What are we getting into?
What are we getting into?
Yeah that is my question. By starting to learn Japanese here, what exactly are we learning? I got some of them answered, but I still have a few question. I know that we are learning how to read, write and listening (at some degree). But what I'd like to know is, will we be able to understand what we read at some point during the study here? Or we just mainly learning how to read and write without understand what we are reading? I can see results from learning here (at some degree since im only in the first few chapters of beginners)
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Re: What are we getting into?
If you are reading without understanding anything then you aren't really reading at all. Just looking at words.
I don't really understand what you are asking.
I don't really understand what you are asking.
天気がいいから、散歩しましょう。
Re: What are we getting into?
Well what I mean is, if we are learning too read here. Will we learn how to understand what we are reading?
Re: What are we getting into?
I am also very confused by what you are trying to ask.
If I cannot understand what I am reading, then I can't read it!
Are you talking about being able to understand material that has been covered already? or picking up Japanese reading material and being able to read and understand that?
Or is it pretty much a grammar issue? Seeing a bunch of words and particles and not knowing exactly how they come together, even though you know the vocab?
If I cannot understand what I am reading, then I can't read it!
Are you talking about being able to understand material that has been covered already? or picking up Japanese reading material and being able to read and understand that?
Or is it pretty much a grammar issue? Seeing a bunch of words and particles and not knowing exactly how they come together, even though you know the vocab?
Re: What are we getting into?
Yes that's what I mean, is my English that bad? lol.
If I learn to read Japanese or Hiragana here, will we also learn to be able to understand what is written in Hiragana.
or if you didn't understand that either... i'll just quote
If I learn to read Japanese or Hiragana here, will we also learn to be able to understand what is written in Hiragana.
or if you didn't understand that either... i'll just quote
picking up Japanese reading material and being able to read and understand that?
Re: What are we getting into?
By here, do you mean this website/forum?Ragevx1 wrote:Yes that's what I mean, is my English that bad? lol.
If I learn to read Japanese or Hiragana here, will we also learn to be able to understand what is written in Hiragana.
or if you didn't understand that either... i'll just quotepicking up Japanese reading material and being able to read and understand that?
And, well the answer is eventually. Imagine learning hiragana as learning the roman alphabet... if I write something like this to you: "jfiwjagi" do you understand what it means? no. You know the letters, what sound they make... but the meaning itself you will have to learn through vocabulary.
It's the same with Japanese. The first step is to learn the alphabet, then some words sentences, etc. It's all a matter of progress. Reaching the point when you'll pick up your average Japanese newspaper and actually "read" it, not decipher it, is years away.
- Yudan Taiteki
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Re: What are we getting into?
If by "here" you mean thejapanesepage.com, then no. The material on this site is not extensive enough for you to learn how to read Japanese -- it's more of a little introduction than anything else; you really need a textbook to make substantial progress.
Actually being able to read native Japanese material requires a long period of study; I think if you're a reasonably motivated student with access to good study materials, 3-4 years of study can allow you to start reading native materials with a lot of dictionary use.
Actually being able to read native Japanese material requires a long period of study; I think if you're a reasonably motivated student with access to good study materials, 3-4 years of study can allow you to start reading native materials with a lot of dictionary use.
Last edited by Yudan Taiteki on Fri 08.01.2008 9:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Chris Kern
Re: What are we getting into?
If you're just learning hiragana, you're a long way from comprehending anything you read, because you don't yet have the grammar or vocabulary. You'll be able to sound out all-hiragana text, and that's about it, when you're done learning hiragana.
If you stick it out and learn the grammar and some basic vocabulary, you will (with dictionary at your elbow) start to be able to read and understand Japanese text. If you continue to stick it out, you'll be able to dispense with the dictionary and understand most of what you read, but expect that to take years.
If you stick it out and learn the grammar and some basic vocabulary, you will (with dictionary at your elbow) start to be able to read and understand Japanese text. If you continue to stick it out, you'll be able to dispense with the dictionary and understand most of what you read, but expect that to take years.
Richard VanHouten
ゆきの物語
ゆきの物語
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Re: What are we getting into?
If you also work on building your voabulary you should be able to read and write whatever words you know in hiragana/katakana. After that comes kanji!
What is your native language, by the way?

What is your native language, by the way?
そうだ、嬉しいんだ、生きる喜び!
例え胸の傷が痛んでも。
例え胸の傷が痛んでも。
Re: What are we getting into?
Lol native meaning first... Chinese (Cantonese to be more specific), lol. But I also know English and French, so I (almost) know 3 languages efficiently... except Cantonese, I can only speak and understand... not read or write, hahaha, lol... so now I'm trying to learn Hiragana (read, write, listen and speak). So I guess I'll be starting here and moving on if I'm still interested by the end of learning whatever I can here.
Re: What are we getting into?
I wish there were some way to automatically hide posts with two or more instances of "lol" in them.
Never underestimate my capacity for pettiness.
- Yudan Taiteki
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Re: What are we getting into?
One thing that you can be lucky for is that you do not know people who say "lol" (rhymes with "doll") in real life.Mike Cash wrote:I wish there were some way to automatically hide posts with two or more instances of "lol" in them.
-Chris Kern
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Re: What are we getting into?
You, too, eh?Yudan Taiteki wrote:One thing that you can be lucky for is that you do not know people who say "lol" (rhymes with "doll") in real life.
Tony
Re: What are we getting into?
There are people who actually do that?Yudan Taiteki wrote:One thing that you can be lucky for is that you do not know people who say "lol" (rhymes with "doll") in real life.Mike Cash wrote:I wish there were some way to automatically hide posts with two or more instances of "lol" in them.
Between that and earlier learning there are people who actually say "woot" I am now thoroughly convinced I could never live in America again; I'd end up killing somebody.
Never underestimate my capacity for pettiness.
Re: What are we getting into?
What's wrong with people saying 'lol'... I kind of know I overuse it, but its a habit when i'm typing... cause you know sometime people take it seriously or in the wrong way when your not adding a little sense of humor