New to Japanese and clueless!

[Carolgirl00]

lol, can you guys please help me out here?

I'm interested in learning a little Japanese and I'm really new at all of this. So far I've been trying to get all the kana stuck in my head, so I can read a little. But in order to actually read Japanese I need to know the grammer, vocab, and sentence structure. correct? Well, is there any proper way to go about doing this? I mean is it difficult or can I just jump in by reading some online tutorial? I'm so confused, even my own question confuses me. oy, if any1 understands what I'm asking, could you please help me out?

 

[MtoM]

Try these two sites:

Japanese-Online.com | Home
Nihongo o Narau - Learn Japanese

 

[Carolgirl00]

kk, thankies! I'll check out those sites =D

 

[futureproof]

I started @ 2 months ago and the method I use is to find a site or book that covers a small amount of many things. Like a child learning English, you'll pick up some and "forget" some. The more you study, you'll come across things and say "Hey, I remember that" and it will stick.

Also, most people I've talked with say "stay away from romaji" but I found that it broke the ice for sentence structure. jitensha wa ikura desu ka. bicycle WA how much is it KA? this was my method. maybe it helps?

 

[fixelbrumpf]

Getting a "real" textbook might be a good idea, too. That way, your learning process will be more structured.

When I still taught myself things by browsing through websites, it took me about a month to realise that the particle "wa" is actually written は, etc. I could've saved myself all that bother had I got myself a quality textbook from the start.

By the way, don't bother with romaji and get a textbook that teaches you how to read kana/kanji straight away, trust me. The one I use is called "Japanese for today" and I quite like it. It won't teach you much about casual speech, though.

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by fixelbrumpf
By the way, don't bother with romaji and get a textbook that teaches you how to read kana/kanji straight away, trust me.

Some people probably prefer to begin with grammar and vocabulary, others with the kanas. I don't think there is necessarily any right or wrong as long as everything comes together in the end. I began with kanji and listening myself.

 

[Carolgirl00]

well, I first tried to learn some kana, but then I realized very quickly that even if I learn them I still won't know what I'm reading. So now I'm working on vocab + grammer. I mean at least that way I'll also be learning to speak Japanese, right?

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by Carolgirl00
So now I'm working on vocab + grammer. I mean at least that way I'll also be learning to speak Japanese, right?

If you have someone to practice with, or you can try writing something here. I don't think it's anything to mess with totally on your own, though.

 

[Carolgirl00]

well, I don't have the component to write Japanese for my computer yet. )= And I've been looking everywhere for local Japanese classes I could take. I've had no luck with that so far..grr. well, there was this one class but it was like 100's of dollars....... And I'm also broke because I'm saving up for a trip to Japan! *cries* ohh soooo helpless.

 

[Elizabeth]

Just typing something in romaji is fine. Since from what I hear even before enrolling in a class through most college/university programs at least it is expected you will have a fairly decent grasp on the kanas. I've just always worked with a tutor....or actually a whole string of them until recently.

 

[SalaryMan]

I find that knowing hiragana/katakana before you study the actual words is better for learning fast. That way , if you see a sign which says ( for example ) ごはん you can read the writing and know the pronunciation of the word .. all you need is the translation and if you have someone with you who knows the word then that's a bonus. Just a drive down the street could teach you a good 10 - 20 words. That's the way i studied anyway.

 

[futureproof]

Getting a "real" textbook might be a good idea, too. That way, your learning process will be more structured.

This statement is sooooo true. In the beginning I used books with title like JAPANESE IN 20 MINUTES A DAY and SO, YOUR GOING TO JAPAN TOMMORROW. (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) and the rub with these is you often get a version much too narrow and personalized. Also, I found a book with almost no English (no romaji either). From what I understand this is ultimately the path to follow.

 

[Carolgirl00]

hmm, well I think I'll use your guy's advice and get a good textbook. I believe that I will learn better that way, too.

Do you have any recommendations or any textbooks I should stray away fm? Thank you all so much for your help so far!! ^_~

 

[CANON]

Hi Carolgirl100,

If your looking for a good text book, i would reccomend
'Japanese Step by Step' by Gene Nishi. This is a fantastic book for beginners to get started. You will be reading and writing in no time..

 

[futureproof]

Hey Carolgirl00! One of the first books I used was "Your First 100 Words In Japanese". It's almost exclusively Kana, but very basic. It has some Kanji as well. An outstanding site I discovered is

kanjiclinic

It's a currently running column in the Japan Times, for non-Japanese living in Japan, to learn the general use Kanji. Check the archive as well. The columns are not intimidating, but fun and informative. It's like a personal lesson from an college professor.

 

[Elizabeth]

And here are a couple more recent threads on the topic of textbooks/hiragana readings. The more efficient and enlightening way is probably through standard Japanese primary school books, but you'd likely have to be able to navigate adult sites to get to them from the states unfortunately.....

Reading and responding Practice | Japan Forum

Websites to practice reading | Japan Forum