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Post by Jade on Oct 7, 2013 22:08:10 GMT
You can post what you use to study here; anything's welcome, including textbooks, TV shows, your own notes, etc.
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Post by Jade on Oct 8, 2013 0:04:17 GMT
Two add-ons for internet browsers that can save your life (well, not really)! RikaichanRikaichan is an add-on that will show you the readings and meanings of Japanese words when you hover over them (unless on a flash page). It is compatible with Firefox and Chrome (though it's called Rikaikun in Chrome). Furigana InjectorThis add-on will add in furigana on top of kanji on any webpage (except the areas of the page with flash). It is available for both Firefox and Chrome. For those of you using Safari (and a Mac, this is Mac only (sorry!)): here is some instructions on how to make your Mac's dictionary application into a Japanese-English dictionary! |
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Post by MidoriAbby on Oct 8, 2013 19:45:33 GMT
I use a lot of textbooks to learn grammar, or have used them in the past, and it can be hard to determine which ones are the best or easiest to understand, it depends on the person and learning style, but here are some of my favorites:
For Easy to Understand Grammar Outlines:
- Japanese Demystified (primarily beginner, also good for intermediate students as it gets into further chapters)
- Japanese for Busy People (three part series, first book is basic, the second two are more intermediate/advanced)
- Japanese from Zero books 1-3 (beginner, the third book begins to introduce kanji. I think there are books 4-6 but I haven't been able to find them no matter where I look...)
- Barrons Japanese Grammar Guide: this is just a good overview
- Genki (beginner and starts to get higher and intermediate in later volumes.)
For More Complex Critique on Grammar (intermediate and advanced students)
- Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You
...there are others but that is my number one favorite. Also see the advanced books in series' I mentioned above.
Vocabulary Building/Making Your Language More Natural/Native-like:
- Jazz Up Your Japanese With Onomatopoeia (really good for people looking to 'spice up' vocabulary, onomatopoeia are a really cool nuance of the language in my opinion. They pop up everywhere.)
- Common Japanese Collocations. This is a must-have in my opinion. It is like a really in-depth phrase book with example sentences, going in detail about common phrases used in the language that may or may not be literally translated. It is split up by category like "around the house" "clothes" "cooking" "work" "computer vocab" "school vocab" "emotions" "people's characteristics" etcetera. I think it is more for intermediate-advanced students. I feel like if I knew all the vocab in that book (which I am far from doing), I would be pretty much fluent, that's how much it has. (of course slight understatement here, but it has helped me out so much in natural conversation.) I mean, a language has thousands apon thousands of vocabulary. You seem to think you have a handle on it, and then BOOM, thousands more to learn. For example, once you learn how to say "to wear clothes" or "to put on clothes" "to get dressed" etcetera, and learn all the names of the clothes, you think you're pretty good, right? At least I did. Then I learned there were different ways of saying those things, and I had overlooked common but tricky phrases like "to zip up a zipper", "to get something altered", "to mend a tear", "it doesn't fit right", etcetera. And then in the Household Items category, I learned so much like "to close the blinds/drapes", "to ring the doorbell," etcetera. We use these a lot in everyday living but they are too detailed sometimes to be mentioned in textbooks. So I highly reccomend this book for getting more vocabulary, nuances, and natural phrasing.
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Post by Jade on Oct 8, 2013 23:50:05 GMT
Grammar DictionariesExample of dictionary layout under the cut.
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Dizzy
New Member
Posts: 37 
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Post by Dizzy on Oct 9, 2013 23:04:33 GMT
A lot of people like watching Japanese television shows online. I find the two I really enjoy watching are QVC Japan and Shop Channel. The websites for those companies actually have the live shows on 24/7. So, it's nice quality and isn't going through a crappy rip-off site with tons of ads. I like them, because it's usually two native speakers having a conversation and describing items. They use a lot of descriptive terms, talk about money and prices, etc. So, it's nice to listen to and can be played in the background while doing other stuff if that's what someone is looking for. I enjoy listening to them after I'm done studying, because I can listen for words I've learned while relaxing. You don't need to know much to understand what they're selling most of the time, so that's nice, too. Better than watching drama shows and having no idea what happened. 
Shop Channel
QVC Japan |
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Post by Bokusenou on Oct 13, 2013 2:10:59 GMT
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Dizzy
New Member
Posts: 37
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Post by Dizzy on Oct 13, 2013 5:26:56 GMT
Just found this: www.ehonnavi.net/This is the blog post I read about it: I love children's picture books (ehon). Since Japanese children's books are usually written in hiragana only, I think it is great material for a learner to practice their Japanese reading with. However, I understand it is hard to purchase "ehon", and they can be very expensive, unless you are living in Japan. "Ehon Navi" is an information site for children's books. It has been my favorite site for long time. "Ehon Navi" provides a great service, which allows a viewer to read books online. They have more than 600 books available to read. There are a few rules: You need to register (no fees) and sign in. Also, you can read each book only once. Even if you don't feel comfortable about registering with the site, you can still access more than 6,000 books in a different way. You are not given access to whole pages, but you can read what is offered from each book as many times as you wish. I recommend that you check out this generous service. I believe it is a fun and effective way to learn Japanese, especially for intermediate learners. japanese.about.com/b/2012/06/22/free-access-to-japanese-children-books-at-ehon-navi-site.htm |
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Post by MidoriAbby on Oct 14, 2013 21:16:52 GMT
Dizzy, Thank you so much!! I am going to check this out. It would be helpful for vocabulary.
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Jacob
Junior Member
練習して、がんばりますね！
Posts: 95 
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Post by Jacob on Oct 14, 2013 22:13:43 GMT
To actually study this year during the school year I have decided to spend less time on math studies yikes... But all so I can fit in a book Ive had for a while but have lightly used, it is the Japanese for busy people book. I believe this will help me. Since I am busy and I think it can help other people like me! From now on ill try to translate my post bi/tri langually (if those are words).
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Post by MidoriAbby on Oct 15, 2013 21:29:30 GMT
I just found a really cool helpful YouTube channel for intermediate to advanced students studying for JLPT levels 3-1. They are short lessons by native speakers IN JAPANESE like immersion, explaining grammar and vocab, etcetera with example sentences. You learn a lot because not only are they teaching the words/grammar, it is ALL in Japanese. Here is the link to the videos: www.youtube.com/channel/UCVx6RFaEAg46xfAsD2zz16w/videos |
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Post by Bokusenou on Oct 15, 2013 23:20:18 GMT
I found a great youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/GigavisionCH/They sell prep videos about school subjects, and have lots of sample videos for most grade levels. It's probably the closest a lot of learners will get to being in a Japanese schoolroom. |
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Jacob
Junior Member
練習して、がんばりますね！
Posts: 95
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Post by Jacob on Oct 16, 2013 0:23:11 GMT
Abby s channel is the best place for me, right now I need to really keep going over the vids of grammar i forgot and then I can try her newer playlist but not until I master the whole beginner playlist
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Post by MidoriAbby on Oct 16, 2013 2:52:24 GMT
Thanks Jacob! for those people who don't know, my channel is youtube.com/ranabvideo
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Jacob
Junior Member
練習して、がんばりますね！
Posts: 95
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Post by Jacob on Oct 16, 2013 22:35:27 GMT
ほうんとういいです! それいってください。
It is truly great. Check it out!
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lee
New Member
Posts: 5
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Post by lee on Oct 17, 2013 2:10:00 GMT
jisho.org is useful. I also use an app called guide to Japanese
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