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Maria’s Japanese Learning Log (旅立ち)

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101 messages over 13 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 7 ... 12 13 Next >>
Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 49 of 101
07 April 2013 at 5:31pm | IP Logged 
dampingwire wrote:
Hasi wrote:
I do have a question for fellow RTKers: how did you go about
readings


So far, I've learnt vocabulary rather than readings.

I did, however, notice that 電 has only one reading (デン) and that set me wondering
whether there are other kanji with only one reading. I grabbed a copy of KANJIDIC,
scribbled some ruby and found a list of a few hundred kanji that have only one reading.

That's too much to memorise (at least before I sit the N4 in the summer). So I've
settled for noting any single-reading kanji that I come across in words that I need
right now.

It's not much of a short-cut, but it'll have to do for now.


Thank you for that :) I am thinking about doing something similar right now with Core and later with native
material.
While I really liked memrise I didn't like the fact that you can only study vocab rather than study entire sentences
which is what I personally prefer. It might also be because I am not planning on taking any JLPT exams just yet,
and would probably use this way of studying if I were taking it like you :)
1 person has voted this message useful



Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 50 of 101
07 April 2013 at 5:38pm | IP Logged 
HopeTea wrote:
Hi! I just read your log!

This is something you said several posts back, but I wanted to comment on the TV shows vs. dramas thing. I
went through the exact same process. I started watching dramas (and movies as well) in Japanese, but I gradually
shifted more towards TV shows. For me I think a lot of it was related to my level advancing to the point that I
realized a lot of them were kinda boring. Especially lately, there just aren't many great dramas out there
anymore. I try and watch many of the new ones that come out, but the level is relatively low, especially if you've
seen a lot of American/British series. If you're interested I could try and put together a list of some of the dramas
I saw in the past and really liked. :)

But I also think it's fine to go on to TV shows. My Japanese isn't great, but I attribute most of what I know to my
love of JTV! :)

Great job on your progress with RTK! I tried it several years back, but I was one of the quitters. Something about
learning them attached to English kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, as I wasn't living in Japan at the time
and studied only sporadically, I never really nailed them down. Exposure is such an important factor. Without
that, kanji will leave your brain like a flock of migrating birds.

Keep up the good work! :)


thank you so much for reading :)

ah, so it is not just me. I used to watch quite a few dramas but recently most of the stuff just seems really boring
and it seems like producers are just rehashing old ideas over and over again. For me, I don't think if it has
anything to do with my level advancing but rather that variety shows oddly seem to be easier to understand
sometimes. As I mentioned before, maybe it is because I don't expect to understand which makes watching them
more relaxing than watching dramas.


I would love to see what kind of dramas you liked because there still most be some good ones out there I haven't
seen :)

Mind you, the kanji aren't sticking as well as they should, mostly because I didn't go about RTK the "normal" way,
but it does help. I agree that exposure is everything which is why I am trying to spend as much time as possible
immersing. Oh, how I wish I had the money to go back to Japan... but Skype, books and TV certainly helps.


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Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 51 of 101
07 April 2013 at 5:48pm | IP Logged 
Yesterday was another day where I didn't finish all my reviews. I actually dread doing RTK reviews now because
the reviews show me that not all kanji stick as well as I had thought. There are quite a few I cannot recall at all. >.
<
I do hope this will get better if I just see them more often and focus more on the story.

Without meaning to I changed my OS to Japanese. I initially only wanted Safari to be in Japanese but now my
entire OS is. It is certainly something to get used to but so far, it isn't too difficult to navigate. I don't know if I
will be able to debug my code though, because I think it might be too frustrating, particularly with deadlines
approaching but I will do my best to not change it back to English.

I will spend the rest of the day coding, reviewing and studying Japanese together with my boyfriend. sometimes I
really wish college wouldn't get into the way of my Japanese studies. xD Then again, I still have another week off
so I am sure I will get a bit of studying done.

I am also highly enjoying the VNs I downloaded and I think they are a good way to practice reading. Books still
seem to be a bit intimidating, but the texts per screen are short and easy enough to challenge me a but bit not
too much so I will get demotivated.
1 person has voted this message useful



Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 52 of 101
15 April 2013 at 10:22pm | IP Logged 
I really need to find more time and motivation to study new Core words. I have about a 1000 to go in the Core2k and the words seem to get harder and harder. Maybe it just feels like that because I am have not accountered a lot of them. Or at least it feels that way. I wonder whether or not I should continue with the other 4000 once I am done with these or just add may own examples. The first would be faster, but the second more enjoyable. ahh, I guess we will see.

I just wish that subs2srs wouldn't be a Windows-based program. I think it might be just the right program for me. While there were one or two days when I didn't finish my reviews I don't think that's bad. I have to say, I'd rather not finish then do them after I am exhausted. I didn't do my reviews yesterday but I was able to finish all of them in a mere 40 minutes today.

My boyfriend got me a PSP and I have downloaded one of the AKB games :D I already own the first one but haven't played it in forever. I remember when I first started played I couldn't understand a thing and was lucky if I picked the correct answer. However, this time around it is a lot easier. There are still some scenes I don't quite get but I usually get at least the gist of what is going on. I am playing the Guam game, which has 48 girls to choose from. However, the released a new game in December that includes over a 140 girls. So if I get bored with this time, I will just try out the latest one. ;)

In general I have been spending quite a bit of time with VN names, mostly on my iPhone. What can I say, they are fun and mostly easy to read. Plus, almost all of them were free or at least have a rather large free part. Seeing as my Japanese reading speed is slow I actually get quite a bit out of those free demo versions.

Other than that I spent about 7 hours watching jdramas a few days ago. I found a few that were quite interesting. I am using Japanese subs because I am hoping to pick up more vocab that way. I do occasionally also watch live Japanese TV which helps with my listening.

In a way it feels like I haven't improved at all, or rather, I see all the things I cannot do, rather than the ones that I can. I guess I just need to stop worrying and continue with what I do. Classes have started again so time will be a bit more limited. But I can always find time to aimlessly browse the internet, so I should find time for Japanese.
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HopeTea
Newbie
Japan
Joined 4069 days ago

37 posts - 41 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 53 of 101
16 April 2013 at 3:03am | IP Logged 
I have the first AKB game. :P

I forgot I was supposed to be giving you some drama titles! Ok, here are just a few I can remember off the top of my head:
  • Zettai Kareshi - easy & fun to watch, based on a manga of the same name. http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Zettai_Kareshi
  • Kou Kou Kyoushi - my all-time favorite drama. Although, warning, it's a bit emotional at times. There are actually two series, one from the 90's, and the remake in 2003. Both are great. http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kou_Kou_Kyoushi_2003
  • Strawberry on the Shortcake - good as long as you don't mind a somewhat non-conventional kind of love story. http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Strawberry_on_the_Shortcake
  • Densha Otoko - you've probably heard of this one, as I think it experienced some popularity overseas. Very good (and the movie is good, too, just a bit different). http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Densha_Otoko
  • Kekkon Dekinai Otoko - a little bit harder (I watched this in 2006 and remember having to re-watch several parts to understand), but another good watch. http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kekkon_Dekinai_Otoko


I'll leave you with those for now. If you find you like them, I can scour my brain for more.

I may have already said this before, but I say do whatever it is you enjoy. We learn a lot when we're having fun. I think it's great you're finding little ways to use Japanese here and there, the games and whatnot. :)
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kujichagulia
Senior Member
Japan
Joined 4645 days ago

1031 posts - 1571 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Japanese, Portuguese

 
 Message 54 of 101
16 April 2013 at 4:21am | IP Logged 
Ah, that AKB48 game. That was popular with many of the boys at the high school where I teach. I had to tell them to put it away, because Mariko-sama's not going to help them learn English. :)

Edited by kujichagulia on 16 April 2013 at 4:22am

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Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 55 of 101
07 May 2013 at 8:21pm | IP Logged 
It has been a while since I last updated here. I am really sorry about that, but classes have been keeping me busy. Sometimes I honestly hate being a Computer Science major because I just want to go home and don't have to worry about anything.

anyways, well, I haven't been keeping up with my Anki reviews as well as I wanted to, due to lack of interest and stress. I did manage to bring my backlog down from 1000 to 100 cards in the past two days. I was actually surprised buy how much I still remembered. Even with missing almost 10 days of reviewing I still could recall over 85% of my core vocab. RTK however, has been kind of meh. I prefer reviewing core because it is more fun but reviewing the kanji feels like a chore, which is the reason I still have another 100 to do.

mind you, I not reviewing doesn't mean that I haven't done anything for my Japanese. I have been playing the AKB games and I really enjoy them. not only do I understand quite a bit of what is going on, it also helps me to get to know the members better. and: it is fun :D even more so when I recognize certain places I have been to in Japan, while watching confession scenes, e.g. Ueno Zoo. <3 I have also been playing a few of the visual novels I donwloaded for me iPhone but not to the extend I did play the AKB game.

While I might not like AKB as a group all that much anymore, aka their singles, I do enjoy their shows. And the fact that I have a 2 TB external harddrive full of goodies certainly helps. I remember, 2 1/2 years ago when I started getting into them I could hardly watch anything because almost nothing was subbed. well, now that doesn't bother me too much.

I am in this phase right now where I feel comfortable with my level. mind you, I want to improve, a lot, and I need to do so, but I am no longer super stressed out about not understanding everything. I am in a good place right now. I manage to work Japanese into my schedule without having to force it. If I like it, I'll do it, if not I won't beat myself up about it.

I do want to read more though. I will try and work on that next :)

1 person has voted this message useful



Hasi
Diglot
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 5914 days ago

120 posts - 133 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Japanese

 
 Message 56 of 101
22 June 2013 at 9:09am | IP Logged 
It has been quite a long time since my last update. ^^"
University has been quite stressful over the past month, and still will be for another two weeks.

As far as Japanese is concerned, I had quite a big Anki backlog over the past few weeks. I honestly didn't feel motivated to study new vocab or review the old one. Particularly seeing this huge number every day was quite frustrating. But, I managed to catch up two days ago, and I have been studying new cards for quite a bit.
When I started out with Core I wanted to be done with all 6000 by my birthday, now I hope that I will managed to finish off the 600 of the Core2k I still have left. :X

Just because I didn't do my Anki reviews, doesn't mean that I didn't do anything for my Japanese. I have been listening to Japanese podcasts in the background while I am browsing the English web, watching dramas and reading quite a bit. I have done quite a lot of reading without meaning to. I currently have 4 blogs that I follow and I read a new post as soon as it is available.

I have also started reading manga again. I started watching Yotsubato and loved it, but the furigana were too small. I am currently reading Kimi ni Todoke and Suki tte ii na yo. I tried reading on of the mangas I already own, but it still is too frustrating. If there is a lot of text in Japanese I still feel "scared". What I mean by this is, that I think I won't be able to understand and seeing as it takes me longer to read I get frustrated easily. So I choose manga that are very light on the text. I really really enjoy it, and it motivated me to study more vocab because I can see the words I have studied over and over again.

I also took the JALUP level text a few days ago. I have taken the text about 3 or 4 times before, and the great thing is, that I always forget what the texts are about so it feels like I can really "test" my level. According to the test I am somewhere around level 43 which I think is not true. I mean I know the words, but I still am not able to pronounce all of them. But it is still great to know that I have seemingly improved over the past few weeks :)


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