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kevinian

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26 May 2020
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Greetings to all members

*Admins, if this post exists on this database, please PM me and remove my post*

I am looking for a good guidance to learn how to speak Japanese. I was planning to visit Japan but all my plan got cancelled due to covid. I know a few words, any resources?

Kinds regards from Mauritius Island
Kevin :)
 
Welcome ! Glad you found us. If you go to the section here called "Learning Japanese" , there is helpful information going back to 2002. Reading threads there should give you a good start on helpful study books and websites for Japanese. Once you gets some ideas there on how to start , feel free to ask questions for more help. Our members and staff are super nice and helpful. Good luck !!
 
Hi Kevin and welcome to the forum.

I am excited to hear that you are starting a study of Japanese. It is good to hear about a 'bare-bones' beginner of Japanese language study.

But there is one piece of advice I absolutely must give you. It regards the Japanese writing system. There are three parts to the writing system, and the most basic of these three is called hiragana.

Here is my advice. As much as you might not want to do it, I strongly advice you to put your study of Japanese vocabulary and grammar aside for now, and only focus on learning hiragana. You must master hiragana before moving on to learn any other part of the Japanese language. You need to get hiragana down cold.

Watch this video on hiragana. Copy writing the hiragana characters. (There are about 50 basic hiragana characters.) Especially, make sure you write the strokes of each hiragana character in the right order and in the right direction. Just follow along, writing out the characters as you see them being written in the video.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but trust me, if you put in this hard work right now, you will find things a lot easier down the road.

If you have any more questions about the Japanese language, please do not hesitate to ask. There are many excellent speakers and writers of Japanese on this forum who will be more than happy to help you.

 
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Thank to both of you.

@Buntaro, ok, i will start with the hiragana and will try to master it before moving on. Thanks a lot for this video. Can't wait to start :D

Greetings
 
Hey Kevin, let us know when you can write the first five katakana (a, i, u, e, o)!

By the way, the background music in the video is Chinese music, not Japanese music (which I think is a little goofy).
 
Seconding the advice!

Just learning hiragana (and katakana) is a huge step toward literacy, and helps SO much with your studies. I recommended attacking the kana in "chunks," as it's usually grouped in the 5 vowels Buntaro mentioned, or a consonant plus those vowels (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko; ma, mi, mu, me, mo) etc. Take one or two sets and practice them right before going to bed (using whatever method works for you, like flashcards, or writing the characters 20+ times each), then do a quick refresh right after you get up in the morning. This will help cement the new information in your long-term memory.
 
Greetings to all members

*Admins, if this post exists on this database, please PM me and remove my post*

I am looking for a good guidance to learn how to speak Japanese. I was planning to visit Japan but all my plan got cancelled due to covid. I know a few words, any resources?

Kinds regards from Mauritius Island
Kevin :)
Study daily the genki 1 book and workbook to pass N5 level, use kanatown App to learn hiragana and katakana, listen to YouTube N5 examples, and take the exam
 
Hey Kevin, let us know when you can write the first five katakana (a, i, u, e, o)!

By the way, the background music in the video is Chinese music, not Japanese music (which I think is a little goofy).

Hi

I'd like to say sorry for the lack of response since last year, I was sick, not to covid. I was only focusing on work without eating and taking care of myself. I got kind of sick

I want to say a huge thanks to @Buntaro for asking about my progress. Yes, i am making progress :) And that alone is making me better. Besides work, I got something interesting.. Do not get me wrong, I love my job lol. I am a software engineer..

The only problem is, even if i write japanese, how do I know what the japanese word means in english ? How do I translate it? Any advice?
 
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Glad to have you back and glad you are feeling better. Life is difficult enough when you feel well. Hopefully we can help you further your Japanese studies.
 
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