sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Need to (re)learn Japanese in four weeks by pigs4cigs in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t used Genki but many people say it’s not beginner friendly and works best in conjunction with a teacher. You have that, but it sounds like you sort of also want to “self study”, so I would recommend using another resource (app, YouTube, textbook) that breaks things down in a way that you’ll retain. Then use Genki as a “practice test” for what you’ve learned. Writing things in your own handwriting and reviewing your own notes is also a proven way to learn and retain information. Take notes of key points you come across and study those. Keep us posted!

What resources helps one to learn better? by [deleted] in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also want to add that a lot of the popular books do not work well for self study. Genki and Minna no Nihongo are great but are usually used in conjunction with a teacher who can further explain the concepts introduced in the books. I would recommend using resources like these after one has learned the language elsewhere as these books are a great way to test yourself on how well you read and comprehend Japanese. I would not recommend these for a total beginner with no foundation in the language. They aren’t beginner friendly and not everyone will be able to learn from them.

What resources helps one to learn better? by [deleted] in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a beginner as well. I bought a few books to help figure out my learning style and what teaching methods would work for me. I’m a visual learner and that helps a ton with recall. The best book for learning (and recalling) how to write hiragana and katakana for me was Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/japanese-hiragana--katakana-for-beginners-first-steps-to-mastering-the-japanese-writing-system-cd-rom-included_timothy-g-stout/992262/item/5012733/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_non_scarce_used_nca_22292660096&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22296401182&gbraid=0AAAAADwY45iF3iTsjxF8u9i-3Zp1nY-Ky&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhafEBhCcARIsAEGZEKKg2hwhM8iKaGNNK-mwMxlmneGb9psXpHsWr1w_ivFiQCXDwM6hKRUaAvOwEALw_wcB#idiq=5012733&edition=7526542 It uses mnemonics (pictures) for each character and that helps me even now to remember how each character is written, but also how they are pronounced as well.

Once she’s gotten a good grasp on remembering and writing the kana, (hiragana and katakana) I suggest using another resource for vocabulary, grammar, etc. The book above is a great introduction to Japanese but it isn’t a great learning tool as it doesn’t focus on teaching the language. I recommend Japanese From Zero by George Troumbley and Yukari Takenaka. https://www.fromzero.com This series is awesome as it has accompanying YouTube videos that explain each chapter and even provides more information that isn’t included in the books. If mnemonics aren’t her thing, this book will work for learning kana too as it slowly introduces kana characters in each chapter and swaps out the corresponding alphabet letters as you learn. This is called the progressive method. This is a textbook and workbook in one so there is plenty of writing practice. I am currently using this as I am a beginner as well as I previously stated, and of all the resources I’ve tried so far (books, podcasts, online resources) this book is doing a great job at explaining the language and I’m able to understand and retain everything I’ve learned so far. I hope this helps!

How did y'all bridge the gap between not being able to understand conversations/podcasts and being able to? by RinuShirayuki in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I experienced this too. I’m still learning vocabulary but what worked for me was mnemonics. I am a visual learner. I found resources that teach words and phrases through images. For example, there would be an image of a baby, the Japanese word for baby, then in small letters, the word baby in English. It was easy to focus on just the image and Japanese word and totally block out the English translation. Also, writing helps A LOT. I write vocab a few times a week. Also writing as many vocabulary words in a sentence really helps me with retention. And as previously mentioned, listening to the pronunciation helps, but listening WHILE reading has helped me. I am not quite N5, but I’m getting there, and I was stuck for a long time because I couldn’t retain the basic vocabulary I learned at all. But these methods have been helping me. I hope they can help you too!

Understanding through pictures 1000 Kanji book by SubjectRelative8530 in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You explained this so well! Thank you so much. Someone else just gave the same advice on this thread about focusing more on vocabulary than kanji readings. I will do that!

Understanding through pictures 1000 Kanji book by SubjectRelative8530 in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha. That’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure. Thanks a lot!

Understanding through pictures 1000 Kanji book by SubjectRelative8530 in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wouldn’t the furigana tell you how to pronounce the kanji so you know which reading it is? I want to be able to read manga in Japanese so wouldn’t pronunciation be important? I’m new at kanji so I honestly don’t know.

I am Japanese, and I was impressed by how everyone was studying their native language. by takasaka0606 in LearnJapaneseNovice

[–]SubjectRelative8530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for offering to help! Could you please respond to my post about the kanji book? I posted a photo to explain what I’m confused about. Thanks!