Questions tagged [japanese]
Questions about learning or teaching the Japanese language or its writing systems (kanji, katakana, hiragana). General questions about Japanese can be asked on our sister site Japanese Language Stack Exchange.
40
questions
0
votes
0
answers
19
views
What are the grammatical similarities between Mongolian and Japanese?
Are there any native speakers of Mongolian that have learned Japanese, or vice versa? Any tips on learning the grammar would be appreciated. I'm not expecting anyone to have learned both languages but ...
3
votes
0
answers
37
views
Is it possible to filter an RTK Kanji Anki deck to only include Kanji from a vocab deck?
Is this an appropriate place to ask about setting up Anki?
I have used RTK (Remembering the Kanji) in the past, and it was helpful for kanji recall using the little mnemonics, but I wasn't really ...
- 131
3
votes
0
answers
20
views
Japanese: Are there computer games that support learning the Genki I and II textbook vocabulary?
Are there computer games that use the Genki I and II textbook vocabulary? Sometimes playing a game allows for better memory formation of vocabulary compared to straight memorizing lists and viewing ...
- 31
1
vote
3
answers
138
views
Is Mandarin and character writing easier for people who know Japanese?
I've been planning to study basic Mandarin for some time. Today I had to write neko (the word for cat) in Japanese using Kanji.
I just noticed that Simplified Chinese uses the same characters to ...
user1801060
1
vote
0
answers
30
views
Many Chinese students don't continue past the intermediate level (~HSK4); do other Asian languages have this same phenomenon?
If you've studied Chinese, you quickly discover that many students don't follow the HSK beyond HSK4. It seems a lot give up, or at least, find some private method to continue their studies. There ...
- 2,368
0
votes
0
answers
45
views
Q: What do I do after I can read kanji, katakana, and hiragana?
I'm starting to learn Japanese but I'm wondering what I do after I can read (know katakana, hiragana, and kanji) and (probably) write Japanese? How do I understand what people are saying and say it ...
0
votes
0
answers
36
views
How do I learn literature and grammar of English, Farsi and Japanese and become fluent?
I'm planning to become a translator and I can already understand, read and write Farsi and English and don't know Japanese.
for Japanese, I'm Studying Genki volumes and Japanese from zero books, I've ...
0
votes
0
answers
79
views
How can I find IPA charts that pairs the phonemes of Japanese with a common word feat. that phoneme in that language?
How can I find equivalents to the following chart for Japanese?
Scilicet, the chart for Modern Japanese must SCHEMATICALLY map out each of its phonemes. Each phoneme must be tailgated by a common ...
user90
-1
votes
2
answers
121
views
Struggling with learning, especially without outputting
I'm trying to learn Japanese, and I know quite a bit already (I used rtk to learn the meaning/ stroke order or about 2200 kanji, know over 1700 vocab, listen and watch a lot of videos constantly ...
5
votes
2
answers
862
views
Should I learn Japanese pitch accent right from the start?
I just started learning Japanese regularly, and I was wondering if it's worth it to work on pitch accent while learning grammar and vocab or forget it for now and start working on it when I can speak ...
- 51
2
votes
5
answers
641
views
How old is too old to learn Japanese?
How old is too old to learn Japanese well enough to have meaningful conversations?
I am not even dreaming of learning any language fluently at my age however. In my opinion, 27 is generally too old to ...
1
vote
1
answer
63
views
Should my current translating process be improved and if so how?
Questions regarding specific language learning techniques or resources, and their effectiveness in comparison to others area allowed on this site according to the help center.
The following is the ...
- 119
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
Looking for a French-Japanese dictionary in text format
Does anyone know where I might be able to get hold of a French to Japanese dictionary in plain text format? I am not looking for a website or an app.
6
votes
0
answers
95
views
How long between each JLPT level for learning Japanese?
A common question among language learners is how long will it take me to learn <insert language>?, and the usual answer, for a native English speaker, is to refer to the FSI list, which divides ...
- 5,076
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
When studying Japanese, how much should I be able to retain at the end of a Genki textbook chapter (Self-study concerns)?
I've been studying Japanese since about January using the Genki second edition workbook and textbook. I try to get in an hour session each day but I have been a little on and off with it; I think its ...
- 119
3
votes
1
answer
161
views
Learning japanese, 1 month progress (Tokyo)
I am a Japanese Language student here in Tokyo. I don't know if I'll get a downvote for this question, but might as well try. I've been studying Japanese for about a month now here in Japan using a ...
- 131
3
votes
1
answer
162
views
How quickly do western adults learn Kanji?
Learning kanji has the reputation of being among the hardest parts of learning Japanese for many.
In order to find a more objective answer to this common question I would like to frame it more ...
- 33
3
votes
1
answer
94
views
Learning kanji and vocabulary
Learning vocabulary in Japanese (and I assume Chinese) is a strange feeling since one must also learn how to write that word using Chinese characters. When I started learning Japanese, I learnt words ...
- 203
5
votes
0
answers
347
views
What's a Japanese language-learning website with interlinear gloss translations?
I've been trying to find one of these for years. I love the wikipedia examples where they have a sentence, a word-by-word gloss, and an English translation. Like this:
太陽が｜東の｜空に｜昇る。
taiyō ga | ...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
149
views
Is there a better way to memorize the stroke order of 恵, 専, and 敷?
The three kanji 恵, 専, and 敷 share the same first 6 strokes. Using the traditional radicals I could describe them as being composed "一, 日, 丨" at the start and then finishing "...心", "...寸", "...⼂, 方, ...
- 159
10
votes
2
answers
263
views
What sequences of learning kanji characters, their readings, meanings, and related vocabulary tend toward longest retention?
In Japanese, many words can be written both with just the kana (phonetically) and with the kanji (Chinese characters).
For example, the character 年 (ねん - "nen") means "year". In ...
- 4,975
10
votes
0
answers
91
views
How to practice honorifics?
Japanese has honorifics (敬語 - "keigo"), a feature of which my native language English is devoid. For example, there is different vocabulary and grammar to use when speaking to a social superior, about ...
- 4,975
5
votes
0
answers
74
views
What are general cognitive principles that could explain why Heisig's method works?
This is a follow up to this question on Remembering the Kana.
James Heisig is author of a famous series of books involving learning Chinese and Japanese characters. These books are
Remembering the ...
- 5,076
9
votes
2
answers
842
views
Japanese – how to learn it without using SRS?
I hate SRS (spaced repetition system), even though I have used it for more than ten years for various languages. I can’t stand the sight of it anymore, yet, I know of no better alternative for a ...
user584
7
votes
2
answers
175
views
Should I use my second language to learn my third language? [duplicate]
English is my second language (I do not have a good command of it.) while Chinese is my first language.
I want to have Japanese as my third language. Can I learn Japanese from books/tutorials ...
- 173
5
votes
0
answers
54
views
Learning Mandarin or Japanese First? [duplicate]
I am interested by both Japanese and Chinese cultures and I intend to learn both Mandarin and Japanese at some point (I don't even know if this is realistic as I also intend to learn Spanish and ...
- 51
8
votes
0
answers
416
views
Bulk-add pronunciations to Anki decks
This is what I want to do:
I have a large Anki collection (over 20,000 notes of Japanese vocabulary).
I want to add Japanese pitch/accent information to each note.
Possible solutions?
I have no idea ...
- 226
5
votes
1
answer
136
views
Japanese language: Exercises for learning adverbs and their usage
I am looking for a book that has plenty of exercises for Japanese adverbs.
I already have an excellent book by Taeko Kamiya The Handbook of Japanese Adjectives and Adverbs. While it provides ...
- 330
15
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Graded readers for Japanese?
As several other questions already mentioned, graded readers are a good resources for extensive reading, at least for people who are not yet sufficiently proficient to read texts written for native ...
- 19.7k
14
votes
1
answer
187
views
Is it more efficient to make flashcards for L3 in L2 and L1?
I'm currently learning Japanese as my L3, using flashcards (Anki) for kanji vocabulary.
My L1 is Portuguese and L2 is English (fluent). Is it more efficient to make flashcards for L3 in L2 and L1? ...
- 143
5
votes
1
answer
254
views
Mnemonics for learning hiragana and katakana (other than Heisig)?
I'm looking for resources that use mnemonics for the hiragana and katakana syllabaries. I am aware of Heisig's book Rememberting the Kana (about which we already have a question), but this book have ...
- 19.7k
6
votes
1
answer
223
views
Evidence that learning radicals speeds up character learning in Japanese?
Characters — in Chinese or Japanese (or Korean Hanja) — can be learnt in various ways, and it is plausible that paying attention to radicals helps memorization and retention. But is there any hard ...
- 19.7k
10
votes
4
answers
293
views
First learn speaking and then writing OR both at once?
I am a novice to the Japanese language, and this question might have some opinion-based answers but I could use some advice.
Should I learn to speak some basic words and sentences up to a level where ...
- 203
13
votes
3
answers
325
views
Is it easy for native Japanese speakers to remember simplified Chinese characters?
Kanji resemble Chinese characters because they were introduced into the Japanese language via Chinese.
Is it easy for native Japanese speakers to remember simplified Chinese characters?
I'm asking ...
- 655
11
votes
3
answers
357
views
Is it necessary to learn the characters of a language that uses logograms [Japanese]?
I want to learn Japanese and most books or guides begin with how to draw an logogram and to repeat the process of "writing" and single character dozens of times. And learning hundreds of those signs ...
- 121
12
votes
2
answers
366
views
What is the most efficient way to learn how to write kanji?
Learning kanji is an important part of learning Japanese but what is the most efficient method if I want to be able to write them on the spot?
Muscle memory can certainly be useful but writing them ...
- 371
10
votes
0
answers
117
views
What aspects of "Remembering the Kana" make it effective for learning kana?
While Remembering the Kana is regarded by some as having some flaws (some have criticised how it teaches katakana, and I've noticed a few inconsistencies or errors in the book that a proof-reader ...
- 2,525
22
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is it easier for native Japanese speakers to learn Korean, or Korean speakers to learn Japanese?
Japanese and Korean are very similar from a grammatical point of view and it is even possible to translate word for word without losing too much meaning.
With respect to pronunciation, Japanese seems ...
- 629
22
votes
3
answers
602
views
According to scientific research, which languages take the least time to learn for a native Japanese speaker?
Has there been research done about which languages are generally the easiest to learn for an average native Japanese speaker? Do they have an easier time learning Mandarin than learning a Western ...
- 824
7
votes
1
answer
338
views
Which order should I learn Japanese and Chinese? [closed]
Saw this question on Area 51 and I'm learning both languages.
Which order should I learn Japanese and Chinese? I already know some French and am fluent in English, so what way would I go from that?
...
- 687