How do you learn Japanese? What's your tips?

[kitamichibi]

I learn Japanese by pretending that I don't know any languages at all and I'm starting from scratch, pretty dumb? I know but its really effective. How do you learn japanese? What's your tips?

[SirFirestorm]

I learn it with a textbook and lots of practice.

How do you pretend you don't know any languages? I dont think you mean you sit in a crib and listen to your parents speak japanese to you during everyday life.

... do you?

[kitamichibi]

LOL! Iie, not like that..it's like, for example:

Instead of saying "aishiteiru" is "I love you" in English, forget about the English for a while and envision the action/feeling and link it to "aishiteiru", that way, when you think of the action/feeling, you automatically think of "aishiteiru" instead of asking, "How to say 'I love you' in Japanese again?"

So that way, when you get accustomed to doing it, you won't have to translate from English to Japanese all the time, (I relatively suck at that...), and everything would be much easier... at least for me. It worked for my French too!!

[bombush]

Well, this is the best method to learn vocabulary in my opinion. Constant translating between your native language and Japanese is slowing you down. It's also almost impossible to sound naturally if you don't think in the language right away.
But this way also needs a lot effort to override your natural tendency to create just a link between the english and japanese word.
So it definitely isn't dumb.
It's also good to learn words from the whole sentences, not just the words alone.

[poppop]

you're on the right track

[Cone]

Right now, I am trying the passive technique of just listening and reading, without attempting to speak or write. I ask my Japanese friends to speak to me purely in Japanese, and I respond in English, although what's interesting is that sometimes I end up responding in Japanese without thinking specifically about it, and I imagine someday I will just start to respond in Japanese. It's a much easier learning technique than trying to speak and write from the start, and as far as I know, it's very effective. I still have to think about just about everything I say; nothing comes natural to me yet. And trying to speak and write like that is very difficult and also dangerous.

Actually, I do not find it all that necessary to constantly try to "think in Japanese" from the outset and try to ween oneself from thinking of the English equivalents. When you start listening and understanding at a native speaker pace, the pace is too fast anyway to think about the English, so you just start to think in Japanese naturally. And besides, context seems to me to be more important than the definition of the word itself, and pretty much every Japanese word has a different "feel" than its English counterpart, so trying to transfer the "feel" of the English translation of a word onto the Japanese word also has its problems.

[Rovian]

Instead of saying "aishiteiru" is "I love you" in English, forget about the English for a while and envision the action/feeling and link it to "aishiteiru", that way, when you think of the action/feeling, you automatically think of "aishiteiru" instead of asking, "How to say 'I love you' in Japanese again?"

This sounds like the method Rosetta Stone uses.


I do different things. I am taking lessons right now, but I sometimes watch videos.

[kitamichibi]

I've never used Rosetta Stone before, but it's really cool that we kinda use the same method.. :p

[everdream]

I've heard great things about Rosetta Stone, but the price tag is waaay too much for what you get.

You're method is the ideal method, but it's quite hard for someone who doesn't know that much in the way of Vocab and grammar (Like me).
I do try, when I can, to think of what I do know and use it in everyday situations when I encounter them.
EG ( I can't think of a better example ) If I was in a book store, and there was a book I wanted, but it was pricey, I'd just think to my self この 本は 高い だよ or something...
It does help, at least I think so >.<

[tanuki]

Just as a side note, この 本は 高い だよ is ungrammatical. Drop the だ and it's all right.

[kevinnwhat]

I learn from obviously (studying the regular way) But i also listen to alot of music! and watch many japanese movies. I try my best to translate songs and sing them (helps alot with prononciation) Since im not in japan or do not have any japanese friends to talk with, i gotta listen to them (ie watch movies/music) as much as i can to be familiar with the speed that they talk. I am studying on my own so its quite difficult. I choose a theme every week for vocab, look em up in the dictionary and study them. like this past week was (places ie-library/airport etc) I constantly write sentences practicing. For kanji i have a book (lets learn kanji) and also know a site that has all kanji for JLPT, which i study from there (writing them down a gizzilion times lol) I read everything i do outload, to let my mouth get used to japanese sounds. And read alot of things (on internet) at least i try, casue theres usually a million kanji i have no clue of what they are lol. Yeah but thats what i do

[uber_geek]

It seems I have studied more methods of learning, than the language itself. I have the same ideas you do. Im always thinking once you started speaking in full paragraphs or longer phrases, just how hard its going to be to say it in your head in english. Then translate that to japanese to keep up with the steady pace of conversation.

Although my current method of learning is Genki I and listening to lots of GREAT japanese music. I also have some movies like "The Ringu" and some anime (cowboy bebop)

I understand japanese alittle
Nihongo ga sukosi wakarimasu = Japanese alittle understand (i think thats right translation, I dont know what Ga really means besides its a particle of some kind)

Like this phrase is completly backwords to english speaking....

[kevinnwhat]

i think you mean "sukoshii"

[Oracle]

kevinnwhat wrote:
i think you mean "sukoshii"

i think you mean "sukoshi"

[Yudan Taiteki]

"sukosi" is perfectly fine; it's an alternate romanization of "sukoshi".

"sukoshii" is wrong, though.