I'm trying now, with language CDs...hope I'll stick to it and not give up!

hmm I'm having Japanese classes in private school once a week, but started last November so I'm not too good:D
But I was wondering is there is any good dictionary that I could download as a freeware to use on my PC... or maybe on-line dictionary (but with kanji and all).

Muka

I've been self studying for 4-5 years now (well infomal/indirectly, mostly from movies, lyrics and stuff), i can read almost all of the kana and since i'm chinese, kanji is not really a big problem, just have to beware that some words are totally different meaning even though they look the same in both languages.

So main problem for me is the grammar =/ and reading, takes me forever to read an article from japanese magazines
_________________

mazzi wrote:

Who else is learning japanese alone?

Me.

But I give credit to my 'resources'..... my gf, my wife, in-laws, and my friends.
They didn't neccessarily ("traditionally") teach me, however speaking to them and listening to their dialogue) in their native tongue has given me a great opportunity to improve my skills.


I believe that being stuck in an actual situation with real people in real time will make the best learning environment.

-I do admit that I am somewhat a 'non believer' of the traditional way of learning foreign languages. Why? Because the subject is (usually) taught by someone who speaks your own native tongue as a first language, and the language that you are trying to learn as the second language. Anyway, enough of my blabbering. I'll shut up now before someone slits my wrists.

I've been trying to teach myself Japanese for about 2 years, it's been on and off though. I agree it's easier to learn in a class room enviorement b/c it sorta "forces" you to learn. But if it's self taught, there can be many distractions ^^; I also agree that if you expose yourself to the language by watching dramas or anime or listening to the music or sumthing, maybe you can get the pronunciation down better since your exposed to it so often and maybe pick up some new phrases or words.

I have a lot of cds on japanese and handy dictionary whenever I pick up word I heard. But this summer I'm deteremined to buckle down and work hard b/c I just got into jdramas and I have a lot of other clips that are not subbed and I want to at least get the gist of what the hell I'm laughing at

HI

I have started learning japanese on my own about a month ago.

It is really not as easy as I have imagined! I thought knowing Chinese (Kanji in japanese) would be advantageous, but boy, the prounciation is different from Chinese although u can guess the meaning from the Chinese words ! In addition, u tend to forget the hatakana characters because it is not as common as hiragana !

anyway, after I look at the verbs/adjectives/nouns, i felt like giving up - because there are so many of them and the 'words' are about the same ! But I guess I have to learn slowly. Keep revising. If I give up now, I would have wasted my efforts.

Ganbatte everyone!

It really is hard to stay disciplined. I know I've been slacking. It's hard when you don't have someone else learning with you, teaching you, or keeping you motivated in some way. It's good to know that there are others in the same boat as me though.

Ganbatte!

TrigunX89 wrote:

It really is hard to stay disciplined. I know I've been slacking. It's hard when you don't have someone else learning with you, teaching you, or keeping you motivated in some way. It's good to know that there are others in the same boat as me though. Ganbatte!

cool, i didn't know this thread existed..i guess i over looked it...but as far as teaching yourself japanese on your own time, that is a challenge that i have been dealing with, slacking off the last month, but i do hope to continue my japanese language studies from various books that i have bought. I also have some japanese speaking cd's to learn from. I have been learning japanese off and on, for about almost 6 months now.

I'm also learning japanese on my own, I've been told I speak it perfectly, as in accent lol

LoveForNana wrote:

I'm also learning japanese on my own, I've been told I speak it perfectly, as in accent lol

my accent is not bad either...takes practice.

if you come from a spanish speaking country, then it easier to learn japanese...
because the vowels are spelled the same

LoveForNana wrote:

if you come from a spanish speaking country, then it easier to learn japanese... because the vowels are spelled the same

However, keep in mind that Japanese is not a Latin based language.
Though through Spanish you may get the vowel intonations, you cannot get the sentence structure any easier.

My advice, (though easier said than done) is to learn Japanese for what it is. Don't learn the translations from Japanese to English/Spanish/etc. Instead, learn the Japanese words for what they are, so that no 'translation' of words in your mind is necessary. Yeah, it takes time however, you cannot beat that way of training. --Take it as if you couldn't speak any language and Japanese is your first. (If you can get your mindset into that "mode")
_________________

I have been learning JP for one and half month now. It is tougher than I thought. I have read all the posts above and found someway useful. My goal is that one day, I can enjoy the dramas and cartoons without keeping on staring at the subtitles. Everybody, don't give up no matter what!

i have been learning japanese for 6 months !! alone

it's not too long , but i'm happy to start a little ^^

i hope i will be able to talk and write as fast as i can ^______^

i was so happy to know that there are many people who study japanese by themselves soo happy

that encourage me to study more and more to be like you guys^______^
_________________

Aho,

i think you gave the best advice, and how to approach Japanese. It is a complicated language, unlike latin based languages, but i am starting from scratch, the bottom.
It takes time and patience to learn it.
I have been learning off and on the past six months or so. It has been a challenge to keep up, reading books, practicing my grammar and hiragana strokes. I have memorized some words and a few strokes, and watching subtitled Japanese dramas do help. I even watched japanese dramas that weren't subtitled in english and understood a small handful of words here and there, but not enough to put it together and form full meanings.

Putting a sentence together takes time.
A complete sentence, even longer.

It all starts from learning and understanding the words for what they are, without translation to your native language. Although general translation is a convenience, it may distort the meaning of the Japanese word in the long run, as you may run into problems due to the fact that (I think) almost every language has words that carry dual meaning to itself.
Once the 'word-part' is down, then it gets a LOT easier from there, trust me. Vocabulary is a big part in Japanese.
Also, not to mention, knowing what words, particles, etc mean is half the battle. The other half is putting them altogether. Which shouldn't be much harder after that. A big help is knowing why you use what words you do.

Just hang in there and do your best. It DOES come. For some, sooner than others. On top of the learning curve, it all depends on your willingness and dedication to learn Japanese.
_________________

Hello, I am a 36 year old male trying to study japanese "on my own" with help of tapes. I must say that although I start to recognize words and sometimes I get to understand sentences I bungle at starting a conversation (for instance with the sushi chef I always by my sishi...and yes he's japanese). For some reasom pimsleur japanese just doesnt work that well after 2! years of repeating the tape.
I already dropped the idea of living there although I hope to one day buy me a ticket to visit the other side of the world and make myself understood in japanese.

boru wrote:

Hello, I am a 36 year old male trying to study japanese "on my own" with help of tapes. I must say that although I start to recognize words and sometimes I get to understand sentences I bungle at starting a conversation (for instance with the sushi chef I always by my sishi...and yes he's japanese). For some reasom pimsleur japanese just doesnt work that well after 2! years of repeating the tape. I already dropped the idea of living there although I hope to one day buy me a ticket to visit the other side of the world and make myself understood in japanese.

Welcome to the site boru! Don't give up on your Japanese! Ganbarre yo!!! I know it's hard and confusing, but that's what makes it so much fun!(Did I say that! )

i hope i can learn the langauge, and if i do, i wouldn't have to wait for the english version of a japanese game to be release

I would highly recommend taking a class. It's very helpful when you start learning the language, because you learn pronounciation and grammer. Japanese grammer is essentially backwards from English grammer, so some things that would be arranged correctly in English sound weird in Japanese.

I would definatly make sure that your pronounciation is good. Sometimes you can only get that from a class. There's a guy in my class who pronounces his Japanese with a strong American accent and it's so painful to listen to! I always kinda wonder if his host family can understand him, because I certainly can't!