Result that'll help with memorization on spot.

[I-samu]

I'm trying out something new.
When I memorize a vocab word, I don't think of the English word.
Say I needed to memorize Inu, which is dog. I wouldn't think og the word dog, I would think of a fury body, four legs, and ears. Kind of like a baby would learn the native languague. It really helps with remembering things on the spot.

[Sachi]

I try to do that as well ^^ Though it gets tougher with abstract words, that really is a good method.

[skrhgh3b]

Yeah, but you really can't separate the two (the word and the object) in your mind no matter how hard you try, so it's a moot point. A dog will always be a 'dog,' it'll just also be an 'inu' from now on. Maybe for a more abstract word than such a familiar noun, but language is too powerful, and the word 'dog' too ingrained in your mind. Anyway, you can't learn like a baby because you're no longer a blank slate - you're an educated adult, and what will work for a baby won't work for you. But you're on the right track. The more you actually think in Japanese - expressing your thoughts with the Japanese language - the better. Trying to think in English first and then translate into Japanese is full of too many pitfalls. But I'm thinking of grammar rather than a word like 'dog'

[Machina Maw]

AJBryant made a thread about a site that talks about that; in learning a new language. Relating words to real things, not to other words.

AJBryant's thread here.

[kanadajin]

I-samu, great idea but a fury body four legs and ears. Sounds like a cat too. I'll try your new memorizing technique some time. But what about words like *Kochira Koso* = *same here* how would I memorize that using your technique?

[Sachi]

kanadajin wrote:
But what about words like *Kochira Koso* = *same here* how would I memorize that using your technique?

Exactly. That's what I meant by saying "abstract words are much harder" I don't think you can; I guess it just comes from regular use. *shrugs*

[kanadajin]

lol I dont think you can either.

[TrilinguisT]

that's a cool way to remember words but there are many that are the same, but different kanjis.. here is an example:
化学 【かがく(P); ばけがく(ik)】 (n) chemistry
下顎 【かがく; したあご】 (n) lower jaw
家学 【かがく】 (n) hereditary learning
歌学 【かがく】 (n) poetry; versification
科学 【かがく】 (n) science;
価額 【かがく】 (n) valuation; amount

[Machina Maw]

kanadajin wrote:
I-samu, great idea but a fury body four legs and ears. Sounds like a cat too. I'll try your new memorizing technique some time. But what about words like *Kochira Koso* = *same here* how would I memorize that using your technique?

'Cause nouns are names of things.
A dog is a dog. 犬は犬です。When you hear the word "dog", you think of a four-legged, furred creature of the canine family, with a wagging tail and a wet nose. When a Japanese person hears "犬", they think the exact same thing as you think when you hear the word, "dog".

Anyway. When Japanese people say "Kochira koso" they think "kochira koso", not "same here". Therefore; instead of getting the idea that "Kochira koso" means "Same here" in Japanese; remember that in Japanese こちらこそ is こちらこそ and nothing but. Try to stop thinking about Japanese in English terms.

[AJBryant]

But what about words like *Kochira Koso* = *same here* how would I memorize that using your technique?

You think about it situationally, and when and how it's used. If you think about it in English literally, it's "emphatically THIS direction" -- and what's THAT all about?

Take the Russian way to wish someone luck. In English, we say "good luck!" and they respond "thanks!" -- but in Russian it's "Ne pukha, ne pera" and the response is "K chyort!" -- So just remember how and why they are used. If you take them literally, they are "no fluff, no feathers" and the reply is "to the devil." In English that's gibberish -- so remember instead SITUATIONAL uses.

It's the same with Kochira koso. Don't think what it means. Think how it's used.

Tony

[Mukade]

I completely agree with Tony here.

Realize that you aren't linking the new word to a set of English words used as a mneumonic. I.e., you aren't thinking in your head "furry body, four legs, ears = Inu." Rather, when you think or hear "inu," you are conjuring a picture of the actual creature in your mind.

It's the same with more abstract words. I'd say, in fact, that this technique is even more important when confronting abstract words. The reason is that words from different languages have different nuances. Even though you look up the word "interesting" in your dictionary and find "omoshiroii," don't assume that a native Japanese person will be thinking the same thoughts and feeling the same emotions when they hear "omoshiroii" as we do when we hear "interesting."

Like Tony said, think of the situation that you would use the word in - and do so in images, not wordy mneumonics. Take a word like "sukkiri," for example. There's no real English equivalent for this, so you can't just translate it into a single English word. Instead, think in your mind the sensation that you get when something has been cleaned or set right in a complete way. Maybe you just took a shower - that feeling of being fresh and clean. Or maybe you just straightened up your bedroom after letting it go for a few weeks. Now it's all straightened and in order. That sense of cleanliness would be the occassion when you would say 'ahh - sukkiri!'