Speaking Japanese

[EagerLearner]

Hi there! I just started self-learning japanese and I'm curious how long would it take for me to understand a japanese word. Like how would I know the meaning of a japanese word if there is no english translation beside it? (Translating a japanese word or sentence to english)

 

[Buntaro]

The period of time required? It depends. Once you understand the concept behind the word, you will understand the word.

Do you have an example?

 

[EagerLearner]

The period of time required? It depends. Once you understand the concept behind the word, you will understand the word.

Do you have an example?

Hello! Thanks for answering. I was studying Hiragana and I stumbled across しろ. Back then I have no clue what this means when the app that I use asked me the meaning of it. I only knew after it gave me the correct answer which is "White". Wha do i need to do next time to know the english translation of a japanese word? Any reply would be dearly appreciated!

 

[bentenmusume]

No offense, but it seems like you are confused about the very process of learning a new language in general, rather than anything specific about Japanese.

Of course there's no way to know the meaning of a Japanese word before you learn it for the first time. The only way to learn a language is by learning new words, grammatical structures, sentence patterns, etc., memorizing them, practicing them, seeing them in various contexts, etc. etc.

If the app is just "quizzing" you on words you've never seen before, then it's probably just meant for review, and not particularly well-suited for actually teaching you the language.

I would recommend trying to find a better learning app, or better yet, get yourself an actual textbook designed by professional educators for the purpose of teaching Japanese to non-native learners.

The GENKI series is probably the most highly regarded of these:

Amazon product ASIN 4789014401
(There are also various resources available for free on the internet, but these can often vary widely in quality.)

 

[mdchachi]

Hello! Thanks for answering. I was studying Hiragana and I stumbled across しろ. Back then I have no clue what this means when the app that I use asked me the meaning of it. I only knew after it gave me the correct answer which is "White". Wha do i need to do next time to know the english translation of a japanese word? Any reply would be dearly appreciated!

What app are you using? If you're using Duolingo then you will learn by repetition as words are introduced. You'll guess at first and then later you will remember.

 

[bentenmusume]

What app are you using? If you're using Duolingo then you will learn by repetition as words are introduced. You'll guess at first and then later you will remember.

Everything I've seen and heard about Duolingo (including your comment here) has led me to believe it's a rather ineffective (at best) or outright terrible resource for learning Japanese.

Vocab is one thing, but apparently its explanations of grammatical patterns and sentence structure are often misleading, incorrect, or nonexistent. If the OP is seriously looking to learn the language, I'd recommend they try to find a better method.

 

[EagerLearner]

Everything I've seen and heard about Duolingo (including your comment here) has led me to believe it's a rather ineffective (at best) or outright terrible resource for learning Japanese.

Vocab is one thing, but apparently its explanations of grammatical patterns and sentence structure are often misleading, incorrect, or nonexistent. If the OP is seriously looking to learn the language, I'd recommend they try to find a better method.

Thank you for your replies! I've decided to look for other online resources and ditch Duolingo. Hopefully I'll find one that can really help me learn the language.

 

[mdchachi]

Thank you for your replies! I've decided to look for other online resources and ditch Duolingo. Hopefully I'll find one that can really help me learn the language.

Duolingo is good for making productive use of your time when you might be on your phone playing Candy Crush or watching TikTok instead. I think it's a good tool for what it is. But definitely not a primary means to learn a language. Far better than nothing though. Especially if you are comparing it to other online ways to learn.

@bentenmusume you should play with Duolingo a little bit. I think it's actually pretty clever the way they go about things.