I had learned them by following the lyrics on the screen during OPs and EDs of anime (back when almost all series had the official ones up, not fansubbers inserting them).

So personally, since I already knew a lot before taking classes (and I talked to a lot of Japanese people online), the classes were a breeze. That's not to say I never learned anything new. I learned a lot of new structures, how to actually write kana (I could write them but not in the proper stroke order) and kanji, and also the reasoning behind some of the things I already knew.

I'm sure classes at a community college are much easier compared to an actual university. I heard you have to learn all the hiragana characters in two weeks at a university, whereas at my community college, you learned hiragana over the entire quarter, and near the end, katakana would be introduced to be learned during the second quarter. The speeds at which material is taught are very different.

I guess it just depends on how much of a challenge you want. I'm sure the quality of teaching at both levels is similar so you don't have to worry about that.

Unfortunately since I've already taken all the Japanese classes at my school (besides the onversational ones but that would mean pretty much learning from the beginning again), I have to wait until I transfer to take more. :( So now I'm just getting down the major transfer requirements for a Japanese major.

[ghed]

I looked at the clubs, and they have nothing interesting, sadly. I figured they would have an anime club since they teach Japanese, but I guess not.

I know what you mean. My university doesnt have an anime club either despite offering a minor in Japanese. When I first signed up for Japanese I had expected the majority of the class to be a bunch of crazy otakus, but it turned out that only about 1/4th of us even watched anime. And 2 years later there are only about 2-3 people into anime/manga (including myself).

Also college is much much better than high school. If you were kinda geeky loner in high school (like I was and still am) then youll be happy to know that in college for the most part no one cares who you were or how you look (in a good way) and will pretty much leave you alone.

You should start accepting PRivate messeges (It won't let me PM you) because I've got something you may be interested in!

Ok! accepting PMs, but I cant promised Ill regularly check them.

[Z-Gundam]

^^ You COULD join a local anime group instead... It might not be the same, but it's better than nothing.

[GokuMew2]

I know what you mean. My university doesnt have an anime club either despite offering a minor in Japanese. When I first signed up for Japanese I had expected the majority of the class to be a bunch of crazy otakus, but it turned out that only about 1/4th of us even watched anime. And 2 years later there are only about 2-3 people into anime/manga (including myself).
Some anime clubs aren't too great though.

I've never been to an anime club meeting at my school, but I don't think I'd be interested in it. One time I was watching Kyou Kara Maou! in the cafeteria, and this kinda big guy came up from behind and stared at my screen a bit. Then he asked, "What are you watching?" I tell him "Kyou Kara Maou!" and he says, "Ooooh~ God Save the King." I totally wanted to face fault. He then asked me if I was going to the anime club meeting later on and I had to kindly tell him I wasn't interested. Uhh... yeah.

I don't mean to be, well, mean, but yeah... Those kinds of fans I'd rather not be around. Forgive me for stereotyping, but I really don't like people who laugh at every single thing, or talk a lot during an episode. If it's funny sure, go ahead and laugh, but don't exaggerate your laugh. .>_< I'm sure everyone's experienced being around these kinds of fans before.

[Jo Sama]

Jo, I have an anecdote concerning this. Recently, two old friends of mine did their compulsory year in Japan (one returned in May and the other in August). They both are doing BAs in Japanese, though each at different Universitites. Both expected to learn so many more practicalities of the language and develop much better speaking skills. One was a good student here in the States, and he maintained that sort of record while studying in the Osaka area. The other, a reletively lackluster student, also maintained that record in a small(ish) town in Saitama Prefecture. So, what happened to each of them.

The good student complained of not learning much more at all. The lazy one, learned a lot. So, I compared thier lifestyles over there and found that, it is true, you can move to a foreign country, be in and involved in the local culture and language but still not be "immersed". The good student hung out a lot with friends from the Japanese college, also all foreigners, and made few lasting Japanese contacts. The lazy student; however, went out and picked up a part time job and constantly made Japanese friends who were local to the area and made only a few friends out of his group at school.

So, the moral of the story, I suppose, is that the level of immerision is completely up to you and the real results of that year abroad at school are totally up to your decision about immersion.

Thanks for telling me this. I'll try to follow your lazy friends lifestyle in Japan then ^_^ Now I'll just need to try to build up my confidence for talking to Japanese people!

Jo

[Suiko Eiji]

Thanks for telling me this. I'll try to follow your lazy friends lifestyle in Japan then ^_^ Now I'll just need to try to build up my confidence for talking to Japanese people!

Jo

Word of advice, don't spend nearly all of your income on Nintendo games - make sure you pay the utilities first. :lol: While he gained significant ground in using the language, he probably should have learned a thing or two about budgeting.

[KuroiKenshi]

Word of advice, don't spend nearly all of your income on Nintendo games - make sure you pay the utilities first. :lol: While he gained significant ground in using the language, he probably should have learned a thing or two about budgeting.

luckily for me, the DS lite is still all sold out around here so i cant waste my money on it... YET!!!!

that and i want a motorcycle more than a DS lite

[GokuMew2]

luckily for me, the DS lite is still all sold out around here so i cant waste my money on it... YET!!!!

that and i want a motorcycle more than a DS lite
Haha, a friend of mine who just recently came back from Japan ran all over the place to find a DS Lite. She eventually did find and buy one but I forgot where.

[Ken-Ohki]

I've taken 2 years of university level Japanese. It's very enlightening but anime and manga helped prepare me only about 0%

[Victory]

What kind of job does a Japanese major get you?

Are College and University the same thing? What's the average age to start college/uni?

edit: regarding the second question, I am a university student here, but the structures are not the same as in the USA so I don't know how it works

[GokuMew2]

What kind of job does a Japanese major get you?

Are College and University the same thing? What's the average age to start college/uni?

edit: regarding the second question, I am a university student here, but the structures are not the same as in the USA so I don't know how it works
I would think it's best to also have a degree in something else and not just Japanese. It's probably easier to find a job that way.

Hm, I think college and university are similar, but university is usually a 4-year institution whereas college can be 2 or 4 years. ...I think. I consider both of them higher education so they're kind of the same to me.

Anyway, if going to college right after high school, the average age in the U.S. is about 17 or 18.

[Z-Gundam]

^^ There's a decent amount of jobs you could use a Japanese major for... Teaching and translation are probably the two biggest jobs, but there are others... Like being a correspondant to a company, working through your government, etc. You really aren't constrained to just Japanese, either... People aren't stuck with a job just because they have a certain major. A lot of writers are History majors, many Business majors work in PR, and so on.

[Suiko Eiji]

I would think it's best to also have a degree in something else and not just Japanese. It's probably easier to find a job that way.

Hm, I think college and university are similar, but university is usually a 4-year institution whereas college can be 2 or 4 years. ...I think. I consider both of them higher education so they're kind of the same to me.

Anyway, if going to college right after high school, the average age in the U.S. is about 17 or 18.

To elaborate a little if I may:

A typical college or University applicant is about 17-18, and will go when they finish secondary (High) school. Since the US does not have compulsory military service, there are college benefits available as an incentive/sign-on bonus, so one also finds many college students in their early and mid 20s starting out because they went into the military beforehand.

The difference between college and University is pretty much based upon population and degree programs. Most Universities in the US have colleges within them, based upon specializations of areas. There are also multiple levels between Univeristies, such as public/State, private, and Ivy League.

Z-Gundam's correct; a good number of folks who major and study one thing in college/Univeristy do not necessarily work in that field. Certain areas of study like Law, Computer Science/Information Systems, Heathcare, Education lead a large number of folks into careers in those fields but the number of Political Scientists, History, and Literature folks usually do something semi-related or interesting to them, but may not stay in that field. Then again, there are always exemptions to that rule, too.

[Z-Gundam]

Well really, people need to realize that college/uni isn't just a place to prepare yourself for a specific career... It is to prepare yourself for the world itself, as you will learn a number of new things that you didn't know before, or have never experienced... Choosing a concentration for your stay shouldn't really be based on anything other than how you feel about the subject, and what YOU want to do with a degree in XXX... Some people just study something because they liked it; others because they see themselves being successful, even if they're not really that interested in the subject itself.

[Suiko Eiji]

Well really, people need to realize that college/uni isn't just a place to prepare yourself for a specific career... It is to prepare yourself for the world itself, as you will learn a number of new things that you didn't know before, or have never experienced...

I think it personally depends on one's individual outlook on education, the reponsibility of education, and responsibility to oneself. I do believe that college/Uni is meant to prepare people for careers with practical, realistic experiences and training. This is why I have a problem with mandatory Liberal Arts programs that one finds in many Univeristies. I've always seen college/University like the military's OCS (Officer Candidate School) to the real job market; to train leadership professionals for the next generation.

Choosing a concentration for your stay shouldn't really be based on anything other than how you feel about the subject, and what YOU want to do with a degree in XXX...

I do agree with this though; finding a subject you are interested in and will help you along with your life/personal goals makes showing up to class and doing the work for it much easier. I would love to be a lawyer and certainly pull down their salary, but I don't have the drive to go to law school.

Some people just study something because they liked it; others because they see themselves being successful, even if they're not really that interested in the subject itself.

I think finding something you enjoy and something in which one can be successful is the ultimate middleground and should be what is desired. However, if I want to "just study something because I like it", I don't need a University to do that. I'd rather spend a couple hundred bucks and hit a bookstore than a couple thousand and go through University again.

[Z-Gundam]

I think finding something you enjoy and something in which one can be successful is the ultimate middleground and should be what is desired. However, if I want to "just study something because I like it", I don't need a University to do that. I'd rather spend a couple hundred bucks and hit a bookstore than a couple thousand and go through University again.

Not everyone can self-learn though, so I think it depends on what kind of scholar you are. I agree, also, that I should have said you'd want to find a middle-ground between the two.

[DazzleKitty]

Today was my second time in my Japanese class. Honestly, it's very different from what I expected. We have to do a lot of (memorized) skits. The problem is, on our practice skit today, I got paired up with this guy who was in a really bad mood. He claimed to not be feeling well (I suspect he had a hangover...maybe). We are supposed stand up and get really into the skits (use lots of emotions). However, this guy didn't want to do it at all. It's really hard to approach someone with an attitude like that. Maybe he really was feeling bad, but it made it hard to do the skit well. He woudn't do his part like needed, and he wanted to get it over with. Because of that, the teacher got on us about it. I wanted to do well and actively participate, but it was hard with him not even wanting to participate. I am going to avoid sitting next to him in the future so I don't have be partnered with him anymore. Everyone else was having a good time doing their skits. I wonder if every class has a slacker like him...

I noticed on the katakana and hiragana alphabets, there are little numbers next to the slashes. Are you supposed to write the slashes in a certain order?

I was in a bookstore today and I flipped through a book on kanji. I was wondering if someone could clarify something for me. In kanji, does just ONE character stand for one whole word, or are there several characters to make one word? Isn't kanji just the words for everyday things? It's so confusing. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.

[Z-Gundam]

I noticed on the katakana and hiragana alphabets, there are little numbers next to the slashes. Are you supposed to write the slashes in a certain order?


That would be the stroke order in which you write the character.

My class ended up being more about oral repetition than anything, though it reinforces what you learn quite well.

[Suiko Eiji]

I was in a bookstore today and I flipped through a book on kanji. I was wondering if someone could clarify something for me. In kanji, does just ONE character stand for one whole word, or are there several characters to make one word? Isn't kanji just the words for everyday things? It's so confusing. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.

Much like in English, Japanese has a lot of compound words, which are represented by multiple kanji. Each kanji represents not necessarily a word but more of an idea to form a singular idea. Some of the ideas might make sense, others, probably not. Some of your basic words you'll learn how to write first, mountain, river, book, day, etc. can all be represented with a single kanji. As you get more advanced, you'll start putting kanji together to make more in total and more complex words.

By the way, repetition is probably one of the best ways to learn. If you think about having a conversation in Japanese, it's amazing how much some of us Gaijin end up falling back on these sort of canned lessons.

[ZoharContact]

Everyone else was having a good time doing their skits. I wonder if every class has a slacker like him...I imagine so. Expect it to get better as you progress, though. People who have no motivation don't last in Japanese.I noticed on the katakana and hiragana alphabets, there are little numbers next to the slashes. Are you supposed to write the slashes in a certain order?Yes, sometimes my teachers deducted points if we meandered in the stroke order. They really can tell, and it's usually easiest/fastest to write in the stroke order, anyway.I was in a bookstore today and I flipped through a book on kanji. I was wondering if someone could clarify something for me. In kanji, does just ONE character stand for one whole word, or are there several characters to make one word? Isn't kanji just the words for everyday things? It's so confusing. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.Not quite. In fact, much more often than not, a word consists of a kanji compound. Sometimes those compounds can get upwards of six to eight characters long. (Usually organization names.) And the readings can get really confusing. For example, "fusawashii" (worthy) consists of two kanji followed by the okurigana ("shii"), and you probably won't find the readings "fu," "sawa," or whatever under the kanji in your dictionary/workbook.

If you get the feeling that the class isn't progressing quickly enough (want to learn kana/kanji more quickly), you should definitely go ahead and study what you want to study. Most students are overwhelmed when the class finally gets into kanji.

Also, understand that you'll never learn enough information on the language just from class. When you're feeling confident or industrious enough, start importing Japanese media that you like or are interested in. In some cases, you can learn volumes more from one game than in an entire semester of class. (Also, if you like games, Japanese-language roms for SNES and such are free. ^_^ ) Memorizing the lyrics to songs you like and divining the meanings of words in anime via subtitles also really helps increase your vocabulary.

Also, if you can manage, a Japanese conversation partner is very important.

[DazzleKitty]

Thank you all for answering my questions on kanji.

I think I sort of get the gist of it.

I haven't even learned all the katakana and hiragana yet....is it too learly to start in kanji? If not, I am going to go purchase one of the kanji books next time I am in Borders. I'd like to get a head start and be prepared.

ZoharContact, you mentioned that people with no motivation don't last. I have quite a bit of it, but it seems like me and a lot of the other students are very awkward in doing skits. They are all very hesitant to do it (except for a few who get into it). I am assuming this goes away with time. I am even a little embarrassed to get up in front of class to do it. I really need to get over it...

I'll have no problem importing media. :P That's half the reason I am taking the class - so I can import stuff that will never be released over here. There are plenty of manga, books, and video games I want to get. Oh, I can think of one right now I want to get....now I have an excuse to do so, haha!

I have one more question about kanji. It was mentioned that some words like river, day, etc can be wrote with one kanji. Some words take several. Do some certain kanji represent certain 'sounds' like the katakana and hiragana (this is hard for me to put into words, sorry!)? Say you have the kanji for river. It's just one character. Does that character simply represent a river, or is there a 'sound' for it, and the word river happens to be what that sound is?
Gosh, this probably sounds confusing. It's hard to explain what I mean. Maybe someone can make sense out of it.
Maybe this is a good example. Say you hear a new Japanese word, and the only way to write out this word would be in kanji. Would you have to look up the word in a Japanese/English dictionary to see the kanji for it, or could you actually write it out on your own if you are experienced in kanji enough?

I really apologize if this confused anyone. I confused myself when typing it.

[ZoharContact]

I haven't even learned all the katakana and hiragana yet....is it too learly to start in kanji?It's best to know katakana and hiragana first. You'll pick those styles up quickly, though, if you use them intensively. Katakana is harder, because there are so many similar characters, and you typically don't use it as often. Be sure to memorize the differences as well as you can, and memorize the katakana that aren't used often (like "nu," "wo," etc.).

If it's a book from a mainstream book store, then you should have no problem. They would typically use romanji. Using such a book might be a good way to become familiar with kanji in general, but to memorize and use kanji in a Japanese setting, you need to write the kanji (a lot), use them in sentences (a lot), and memorize the on-yomi and kun-yomi... which I'll explain in a bit. Just make sure you aren't wasting your money. You might be better off buying a more advanced kanji workbook from the textbook store, if you can get your hands on one.ZoharContact, you mentioned that people with no motivation don't last. I have quite a bit of it, but it seems like me and a lot of the other students are very awkward in doing skits.Having a knack for public speaking and having motivation for Japanese are very different. People usually burn out when the class gets deep into kanji, because that's where Japanese is most different from our language. Skits, on the other hand, are a fact of life in any language course. You'll get used to them, sure enough.I'll have no problem importing media. :P That's half the reason I am taking the class - so I can import stuff that will never be released over here. There are plenty of manga, books, and video games I want to get. Oh, I can think of one right now I want to get....now I have an excuse to do so, haha!That's the spirit. ^^ It's absolutely necessary to learn kana, though, before you can get into that. Also, you need to be comfortable looking up kanji in a dictionary (be it book or online), which takes practice.I have one more question about kanji. It was mentioned that some words like river, day, etc can be wrote with one kanji. Some words take several. Do some certain kanji represent certain 'sounds' like the katakana and hiragana (this is hard for me to put into words, sorry!)?Nope. A kanji represents an idea. The kana cover all the sounds in the Japanese language, so they are the syllabic writing system. Kanji have sounds associated with them (readings), represented by kana. In fact, they tend to have more than one reading associated with them, with different readings for different situations. There may be many readings, but they are divided in two groups: on-yomi and kun-yomi.

On-yomi is a Japanese pronunciation of the kanji's original sound(s), as it was originally spoken in China. This is typically represented in dictionary entries by katakana. Kun-yomi is a unique Japanese reading associated with the kanji, and is represented by hiragana. If you see a group of kanji, they often comprise one word, combining the meanings, and are usually read by stringing the on-yomi together into a coherent word.

Example: densha (train) = den (on-yomi for "electricity") + sha (on-yomi for "car")

The kun-yomi, on the other hand, is usually used when the kanji is by itself. Of course, there are exceptions.

Ex: "mountain" = yama (kun-yomi for mountain)

Whereas if you wanted to say "Mt. Hiei" or "Hiei Mountain", it would be "Hieizan". ("zan" being the on-yomi for "mountain".)

I hope that's a good enough explanation, but I'd be happy to talk about something in detail if you need clarification.Would you have to look up the word in a Japanese/English dictionary to see the kanji for it, or could you actually write it out on your own if you are experienced in kanji enough?It is possible to divine some kanji from sound, but not always (rather, not often). Kanji are comprised of different parts called "radicals," and some radicals fit into a group called "onkeigo," wherein sounds are associated with the radical. Most (some?) kanji written with that radical have that associated sound.

Anyway, I hope that all was of some use. Kanji can be fun, if you don't let it intimidate you. Also, know that these rules aren't exactly followed to the letter, so to speak. If you find anything that confuses you, though, you know where to find me. ^_^

[DazzleKitty]

Hey ZoharContact, thank you so much for taking your time to explain these things to me. I do have a better understanding of how things work. Perhaps whenever my class gets to kanji, it will be even clearer. I am not sure if we will get there in the the first semester or not. I have a feeling we won't start it until Japanese II in winter. When we do get there, I want to try to not be so overwhelmed and have fun. I like to take it a step at a time, not trying to cram all of it in at once.

I'm tried making flash cards of the katakana and hiragana this morning. I had no idea it would be so hard to write some of them, especially in the order it tells you. :P It's like the time I had to do calligraphy....

Thanks again! I am glad to finally have answers to some of the things I was confused about.

[Z-Gundam]

^^ Just keep writing 'em out... My handwriting sucks for kana lol...

[ZoharContact]

I am not sure if we will get there in the the first semester or not. I have a feeling we won't start it until Japanese II in winter.No kanji in the first semester? That's pretty awful. We only learned fifty-something in our first semester, but... I highly advise working ahead, if you have the interest.

Also, once you manage to start playing games and such and finding the unknown kanji you see in them, you'll notice an incredible boost. Class will be a breeze.

Understand, also, that manga tends to be a rather user-friendly resource. The great majority of them (as far as I see) contain furigana (showing the hiragana readings alongside all kanji). It's a nice, easy way to develop reading comprehension. It just doesn't have the vocal component that games do.

Here's a useful link: A rather good Japanese dictionary. (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html) It's an especially good place to look if you're having trouble finding a kanji compound.

Also, NJStar (http://www.njstar.com/) is a good Japanese word processor, and it has a built-in kanji dictionary that lets you look up kanji via the radical method. A requisite tool for import gaming, in my opinion.

[Z-Gundam]

Just study what you want... You don't HAVE to just follow the class [well, to the extent that you don't fail lol]. You can always do the extra work, too.

[ZoharContact]

Just study what you want... You don't HAVE to just follow the class [well, to the extent that you don't fail lol]. You can always do the extra work, too.Well, most everybody needs the structured learning patterns of a language class in order to succeed. At least, they need the rudiments. Paticles and grammar are hard to pick up outside of a class, although it is quite possible.

If you want to try moving ahead in that category, subtitled anime and song lyrics are helpful. Basically, anything with a translation in your native language. Of course, you have to keep in mind that translations have their innaccuracies.