Do you speak Japanese?

[Ebu Huzeyfe]

It looks a very nice forum. I try to be active member here.

 

[neko minikui]

i dont good in japnese but i got a teacher for japanese. so i teach =]
but....... i know good hebrew and all here dont know hebrew^^ nanabanana

 

[Tomii515]

日本語が 少し 話します。

 

[sl0thmachin3]

Getting there. Slow and steady does it. I'll master nihonggo eventually.

 

[FinancialWar]

僕は日本語が全然分からない

 

[RockLee]

@Hachiro: Living in Japan for 20 years and hardly be able to understand the language (writing/reading, I don't know your speaking ability). Hats off !

 

[Mike Cash]

I can't imagine staying here that long and being content to remain functionally illiterate.

 

[Hachiro]

I can't imagine staying here that long and being content to remain functionally illiterate.

I never said I was content; there are extenuating circumstances that you know nothing about that put me into this situation as it is. I learned to speak Japanese as a child growing up would; it's just that I was over 20 when I started. I learned "practical" as opposed to "classroom" Japanese I would share with you that I was once, not too long ago, refused admittance to a Japanese Language School that I applied to, the reason that was given was that I was too far advanced in comparison to the rest of the new applicants in regards to spoken Japanese.

I cannot give you exact reason how I learned it this way, I just did. I have numerous responsibilities that take up a huge portion of my time. I have work, school activities, and club activities, school PTA and associated activities that I am responsible for. I have community volunteer activities, a number of which are active weekly; oh I also have 3 children and their school activities, their PTA activities, which I am a board member of as well. Plus the school that my children, (ES 2nd Grade, 7th Grade & HS 12th Grade) go to demand that the parents are involved in the daily homework assigned to the children. We, my wife or I, must sign their assignment books daily, otherwise they are not allowed into class. I have to listen to their reading assignments among others as well, so that takes up a bit of my time as well. I also live together with my wife's parents (78 &79 respectively) helping take care of them. I also need to make time for being Dad as well as husband, oh I forgot I also have been remodeling the house, by my lonesome, just replaced all the flooring in the entire house 6 large rooms over two floors, plus other projects that are currently ongoing, like for example I have just torn out the ceilings and am redoing the interior of the 2nd floor. I probably missed a few activities but…oh well sorry anyway.

What's the point of all of that, only to make the point that if I had time I would like to study some but I need to sleep as well.

@Hachiro: Living in Japan for 20 years and hardly be able to understand the language (writing/reading, I don't know your speaking ability). Hats off !

I am not a good judge of how well I speak Japanese, I asked my wife once when I first replied here and she told me that on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being perfect in spoken Japanese I am a 9. To expand on that all I can say is that I can go into any store or business buy or get what I need with cash or credit, open bank accounts, send mail, pay bills whatever and not have problems with communicating. I also no longer get the "Ahh Hachiro san Nihongo wa totemo jozu desu ne" It is just accepted that I speak the language. To a first time Japanese listener I usually get the 1000 yard blank stare before the brain starts functioning and the mouths start replying in Japanese. Now others do the explaining instead of me as to why I speak Japanese.

I have been an Assistant Homeroom Teacher in a Japanese HS and JHS, I have worked seito shidou (student discipline), I have had a staff of over 40 Japanese people working for me when I was a facilities manager for 3 Japanese hospitals, I had a secretary to handle the reading and writing of Japanese for me. I worked in sales for two different Japanese companies, working 100% with Japanese clients. Among other different jobs and various volunteer activities.

I am not a good judge of my abilities, but I can say honestly that yes I speak Japanese.

I am not directing this next comment at Mike Cash, but in general, before anyone criticizes too much please take a short walk, even if for just a little bit in my shoes.

If I had the time I would sincerely love to go back to school and learn Japanese, right now I do not have the time nor energy to do so. I have not given up either, it will come in time, when I have the time.

Whew... sorry for the long post…I actually had to write this 3 times as the first 2 times did not post, so I wrote it in Word and now am pasting it to the board….

 

[Hachiro]

I wanted to add that this "schedule" of mine has been going on for more than 15 years now. I have always tried to be active in the community I live in. I believe in volunteering for the community that I live in. I have coach Little League Baseball, coached ES and JHS boys and girls basketball teams, I am also involved in helping with the town festival and helping to make the rope for the annual tug of war that we have.

When I came back here I "needed" verbal skills more than reading or written, I had a choice of sinking or swimming, and I choose to swim. In comparison I may be the reverse of the average Japanese person that may be functionally literate in reading and writing English but nearly totally illiterate in spoken English.

I made a conscious effort to learn to communicate in Japanese, I always figured that I could learn the reading and writing part later. When I first got here there were no computers or "internet" to assist in learning the language, that came later. I had no need whatsoever to read or write the language as I had others available to do that for me if it was needed. All I needed to concentrate on was speaking the language, I had a family to look after and that took number one presidence.

I am not sorry that I did it in any other way. Maybe I could have found more time in the past but to continually look to mistakes in the past does me no good in preparing for me and my families future. It may take me until I am 100 to be "functionally fluent" in reading and written Japanese, that is a goal I still have. Notice please that I purposely did not write "dream" because it isn't a dream of mine it is a goal, that I work at, at my pace, every day. I just have too many other things on the platter right now to make it a priority.

I ask this question only, I open this question to any and all which would you choose....."If you had a choice of being able to fluently read and write a language or fluently speak the language which would you choose?"

I will as I always try too as well, respect everyones thoughts and opinions on this question. Thanks for "listening"

Actually I am going to start a new thread and poll asking people to respond to this. Thank you I am going to use this thread as a reference as well.

 

[Mike Cash]

I started learning Japanese at 19. Practically all self-taught. Most of the time I have been driving trucks and working 12-14 hours per day, 6 days a week. I have put an embarassingly low amount of time and effort into studying Japanese. And still managed to here-n-there pick up enough kanji to be able to enjoy novels and whatnot.

I just don't like the idea of having to rely on anyone else to do my reading for me.

 

[Hachiro]

I started learning Japanese at 19. Practically all self-taught. Most of the time I have been driving trucks and working 12-14 hours per day, 6 days a week. I have put an embarassingly low amount of time and effort into studying Japanese. And still managed to here-n-there pick up enough kanji to be able to enjoy novels and whatnot.

I just don't like the idea of having to rely on anyone else to do my reading for me.

Fair enough, unfortunately for me I did not have the time to spend as you did, or should I say prioritize my time to allow me the time to study as you did. I say cheers to you.

Some people have the "knack" so to say of learning languages and remembering them, we may be two peas of the same pod that's all. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I just don't like the idea of having to rely on anyone else to do my reading for me.

This...what's the right word..."self-reliance" is a great motivator to learn languages. It's the ONLY reason I managed to learn Japanese.

 

[thistle]

speaking japanese without reading/writing

Just out of curiosity here, how many people, foreigners in particular, can speak the language close to native level but can not read or write any kana or kanji?

I have just been reading the posts written by you on this subject. I too speak japanese at a near native level and if I'm on the phone people cannot tell I am not japanese. I have been here 19 years and did actually learn to read and write to intermediate level 17years ago when I was in tokyo, but if you don't write it on a daily basis you just forget. I do read it to a certain level, but I'm not a kanji lover and am too lazy to improve myself anymore.
I actually learned the most kanji when I lived in Tokyo just sitting on the train,
passing the same signs every day, you could pick up a lot. Here in Okinawa
you have to drive everywhere and there is no time to sit down watch the world go by. btw, Hachiro I am also of the same age as you!
where in Okinawa do you live?

 

[Hachiro]

I have just been reading the posts written by you on this subject. I too speak japanese at a near native level and if I'm on the phone people cannot tell I am not japanese. I have been here 19 years and did actually learn to read and write to intermediate level 17years ago when I was in tokyo, but if you don't write it on a daily basis you just forget. I do read it to a certain level, but I'm not a kanji lover and am too lazy to improve myself anymore.
I actually learned the most kanji when I lived in Tokyo just sitting on the train,
passing the same signs every day, you could pick up a lot. Here in Okinawa
you have to drive everywhere and there is no time to sit down watch the world go by. btw, Hachiro I am also of the same age as you!
where in Okinawa do you live?

I live near Haebaru JUSCO.

 

[Gaijinian]

I started learning Japanese at 19. Practically all self-taught. Most of the time I have been driving trucks and working 12-14 hours per day, 6 days a week. I have put an embarassingly low amount of time and effort into studying Japanese. And still managed to here-n-there pick up enough kanji to be able to enjoy novels and whatnot.

That is the most un-Mike Cash like post I've ever seen you post...
Chotto bikkuri sita yo

 

[huayue]

japnese is so interesting ,i hope i could speak well......but ...you know.its hard for me~T_T(and there is no japanese speaker around me)

 

[cpaw88]

I don't know Japanese but I'm learning! Only word I know is Canada, (kanada) - カナダ

 

[Lady Skywalker]

I know the two kana alphabets as well as dozens of kanji (thanks to my Mandarin study) but I'm still a beginner in terms of vocabulary and grammar. I'm close to JLPT 4 level (I think) but I still need to tackle verbs properly and get used to creating my own sentences.

 

[oliverf]

I read the book Japanese for Idiots (or something like that) last year and last
December, I enrolled in basic japanese class. To my disappointment, I practically learned nothing new. I think I learned more from my Idiot book than from the class. I am currently using Pimpleur audio lessons.

I wish that thru this forum, I can practice reading and speaking/writting japanese.

Domo arigato gozaimasu.☝

 

[Tokyo-monster]

Why are most of you learning Japanese?

 

[KrazyKat]

Why are most of you learning Japanese?

Look one thread down.

 

[persil]

I voted just a few expressions, however, I'm a little farther than that, though not advanced at all.

The thing is I'm concentrating on the spoken language, so I don't even know kanas yet. I can mostly differentiate chinese and japanese text when I see some, but I don't understand a word it says, I'm stuck at Romaji.

My first main goal is to understand what's said in anime and I'll be happy when I reach the point where I could understand child-level talk Currently, I grasp some words, expressions, here and there, but I don't understand the main ideas yet.

I'm still happy though, because I feel I'm much better than a while ago before I restarted to learn (self-taught using websites, a tv show (let's learn japanese basics I and II) and soon a book (Japanese Verbs: Saying what you mean) when it finally arrives!!!)

I hope I'll manage to stay an active member here! Ja na!

 

[Spyder93090]

I can speak, pretty well. But just to get around, been studying for about 3 years and my teacher says I learned really fast. Maybe because I hosted a Japanese bro in my house for 10 months =P

IE:
Hey come over here, I wanna show you something.
Wanna go to the movies later ?

 

[Wong]

Hi All,

A newbie in this forum. 宜しくお願い致します。

cheers,

 

[hostilecrayon]

私は少し日本語で話します。日本語の三年生です。おもしろいですが、とても難しいですよ。漢字はたいへんですね。私は二百五十ごろ漢字を知っています。でも、もっと知りたい。だから、毎日日本語の授業は行きます。

I apologize for any mistakes...