Learning Japanese Through Video Games & Manga

I would like to learn to read and speak Japanese, but lack the time and funds to learn using more standard methods (from a website or in a class). Two things that interest me though are Japanese manga and video games. The reason I would like to use these media is that they interest me enough that I wouldn't lose interest even when my schedule allows little to no time for study.
I have access to several old Japanese games for the Famicom and Gameboy (including Pocket Monsters), though any manga I get would have to be obtained online.
If anyone has any idea how I can use these media to learn Japanese, then I would appreciate their input.

Also, if this isn't the best forum for this discussion, then I would appreciate redirection to a more appropriate forum.

If you like manga and the idea of gaming to help you learn, you can try out Nihongo Master at Nihongo Master, Learn Japanese Online . A lot of the site is free including the lessons to get you started. We can teach you to read write and speak basic Japanese for free. It's gaming because you score points and rank against other learners. You can also create teams. Our lessons also have a lot of custom illustrations in manga form to help you learn. It sounds like it's right down your alley. Also, once you're done with the beginner lessons, if you don't want to lay you can still use your video games and manga with our free dictionary to lookup words and see how to use them. At least with the beginner lessons you'll understand how to read and use a dictionary more effectively.

I don't think anime manga and games will make you learn that much, because you still need to have some basic informations in the Language like shall we say a foundation. Nevertheless, Japanese has so many forms (formal/informal/polite/impolite) so you still need to know about this as this is imporant, hence, usually anime and manga do uses the informal or the impolite one which is not so effective when used to some native Japanese speakers. So I suggest that you take some basics first for you to be able to differentiate what you need from what you won't. There are tons of free websites wherein you can learn Japanese, I've heard this Tae Kim's Guide, Anki, etc. You can also have language games you can play in your iOS or Android if you have any. Nevertheless, there are tons of free stuffs online, just a thorough research will lead you to what's perfect for your study. Good luck!

I agree. However I did learn some words that I don't think i will find in alot of textbooks. Also for some reason I remember words I see in manga quite well.
for ex:
サボる＝ skip class
はまっている = to be into/addicted too

nihongomaster said:

...you can try out Nihongo Master...

Click to expand...

Thanks for your recommendation. The site looks promising, though I can't get the audio player to load. I don't have and can't get Flash, so I would like to know if there is any other way to access the audio files, or if there is another site that doesn't use flash that has accurate pronunciations of Japanese words.

I am going to use Nihongo Master; I have bypassed my issue with Flash, though I will repost my question as a seperate thread.

I will also take a look at Nihongo Master. Thanks for posting the suggestions.

grandta14: I am a complete beginner at Japanese, and I really suggest you start with some sort of textbook rather than manga/games. Having said that, if you can support your language studies by immersing yourself in something that interests you, such as manga/games, then I think you should do that. In fact, that's something I'm doing. But until you have the grammar, the kana, and a reasonable vocabulary down your time would simply be wasted on manga/games.

As to managing your limited time, here's my advice. I've started Japanese and have previously studied Latin and Greek and attempted Japanese. Unless you engage with the language a little bit at least every day or almost every day, you won't proceed past the basics. It can be hard to find the time (for example, I'm pursuing Japanese alongside my doctoral thesis and my study of philosophy generally). But learning a language demands that sort of effort.

Another suggestion: Someone on this forum posted a video of a lady talking about learning languages. She argues that you should listen to music and radio in the language you are trying to learn, because music coupled with lyrics engages more of the brain than mere recitation of words, and improves one's capacity to retain information and embrace a new language. So listen to Japanese music. I'm doing it, and it is helping, even if I can't understand all the words. In particular, I am increasingly more comfortable speaking the words and following the audible character of the language.

Another thought actually - in your spare time, browse the threads in the beginners section of this forum. I've found answers to some interesting questions there.

I hope this helps.

I remember seeing this book and others like it in my library, which showed you Japanese in a manga context. I thought it was an interesting idea. If you really like manga then this might be an option for you. It's called Japanese in Mangaland. Good luck!!

Also the thing that was most helpful for me besides actually going to school for it was Pimsleur's Japanese. You can find it to download somewhere online. It is an audio program that starts from the very basics so you can listen to it while you do other things. I found it really helpful and it's really well done.

I'd say that if you can establish a decent level of competency and proficiency in Japanese, then you can use manga and games to further your learning. Reading is always a great way to increase your vocabulary, and teach you some slang or colloquialisms. However if you have no real knowledge of Japanese you really should learn all the proper ways to write and speak before using manga and games as learning resources. You don't want to learn improper Japanese and then have to go back and re-learn everything again. For more helpful suggestions I suggest you visit my thread: the Japanese language learning resource list in the learning Japanese section. I would also suggest that a moderator or administration move this thread there. Please be more conscientious of where your thread belongs. Btw welcome to the forum grandta!