日本語

Hello everyone, I've been away from AW for a bit, but finally found my way back.

I live in Japan, been here for a long time actually. Longer than most of my students.

So, if anyone wants to talk, I'll be around.

For residents -- If you haven't seen バケモノの子 go see it, do it now. You will regret not seeing it on the big screen.

For non-residents -- When it hits your area, go see it. You won't be disappointed.

Welcome back!

Does バケモノの子 have anything to do with 「化物語」(the novel)?

No, I don't think so. Never heard of 化物語 and googling it shows it is something completely different. I'll look into 化物語. It looks interesting. Not sure I have time to add another manga to my reading list though. I keep running out of that most important commodity.

It's not a manga, actually... it's a fantasy novel. They made it into an anime, though.

Tocotin said:

It's not a manga, actually... it's a fantasy novel. They made it into an anime, though.

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Well, I'll look for it anyway. I've been half-heartedly looking for a Japanese sf/f novel to read. My Japanese reading sucks considering how long I've been here.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Reading in Japanese is probably the most difficult thing about the language, next to writing.

I don't speak Japanese, and I read it even less, but I do watch a lot of anime so:

Bakemono no Ko is the new film by Hosoda Mamoru. As far as I know it's an anime original. They'll probably release it around here some time in the next two years, and when they do I'll buy the Dvd since I like Hosoda's anime (I especially recommend Ookami Kodomo and Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo).

Bakemonogatari is a light novel by Nisio Isin, and it spawned a series. A lot have been turned into anime (Owarimonogatari is airing right now). I've seen nearly all of them (haven't seen Tsukimonogatari yet). If you're going to read it be aware that you're picking up a series. I think you can read the first one as a standalone, though, so you should be fine.

If you're looking for good SF, I'd recommend to look for Shin Sekai Yori by Kishi Yusuke. I loved the anime, and I hear from everyone who's read it, that the novel is even better. It's a dystopia based on what would happen if mankind developed psychokinetic powers - very, very good world building (if that's something you care about).

Thanks for the Shin Sekai Yori rec. I've started it. But I'm still a bit slow. Not as slow as I'd feared. But, I like the voice so far.

About all I can say, until I get farther in.

Debio said:

Thanks for the Shin Sekai Yori rec. I've started it. But I'm still a bit slow. Not as slow as I'd feared. But, I like the voice so far.

About all I can say, until I get farther in.

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Hope you like it. I suppose the characters are all still children?

I can't hope to read it at all. I could probably figure out the text if I put in the effort of a professional translation, except that what I'd end up with wouldn't be a translation, but a rough idea of what's going on. I'm not sure I could even begin to get a sense of voice. And the main obstacle to reading is kanji - so it's more accurate to say that I could figure out the text if I had furigana.

Anecdote: there's a reason I've been thinking about SSY recently. The anime captivated me to such an extent that I started thinking of the SF terms in Japanese rather than the subtitled terms. So it was bakenezumi etc. In some cases, I can't even remember what they used in English (e.g. the nekodamashi). So, this season, while planning out what anime I'll be watching I came across a children's anime about a "fuusen inu". It's quite literally a dog tied to a balloon, but the idea of a children's story spin-off of SSY about a "fuusen inu" was... interesting. (You'll eventually meet one; no spoilers.)

Dawnstorm said:

I can't hope to read it at all. I could probably figure out the text if I put in the effort of a professional translation, except that what I'd end up with wouldn't be a translation, but a rough idea of what's going on. I'm not sure I could even begin to get a sense of voice. And the main obstacle to reading is kanji - so it's more accurate to say that I could figure out the text if I had furigana.

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Have you tried Kanjitomo?

Yes, I was lured back in here because of the 新世界より discussion.

kuwisdelu said:

Have you tried Kanjitomo?

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I'm not even actively learning Japanese. I sometimes look up kanji when something intrigues me (last happened with "Hitsugi no Chaika", where "Hitsugi" does indeed mean "Coffin Princess" - but you can't tell if you don't know kanji). Maybe I'll make a comittment at some time. (Ah, it looks like Kanjitomo is an identification tool; I don't e-read, and I have no scanner, so that's out, too.)

The only Japanese book I have is something that elementary school children use to learn Japanese. It contains a story about pulling out a radish, as far as I can remember. And, yes, I did read that. Slowly. Also: no kanji.

Dawnstorm said:

I'm not even actively learning Japanese. I sometimes look up kanji when something intrigues me (last happened with "Hitsugi no Chaika", where "Hitsugi" does indeed mean "Coffin Princess" - but you can't tell if you don't know kanji). Maybe I'll make a comittment at some time. (Ah, it looks like Kanjitomo is an identification tool; I don't e-read, and I have no scanner, so that's out, too.)

The only Japanese book I have is something that elementary school children use to learn Japanese. It contains a story about pulling out a radish, as far as I can remember. And, yes, I did read that. Slowly. Also: no kanji.

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This is one reason I like ebooks. The dictionary function is really useful. Unfortunately, the kobo at the moment doesn't seem to have a Japanese-English dictionary available, though I haven't actually looked hard. The regular Japanese dictionary still works though and if I can't understand the meaning from that I can at least use the readings to look it up in a Japanese-English dictionary.

It certainly saves time looking things up. And that is the prime reason I haven't tried all that hard to practice reading, the effort/entertainment ratio was too lopsided. So far though, I think it may be okay.

If I get a couple of books done I can start looking at 'you may also like' stuff. Right now, getting started, it's a bit hard to get suggestions. I have hundreds of students between 15 and 22 or 23 and so far only two have given me a suggestion. I can't believe only 2 read SF/F out of that number. At my school the geek percentage is pretty high. Maybe they think I'm asking for recommendations for the best in Japanese SF/F. I'd be happy with anything that doesn't tempt me to throw it. (Good is better of course. But pulp is good, too. Debio==GodzillaFan.)

I live in Japan too, so it's cool to find this thread all the way up at the top!

Hey all.

DaveinJapan said:

I live in Japan too, so it's cool to find this thread all the way up at the top!

Hey all.

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It's a bit unusual to be at the top. I was away from posting at AW for quite a while. When I'm around and posting I try to keep this place going without actually doing the *bump* thing.

So if anyone wants to talk or whatever, I should be around.

This was only on the third page. If anyone is out there, I would love to talk writing or Japanese in person at some point or chat online.

Sadly not the most active of threads! After all, most Japanese-speakers won't be on an English writing forum.

I live in Tokyo, though, so you're not alone

Back when I was active in these forums, I knew quite a few Japanese people on here. Not sure if there are any left, unfortunately. Nevertheless, any Japanese-speaking person (native and otherwise) could talk here, I guess.

It comes and goes - sometimes more active, sometimes less. Welcome anyway.

Uhhh guys, I wanna learn Japanese because of Vocaloid, but I don't want to be a weeb, so what do I do ?

Learn the language then!

For grammar (used mostly as a reference rather than learning material): http://www.guidetojapanese.org/
For kanji, I used WaniKani
For writing, I used lang-8.com
For speaking, I didn't get much practice to be honest, but some people on lang-8 share their Skype information so you can practice with them.

Hm... I see this post is 8 years old, but I'm ever the optimist!

I've been living in Japan for 2 years and am at a conversational level at least for everyday things and stuff relating to work.
I started using Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar here: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete
Once I felt comfortable enough to start studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) I added Memrise. It's a site that features language courses, as well as other vocabulary-related, user-made courses. You can search by topic and look for the most used courses. The best have audio as well. I highly recommend it, especially if you're on the go, since it has a free app.

Once you feel conversational, you can join Lang-8, a blogging community where you can post in Japanese and get feedback and corrections from other language learners. You can befriend Japanese students of English and mutually help each other. I don't have much time for it as a language teacher, but it's definitely a great resource.

Hope this helps.

I've been studying for about 2 years while living in Japan. Here are the resources I use:

Tae Kim's Complete Guide to Japanese Grammar (study online, download the PDF, or buy the book:
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete

Language Courses that are memory games, created by other language students, many with audio. Search by language, topic, or formal test. Study at a PC or via smartphone.
www.memrise.com

Blog in Japanese and receive corrections from native speakers; befriend fellow bloggers and help them correct their English:
www.Lang-8.com

Hope this helps!

It's been a while since I had time to hang out on AW, but since I'm here again I thought I'd stop by and say hi to folks on this thread. Be cool to talk about Japan or answer questions and the like. So if anyone is interested say hello.

こんにちは、日本語がちょっとわかりません。日本で一年前に住みました。でも、日本語で話して下手です。
よろしくお願い。(' u '
ごめん、この頃、あまり日本語を練習しない。。。

n..n I'd love to talk about Japan, I miss it a lot.

はじめまして！俺ポールともいます。四年間日本の奈良県に住んでった。何年前アメリへ帰国した。その時から日本語ほとんど使わない。 Any other (ex)JETs out there?