Hi, first off let me say that this is a great site and a great community. Iv'e been interested in Japanese culture for a while now and now my interest has spread to wanting to know the language. I was born in the U.S and have been raised speaking English and Spanish. Spanish is a fairly easy language to learn everything is spoken how it looks(at least for westerners) even though English is my native language I can recognize it's difficulty. So.. My first question are there many Japanese dialects and do they differ greatly? Which one is the most widely used and for people whom Japanese is not their native language how long was it before you had a decent grasp of the langauge (were able to hold a real conversation with another Japanese speaking person). One more... for people that have learned when was the first time you were able to use it. I eventually want to travel to Japan(I am only 16 years old) so that's part of the reason I want to learn besides my own personal satisfaction. Thanks for your time and help.
Learning Japanese.
- Thread starter Dosage
- Start date
SacredBlue
先輩
- 13 Oct 2003
- 244
- 1
- 28
こんにちは！ 始めまして！
There are many dialects and how much they differ depends on which dialect you're making a comparison of. The dialect you learn in textbooks is the dialect used around Tokyo and it's considered standard Japanese. Osaka and Kyoto also have similar dialects but different from that of Tokyo's. Some Japanese have difficulty comprehending different dialects, this is why on some commericals there are subtitles. You shouldn't worry about this though, most Japanese will usually attempt to speak standard Japanese to foreigners (or English).
The time it takes to become conversational is really relative. Relative to how much you study and devote yourself, skill at memorization, proficiency in language learning etc. Some people become fluent in 2 years, some people it takes 5-10 years. It's different for everyone. Since you're starting young (which is great), I'm guessing that if you work hard and get a reliable Japanese tutor that you could be able to be fluent by your 20th or 21st birthday (not bad at all!). I suggest to get a Japanese tutor because many people have difficulty becoming proficient in a language unless they actually speak it, and being able to speak it correctly is even more important. Having a native Japanese tutor is the next best thing to actually living in Japan, and is about the only way to achieve fluency outside of Japan.
General Tips: Don't burn yourself out, Japanese isn't easy but it isn't impossible as you might hear. Also, I strongly advise that you begin learning Kanji ASAP, even if you don't know any Japanese yet. The reason is because there are roughly 2000 Kanji you need to know to be considered literate. Learning 5-10 a week is a good pace (but choose your own pace), and you should have them down in a few years (it sounds long but it's not). Kanji also helps build essential vocabulary.
As with learning any language, it is very easy to get discouraged. But when you look at how far you've gotten and realize that you're one of the few your age who could carry out such a task, I think you will be revitalized
I don't mean to offend anyone out there or even the poster, but the majority of people who study Japanese seem to be either interested in anime or Japanese women, and it's usually these people I see who are gone when the going gets tough. (Pardon my generalizations, ごめんね！). I also took took an interest in Japan because of the culture, and because people close to me were Japanese (godfather, father's co-workers).
Well I've rambled on for long enough, if you have anymore questions post them or message me. Good luck! がんばってね！ 風の中で育った木は根が強い。。
There are many dialects and how much they differ depends on which dialect you're making a comparison of. The dialect you learn in textbooks is the dialect used around Tokyo and it's considered standard Japanese. Osaka and Kyoto also have similar dialects but different from that of Tokyo's. Some Japanese have difficulty comprehending different dialects, this is why on some commericals there are subtitles. You shouldn't worry about this though, most Japanese will usually attempt to speak standard Japanese to foreigners (or English).
The time it takes to become conversational is really relative. Relative to how much you study and devote yourself, skill at memorization, proficiency in language learning etc. Some people become fluent in 2 years, some people it takes 5-10 years. It's different for everyone. Since you're starting young (which is great), I'm guessing that if you work hard and get a reliable Japanese tutor that you could be able to be fluent by your 20th or 21st birthday (not bad at all!). I suggest to get a Japanese tutor because many people have difficulty becoming proficient in a language unless they actually speak it, and being able to speak it correctly is even more important. Having a native Japanese tutor is the next best thing to actually living in Japan, and is about the only way to achieve fluency outside of Japan.
General Tips: Don't burn yourself out, Japanese isn't easy but it isn't impossible as you might hear. Also, I strongly advise that you begin learning Kanji ASAP, even if you don't know any Japanese yet. The reason is because there are roughly 2000 Kanji you need to know to be considered literate. Learning 5-10 a week is a good pace (but choose your own pace), and you should have them down in a few years (it sounds long but it's not). Kanji also helps build essential vocabulary.
As with learning any language, it is very easy to get discouraged. But when you look at how far you've gotten and realize that you're one of the few your age who could carry out such a task, I think you will be revitalized
I don't mean to offend anyone out there or even the poster, but the majority of people who study Japanese seem to be either interested in anime or Japanese women, and it's usually these people I see who are gone when the going gets tough. (Pardon my generalizations, ごめんね！). I also took took an interest in Japan because of the culture, and because people close to me were Japanese (godfather, father's co-workers).Well I've rambled on for long enough, if you have anymore questions post them or message me. Good luck! がんばってね！ 風の中で育った木は根が強い。。
Elizabeth
先輩
- 22 Apr 2003
- 9,527
- 134
- 128
I think Japanese is generally spoken at a more measured tempo than Spanish as well, which should help. Maybe because of so many "n" syllables or long vowels, I'm not sure. But my Spanish has been dormant for so many years I even had to relearn "Estoy en mi manera de trabajar" today -- it is the same as "Voy a trabajar"?
King of Tokyo
The Funky Homosapien.
- 7 Dec 2003
- 728
- 18
- 28
I dont think its true that people who get into it because of anime, I got started with anime but I still love the japanese culture and I am determined to master the japanese language.. though maybe it's true that anime fans give up easy .. I dont lol ..
MikeM
後輩
- 8 Dec 2003
- 80
- 1
- 16
Yeah, I'm 14... so you figure that I either want to learn for video games or anime. Well, to be truthful, I have never watched a anime fully in my life and I rarely play video games and when I do it is usually a sports game that is not oriented in Japan.
I am interested in all aspects of the culture really. I find it interesting and I have been having fun learning so far.
The other two double posts have been deleted btw.
-IC
I am interested in all aspects of the culture really. I find it interesting and I have been having fun learning so far.
The other two double posts have been deleted btw.
-IC
Last edited by a moderator:
Renzokuken
後輩
- 23 Nov 2003
- 5
- 0
- 11
Well I started learning japanese 2 years ago, but I had to stop since I cant afford to keep taking classes since im not majoring in japanese.
But when you say get a tutor, does it make a difference how old they are? I think it would be a shame for me to forget all I learned, so maybe I should find one.
But when you say get a tutor, does it make a difference how old they are? I think it would be a shame for me to forget all I learned, so maybe I should find one.
SacredBlue
先輩
- 13 Oct 2003
- 244
- 1
- 28
I would say find an experienced one. Which more often than not means a middle aged tutor. One with a few years experience teaching Japanese to English students should be worth your money. My tutor lessons ran at a $40 rate and I'd go nine times a month for around $300 (1 hour sessions/2 sessions a week). As an important side note, from the very beginning (from when my Japanese language experience was almost non existent), lessons were always conducted to me in Japanese. The first sentence my teacher said to me when I walked into her classroom for the first time was "From now on, we will never speak English in this classroom again". This worked unimaginably well, but I predict only an experienced tutor would be able to pull this off and have the desired effect.
Also..I did have a young female Japanese tutor before this (she was around 21 years old). However, she began to have more than friendly feelings for me
. It didn't help me learn too well and I'll leave it at that.Overall I recommend you ask around for a tutor with a good reputation and avoid using major companies like Berlitz to learn Japanese. I'm sure your college's Language/Japanese department can help you find a good tutor.
がんばってね！
Elizabeth
先輩
- 22 Apr 2003
- 9,527
- 134
- 128
I recommend finding one through an word of mouth, cultural organizations or universities as well. It is more or less how I was introduced to the woman I've been using for the last three years -- a housewife in her early 40's (with some substitute teaching experience) -- who couldn't have made more of an effort for me. We don't live in the same city unfortunately anymore, but continue to speak on the phone practically daily (not entirely, but around 90% in Japanese), sometimes 2 or 3 times, email almost every evening, with her providing corrections either in writing or on tapes she makes and I have stayed in her home on a number of occasions as well. So it has become much more like friends than simply student/mentor relationship. And all for just $20 an hour.
