I can't read or speak Japanese. The writing looks like scribbles and the speech sounds like gibberish, all because I can't understand it.
Why can't Japanese be in English
I can't read or speak Japanese. The writing looks like scribbles and the speech sounds like gibberish, all because I can't understand it.
Why can't Japanese be in English
Speak, no. Understand spoken Japanese, not really. Read, a tiny bit. I know the katakana and hiragana characters, and a very small assortment of kanji. It's just that my understanding of native Japanese is very limited, so my reading skills are 95% used for the purpose of reading English represented with Japanese characters. I'd love to know more, but what I have learned has all been self-taught (without even the assistance of programs like Rosetta Stone or what have you; just online character charts and dictionaries, basically) and I don't think I really have the drive and time to fluently learn the language like that. I am always picking up new words, though, like, for example, I recently memorized "uso" ("lie") and "majime" ("serious"). Anyway, I find that with games, even the most text-heavy ones, the critical information, like the names of characters, locations, moves, items, etc., are often in English (represented via katakana), and that's enough to get by well most of the time. And, yeah, this learning process was started because of Japanese video games (Star Ocean on Super Famicom specifically was my start), but I also import a lot of other Japanese products, like manga, music, etc.
My main goal at the moment: Understanding Japanese text via memorising the Kanji (but not necessarily how to read it, that's a longer-term goal) and if possible, without using electronic dictionaries (also a longer-term goal). Concurrent goal: Learning how to write it.
Sub-goals: Learning how to write Kanji (high priority, concurrent with main goal); increasing vocabulary (high); using the correct readings (i.e. on/kun) (medium-high); comprehending compound Kanji (medium-high); understanding spoken Japanese speech (medium); speaking Japanese (low).
Current status of main goal: I'm getting there. I am currently in the process of reviewing and memorising 2200 Kanji (i.e. I have already looked at/studied, and associated an English meaning/word to each Kanji, at least several times). Additionally and at the same time, I hope to be able to reproduce/write 2200 Kanji out of thin air.
The Kanji, which was by far, the main obstacle to my understanding of any sentence, and which used to all looked barely the same to me, are now slowly becoming comprehensible. The Kanji which I think used to all look the same, now all look unique. Each individual Kanji has a story to tell and you would do well to heed it.
In today's age of technology, learning how to write the Kanji seems like a futile and pointless exercise. In fact, I argue to the contrary. Merely looking at a Kanji (while still useful for recognition purposes) is only partly helpful. I argue that learning the meaning of the Kanji and learning how to write it are linked (doing one, helps the doing the other). It is by writing the Kanji with a pen, and with the correct stroke order, that you will be able to get a "feel" of the Kanji. In time, writing a particular Kanji will not require thinking. You will learn and write a Kanji the same way tennis player hits a ball over the net. It will become a reflex action. A good side-effect is that your usage of electronic dictionaries (with pen input) will be more efficient, where correct stroke order is relatively important.
Above all, with the exceptions of the simplest and most basic Kanji, all Kanji does not consist of mere lines or strokes. Rather, each Kanji can be separated into smaller parts, and these are called "radicals" or "primitives". And it is with these radicals/primitives, these building blocks for which you can use to construct a story for that particular Kanji. This strategy will be necessary for both your writing and for your understanding of the Kanji. Either that, or just rote learning/brute force it. You don't have a choice.
Having said that, even if I have all the meanings of the Kanji memorised, I will probably still have trouble with 2 things: 1) compound Kanji (a simple search on an electronic dictionary solves this) and 2) Long and complicated sentences using multiple types of grammar (will need more study on intermediate/advanced grammar for that one).
But I am optimistic that my goal will be realised in the near future. I will be able to finally play my Super Famicom RPGs (among other things like unreleased Japanese RPGs in the future) in their original language and to satisfy my purist self.
Last edited by layzee; 03-14-2012 at 08:36 PM.
I took a semester of Japanese in high school and have studied it on my own since then. I can read and write hiragana/katakana and can form basic sentences. VERY basic sentences. I can understand about 30 to 40% of what I hear. I've been meaning to take classes.
Anyway, what little I know has helped when it comes to import games.
Pretty much no upset for only sayonara and a very few other words.
Hajimemashite Digit press
O-tearai wa doko ni arimasu ka?
Yeah, right now, I am finishing my 3rd year of Japanese at the university level. I am an electrical engineering and Japanese double major. Starting this summer, I am studying abroad at the University of Tsukuba for a year. I hope that spending a year over there will help me improve my Japanese.
日本語を話せることも読むことも書くことも全部好きなんですけど、まだまだ上手じゃありません 。
Lurking since '05
可能形使ったら「を」助詞が使えません。このボイスには、その助詞が「が」になります。日本語の学習者は、 この間違いが通常だと思います。
便利な説明を読むには、下記のサイトをご覧ください。
http://www.geocities.jp/niwasaburoo/25boisu.html#25.4
25.4.1 可能形の形についてという部分。
頑張ってください。
I can speak japanese moderately enough. But my main interest is in japanese music and literature (classic novels and manga). I imported alot of text-driven games with intention to play them in the original tongue and indeed I do dabble in some RPGs and Visual Novels but am actually enjoying the learning experience much more than the games in general. It makes it more fun for me to learn something while I play. But I prefer to import stuff like books and music instead.
I don't speak Japanese (though whether I could speak it would have no relation to whether I could read it...) and I do not read it either. Although the idea of playing Famicom games in their original language is exciting, I just do not think that I have enough inspiration to learn to read this language, and this is coming from a guy who speaks English and German, and also a conversational rate of Afrikaans (and used to know some Dutch until he forgot it...could probably fake it though). I also took 2 years of Spanish at the uni and am working on learning Chinese now...
On another note, Rosetta Stone is garbage. The only reason that program sells as many copies as it does is due to the promotion. I have tinkered with many languages to various levels, and have found RS to be worthless. Many other seasoned language students will tell you the same thing, if you do your research Also, for those of you who remember your English (or whatever your native language is) grammar, consider self-study. Classes move REALLY slow, and I talk from both being an ESL teacher (well technically EFL but that is a different story) and as having been a student in many language classes. A good textbook and a private tutor once a week (to help with pronunciation and potential grammar questions) will take you further, faster, than generic classes.
I speak Mandarin Chinese and read a little, and many of the Japanese characters come right from the Chinese, so sometimes I have half a clue what the Japanese is as long as it's written legibly.
I actually took a course in Japanese in college and I was pretty much confused by the end of the semester I think I rather stick with improving English instead (I speak, read, and write in three other languages though) <3
Hi guys.
I studied Japanese for 8 years and lots of people say that I am fluent. But my vocabulary and kanji knowledge is definitely crumbling since I dont use it too often here in Germany.
Guns don't kill people,
Chuck Norris kills people!
no i can't speak japnese
@vivek88: the next time someone asks, respond "Nihongo ga dekimasen" instead.
Russ Perry Jr, 2175 S Tonne Dr #114, Arlington Hts IL 60005
Got any obscure game stuff?
I've been wanting to take Japanese lessons for a long time, but can't find the time to do so. I'm still hoping that I'll be able to take some basic lessons in September at a local manga lounge (classes are being taught by a very competent teacher), but I'm not sure if I'll be able to. We'll see.
haha pretty funny that no one speaks japanese on the import games forum.
fluent btw.