Looking for someone to speak with :]

[Sarah-chan]

Hello everyone, I was going to start this off by a little phrase in japanese .. but then i realized i didn't know any- so i want to change that. I am just starting off learning Hiragana so I'm nowhere near learning Katakana, Kanji, or full on sentences. In fact, I've only learned the vowels, k's, and s's. xD It's been three days I think since I started so I think I'm making a bit of progress. I need to slow down though, the 'ke' and 'ko' i keep forgetting. >.<

ah! Sorry, kinda off-topic. Anyway, the whole reason for this post was to send out a request to anyone who is interested in becoming my personal helper. Lol, ok more or less just someone for me to talk to and to help me out with learning japanese. I think actually talking to someone who knows japanese pretty well, will give me more experience in forming sentences, memorizing the hiragana[ katakana and kanji when the time comes, too], and overall just moving me along faster to my goal of learning Japanese.

I would really appreciate it if any kind person is willing to become my friend and help me out. Arigatou. <3

This site seems really amazing, and I haven't met any members yet, and I'm hoping they are as great as everything else on this site. =] Don't let me down!

[ess_jay_arr]

Have you got a textbook? Sorry, that's not really in answer to what you asked.

Practice with other people is definitely valuable, but not if you don't actually know anything to practice with! I doubt anyone's going to volunteer themselves to be your unpaid teacher, but if you get a textbook and start learning by yourself, the people here will be more than happy to help you with any points you get stuck on.

Good luck! Ganbatte kudasai!

[Sarah-chan]

Thanks for your opinion. ^-^ And thanks!

But I don't necessarily mean teacher, just anyone to give me pointers, and of course chat with; since I know no one on this site. I am learning as fast as my little brain can take. x] I am really just sending a request out for a 'big sister/brother' kind of person. [They do that a lot in sports .. xD]

Unfortunately, I don't have a textbook and don't think i'll have a chance to buy one soon. So I'm depending on this site to start me off and then from there i'll see what i can do to improve. But I'll figure that out when the time comes ..

Ok this thread has now turned into, "Anyone willing to just chat with me [and/or] about the Japanese language?"
=]

[Casey09]

I learned hiragana by just having to look up until they were drilled into my brain. I had vocab words written only in hiragana, and I made myself learn them.

[ezembrano]

@ Sarah-chan

Have you already memorized the hiragana and katakana?

As to "Anyone willing to just chat with me [and/or] about the Japanese language?"...hai zehi (yes, definitely):D

...demo ganbatte kudasai (...but please do your best)

[Kakads]

I'd be more than happy to chat with you. xD
I'm taking Japanese GCSE in the summer so I'll be studying Japanese lots anyway..

Do you have MSN?

[Fakse92]

sorry if i'm a little off topik,i just wanted to ask what is GCSE,is it an alternative to the JLPT ? Anyway good luck for your studies! ^^ There is a friend of mine who is learing kana as well and I always try to help her as much as i can,so i know what you're getting through!

[everdream]

GCSE are tests which are (mainly?) taken in England. High school students take them in a variety of subjects. However, anyone can take GCSE's if they apply to take them.

A guess a GCSE is about JLPT level 3, except the test includes speaking and writing, so is much harder in that respect.

[Kakads]

I've been put down for the GCSE Japanese exam that does not include the speaking section, which makes studying much easier. Writing will be a bummer though, my kana always come out weird. xD

[Takoyaki]

@Sarah-chan:

I remember when I first started learning Hiragana. I bought the flash cards and just drilled them over and over. I started with 4 cards, over and over, then I would add one once I was confident. Then another and so on. I also practiced with spelling out my favorite singers names with the cards when I got too bored of just shuffling. But I learned very fast that way.

I would be happy to give you pointers. I know enough basic grammar now. I translate songs as a hobby, and even started attempting to translate TV shows. But I still have to work on my listening skills. Typing I don't have a problem with though.

Suggestion: If you do get a textbook, I highly recommend Genki, An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. It's got really easy explanations and examples. I started with About.com's Japanese section before I found Genki, and their examples were too hard to understand at first. Now I can read them just fine. I also tried other books. Genki was the best!

Pointer: Learn standard Japanese first. Don't worry about slang or young-people-speak (I can't think of a good word to call that, lol) just yet. I found once you know the standard forms of everthing, understanding other forms like abbreviated speech (English example: "He kicked me in da 'ed!"), become much easier to learn. The more organized you are about your learning the less holes you will have in your knowledge as you go along. Following the lessons on a simple website or text book in order is the best way, as the complicated stuff is only complicated if you missed basics on the way up! Ippo ippo (one step at a time)!

Pointer: Practice practice practice. Oh, and practice. The more you use what you learned the easier it will get and the faster.

Good luck.

[Kudo Masaki]

I can help you somewhat, add me and I can help you on YIM.

masaki_kudo@yahoo.com

So yeah. Like everyone said, practice practice, and get a textbook, there are many, look for a cheap one at a bookstore. Theyre not hard to find (for me anyway XD) So yeah.

[Camui_]

Here are a few really good sites to help you memorize hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
I suggest that you physically write the characters down on paper as you memorize them too.
It really helps in the learning process.

http://www.realkana.com
http://kana.icann.se/
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/sheaa/projects/genki/hiragana-timer.html

I have tons of Japanese learning sites in my bookmarks, so feel free to contact me if you
would like to know of some more, or/and if you would like to study the Japanese language together.

~Camui

[englishinhikone]

Hi, i`m from the UK myself and have been here for a month now. I was taught hiragana and learnt them all in less than 2 days ( commited to memory ). Drop me a line @ bobwjackson.co.uk i`d be more than happy to share the wisdom of the way i was taught to learn.