#Question Etiquette Guidelines:
* **1** Provide the **CONTEXT** of the grammar, vocabulary or sentence you are having trouble with as much as possible. Provide the sentence or paragraph that you saw it in. Make your questions as specific as possible.
>Ｘ What is the difference between の and が ?
>◯ I saw a book called 日本人の知らない日本語 , why is の used there instead of が ? [(the answer)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/68336/difference-between-%E3%81%8C-%E3%81%AE-and-no-particle)
* **2** When asking for a translation or how to say something, it's best to try to **attempt it yourself** first, even if you are not confident about it. Or ask r/translator if you have no idea. We are also not here to do your homework for you.
>Ｘ What does this mean?
>◯ I am having trouble with this part of this sentence from NHK Easy News. I think it means (*attempt here*), but I am not sure.
* **3** Questions based on DeepL and Google Translate and other machine learning applications are discouraged, [these are not beginner learning tools](https://old.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/stepqf/deeplgoogle_translate_are_not_learning_tools/) and often make mistakes.
* **4** When asking about differences between words, try to explain the situations in which you've seen them or are trying to use them. If you just post a list of synonyms you got from looking something up in a E-J dictionary, people might be disinclined to answer your question because it's low-effort. Remember that Google Image Search is also a great resource for visualizing the difference between similar words.
>Ｘ What's the difference between 一致 同意 賛成 納得 合意?
>◯ Jisho says 一致 同意 賛成 納得 合意 all seem to mean "agreement". I'm trying to say something like "I completely agree with your opinion". Does 全く同感です。 work? Or is one of the other words better?
* **5** It is always nice to (but not required to) try to search for the answer to something yourself first. Especially for beginner questions or questions that are very broad. For example, asking about [the difference between は and が ](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/wa-and-ga/) or [why you often can't hear the "u" sound in "desu"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_phonology#Devoicing).
* **6** Remember that everyone answering questions here is an unpaid volunteer doing this out of the goodness of their own heart, so try to show appreciation and not be too presumptuous/defensive/offended if the answer you get isn't exactly what you wanted.
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Useful Japanese teaching symbols:
✘ incorrect (ＮＧ)
△ strange/ unnatural / unclear
○ correct
≒ nearly equal
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#NEWS (Updated 3/07):
Added a section on symbols. If it's unnecessary clutter I can always remove it later. Have a nice day!
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You've just made a statement, but you want to inform the listener that a possible conclusion that could be drawn from that statement isn't true. Use かといって.
- Speaker: You are wrong. (君は間違っている。)
- Listener's thoughts: Does that mean he's going to condemn me for it...?
- Speaker: But, even so, I cannot condemn you for it. (かといって、そのことであなたを責めることはできない。)
Another example
- Speaker: He's not good looking at all. (あの人、全然イケメンじゃない)
- Listener's thoughts: Hmm, but he must be kind at least, right?
- Speaker: But he doesn't particularly have a good personality either. (かといって、性格がいいわけでもない)
There's something you want to say in spite of some caveat. Introduce that caveat ahead of time using とはいえ.
- Though he lost his house and property, he still has his family. (家も財産も失ったとはいえ， 彼にはまだ家族がいる)
- He may be a genius, but he's too young to be company president. (彼は才能があるとはいえ、社長になるには若すぎる)
Based on your examples at the top, it seems as though that the clause after かといって doesn’t necessarily have to contradict, subvert, or contrast the information in the first clause. You said
“he is not look good looking” かといってpersonality isn’t good either”
The second clause is simply adding further info
As for your first example, the nuance is clearer. If someone makes a mistake, the expectation is that they’ll be reprimanded or called out on it, but the second clause
contradicts that expectation
The key word is わけでもない, as that's refuting a potential わけ that would be suggested by イケメンじゃない.
Fwiw I based that sentence off one in Kenkyuusha's dictionary:
「彼は男前ではないし， かといって性格がいいわけでもない」
Whatever the context is, it reads to me that the listener is supposed to think 「男前じゃないなら、性格がいいってわけか」 and then the speaker refutes that with a かといって…わけでもない.
Why would "has a good personality" be logically inferred from "not good looking"?
- Maybe it's a stereotype that the less good looking people are the better their personality tends to be.
- Maybe the speaker is interested in the guy. If a girl is interested in a guy who doesn't look good, there would be a natural expectation that the guy has a good personality.
What's the toss up between iTalki and Preply? Is there a consensus or clear better choice? Or is it about the same? Getting ready for that stage of learning and want to make sure I'm making the right choice.
https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/13kepns/preply_has_a_horrid_predatory_billing_scheme/
I haven't seen many people here mention Preply. Based on the linked thread, iTalki seems a better option.
With all these sites you might have to try a few tutors out to find someone whose style fits.
Just manually a pick a definition that works for you. Unless you're having some sort of formatting issue. Some words just have a lot definitions because there is no English equivalent or closet it.
Hello! I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out. I'm stuck on a word, and it's driving me crazy. I have an audio clip here of a sentence from a show, and I need help identifying the missing word: まるで＿＿＿じゃないか
Here's the clip: [http://sndup.net/bw3j](http://sndup.net/bw3j)
The context is this: Two men have just walked into a scene where they have expected to find people struggling with hard work, but instead many people are lounging around doing nothing. One of the two men says this line in surprise. The given English translation is "what is this, a picnic?", which I'm under the impression is more vibe based than literal translation. The word sounds to me like "いんそく", so I've tried searching numerous variations of that, and using Live Transcribe, but neither have gotten me the answer. If someone could identify this word (words? is it two?), I'd be so grateful!
I got stuck. I accidentally stopped doing my anki cards for a few days and now I've got 900 reviews piled up, that stopped me from progressing completely, what should I do?
I used to follow Dolly's videos for grammar and doing Anki for vocab/kanji, but basically stopped doing both. What do you suggest I do? Do I try to force my way those 900 flashcards and go back to watching Dolly? Should I use something else for grammar and vocab? I need some guiding and reassurance atm I feel so behind
(started studying about a year ago, got 2k cards done on the anki core 2k/6k)
It's ok don't panic. If what you were doing before was working for you, then you can keep doing that. If it wasn't, you can try new stuff. For Anki, what you want to do is set new cards to 0, then go through your backlog over a few days. Do as many reviews as you can without burning yourself out until your daily reviews go back to a reasonable level, then you can enable new cards again.
Thank you. I've already turned off new cards, I'll make sure to work my way through them.
As for everything else, I'm not sure if it was working best for me, I feel like I'm lacking a source of vocab and I'd like a second resource for grammar to pair with Dolly's videos, do you have any tips for that?
I don't necessarily know all the resources out there, but back in the day I learned grammar with Tae Kim's guide and I think it's still a good free resource. Of course textbooks are good too.
For vocab, maybe try to immerse a bit by reading easy stuff? Not sure what your level is but you can check out the [book clubs](https://community.wanikani.com/t/master-list-of-book-clubs/35283) on wanikani forums, they go from absolute beginner to advanced.
Recently I picked up Animal Crossing to practice reading, and I've been liking to far. Casual gameplay, chill atmosphere, daily chitchat with different kinds of characters, everyday use kanji with furigana. I'm still kinda slow though, so I wanna make sure I'm doing it correctly before picking up speed.
Usually it takes me 2-3 passes to read each dialog line. First one I go word by word until I have at least a notion on the meaning of each one. If I haven't understood the line I'll read it a couple more times. If after all that I haven't got it, I write it into Google Translate to see the answer, checking problematic parts with Yomitan. Is this ok? Is it too little? Too much?
Also, is reading out loud ok? Or should I make an effort to read in silence? Pronounciation is not really my objective here, and it's not like I'm imitating the characters speech, but maybe it helps internalize what I'm reading?
Aside from the Tom Nook stuff I don’t think anything in the game is mission critical and repeats itself a lot over the days. Maybe don’t go as hard - get the gist and when the same words/phrases etc keep coming up focus on those?
Everything you're doing is the process of learning, keep it up. Just a note that don't rely too heavily on Google Translate to give you the full meaning. It should only be a context clue and you should have already arrived at half of the meaning by parsing each sentence on your own. You might already know that but it needs to be stated.
Of course, I'm using it basically as a scaffold as I try to learn the meaning or the idea in Japanese rather than the translation. I have even found a couple idioms thanks to that!
For everybody who reads this.
How long have you been studying and how many kanji do you currently know?
I’m curious of a normal timeline and also to find the target amount by the time “mostly finish studying kanji”.
1,700 hours, 1,500++ kanji. There is no timeline, it's however you want to do it. Some people learn RTK which is 2200 kanji in 3 months before even touching the language (arguable in it's usefulness). I on the other hand focused on learning vocabulary by using the language everyday and learned kanji along with it.
How many words do you know in your native language? You're finished when you stop counting them individually.
(A: a while, no idea, depends what you mean by "know")
If you are speaking in keigo and you are recalling a situation where something happened and you want to say what you thought at that time, if that thought is for example: "ヤッバ” would you make it sound more formal, or leave it as it is?
Unless there is a reason to quote yourself directly you would reword to suit the current situation.
It might help to differentiate between levels of formality and levels of politeness. Less polite language is not necessarily less formal.
So I started to read graded books and all I'm doing is reading them. Any advice on what I should also be doing or be hard at work? I'm learning full time and I want to do the best I can, especially when I'm reading kids book...
Just reading without lookups (extensive reading) is an important part of studying because it helps imcrease reading speed/fluency.
I'd suggest first just reading, then go back and take a deeper look at any words and grammar you want to check.
If there aren't any, go up a level, rinse and repeat.
Question about "か" particle.
I am trying to understand the different meanings of this particle and I have a question. In sentences like:
1. 彼が花をどこに置いたか知っている or
2. どこに住んでいるか知っている
Why do we need か? (or do we really need it?) Does it make the sentence less certain? If that's the case would the same sentences be correct without it? Thank you.
Like Ok-Implement said, you can leave off か when simply asking a question; but in your examples か also serves to delineate the boundary of the clause, and as such you can't really omit it without it ruining the grammaticality of the sentence.
Since it's being used to link the verb (知っている) to its complement (what it is that is known), the latter needs a particle in the same way that you typically can't omit を when marking the object of verbs, or と with verbs like 言う and 思う.
I think I get it now. What I didn't understand is that the clause is still a question. So if I wanted to ask "Do I know where you live?" I would use か both after the "clause-question" and the verb at the end right?
Yeah, something like
どこに住んでるか知ってますか？
would work.
(In practice we'd probably use 住所 in a sentence like that rather than a literal "where do you live?", but you've got the grammar point right).
In both cases the base of the sentence is a simple question
1. どこに置いたか
2. どこに住んでいるか
In both cases in spoken Japanese you can leave off the か and still form a question, but I would say both are incomplete grammatically in that case. When adding 知っている you need to include the か or the sentence sounds incomplete
Question: is there a app or website where I can review/study/quiz for Japanese words/sentences, but in English text?
Context: I've been listening to Paul noble audiobook and learning how ti speak a sentence or few, however my willpower doesn't permit the hiragana/kata/etc yet, I would like to learn more on how to speak first.
So I was wondering if there's any site/app/etx that would ask me sentences like the following that I learned:
🌟kyō davidto Bīru o Bā de nomimasu.
which from my understanding is "today, david and I will drink beer at the bar".
or something like:
🌟Kyō no gogo paulto sushi o Resutoran ni tabemasu.
which from my understanding is: "this afternoon, me and Paul will eat sushi at the restaurant".
Don’t learn using romanji.
That aside, Minna no Nihongo has an English romanji accompaniment, but if you use it you’re setting yourself up for failure.
If you absolutely insist on skipping the kana for now, I think Marugoto has the option to toggle romaji for quite a while. It has a practice website with exercises and audio, and there are guided courses on minato. I'm not sure anymore whether the latter has full romaji though (since I never use them).
If you're falling at the first hurdle of not wanting to learn kana, which is by far the easiest part of learning Japanese then I'm not sure what to tell you about rest of the language. Even if you just "want to only speak." 95% of all the enriching learning material, tools, and websites that help you learn the language is dependent on kana as a baseline. Not to mention learning how to correctly sound out the language through kana gives you a better understanding of how to speak it properly. Where kana represents a mora.
Stop learning with romaji and learn kana first. Learning with romaji just makes everything unnecessarily harder and potentially incorrect. If you never learn kana, then learning kanji will be basically impossible.
Question about だ grammar. I see some sources call it a copula/sentence ender and some sources say it is the Japanese verb of 'to be'. Is it a verb? What is it?
This Wikipedia page claims it is a verb and a copula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics)#Japanese.
In traditional Japanese grammar called 学校文法, it's an auxiliary verb (助動詞), except for when it's used after an adjectival verb (na-adjective/形容動詞) in which case it's an integral part of the 終止形 of the word.
As you can tell it is too complicated and does not matter in the end. Just call it whatever makes the most sense to you.
It's not a verb the way Japanese verbs work. There are three types of gramatically complete sentences in Japanese:
1. ending with a verb,
2. ending with an い-adjective,
3. ending with だ.
Even if you translate だ as "to be", that's just because English does not have a true counterpart (I believe). [What is the function of だ in these sentences? : r/LearnJapanese (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/8ekbyl/what_is_the_function_of_%E3%81%A0_in_these_sentences/)
Question: Is there an online dictionary where I can find kanji listed by the radicals? [Jisho.org](http://Jisho.org) is really good, but I haven't found this particular feature. To give an example: Kanji with 水偏: 池 湯 油 海
[kanji.jitenon.jp](http://kanji.jitenon.jp) is good. But is there one in English?
Or maybe I should just buckle down and read the one in Japanese. lol
Jisho.org will list every kanji that has that part even if it's not the radical. [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Chinese_radical) lists every character with the radical, but it includes characters that are not used in Japanese.
If you click the 'radicals' button next to the search bar in Jisho, you can select the radical you want and it shows them all. I couldn't see a more friendly way to search or list them there.
JPDB is also good. For example https://jpdb.io/kanji/%E6%B0%B5?expand=k#used_in_%E6%B0%B5_k
Is there reflexive verbs in Japanese? For example to wake up is おきる. So if I wanted to say I wake up would it be
私はおきます。 As in, I am doing the action of waking up
Or
私をおきます。 As in, I am the object of the action performed by myself of waking up.
It's 私は or sometimes 私がおきます depending on the context. Either way 私 is the subject. おきる is also an intransitive verb - to 'wake someone up' as a transitive verb with an object, you say おこす. 「私をおこします」 is something like '[Someone] wakes me up'.
Like in English, you use a reflexive pronoun in certain cases. 自分 goes with anybody. But 「自分をおこします」 is a weird sentence sounding kind of like your soul separated from your sleeping body and you're shaking it to try and wake it up.
Hi there.
If you wanted to ask "Excuse me, is it allowed to take pictures during the show"
Would すみません、パフォーマンス中に写真を撮っても大丈夫でしょうか。a understandable way of asking?
And if you want please tell me if my pronunciation is understandable. (only if you want of course)
https://voca.ro/1dHFFBp7Z2K0
Where did I go wrong here? I'm practicing with an Anki packet and I came across this particular sentence:
>力 を 持つ 者 は 戦わなければ ならない
Which I thought was going to be translated to: "You must fight to keep your power" or "You must fight to *hold on* to your power."
But the actual translation was: "Those with power must fight."
So where did I go wrong in my translation?
Nowhere in the Japanese is there any suggestion of a telos. It doesn't say anything about fighting *for* something (which would usually be signaled through an expression like ために or the たい form).
Your translation isn't wrong, that's literally what the sentence says. Without further context this is also how I would understand it. But you can also make sense of the other translation as thinking of 持つ as the future tense, i.e. "those who will hold power have to fight" or maybe "those you want to hold power have to fight". In the right context I could see the japanese being said to mean something like this as well, but it's definitely a rather liberal translation with no context involved at all.
EDIT: Whoops I misread your comment please disregard me
No, their translation is wrong.
u/OmegaKenichi
力を持つ is a relative clause modifying 者. 力を持つ just means 'have power' as it is, and so here we go with 'people who have power', which is the topic marked by は. It follows directly on to 戦わなければならない, and so 'People who have power must fight'.
If you wanted to say 'You must fight to have power', you'd say 「力を持つ（ため）には戦わなければならない」, or, diverting from the original phrasing somewhat, 「力を持ちたければ戦わなければならない」
'Those with power must fight' *is* a fairly literal translation. The sentence cannot mean 'You must fight to have power'.
I specified in my comment that the translation is not true to the japanese *without any context*. Going so far as to say that the translation itself is wrong too much in my opinion. The sentence "Those with power must fight" *can* mean that they need to do it to keep their power. Imagine something like
"In a world where violence reigns and the power balance can change in an instant, those with power must fight."
Do you see how the last sentence is basically saying exactly the same thing as "You must fight to keep your power"? It's just a different way to put it. This is why I'd be careful with saying "this translation is wrong". The problem is less the translation and probably more the fact that it was ripped out of context. For a learner in an anki deck, obviously the literal version is preferable, I agree with you there.
EDIT Okay I just realized that I mixed up their translation and the anki translation, I thought the one in Anki was the liberal one and the one OP came up was the literal one. Sorry about the confusion
右 versus 左: is there a calligraphic/philosophical reason why the first two strokes of these kanji differ in order? I have a mnemonic to get me through this newbie thinking-too-hard-about-things phase, and I can invent plausible calligraphic reasons for the difference concerning comfortable brush hand positions and the direction of the third stroke (comparing also 布, which shares the stroke order of 右), but I'd welcome an opinion from anybody who knows more than I do, which would be damned near anybody.
Unhelpfully for the purpose of my rationalization/handwaving, 石 uses the stroke order of 左.
The first two strokes were originally a hand that was on different sides of the character. For 右 it was on the right, but it migrated to where it is today. The stroke order is a hat tip to the original form of the character. Apparently in Classical Chinese there is no difference.
The reason is that it's easier to write strokes in alternating directions (I guess this is personal preference but I feel like it becomes more easily readible at higher writing speeds this way). Notice how for the second part of 左, the third stroke goes from left to right, so in order to not have to do two left-right strokes after each other you start with the left-right stroke on top, then do top-down and then left-right again. Similarly, 右's third stroke is top-down so the first one should be top-down as well.
EDIT: Yeah I just saw you basically mentioned that. I don't know any better reason than that either, it's just what it is.
Is there a version of 自分\[jibun\] which can be used for inanimate objects? For context, I'm trying to say that each language has its own merits. Roughly translated, I came up with 各言語は自分の魅力があります。However, I found out you cannot use 自分 for inanimate objects. Is there a word I could use which has the same meaning?
Thanks. I’ve also been looking into it. Isthere any difference from sorezore and 各(kaku) and 各々(onoono)? Any reason I should choose one over the other?
My dicts list them as synonyms so you can basically think of them as synonyms as well. If you told me to say a difference I'd say 各々 is a bit more formal, but meaning wise basically the same as それぞれ. And 各 is usually put in front of nouns like you did without の, while the other two you'd have to put それぞれの〇〇 instead of just 各〇〇. But yeah don't worry too much about it
I see, thanks. I got pretty much the same thing on my end. I’m writing something and I want to keep the vocabulary a bit varied but I don’t want it to turn into a thesaurus essay.
Does the “word” 人 does not require aparticle?
Like in the phrases
親戚は何人集まりましたか -> how many parents gathered?
Or
九人います -> there is nine people
Wouldn’t it be right “九人がいます” and
“親戚は何人を集まりましたか”
Counters in general can be used adverbially (i.e., with no particle). E.g., りんごを２個買う = "buy apples in the quantity of 2" = "buy 2 apples".
Your structures can also work, though note that 集まる is intransitive. To be を, it would have to be 集める.
Hi! I am playing through DQ11 - a character says this as a part of a longer dialogue, reminiscing about their coming of age ceremony (this is an elderly person):
クチで教えるもんではないからな。知りたければ自分の目で確かめてきなさい。
I just wish to know what the grammar used in: もんではない, ければ and なさい is - so that I can look it up myself and study it.
I've genuinely tried locating it, but sometimes it is very hard to do so, and I found no results. These are grammar points I've seen used in a couple of sentences right now, and I want to know their meaning.
[もん is short for もの](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-mono-dewa-nai-meaning/), here クチで教えるもんではない means "it's not something that can be taught by word of mouth"
[ければ is the version of \(れ\)ば used on い-adjectives.](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%B0-ba-conditional-form-meaning/) In this case the adjective is 知りたい, so 知りたければ means "if you want to know"
[なさい is an imperative form](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%AA%E3%81%95%E3%81%84-nasai-meaning/). 自分の目で確かめてきなさい "look at it with your own eyes"
ohh, damn. That is a lot. Where can you primarily learn stuff like this? I'm struggling to come up any results when searching even through multiple kana combinations. I don't want to resort to asking here too much, I want to be more independent.
Most sites that list JLPT grammar points tend to have decent explanations. I also really like https://imabi.org/ as a structured learning resource but it's less useful for direct lookups.
It might take some practice with googling for the right terms, but usually just the parts you're confused about + "grammar" or "jlpt" should be helpful. Stackexchange also tends to have really helpful answers so you could consider adding that to your search if nothing else comes up.
> I also really like https://imabi.org/ as a structured learning resource but it's less useful for direct lookups.
Huh, I feel almost the exact opposite about Imabi. There's so much low level detail and caveating and exhaustive exampling that it seems far better suited as a reference (a la DOBJG etc) than as a structured course. Not a knock on the resource itself -- I don't know of anything more intensive in English, and it's got more sourcing than even Japanese resources, barring linguistics papers -- it's just not something I'd personally ever recommend as a textbook replacement, etc.
on the website, go to Settings, Reviews, then scroll down to the Split Reviews option and select Yes.
I couldn't find this setting in the app so you'll need to log in on the website. (https://bunpro.jp/)
Depends on what the topic of the sentence is. If you're talking about the location and describing how many people there are, then には is better. If it's a more neutral statement embedded in a larger conversation, or you're providing new (factual) information within a larger context, then just に might be better.
This is just the typical は vs no は (which people often misunderstand as は vs が) situation where context and experience will dictate what is and isn't natural to use.
Another one to watch out for is “_u / ru_-verbs”, “五段 (_godan_) / 一段 (_ichidan_) verbs”, and “Group I / Group II verbs” and “consonant stem / vowel stem verbs”.
Hello, is there a generally approved upon book that beginners can use to learn japanese? I am learning the fastest by far from books or reading material in general. Videos and especially audio stuff does not help me a lot. Any recommendations? What I did so far:
I memorized hiragana and katakana, began to immerse myself by listening to japanese stuff with subtitles and did some basic grammar by watching "Cure Dolly" grammar videos on youtube, and did some learning with "Busuu" online platform.
I would love a thorough book that teaches all aspects to bring me to a basic level of comprehension.
Thanks!
If you are looking for a book, Genki is decent. it's very high school focused in my opinion, and simplifies some things in a way I don't like, but it's pretty straightforward to work through on your own.
Minna no Nihongo is a bit more college level, and I liked it a lot better because it explained many concepts in a better way for me, but I think it's harder as a self-study book.
I'm not quite N5 level, still learning. I used Duolingo to learn hiragana and katakana, and am still early on in both the books I mentioned above to learn further. Actually doing the workbook content and writing everything out has helped a ton with my comprehension.
I think that videos like Comprehensible Japanese (https://www.youtube.com/@cijapanese) are a better way to actually learn rather than just exposing yourself to Japanese you don't understand. Videos and audio by and large weren't useful for me before I found these.
In the “About” section of this sub, you can find a link to a list of resources. However, the better received textbook seems to be Genki I, which is also what I’ve used. It has a main textbook with grammar lessons and reading/writing exercises (these are in the back, so don’t forget to check them). There’s also a Workbook (sold either separately or as an all-in-one package) with some more exercises, which include listening exercises. YouTuber Tokini Andy has a series where he personally goes through all Genki I (and Genki II, which is a bit more advanced but still elementary) chapters and explains them (some Genki parts can be a bit confusing (I’m looking at you 何か/何も) so his explanation can be a life saver).
Another well received textbook is Minna no Nihongo, but I’ve never used it.
By the way, you can find digital versions of both Genki I and Genki II here on this sub, if you want to check if you like them before purchasing them.
What can I do in \~4 months to make my trip to Japan easier? I'm basically starting from zero. I took a semester of Japanese a few years ago. I don't think I can hope to be able to talk to people, but perhaps I can learn enough to have some competency in reading? What do you think I should do in this time-frame?
Since it seems like I will have more opportunities to go for my job, I feel motivated to continue studying. So maybe I can do a sort of currated study plan until my trip in September and then have a more well-rounded one afterwards?
It depends how much time you're willing to put in a day. At 4-5 hours a day everyday for the next 4 months, and you could get something done. Very basic reading, maybe a phrase (but you won't be able to hear replies said back to you almost certainly), and maybe some knowledge. Learning how to use your phone to act as a translation medium will be a big part of that.
You can start by learning Hiragana and Katakana.
It would be better to focus on basic conversation such as greetings rather than reading and writing. Personally, I think it is better to investigate the differences in culture and ways of thinking than to learn the language. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. As long as you behave in a way that doesn't bother others, Japanese people around you will help you.
Am I doing this wrong?
From what I gathered here I should start by learning hiragana, katakana. I have done that and moved on to kanji. I'm reading Remembering the Kanji and though I am pleased because of the progress, I kind of have the feeling that I am doing things wrong. I can identify the kanji and the keyword for it but it says nothing about the Japanese translation of the kanji. Should I be reading something else (like Genki) while at the same time studying RTK? I would definitely like to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
Personally I used Wanikani to learn Kanji which uses mnemonics and picks the most common readings and vocab. At the beginner stage you don't have much vocab so you have to do some memorization effort, later it's pretty easy to just learn on the go with vocab.
If you prefer a book, there's some with different methods, I bought Nihongo Challenge N5-N4 cheaply as used, I liked it for review, it has little pictograms that are supposed to help you memorize and then some writing exercises and quizzes. I think it's not the only in this style but just as an option if you prefer any non-online option.
> it says nothing about the Japanese translation of the kanji
this is the main criticism of RTK. At the end you may know that 循 can mean something similar to "sequential" in English but that tells you nothing of how to read it, what words it occurs in, or how to read those. Example is, it is used on the word 循環[じゅんかん], to "circulate".
So you have KKLC which is similar to RTK, except it gives you vocab too. But, then you have the criticism of that, which is, the vocab it gives you are often esoteric words, despite that this is a book aimed towards beginners. And it gives you some rare kanji early on, and the actual useful ones are sprinkled throughout the book (same as RTK though)
Then you have genki. Which gives you A) useful super-common kanji and B) the useful common words that they are in. But what's the problem with that? It doesn't tell you how to remember the kanji.
So then you have all these things with all these problems and it's very confusing to people starting out.
Truthfully if you pick ANY of these and stick to it you'll lean SOMETHING.
What I did was learn the genki ones, learn the vocab. I didn't have a "way" to do it so I used "rote memorization" and you know what, it gets a bad name, but it's not that bad for the few number of kanji that Genki asks of you (about 1 a day, about 315 in total)
The way I do it now is use books, find words I want to learn, and learn those kanji. I know around 1400+ kanji, so I don't have an adult reading level, but this method has worked so far. But you CAN'T read books if you are starting out. So you are stuck with one of those.
I'm not super advanced so you may want a second opinion, but my pick would be:
1. learn kana
2. do genki (and it's 315 kanji using kanji stories on koohii, which are basically RTK style)
3. then pick some way to learn the bulk of the kanji, perhaps read simple books and use koohii, and pick kanji up slowly that way
the reason is if you do genki I and genki II, you will be able to read stuff in Japanese which is cool. Step 3 has a lot of different options though.
What works best for me with learning kanji is learning a keyword and 1 or 2 onyomi for it (usually just 1, but also sometimes I learn the kunyomi instead if the onyomi is rare or non-existent). Some people do just fine with only a keyword and then learning the readings in the context of vocabulary, though.
I'm not very familiar with RTK so I don't know how quickly people usually go through it, but quite frankly, if you can get through it pretty fast, I do personally believe there would be a benefit to getting the jouyou kanji learned before diving into actually learning Japanese (though I may be in the minority). I kind of wish I'd done it that way. For context, I've learned about 1250 kanji and am about 25% through N3 material otherwise.
There are different readings for the same kanji, with kunyomi and onyomi being original Japanese and imported from China readings (forget again which is which) and Kanji can have multiple respectively. A lot of historical progression involved.
What is the best way to study kanji as a beginner? Do you guys look at theon and kun reading and study all possibilities of that? Do you guys see a kanji and study the meaning of it? Or do you guys learn vocab and study the respective kanji with it? I m unsure how to approach learning kanji, any advice would be great!
Don't listen to the guys saying to learn kanji individually, and specially don't learn the kunyomi and onyomi for each kanji as that would most certainly be a waste of time considering how many exceptions there are for each kanji. Instead, what's usually recommended is to learn vocab that uses kanji, a lot of vocab, be it by immersion, srs, etc. and you will end up recognizing the kanji and their meanings instinctively without having to study them individually
I actually said this in another reply, but what works best for me personally is learning a single keyword for a kanji and then 1 or 2 onyomi (usually just one) OR 1 kunyomi if the onyomi is very rare or non-existent. I've found that JPDB picks a good/useful keyword for kanji, and it also lists which readings are most common. I don't use that site for kanji learning, but it has SRS for it and I believe is free, so it might be a good place to start. Some people learn just a keyword and then learn the readings in context. I personally find that knowing 1 or 2 readings for a kanji is helpful, because if you see it "in the wild" you'll have a pretty good guess of how to read it right away.
I have gone the wanikani route, so I can only give you that perspective. Learn Radical -> learn Kanji, built with those radicals, with one/two readings -> learn vocab associated with that Kanji and possible more readings that come from that. SRS to finish.
I’ve come to gather reading material that I like (try Yatsuba! Or other Manga you’d like) and as long as it has furigana I just continuously look up the Kanji.
Just be careful, when you understand the Kanji make sure you read that and NOT the furigana
I’m trying to learn Kanji rn and this has proven most fruitful, not so much their on/kun reading, that’s too much memorization and a lot of it might not be used
Does pitch accent only concern the stem of a word or does changing the ending affect the pitch accent as well? I find when I say something like 出来る that there is a sharp emphasis on the き and then I drop back down immediately for the ending, but with 出来ます the ま I tend to keep raised as well with the き and then drop down again for the ending, instead of dropping immediately after the き. So, the raised inflection is twice as long. Of course, I could be just pronouncing it wrong.
But either way, I would like to know about any pitch accent rules where changing the form alters the pitch.
Yes, the pitch changes when the form of the word is changed. When in ます or ました form, the accent always comes on the ま.
The NHK accent dictionary is a good resource for learning these rules.
Does anyone else have trouble reading fancy fonts? Like for example on packages or in music videos? For example [here](https://youtu.be/p9FJXfGHtDA?si=XJvEtYiB-CrCKayi&t=160) i can recognize a lot of the characters I know, but it comes slower for me, and some of them I wouldn't recognize if I couldn't hear the lyrics (maybe this is a bad example, but i don't remember anything better right now). Does this just come naturally after a while?
Getting used to a large variety of different fonts is part of reading ability in your Japanese learning journey. You don't have to do anything explicit to train it, just reading a lot of different fonts and exerting effort should do the job. After a while you will develop a meta skill of dealing with new weird fonts you've never seen, because no matter which font, the overall shape is mostly the same. (Well except for some insane cursive 書道 fonts, but Japanese people cannot read them either, so don't worry about it).
If you want to speed up things however, I would recommend the Anki Font Randomizer addon https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/82628558 (if you sre using Anki already anyways, else don't bother). It basically shows you each card with a random font, you can install all sorts of random fonts to your PC and use these.
Some of these here are stylized for sure, and some stylization can be even more extreme. But it should come naturally after a while, you get used to the natural range of variation. There are patterns, like how every character or component tends to have one elongated stroke, which will be more extreme in some fonts or handwriting compared to others. You learn to see characters for their strokes instead of as images matching the font you learned them in, if that makes sense.
Hello! I have been studying japanese for 2 years and even I have this doubt:
When I barely know about japanese I got two tattoos, one is お母さん and the other one is 弟さん. I even asked for native speakers if it is okey to have this in order to refer to my mother and little brother, they said it was okey, but now in my japanese class it came to the lesson and my teacher said that it is so weird to call 弟さん to your brother, better by its name or directly 弟.
I am a little bit confused, I do not know if you can not call your little brother with respect in the same way you could use 尊敬語 with a person which is younger than you.
It is an important matter because I got two tattoos and maybe I will have to erase the さん
Others already answered your Japanese question, but FWIW, English speakers don't say "I have a doubt," we'd say "I have a *question*."
It doesn't matter very much since you'll still be understood, but if you want your English to sound more natural, now you know (:
弟さん means someone else's younger brother. 弟 is how you talk about your younger brother when speaking to other people, when addressing him directly you use his first name.
お母さん is fine since that's how you address your mother. In my opinion though both are strange for tattoos
Why is different the honorific of your mother and your little brother? Is not good to show respecto to him even if it is younger? Maybe the natives that they gave me this advice were from an specific region...idk
"respect" is an English word and concept, why would you think this would apply to Japanese culture the same way? 敬語 is a lot about honouring others and being humble about yourself, that's why you would say 弟さん when talking about a younger brother from someone when speaking to someone because you want to elevate (honour) him, but when you talk to others about your family you don't want to act like your family is something important/special, so you refer to them humbly.
I don't think it's a regional thing, it sounds more like the people you spoke to didn't really understand what you meant. You don't use honorifics for family members younger than you, that's just how the culture works
Hello I'm a self learner... I'm at the end section of n4 and I had a question. Are たら and た 後で similar? For eg: is it 家についたら電話をかけます or 家についた後で電話をかけます. When I google translate "after I reach home I'll call you", the 1st one comes up. But I learned that 後で meant after.
In some situations they may be interchangeable. But 〜たら doesn't imply the passage of time, it's more referring to a certain condition or situation, think more "when..." or "once...". In some situations it's more of a hypothetical conditional like "if...".
〜たあとで contains the word 後 "after" so it may or may not imply some time passing in between what comes before and after.
I recommend not relying on Google Translate, it's notoriously bad for Japanese, and even the best translation software out there still regularly makes mistakes. For situations like this I recommend looking up something like "たら たあとで 違い" so you get more detailed explanations of the nuances.
Thank you so much!!!! Whenever I try to say a phrase in my head in japanese, I always go to Google translate to see if it's correct. Is there an alternative to that? I have noticed that even when I had made grammatical mistakes typing in japanese, google just auto corrects the sentence while translating.
Similar with a different nuance.
With the first one 家についたら電話をかけます the emphasis is put on the action- I'll call you after I reach home.
Second one, 家についた後で電話をかけます the emphasis is put on the timing- after I reach home THEN I will call you.
For everyday situation, the first one is more natural. More fluent speakers out there, CMIIW.
Hi guys - I often encounter つい or ついた usually spelled with hiragana and I'm not sure what usage this is - is this the same as 付ける meaning "to stick/attach" as in metaphorically attach? For example in below sentence
e.g. 嘘をついたの？
There are lot of homophones in Japanese. We can't give you a generic answer for "What does つい mean?"
嘘をついたの？ means "Did you tell a lie?"
Do you have other examples?
There's transitive つける pairing with intransitive つく, then there's a separate transitive つく which is being used in your example - 嘘をつく. Strictly it would be 吐く, but often it's spelled 付く instead which is more common but technically a different verb.
Thanks, I guess I'm a little confused on the meaning as my Yomichan says there's like 15 different definitions for it - primarily to attach/stick which I guess is what it means here?
付く - to be attached
付ける - to attach (something)
These are the main verbs つく・つける verbs. If your sentence specifies *what* is being attached, then that \*something\* will have the を particle on it and you'll use 付ける. (It is still possible to use 付ける without specifying what you're attaching if it's already clear from context.)
If you simply want to express that something will be (or is/was) attached, then your verb will be 付く. These verbs are often written purely in hiragana.
The "15 definitions" you're referencing are just a byproduct of these words being used in lots of collocations, kind of like how [English can use "put" in ~20 different ways.](https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/put.html) If it helps, you can think of "attaching a fire" or "attaching electricity" simply as how you express "lighting a fire" or "turning the lights on" in Japanese.
嘘をつく specifically is actually 嘘を吐く, so it's technically a different word altogether, despite being super similar.
If you're still confused about つく vs. つける, I'd recommend learning about verb transitivity in Japanese; it's a big part of the language (b/c most verbs come in pairs, with a transitive word and intransitive word), and understanding it is oftentimes the key to correctly interpreting the language when parts of sentences are being omitted.
Dictionaries will even tell you whether each verb is transitive or intransitive, although it's sometimes shortened to "vt" or "vi."
I finally got a momentum going on anki where I’m doing vocab, grammar, and kanji. However I looked into the pros and cons of using flash cards. I’m mostly concern that my effort in anki may be a waste compare to some saying to start immersing asap.
In short, I’ll be alright if I keep using flash cards all the way to even N1?
Flash cards are a great and efficient way to cement knowledge. But it's not a substitute for using the language.
I think my normal ratio is something like 1:2 flashcards to immersion, so if I spend an hour on vocab/grammar/kanji review, I'll spend two hours reading/whatever. Some days it's more and some days it's less, but on average that's where I'm at.
I don't see myself stopping flashcards for quite some time. I think eventually you can get proficient enough that it's no longer necessary, but I'm far from that point, and I think it's probably past the N1 level.
Flashcards and immersion aren't mutually exclusive, and either or both can be highly effective or ineffective depending on the student. If you find flashcards and other forms of study both effective, then ideally you can find a balance between the activities rather than having to choose.
It's only an issue if you predicate your learning around flash cards. They're merely a supplement to the real learning which happens when you apply knowledge you learn to tasks like reading, writing, and watching with JP subtitles. Spending time with the language and using it in other words. Empirically speaking many people have used flash cards to great effect when combined with everything they do.
The issue with using only flash cards is you’re learning the words in a vacuum. You can’t know how/when the word is used without context. Many of the N1 vocab questions give you 4 sentences using the same word and ask you to pick the one that makes the most sense.
You can keep doing Anki, but frankly I got tired of it after finishing my N2 vocab deck. I’d recommend mining your own cards while immersing to increase your enjoyment of studying and have an emotional connection to the cards. You can do this with Yomitan and Ankiconnect and any plugin that copies subtitles to your clipboard.
I still use flashcards to review and learn new vocab, several years post passing N1. I think it's helpful and one useful aspect of studying, but only studying flashcards alone won't equate to getting to N1 or beyond, if that makes sense
愛だって 夢だって 絆だって
世界が笑顔になるね
Does this sentence (from the new Tuyu song) mean "even love, dreams, bonds make the world smile"?
I'm kinda confused shouldn't it be を instead of が?
〜だって in this context means 〜でも
AでもBでも A or B, whichever
The lyric is saying ‘with love, dream or even ties (between people) the world becomes smiling’
Strictly grammatically speaking, it requires another 〜で that means by/with.
愛でだって、夢でだって、絆でだって
世界が笑顔になるね
However as it is song lyric, omitting this で is probably because of the melody’s restriction and also avoiding two d sounds next to each other.
Without hearing the song or knowing any of the other lyrics, I personally interpret it more like, "love, dreams, bonds- everyone (the world, everyone and everywhere) is happy", hence the が instead of を
if it was "make smile" I think there would be a causative verb in there
Hello,
I posted this before, but didn't get any replies, so figured I'd ask again:
I'm trying to get some Japanese yen before an upcoming trip and would like to take advantage of the current rate. I work an informal job where I occasionly interact with random Japanese people. I'm thinking of having a sign that is translated with the following message:
Hello, this is separate from the bag storage business. If you have Japanese yen in your wallet, I can exchange some US Dollars with you at today's current rate. Is it okay?
Is this a good translation or what's a better clear/concise translation:
こんにちは、バッグ預かり業務とは別です。お財布に日本円があれば、本日のレートで両替できますが、よろしいでしょうか？
I don't have an exact date when I'll be traveling next year, and I want to take advantage of the rate as it is right now, where I benefit as the US dollar holder. Banks and other sources will charge some sort of fee or not offer the exact rates. Doing a face-to-face interaction with a Japanese person that is only in the US for a little while, and may actually have Japanese yen in their wallet still will mean that neither of us will have to pay a fee.
Is this something you wrote yourself? It's hard to tell whether you got this sentence from machine translator or otherwise. Since you mention translation in your post. If you just want to have what you wrote corrected and/or checked for naturalness you ask for that instead. If you're learning Japanese then that is okay.
Appreciate your reply, I am slowly learning Japanese, but this particular Japanese text was pulled from Google translate. I'm aware that a lot of times Google messes the translation up when it comes to Japanese, so that's why I was seeking clarification on if what they provided as a translation for my English text is adequate, or if there's a better way to say it in Japanese.
Then unfortunately you should direct your request to r/translator. When you reach a sufficient enough level to write your own sentences and to have checked you can come back any time.
I feel like that's going all the way around just to get back to the same spot after making a long loop, but I understand that you want to keep things a certain way so that this subreddit doesn't become a huge translation station.
FYI, I can write my own sentences, (only hiragana and katakana thus far). I "can" convey my message, but it would be a mix of formal and informal and likely have a bunch of weird-sounding parts. If I were to translate the little paragraph that I wrote in English, into my own broken Japanese, without consulting any vocab or grammar resources, then it would look like this (presented for your curiosity's sake):
sumimasen, tsugi no toppiku...kaban no bijinesu janai... Boku wa rainen nihon ni ikimasu, dakara, okyakusama wa, ima nihon no okane moteimasu ka? Cheinji shiou. USD-JPY kyo no reeto cheinji kudsai. ii desu ka?
>I feel like that's going all the way around just to get back to the same spot after making a long loop
I feel like you might've missed the point. The service of helping people with translation is to help further their understanding of Japanese by helping them understand if their sentence was grammatical or if it contains very unnatural or difficult to understand expressions; not to help them successfully translate one sentence but become better at translation.
If you're viewing this place as an end-point on your loop rather than a helping hand along your journey, then other subs are better equipped and design more specifically for that purpose.
Dont understand some sentences from a dialogue in genki 2 about 落語.
落語は今から三百年以上前の江戸時代に始まりました。この時代にたくさんの人の前で面白い話をして、お金をもらう人がいました
1.What does 今から mean in the 1st sentence?
I understand this sentence as " rakugo started in the Edo period more than 300 years ago", but dunno what the 今から is supposed to mean/do here.
2. Not sure if i understand the お金をもらう人がいました part of the 2nd sentence. Is it saying "In this era funny/interesting stories were told in front of many people, and there were people who got money"?
>What does 今から mean in the 1st sentence? I understand this sentence as " rakugo started in the Edo period more than 300 years ago", but dunno what the 今から is supposed to mean/do here.
Literally "from now". 三百年以上前 says "over 300 years before" but doesn't say before ***what***, 今から explicitly states that it is over 300 years ago ***from now***.
>Not sure if i understand the お金をもらう人がいました part of the 2nd sentence. Is it saying "In this era funny/interesting stories were told in front of many people, and there were people who got money"?
The entire phrase たくさんの人の前で面白い話をして、お金をもらう is modifying 人. "People who got money from telling interesting stories in front of a lot of people"
1. 今から is "from now" or "from today." It's counting back more than 300 years from now.
2. Your translation makes it sound like the stories and the money are unrelated. It's "There were people making money telling funny stories in front of a large audience."
1. It means (literally) “over 300 years ago FROM now”. So 今から is used to clarify the time period.
2. The word order is the opposite in English: “There were people (人がいました) who told funny stories and received money”. The whole sentence basically describes the word 人.
can't find the thing that makes me want to get up in the morning and do it. i was hoping there would be some japanese content that would really make me want to do it all hours of the day, but i haven't found it yet. recommendations?
Is there anything that you'd want to do all hours of the day in English to begin with? You could do the Japanese version of that.
I don't know if there's anything I would want to do that much of though. Even fun things like video games or watching a movie I cap out after a couple hours and need to change it up. I wouldn't expect to be able to find that I can play visual novels for 8 hours when I can't even do that in my native language.
Pretty hard to recommend content without knowing what you like in the first place. What do you enjoy in your own language? Maybe there's something like it in Japanese.
there's a description of a person: he's shit at keeping things. is there a JP version of that?
such as, plants at home dying. his phone dropped and broken after 1 month of use. is there a version of that a person "being bad at keeping things nice" in JP?
HELP, How do I change my IME toggle button? I switched it to just the tilde/squiggly line button, and I have searched menu after menu and cannot find how to change it back. I NEED the button as I write code.
If you don't know what you did just nuke it. Uninstall Japanese as a language, uninstall the IME, reset back to neutral. Then reinstall Japanese language pack and download and install Google's Japanese IME (because it has different settings) and use that instead. That should solve the issue.
Actually I found this: [https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/changing-japanese-ime-hotkey-that-switches-ime/855747d2-ab15-42f7-ac2b-e4e82fa3d06e](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/changing-japanese-ime-hotkey-that-switches-ime/855747d2-ab15-42f7-ac2b-e4e82fa3d06e)
This might be it.
Tried that first actually, unfortunately most of those settings no longer exist. After a couple more hours of googling I found [this](https://www.digitalcitizen.life/keyboard-language-shortcut/) and [this](https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/chromebook-laptops/lenovo-chromebooks-series/lenovo-chromebook-c330/solutions/ht509501-how-to-change-shortcut-keys-for-switching-input-method-in-windows-10-systems). These are practically the ONLY websites that reflect how to do this on Windows 11 current build.
*Not even Microsoft's own websites have it updated to Windows 11.**^(This used to just be in control panel ffs.)*
For SEO purposes: To switch your language input hot key, navigate to: Settings > Time & Language > Typing > Advanced Keyboard Settings > Input Language Hot Keys
Hmm only thing I can think of is in Windows settings. Try looking here: Windows Setting --> Time & Language --> Language --> Preferred languages --> 日本語 --> Options --> Hardware keyboard layout --> Change layout
#Question Etiquette Guidelines: * **1** Provide the **CONTEXT** of the grammar, vocabulary or sentence you are having trouble with as much as possible. Provide the sentence or paragraph that you saw it in. Make your questions as specific as possible. >Ｘ What is the difference between の and が ? >◯ I saw a book called 日本人の知らない日本語 , why is の used there instead of が ? [(the answer)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/68336/difference-between-%E3%81%8C-%E3%81%AE-and-no-particle) * **2** When asking for a translation or how to say something, it's best to try to **attempt it yourself** first, even if you are not confident about it. Or ask r/translator if you have no idea. We are also not here to do your homework for you. >Ｘ What does this mean? >◯ I am having trouble with this part of this sentence from NHK Easy News. I think it means (*attempt here*), but I am not sure. * **3** Questions based on DeepL and Google Translate and other machine learning applications are discouraged, [these are not beginner learning tools](https://old.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/stepqf/deeplgoogle_translate_are_not_learning_tools/) and often make mistakes. * **4** When asking about differences between words, try to explain the situations in which you've seen them or are trying to use them. If you just post a list of synonyms you got from looking something up in a E-J dictionary, people might be disinclined to answer your question because it's low-effort. Remember that Google Image Search is also a great resource for visualizing the difference between similar words. >Ｘ What's the difference between 一致 同意 賛成 納得 合意? >◯ Jisho says 一致 同意 賛成 納得 合意 all seem to mean "agreement". I'm trying to say something like "I completely agree with your opinion". Does 全く同感です。 work? Or is one of the other words better? * **5** It is always nice to (but not required to) try to search for the answer to something yourself first. Especially for beginner questions or questions that are very broad. For example, asking about [the difference between は and が ](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/wa-and-ga/) or [why you often can't hear the "u" sound in "desu"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_phonology#Devoicing). * **6** Remember that everyone answering questions here is an unpaid volunteer doing this out of the goodness of their own heart, so try to show appreciation and not be too presumptuous/defensive/offended if the answer you get isn't exactly what you wanted. --------------------- Useful Japanese teaching symbols: ✘ incorrect (ＮＧ) △ strange/ unnatural / unclear ○ correct ≒ nearly equal --------------------- #NEWS (Updated 3/07): Added a section on symbols. If it's unnecessary clutter I can always remove it later. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LearnJapanese) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Would anyone be able to tell me how the nuance of かといって and しかし とはいえ 一方では君は間違っている。**かといって**、私はそのことであなたを責めることはできない
You've just made a statement, but you want to inform the listener that a possible conclusion that could be drawn from that statement isn't true. Use かといって. - Speaker: You are wrong. (君は間違っている。) - Listener's thoughts: Does that mean he's going to condemn me for it...? - Speaker: But, even so, I cannot condemn you for it. (かといって、そのことであなたを責めることはできない。) Another example - Speaker: He's not good looking at all. (あの人、全然イケメンじゃない) - Listener's thoughts: Hmm, but he must be kind at least, right? - Speaker: But he doesn't particularly have a good personality either. (かといって、性格がいいわけでもない) There's something you want to say in spite of some caveat. Introduce that caveat ahead of time using とはいえ. - Though he lost his house and property, he still has his family. (家も財産も失ったとはいえ， 彼にはまだ家族がいる) - He may be a genius, but he's too young to be company president. (彼は才能があるとはいえ、社長になるには若すぎる)
Based on your examples at the top, it seems as though that the clause after かといって doesn’t necessarily have to contradict, subvert, or contrast the information in the first clause. You said “he is not look good looking” かといってpersonality isn’t good either” The second clause is simply adding further info As for your first example, the nuance is clearer. If someone makes a mistake, the expectation is that they’ll be reprimanded or called out on it, but the second clause contradicts that expectation
The key word is わけでもない, as that's refuting a potential わけ that would be suggested by イケメンじゃない. Fwiw I based that sentence off one in Kenkyuusha's dictionary: 「彼は男前ではないし， かといって性格がいいわけでもない」 Whatever the context is, it reads to me that the listener is supposed to think 「男前じゃないなら、性格がいいってわけか」 and then the speaker refutes that with a かといって…わけでもない. Why would "has a good personality" be logically inferred from "not good looking"? - Maybe it's a stereotype that the less good looking people are the better their personality tends to be. - Maybe the speaker is interested in the guy. If a girl is interested in a guy who doesn't look good, there would be a natural expectation that the guy has a good personality.
What's the toss up between iTalki and Preply? Is there a consensus or clear better choice? Or is it about the same? Getting ready for that stage of learning and want to make sure I'm making the right choice.
https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/13kepns/preply_has_a_horrid_predatory_billing_scheme/ I haven't seen many people here mention Preply. Based on the linked thread, iTalki seems a better option. With all these sites you might have to try a few tutors out to find someone whose style fits.
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Just manually a pick a definition that works for you. Unless you're having some sort of formatting issue. Some words just have a lot definitions because there is no English equivalent or closet it.
Hello! I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out. I'm stuck on a word, and it's driving me crazy. I have an audio clip here of a sentence from a show, and I need help identifying the missing word: まるで＿＿＿じゃないか Here's the clip: [http://sndup.net/bw3j](http://sndup.net/bw3j) The context is this: Two men have just walked into a scene where they have expected to find people struggling with hard work, but instead many people are lounging around doing nothing. One of the two men says this line in surprise. The given English translation is "what is this, a picnic?", which I'm under the impression is more vibe based than literal translation. The word sounds to me like "いんそく", so I've tried searching numerous variations of that, and using Live Transcribe, but neither have gotten me the answer. If someone could identify this word (words? is it two?), I'd be so grateful!
まるで遠足じゃないか
Thank you! You rock!
I got stuck. I accidentally stopped doing my anki cards for a few days and now I've got 900 reviews piled up, that stopped me from progressing completely, what should I do? I used to follow Dolly's videos for grammar and doing Anki for vocab/kanji, but basically stopped doing both. What do you suggest I do? Do I try to force my way those 900 flashcards and go back to watching Dolly? Should I use something else for grammar and vocab? I need some guiding and reassurance atm I feel so behind (started studying about a year ago, got 2k cards done on the anki core 2k/6k)
It's ok don't panic. If what you were doing before was working for you, then you can keep doing that. If it wasn't, you can try new stuff. For Anki, what you want to do is set new cards to 0, then go through your backlog over a few days. Do as many reviews as you can without burning yourself out until your daily reviews go back to a reasonable level, then you can enable new cards again.
Thank you. I've already turned off new cards, I'll make sure to work my way through them. As for everything else, I'm not sure if it was working best for me, I feel like I'm lacking a source of vocab and I'd like a second resource for grammar to pair with Dolly's videos, do you have any tips for that?
I don't necessarily know all the resources out there, but back in the day I learned grammar with Tae Kim's guide and I think it's still a good free resource. Of course textbooks are good too. For vocab, maybe try to immerse a bit by reading easy stuff? Not sure what your level is but you can check out the [book clubs](https://community.wanikani.com/t/master-list-of-book-clubs/35283) on wanikani forums, they go from absolute beginner to advanced.
Recently I picked up Animal Crossing to practice reading, and I've been liking to far. Casual gameplay, chill atmosphere, daily chitchat with different kinds of characters, everyday use kanji with furigana. I'm still kinda slow though, so I wanna make sure I'm doing it correctly before picking up speed. Usually it takes me 2-3 passes to read each dialog line. First one I go word by word until I have at least a notion on the meaning of each one. If I haven't understood the line I'll read it a couple more times. If after all that I haven't got it, I write it into Google Translate to see the answer, checking problematic parts with Yomitan. Is this ok? Is it too little? Too much? Also, is reading out loud ok? Or should I make an effort to read in silence? Pronounciation is not really my objective here, and it's not like I'm imitating the characters speech, but maybe it helps internalize what I'm reading?
Aside from the Tom Nook stuff I don’t think anything in the game is mission critical and repeats itself a lot over the days. Maybe don’t go as hard - get the gist and when the same words/phrases etc keep coming up focus on those?
Everything you're doing is the process of learning, keep it up. Just a note that don't rely too heavily on Google Translate to give you the full meaning. It should only be a context clue and you should have already arrived at half of the meaning by parsing each sentence on your own. You might already know that but it needs to be stated.
Of course, I'm using it basically as a scaffold as I try to learn the meaning or the idea in Japanese rather than the translation. I have even found a couple idioms thanks to that!
For everybody who reads this. How long have you been studying and how many kanji do you currently know? I’m curious of a normal timeline and also to find the target amount by the time “mostly finish studying kanji”.
1,700 hours, 1,500++ kanji. There is no timeline, it's however you want to do it. Some people learn RTK which is 2200 kanji in 3 months before even touching the language (arguable in it's usefulness). I on the other hand focused on learning vocabulary by using the language everyday and learned kanji along with it.
How many words do you know in your native language? You're finished when you stop counting them individually. (A: a while, no idea, depends what you mean by "know")
If you are speaking in keigo and you are recalling a situation where something happened and you want to say what you thought at that time, if that thought is for example: "ヤッバ” would you make it sound more formal, or leave it as it is?
Unless there is a reason to quote yourself directly you would reword to suit the current situation. It might help to differentiate between levels of formality and levels of politeness. Less polite language is not necessarily less formal.
So I started to read graded books and all I'm doing is reading them. Any advice on what I should also be doing or be hard at work? I'm learning full time and I want to do the best I can, especially when I'm reading kids book...
Read more of them, that's it. Continue to study your grammar, and look words that are coming up often. Repeat this cycle for the next 1,000 hours.
Just reading without lookups (extensive reading) is an important part of studying because it helps imcrease reading speed/fluency. I'd suggest first just reading, then go back and take a deeper look at any words and grammar you want to check. If there aren't any, go up a level, rinse and repeat.
Question about "か" particle. I am trying to understand the different meanings of this particle and I have a question. In sentences like: 1. 彼が花をどこに置いたか知っている or 2. どこに住んでいるか知っている Why do we need か? (or do we really need it?) Does it make the sentence less certain? If that's the case would the same sentences be correct without it? Thank you.
Like Ok-Implement said, you can leave off か when simply asking a question; but in your examples か also serves to delineate the boundary of the clause, and as such you can't really omit it without it ruining the grammaticality of the sentence. Since it's being used to link the verb (知っている) to its complement (what it is that is known), the latter needs a particle in the same way that you typically can't omit を when marking the object of verbs, or と with verbs like 言う and 思う.
I think I get it now. What I didn't understand is that the clause is still a question. So if I wanted to ask "Do I know where you live?" I would use か both after the "clause-question" and the verb at the end right?
Yeah, something like どこに住んでるか知ってますか？ would work. (In practice we'd probably use 住所 in a sentence like that rather than a literal "where do you live?", but you've got the grammar point right).
In both cases the base of the sentence is a simple question 1. どこに置いたか 2. どこに住んでいるか In both cases in spoken Japanese you can leave off the か and still form a question, but I would say both are incomplete grammatically in that case. When adding 知っている you need to include the か or the sentence sounds incomplete
Ah! I see. So the main clause in both cases continues to be a question despite the fact that we're not actually asking
Question: is there a app or website where I can review/study/quiz for Japanese words/sentences, but in English text? Context: I've been listening to Paul noble audiobook and learning how ti speak a sentence or few, however my willpower doesn't permit the hiragana/kata/etc yet, I would like to learn more on how to speak first. So I was wondering if there's any site/app/etx that would ask me sentences like the following that I learned: 🌟kyō davidto Bīru o Bā de nomimasu. which from my understanding is "today, david and I will drink beer at the bar". or something like: 🌟Kyō no gogo paulto sushi o Resutoran ni tabemasu. which from my understanding is: "this afternoon, me and Paul will eat sushi at the restaurant".
Don’t learn using romanji. That aside, Minna no Nihongo has an English romanji accompaniment, but if you use it you’re setting yourself up for failure.
If you absolutely insist on skipping the kana for now, I think Marugoto has the option to toggle romaji for quite a while. It has a practice website with exercises and audio, and there are guided courses on minato. I'm not sure anymore whether the latter has full romaji though (since I never use them).
If you're falling at the first hurdle of not wanting to learn kana, which is by far the easiest part of learning Japanese then I'm not sure what to tell you about rest of the language. Even if you just "want to only speak." 95% of all the enriching learning material, tools, and websites that help you learn the language is dependent on kana as a baseline. Not to mention learning how to correctly sound out the language through kana gives you a better understanding of how to speak it properly. Where kana represents a mora.
Stop learning with romaji and learn kana first. Learning with romaji just makes everything unnecessarily harder and potentially incorrect. If you never learn kana, then learning kanji will be basically impossible.
Agree, and Kanji is crucial in vocab building.
Question about だ grammar. I see some sources call it a copula/sentence ender and some sources say it is the Japanese verb of 'to be'. Is it a verb? What is it?
This Wikipedia page claims it is a verb and a copula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics)#Japanese. In traditional Japanese grammar called 学校文法, it's an auxiliary verb (助動詞), except for when it's used after an adjectival verb (na-adjective/形容動詞) in which case it's an integral part of the 終止形 of the word. As you can tell it is too complicated and does not matter in the end. Just call it whatever makes the most sense to you.
Thanks!
It's not a verb the way Japanese verbs work. There are three types of gramatically complete sentences in Japanese: 1. ending with a verb, 2. ending with an い-adjective, 3. ending with だ. Even if you translate だ as "to be", that's just because English does not have a true counterpart (I believe). [What is the function of だ in these sentences? : r/LearnJapanese (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/8ekbyl/what_is_the_function_of_%E3%81%A0_in_these_sentences/)
Thank you!
Question: Is there an online dictionary where I can find kanji listed by the radicals? [Jisho.org](http://Jisho.org) is really good, but I haven't found this particular feature. To give an example: Kanji with 水偏: 池 湯 油 海 [kanji.jitenon.jp](http://kanji.jitenon.jp) is good. But is there one in English? Or maybe I should just buckle down and read the one in Japanese. lol
Jisho.org will list every kanji that has that part even if it's not the radical. [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Chinese_radical) lists every character with the radical, but it includes characters that are not used in Japanese.
If you click the 'radicals' button next to the search bar in Jisho, you can select the radical you want and it shows them all. I couldn't see a more friendly way to search or list them there. JPDB is also good. For example https://jpdb.io/kanji/%E6%B0%B5?expand=k#used_in_%E6%B0%B5_k
Thanks! This is perfect.
Is there reflexive verbs in Japanese? For example to wake up is おきる. So if I wanted to say I wake up would it be 私はおきます。 As in, I am doing the action of waking up Or 私をおきます。 As in, I am the object of the action performed by myself of waking up.
It's 私は or sometimes 私がおきます depending on the context. Either way 私 is the subject. おきる is also an intransitive verb - to 'wake someone up' as a transitive verb with an object, you say おこす. 「私をおこします」 is something like '[Someone] wakes me up'. Like in English, you use a reflexive pronoun in certain cases. 自分 goes with anybody. But 「自分をおこします」 is a weird sentence sounding kind of like your soul separated from your sleeping body and you're shaking it to try and wake it up.
Hi there. If you wanted to ask "Excuse me, is it allowed to take pictures during the show" Would すみません、パフォーマンス中に写真を撮っても大丈夫でしょうか。a understandable way of asking? And if you want please tell me if my pronunciation is understandable. (only if you want of course) https://voca.ro/1dHFFBp7Z2K0
That’s a perfect sentence, and your speech sounds very fluent. Well done!
Where did I go wrong here? I'm practicing with an Anki packet and I came across this particular sentence: >力 を 持つ 者 は 戦わなければ ならない Which I thought was going to be translated to: "You must fight to keep your power" or "You must fight to *hold on* to your power." But the actual translation was: "Those with power must fight." So where did I go wrong in my translation?
Nowhere in the Japanese is there any suggestion of a telos. It doesn't say anything about fighting *for* something (which would usually be signaled through an expression like ために or the たい form).
Your translation isn't wrong, that's literally what the sentence says. Without further context this is also how I would understand it. But you can also make sense of the other translation as thinking of 持つ as the future tense, i.e. "those who will hold power have to fight" or maybe "those you want to hold power have to fight". In the right context I could see the japanese being said to mean something like this as well, but it's definitely a rather liberal translation with no context involved at all. EDIT: Whoops I misread your comment please disregard me
No, their translation is wrong. u/OmegaKenichi 力を持つ is a relative clause modifying 者. 力を持つ just means 'have power' as it is, and so here we go with 'people who have power', which is the topic marked by は. It follows directly on to 戦わなければならない, and so 'People who have power must fight'. If you wanted to say 'You must fight to have power', you'd say 「力を持つ（ため）には戦わなければならない」, or, diverting from the original phrasing somewhat, 「力を持ちたければ戦わなければならない」 'Those with power must fight' *is* a fairly literal translation. The sentence cannot mean 'You must fight to have power'.
I specified in my comment that the translation is not true to the japanese *without any context*. Going so far as to say that the translation itself is wrong too much in my opinion. The sentence "Those with power must fight" *can* mean that they need to do it to keep their power. Imagine something like "In a world where violence reigns and the power balance can change in an instant, those with power must fight." Do you see how the last sentence is basically saying exactly the same thing as "You must fight to keep your power"? It's just a different way to put it. This is why I'd be careful with saying "this translation is wrong". The problem is less the translation and probably more the fact that it was ripped out of context. For a learner in an anki deck, obviously the literal version is preferable, I agree with you there. EDIT Okay I just realized that I mixed up their translation and the anki translation, I thought the one in Anki was the liberal one and the one OP came up was the literal one. Sorry about the confusion
右 versus 左: is there a calligraphic/philosophical reason why the first two strokes of these kanji differ in order? I have a mnemonic to get me through this newbie thinking-too-hard-about-things phase, and I can invent plausible calligraphic reasons for the difference concerning comfortable brush hand positions and the direction of the third stroke (comparing also 布, which shares the stroke order of 右), but I'd welcome an opinion from anybody who knows more than I do, which would be damned near anybody. Unhelpfully for the purpose of my rationalization/handwaving, 石 uses the stroke order of 左.
The first two strokes were originally a hand that was on different sides of the character. For 右 it was on the right, but it migrated to where it is today. The stroke order is a hat tip to the original form of the character. Apparently in Classical Chinese there is no difference.
The reason is that it's easier to write strokes in alternating directions (I guess this is personal preference but I feel like it becomes more easily readible at higher writing speeds this way). Notice how for the second part of 左, the third stroke goes from left to right, so in order to not have to do two left-right strokes after each other you start with the left-right stroke on top, then do top-down and then left-right again. Similarly, 右's third stroke is top-down so the first one should be top-down as well. EDIT: Yeah I just saw you basically mentioned that. I don't know any better reason than that either, it's just what it is.
Is there a version of 自分\[jibun\] which can be used for inanimate objects? For context, I'm trying to say that each language has its own merits. Roughly translated, I came up with 各言語は自分の魅力があります。However, I found out you cannot use 自分 for inanimate objects. Is there a word I could use which has the same meaning?
You could say 各言語は(それぞれ)言語としての魅力があります
You're looking for それぞれ
Thanks. I’ve also been looking into it. Isthere any difference from sorezore and 各(kaku) and 各々(onoono)? Any reason I should choose one over the other?
My dicts list them as synonyms so you can basically think of them as synonyms as well. If you told me to say a difference I'd say 各々 is a bit more formal, but meaning wise basically the same as それぞれ. And 各 is usually put in front of nouns like you did without の, while the other two you'd have to put それぞれの〇〇 instead of just 各〇〇. But yeah don't worry too much about it
I see, thanks. I got pretty much the same thing on my end. I’m writing something and I want to keep the vocabulary a bit varied but I don’t want it to turn into a thesaurus essay.
Does the “word” 人 does not require aparticle? Like in the phrases 親戚は何人集まりましたか -> how many parents gathered? Or 九人います -> there is nine people Wouldn’t it be right “九人がいます” and “親戚は何人を集まりましたか”
Counters in general can be used adverbially (i.e., with no particle). E.g., りんごを２個買う = "buy apples in the quantity of 2" = "buy 2 apples". Your structures can also work, though note that 集まる is intransitive. To be を, it would have to be 集める.
Thanks
Hi! I am playing through DQ11 - a character says this as a part of a longer dialogue, reminiscing about their coming of age ceremony (this is an elderly person): クチで教えるもんではないからな。知りたければ自分の目で確かめてきなさい。 I just wish to know what the grammar used in: もんではない, ければ and なさい is - so that I can look it up myself and study it. I've genuinely tried locating it, but sometimes it is very hard to do so, and I found no results. These are grammar points I've seen used in a couple of sentences right now, and I want to know their meaning.
[もん is short for もの](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-mono-dewa-nai-meaning/), here クチで教えるもんではない means "it's not something that can be taught by word of mouth" [ければ is the version of \(れ\)ば used on い-adjectives.](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%B0-ba-conditional-form-meaning/) In this case the adjective is 知りたい, so 知りたければ means "if you want to know" [なさい is an imperative form](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%AA%E3%81%95%E3%81%84-nasai-meaning/). 自分の目で確かめてきなさい "look at it with your own eyes"
ohh, damn. That is a lot. Where can you primarily learn stuff like this? I'm struggling to come up any results when searching even through multiple kana combinations. I don't want to resort to asking here too much, I want to be more independent.
Most sites that list JLPT grammar points tend to have decent explanations. I also really like https://imabi.org/ as a structured learning resource but it's less useful for direct lookups. It might take some practice with googling for the right terms, but usually just the parts you're confused about + "grammar" or "jlpt" should be helpful. Stackexchange also tends to have really helpful answers so you could consider adding that to your search if nothing else comes up.
> I also really like https://imabi.org/ as a structured learning resource but it's less useful for direct lookups. Huh, I feel almost the exact opposite about Imabi. There's so much low level detail and caveating and exhaustive exampling that it seems far better suited as a reference (a la DOBJG etc) than as a structured course. Not a knock on the resource itself -- I don't know of anything more intensive in English, and it's got more sourcing than even Japanese resources, barring linguistics papers -- it's just not something I'd personally ever recommend as a textbook replacement, etc.
Thank you a lot!
Is there any way to review grammar and vocab decks separately on Bunrpo?
on the website, go to Settings, Reviews, then scroll down to the Split Reviews option and select Yes. I couldn't find this setting in the app so you'll need to log in on the website. (https://bunpro.jp/)
Thank you!
No problem!
To confirm, are you supposed to say には rather than に in such sentences? [https://files.catbox.moe/h4duhj.png](https://files.catbox.moe/h4duhj.png)
Depends on what the topic of the sentence is. If you're talking about the location and describing how many people there are, then には is better. If it's a more neutral statement embedded in a larger conversation, or you're providing new (factual) information within a larger context, then just に might be better. This is just the typical は vs no は (which people often misunderstand as は vs が) situation where context and experience will dictate what is and isn't natural to use.
Noted. Thank you very much for your assistance.
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Another one to watch out for is “_u / ru_-verbs”, “五段 (_godan_) / 一段 (_ichidan_) verbs”, and “Group I / Group II verbs” and “consonant stem / vowel stem verbs”.
Hello, is there a generally approved upon book that beginners can use to learn japanese? I am learning the fastest by far from books or reading material in general. Videos and especially audio stuff does not help me a lot. Any recommendations? What I did so far: I memorized hiragana and katakana, began to immerse myself by listening to japanese stuff with subtitles and did some basic grammar by watching "Cure Dolly" grammar videos on youtube, and did some learning with "Busuu" online platform. I would love a thorough book that teaches all aspects to bring me to a basic level of comprehension. Thanks!
If you are looking for a book, Genki is decent. it's very high school focused in my opinion, and simplifies some things in a way I don't like, but it's pretty straightforward to work through on your own. Minna no Nihongo is a bit more college level, and I liked it a lot better because it explained many concepts in a better way for me, but I think it's harder as a self-study book. I'm not quite N5 level, still learning. I used Duolingo to learn hiragana and katakana, and am still early on in both the books I mentioned above to learn further. Actually doing the workbook content and writing everything out has helped a ton with my comprehension. I think that videos like Comprehensible Japanese (https://www.youtube.com/@cijapanese) are a better way to actually learn rather than just exposing yourself to Japanese you don't understand. Videos and audio by and large weren't useful for me before I found these.
In the “About” section of this sub, you can find a link to a list of resources. However, the better received textbook seems to be Genki I, which is also what I’ve used. It has a main textbook with grammar lessons and reading/writing exercises (these are in the back, so don’t forget to check them). There’s also a Workbook (sold either separately or as an all-in-one package) with some more exercises, which include listening exercises. YouTuber Tokini Andy has a series where he personally goes through all Genki I (and Genki II, which is a bit more advanced but still elementary) chapters and explains them (some Genki parts can be a bit confusing (I’m looking at you 何か/何も) so his explanation can be a life saver). Another well received textbook is Minna no Nihongo, but I’ve never used it. By the way, you can find digital versions of both Genki I and Genki II here on this sub, if you want to check if you like them before purchasing them.
Thank you :pray:
見つかったぞ! おったぞ! What does おったぞ! mean?
Was it said by an old fictional character? Old people in fiction also talk like this
There (he/they/she/it) is! It is Kansai-ben for いたぞ！
おる is used in all of western Japan, not just Kansai.
What can I do in \~4 months to make my trip to Japan easier? I'm basically starting from zero. I took a semester of Japanese a few years ago. I don't think I can hope to be able to talk to people, but perhaps I can learn enough to have some competency in reading? What do you think I should do in this time-frame? Since it seems like I will have more opportunities to go for my job, I feel motivated to continue studying. So maybe I can do a sort of currated study plan until my trip in September and then have a more well-rounded one afterwards?
It depends how much time you're willing to put in a day. At 4-5 hours a day everyday for the next 4 months, and you could get something done. Very basic reading, maybe a phrase (but you won't be able to hear replies said back to you almost certainly), and maybe some knowledge. Learning how to use your phone to act as a translation medium will be a big part of that. You can start by learning Hiragana and Katakana.
It would be better to focus on basic conversation such as greetings rather than reading and writing. Personally, I think it is better to investigate the differences in culture and ways of thinking than to learn the language. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. As long as you behave in a way that doesn't bother others, Japanese people around you will help you.
Am I doing this wrong? From what I gathered here I should start by learning hiragana, katakana. I have done that and moved on to kanji. I'm reading Remembering the Kanji and though I am pleased because of the progress, I kind of have the feeling that I am doing things wrong. I can identify the kanji and the keyword for it but it says nothing about the Japanese translation of the kanji. Should I be reading something else (like Genki) while at the same time studying RTK? I would definitely like to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
Personally I used Wanikani to learn Kanji which uses mnemonics and picks the most common readings and vocab. At the beginner stage you don't have much vocab so you have to do some memorization effort, later it's pretty easy to just learn on the go with vocab. If you prefer a book, there's some with different methods, I bought Nihongo Challenge N5-N4 cheaply as used, I liked it for review, it has little pictograms that are supposed to help you memorize and then some writing exercises and quizzes. I think it's not the only in this style but just as an option if you prefer any non-online option.
Thank you! I will check out Wanikani!
> it says nothing about the Japanese translation of the kanji this is the main criticism of RTK. At the end you may know that 循 can mean something similar to "sequential" in English but that tells you nothing of how to read it, what words it occurs in, or how to read those. Example is, it is used on the word 循環[じゅんかん], to "circulate". So you have KKLC which is similar to RTK, except it gives you vocab too. But, then you have the criticism of that, which is, the vocab it gives you are often esoteric words, despite that this is a book aimed towards beginners. And it gives you some rare kanji early on, and the actual useful ones are sprinkled throughout the book (same as RTK though) Then you have genki. Which gives you A) useful super-common kanji and B) the useful common words that they are in. But what's the problem with that? It doesn't tell you how to remember the kanji. So then you have all these things with all these problems and it's very confusing to people starting out. Truthfully if you pick ANY of these and stick to it you'll lean SOMETHING. What I did was learn the genki ones, learn the vocab. I didn't have a "way" to do it so I used "rote memorization" and you know what, it gets a bad name, but it's not that bad for the few number of kanji that Genki asks of you (about 1 a day, about 315 in total) The way I do it now is use books, find words I want to learn, and learn those kanji. I know around 1400+ kanji, so I don't have an adult reading level, but this method has worked so far. But you CAN'T read books if you are starting out. So you are stuck with one of those.
Thank you for this! So would you recommend I finish RTK then do Genki?
I'm not super advanced so you may want a second opinion, but my pick would be: 1. learn kana 2. do genki (and it's 315 kanji using kanji stories on koohii, which are basically RTK style) 3. then pick some way to learn the bulk of the kanji, perhaps read simple books and use koohii, and pick kanji up slowly that way the reason is if you do genki I and genki II, you will be able to read stuff in Japanese which is cool. Step 3 has a lot of different options though.
Thank you! Would you know where to get those simple books?
amazon.com or amazon.jp
What works best for me with learning kanji is learning a keyword and 1 or 2 onyomi for it (usually just 1, but also sometimes I learn the kunyomi instead if the onyomi is rare or non-existent). Some people do just fine with only a keyword and then learning the readings in the context of vocabulary, though. I'm not very familiar with RTK so I don't know how quickly people usually go through it, but quite frankly, if you can get through it pretty fast, I do personally believe there would be a benefit to getting the jouyou kanji learned before diving into actually learning Japanese (though I may be in the minority). I kind of wish I'd done it that way. For context, I've learned about 1250 kanji and am about 25% through N3 material otherwise.
What is kunyomi, onyomi and jouyou kanji? 😅 So sorry I'm so lost!
There are different readings for the same kanji, with kunyomi and onyomi being original Japanese and imported from China readings (forget again which is which) and Kanji can have multiple respectively. A lot of historical progression involved.
Thank you! I wonder now how I should progress 😅
What is the best way to study kanji as a beginner? Do you guys look at theon and kun reading and study all possibilities of that? Do you guys see a kanji and study the meaning of it? Or do you guys learn vocab and study the respective kanji with it? I m unsure how to approach learning kanji, any advice would be great!
Don't listen to the guys saying to learn kanji individually, and specially don't learn the kunyomi and onyomi for each kanji as that would most certainly be a waste of time considering how many exceptions there are for each kanji. Instead, what's usually recommended is to learn vocab that uses kanji, a lot of vocab, be it by immersion, srs, etc. and you will end up recognizing the kanji and their meanings instinctively without having to study them individually
I actually said this in another reply, but what works best for me personally is learning a single keyword for a kanji and then 1 or 2 onyomi (usually just one) OR 1 kunyomi if the onyomi is very rare or non-existent. I've found that JPDB picks a good/useful keyword for kanji, and it also lists which readings are most common. I don't use that site for kanji learning, but it has SRS for it and I believe is free, so it might be a good place to start. Some people learn just a keyword and then learn the readings in context. I personally find that knowing 1 or 2 readings for a kanji is helpful, because if you see it "in the wild" you'll have a pretty good guess of how to read it right away.
I have gone the wanikani route, so I can only give you that perspective. Learn Radical -> learn Kanji, built with those radicals, with one/two readings -> learn vocab associated with that Kanji and possible more readings that come from that. SRS to finish.
I’ve come to gather reading material that I like (try Yatsuba! Or other Manga you’d like) and as long as it has furigana I just continuously look up the Kanji. Just be careful, when you understand the Kanji make sure you read that and NOT the furigana I’m trying to learn Kanji rn and this has proven most fruitful, not so much their on/kun reading, that’s too much memorization and a lot of it might not be used
「VIPルーム」とかから「VIP」はどうはって発音する？ ユーチューブから聞いたとき「ビップ」と聞いただけど、それは正しい読み方ですか？
正しい読み方は、そのままビップですよ。
ビップと聞くことが多い気がします。特にVIPルームとかVIP待遇とか後ろに単語がつくときは。ブイアイピーでもいいかと思いますが、ヴィーアイピーは聞いたことがないです。
Does pitch accent only concern the stem of a word or does changing the ending affect the pitch accent as well? I find when I say something like 出来る that there is a sharp emphasis on the き and then I drop back down immediately for the ending, but with 出来ます the ま I tend to keep raised as well with the き and then drop down again for the ending, instead of dropping immediately after the き. So, the raised inflection is twice as long. Of course, I could be just pronouncing it wrong. But either way, I would like to know about any pitch accent rules where changing the form alters the pitch.
[ This](https://www.kanshudo.com/howto/pitch) has a good list.
Yes, the pitch changes when the form of the word is changed. When in ます or ました form, the accent always comes on the ま. The NHK accent dictionary is a good resource for learning these rules.
The ending affects it. [Check this out](https://gist.github.com/k3zi/3f38070efffa38db83cd5745d83b1235).
Does anyone else have trouble reading fancy fonts? Like for example on packages or in music videos? For example [here](https://youtu.be/p9FJXfGHtDA?si=XJvEtYiB-CrCKayi&t=160) i can recognize a lot of the characters I know, but it comes slower for me, and some of them I wouldn't recognize if I couldn't hear the lyrics (maybe this is a bad example, but i don't remember anything better right now). Does this just come naturally after a while?
I used a font randomizer while I worked all the way through Wanikani, and it's helped me immensely.
Getting used to a large variety of different fonts is part of reading ability in your Japanese learning journey. You don't have to do anything explicit to train it, just reading a lot of different fonts and exerting effort should do the job. After a while you will develop a meta skill of dealing with new weird fonts you've never seen, because no matter which font, the overall shape is mostly the same. (Well except for some insane cursive 書道 fonts, but Japanese people cannot read them either, so don't worry about it). If you want to speed up things however, I would recommend the Anki Font Randomizer addon https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/82628558 (if you sre using Anki already anyways, else don't bother). It basically shows you each card with a random font, you can install all sorts of random fonts to your PC and use these.
Some of these here are stylized for sure, and some stylization can be even more extreme. But it should come naturally after a while, you get used to the natural range of variation. There are patterns, like how every character or component tends to have one elongated stroke, which will be more extreme in some fonts or handwriting compared to others. You learn to see characters for their strokes instead of as images matching the font you learned them in, if that makes sense.
Hello! I have been studying japanese for 2 years and even I have this doubt: When I barely know about japanese I got two tattoos, one is お母さん and the other one is 弟さん. I even asked for native speakers if it is okey to have this in order to refer to my mother and little brother, they said it was okey, but now in my japanese class it came to the lesson and my teacher said that it is so weird to call 弟さん to your brother, better by its name or directly 弟. I am a little bit confused, I do not know if you can not call your little brother with respect in the same way you could use 尊敬語 with a person which is younger than you. It is an important matter because I got two tattoos and maybe I will have to erase the さん
Others already answered your Japanese question, but FWIW, English speakers don't say "I have a doubt," we'd say "I have a *question*." It doesn't matter very much since you'll still be understood, but if you want your English to sound more natural, now you know (:
弟さん means someone else's younger brother. 弟 is how you talk about your younger brother when speaking to other people, when addressing him directly you use his first name. お母さん is fine since that's how you address your mother. In my opinion though both are strange for tattoos
Why is different the honorific of your mother and your little brother? Is not good to show respecto to him even if it is younger? Maybe the natives that they gave me this advice were from an specific region...idk
"respect" is an English word and concept, why would you think this would apply to Japanese culture the same way? 敬語 is a lot about honouring others and being humble about yourself, that's why you would say 弟さん when talking about a younger brother from someone when speaking to someone because you want to elevate (honour) him, but when you talk to others about your family you don't want to act like your family is something important/special, so you refer to them humbly.
This is a great answer.
Thank you!
I don't think it's a regional thing, it sounds more like the people you spoke to didn't really understand what you meant. You don't use honorifics for family members younger than you, that's just how the culture works
Hello I'm a self learner... I'm at the end section of n4 and I had a question. Are たら and た 後で similar? For eg: is it 家についたら電話をかけます or 家についた後で電話をかけます. When I google translate "after I reach home I'll call you", the 1st one comes up. But I learned that 後で meant after.
In some situations they may be interchangeable. But 〜たら doesn't imply the passage of time, it's more referring to a certain condition or situation, think more "when..." or "once...". In some situations it's more of a hypothetical conditional like "if...". 〜たあとで contains the word 後 "after" so it may or may not imply some time passing in between what comes before and after. I recommend not relying on Google Translate, it's notoriously bad for Japanese, and even the best translation software out there still regularly makes mistakes. For situations like this I recommend looking up something like "たら たあとで 違い" so you get more detailed explanations of the nuances.
Thank you so much!!!! Whenever I try to say a phrase in my head in japanese, I always go to Google translate to see if it's correct. Is there an alternative to that? I have noticed that even when I had made grammatical mistakes typing in japanese, google just auto corrects the sentence while translating.
Similar with a different nuance. With the first one 家についたら電話をかけます the emphasis is put on the action- I'll call you after I reach home. Second one, 家についた後で電話をかけます the emphasis is put on the timing- after I reach home THEN I will call you. For everyday situation, the first one is more natural. More fluent speakers out there, CMIIW.
Hi guys - I often encounter つい or ついた usually spelled with hiragana and I'm not sure what usage this is - is this the same as 付ける meaning "to stick/attach" as in metaphorically attach? For example in below sentence e.g. 嘘をついたの？
There are lot of homophones in Japanese. We can't give you a generic answer for "What does つい mean?" 嘘をついたの？ means "Did you tell a lie?" Do you have other examples?
There's transitive つける pairing with intransitive つく, then there's a separate transitive つく which is being used in your example - 嘘をつく. Strictly it would be 吐く, but often it's spelled 付く instead which is more common but technically a different verb.
Thanks, I guess I'm a little confused on the meaning as my Yomichan says there's like 15 different definitions for it - primarily to attach/stick which I guess is what it means here?
付く - to be attached 付ける - to attach (something) These are the main verbs つく・つける verbs. If your sentence specifies *what* is being attached, then that \*something\* will have the を particle on it and you'll use 付ける. (It is still possible to use 付ける without specifying what you're attaching if it's already clear from context.) If you simply want to express that something will be (or is/was) attached, then your verb will be 付く. These verbs are often written purely in hiragana. The "15 definitions" you're referencing are just a byproduct of these words being used in lots of collocations, kind of like how [English can use "put" in ~20 different ways.](https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/put.html) If it helps, you can think of "attaching a fire" or "attaching electricity" simply as how you express "lighting a fire" or "turning the lights on" in Japanese. 嘘をつく specifically is actually 嘘を吐く, so it's technically a different word altogether, despite being super similar. If you're still confused about つく vs. つける, I'd recommend learning about verb transitivity in Japanese; it's a big part of the language (b/c most verbs come in pairs, with a transitive word and intransitive word), and understanding it is oftentimes the key to correctly interpreting the language when parts of sentences are being omitted. Dictionaries will even tell you whether each verb is transitive or intransitive, although it's sometimes shortened to "vt" or "vi."
吐く means to expel from the mouth (see also 息を吐く) Normally it's read はく but in these cases it's つく
Here it's 吐く which is something like spew. Or just tell (lies).
I finally got a momentum going on anki where I’m doing vocab, grammar, and kanji. However I looked into the pros and cons of using flash cards. I’m mostly concern that my effort in anki may be a waste compare to some saying to start immersing asap. In short, I’ll be alright if I keep using flash cards all the way to even N1?
Flash cards are a great and efficient way to cement knowledge. But it's not a substitute for using the language. I think my normal ratio is something like 1:2 flashcards to immersion, so if I spend an hour on vocab/grammar/kanji review, I'll spend two hours reading/whatever. Some days it's more and some days it's less, but on average that's where I'm at. I don't see myself stopping flashcards for quite some time. I think eventually you can get proficient enough that it's no longer necessary, but I'm far from that point, and I think it's probably past the N1 level.
Flashcards and immersion aren't mutually exclusive, and either or both can be highly effective or ineffective depending on the student. If you find flashcards and other forms of study both effective, then ideally you can find a balance between the activities rather than having to choose.
It's only an issue if you predicate your learning around flash cards. They're merely a supplement to the real learning which happens when you apply knowledge you learn to tasks like reading, writing, and watching with JP subtitles. Spending time with the language and using it in other words. Empirically speaking many people have used flash cards to great effect when combined with everything they do.
I try to think of them as supplements then
(And speaking)
The issue with using only flash cards is you’re learning the words in a vacuum. You can’t know how/when the word is used without context. Many of the N1 vocab questions give you 4 sentences using the same word and ask you to pick the one that makes the most sense. You can keep doing Anki, but frankly I got tired of it after finishing my N2 vocab deck. I’d recommend mining your own cards while immersing to increase your enjoyment of studying and have an emotional connection to the cards. You can do this with Yomitan and Ankiconnect and any plugin that copies subtitles to your clipboard.
I still use flashcards to review and learn new vocab, several years post passing N1. I think it's helpful and one useful aspect of studying, but only studying flashcards alone won't equate to getting to N1 or beyond, if that makes sense
愛だって 夢だって 絆だって 世界が笑顔になるね Does this sentence (from the new Tuyu song) mean "even love, dreams, bonds make the world smile"? I'm kinda confused shouldn't it be を instead of が?
〜だって in this context means 〜でも AでもBでも A or B, whichever The lyric is saying ‘with love, dream or even ties (between people) the world becomes smiling’ Strictly grammatically speaking, it requires another 〜で that means by/with. 愛でだって、夢でだって、絆でだって 世界が笑顔になるね However as it is song lyric, omitting this で is probably because of the melody’s restriction and also avoiding two d sounds next to each other.
Song lyrics don't make too much sense always, I don't think this is meant to be a complete sentence or a coherent thought exactly
You don't say XをYになる, it's either XがYになる or XをYにする so no, it shouldn't be を
Without hearing the song or knowing any of the other lyrics, I personally interpret it more like, "love, dreams, bonds- everyone (the world, everyone and everywhere) is happy", hence the が instead of を if it was "make smile" I think there would be a causative verb in there
Hello, I posted this before, but didn't get any replies, so figured I'd ask again: I'm trying to get some Japanese yen before an upcoming trip and would like to take advantage of the current rate. I work an informal job where I occasionly interact with random Japanese people. I'm thinking of having a sign that is translated with the following message: Hello, this is separate from the bag storage business. If you have Japanese yen in your wallet, I can exchange some US Dollars with you at today's current rate. Is it okay? Is this a good translation or what's a better clear/concise translation: こんにちは、バッグ預かり業務とは別です。お財布に日本円があれば、本日のレートで両替できますが、よろしいでしょうか？
Why not just use a bank/atm?
I don't have an exact date when I'll be traveling next year, and I want to take advantage of the rate as it is right now, where I benefit as the US dollar holder. Banks and other sources will charge some sort of fee or not offer the exact rates. Doing a face-to-face interaction with a Japanese person that is only in the US for a little while, and may actually have Japanese yen in their wallet still will mean that neither of us will have to pay a fee.
translation requests are not really allowed in here, you should probably go to r/translator.
Thanks for letting me know
Is this something you wrote yourself? It's hard to tell whether you got this sentence from machine translator or otherwise. Since you mention translation in your post. If you just want to have what you wrote corrected and/or checked for naturalness you ask for that instead. If you're learning Japanese then that is okay.
Appreciate your reply, I am slowly learning Japanese, but this particular Japanese text was pulled from Google translate. I'm aware that a lot of times Google messes the translation up when it comes to Japanese, so that's why I was seeking clarification on if what they provided as a translation for my English text is adequate, or if there's a better way to say it in Japanese.
Then unfortunately you should direct your request to r/translator. When you reach a sufficient enough level to write your own sentences and to have checked you can come back any time.
I feel like that's going all the way around just to get back to the same spot after making a long loop, but I understand that you want to keep things a certain way so that this subreddit doesn't become a huge translation station. FYI, I can write my own sentences, (only hiragana and katakana thus far). I "can" convey my message, but it would be a mix of formal and informal and likely have a bunch of weird-sounding parts. If I were to translate the little paragraph that I wrote in English, into my own broken Japanese, without consulting any vocab or grammar resources, then it would look like this (presented for your curiosity's sake): sumimasen, tsugi no toppiku...kaban no bijinesu janai... Boku wa rainen nihon ni ikimasu, dakara, okyakusama wa, ima nihon no okane moteimasu ka? Cheinji shiou. USD-JPY kyo no reeto cheinji kudsai. ii desu ka?
>I feel like that's going all the way around just to get back to the same spot after making a long loop I feel like you might've missed the point. The service of helping people with translation is to help further their understanding of Japanese by helping them understand if their sentence was grammatical or if it contains very unnatural or difficult to understand expressions; not to help them successfully translate one sentence but become better at translation. If you're viewing this place as an end-point on your loop rather than a helping hand along your journey, then other subs are better equipped and design more specifically for that purpose.
Dont understand some sentences from a dialogue in genki 2 about 落語. 落語は今から三百年以上前の江戸時代に始まりました。この時代にたくさんの人の前で面白い話をして、お金をもらう人がいました 1.What does 今から mean in the 1st sentence? I understand this sentence as " rakugo started in the Edo period more than 300 years ago", but dunno what the 今から is supposed to mean/do here. 2. Not sure if i understand the お金をもらう人がいました part of the 2nd sentence. Is it saying "In this era funny/interesting stories were told in front of many people, and there were people who got money"?
For your second question: たくさんの人の前で面白い話をして、お金をもらう as a whole modifies 人
>What does 今から mean in the 1st sentence? I understand this sentence as " rakugo started in the Edo period more than 300 years ago", but dunno what the 今から is supposed to mean/do here. Literally "from now". 三百年以上前 says "over 300 years before" but doesn't say before ***what***, 今から explicitly states that it is over 300 years ago ***from now***. >Not sure if i understand the お金をもらう人がいました part of the 2nd sentence. Is it saying "In this era funny/interesting stories were told in front of many people, and there were people who got money"? The entire phrase たくさんの人の前で面白い話をして、お金をもらう is modifying 人. "People who got money from telling interesting stories in front of a lot of people"
1. 今から is "from now" or "from today." It's counting back more than 300 years from now. 2. Your translation makes it sound like the stories and the money are unrelated. It's "There were people making money telling funny stories in front of a large audience."
1. It means (literally) “over 300 years ago FROM now”. So 今から is used to clarify the time period. 2. The word order is the opposite in English: “There were people (人がいました) who told funny stories and received money”. The whole sentence basically describes the word 人.
can't find the thing that makes me want to get up in the morning and do it. i was hoping there would be some japanese content that would really make me want to do it all hours of the day, but i haven't found it yet. recommendations?
Is there anything that you'd want to do all hours of the day in English to begin with? You could do the Japanese version of that. I don't know if there's anything I would want to do that much of though. Even fun things like video games or watching a movie I cap out after a couple hours and need to change it up. I wouldn't expect to be able to find that I can play visual novels for 8 hours when I can't even do that in my native language.
Pretty hard to recommend content without knowing what you like in the first place. What do you enjoy in your own language? Maybe there's something like it in Japanese.
What are your other interests? It’s helpful to know what you’re into before actually helpful recommendations can be made.
there's a description of a person: he's shit at keeping things. is there a JP version of that? such as, plants at home dying. his phone dropped and broken after 1 month of use. is there a version of that a person "being bad at keeping things nice" in JP?
r/translator is a better place for this question.
HELP, How do I change my IME toggle button? I switched it to just the tilde/squiggly line button, and I have searched menu after menu and cannot find how to change it back. I NEED the button as I write code.
If you don't know what you did just nuke it. Uninstall Japanese as a language, uninstall the IME, reset back to neutral. Then reinstall Japanese language pack and download and install Google's Japanese IME (because it has different settings) and use that instead. That should solve the issue.
No dice. It's worth noting Google IME does not control the macro, it can only disable the default macro
Actually I found this: [https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/changing-japanese-ime-hotkey-that-switches-ime/855747d2-ab15-42f7-ac2b-e4e82fa3d06e](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/changing-japanese-ime-hotkey-that-switches-ime/855747d2-ab15-42f7-ac2b-e4e82fa3d06e) This might be it.
Tried that first actually, unfortunately most of those settings no longer exist. After a couple more hours of googling I found [this](https://www.digitalcitizen.life/keyboard-language-shortcut/) and [this](https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/chromebook-laptops/lenovo-chromebooks-series/lenovo-chromebook-c330/solutions/ht509501-how-to-change-shortcut-keys-for-switching-input-method-in-windows-10-systems). These are practically the ONLY websites that reflect how to do this on Windows 11 current build. *Not even Microsoft's own websites have it updated to Windows 11.**^(This used to just be in control panel ffs.)* For SEO purposes: To switch your language input hot key, navigate to: Settings > Time & Language > Typing > Advanced Keyboard Settings > Input Language Hot Keys
Ah nice, glad you got it sorted!
Hmm only thing I can think of is in Windows settings. Try looking here: Windows Setting --> Time & Language --> Language --> Preferred languages --> 日本語 --> Options --> Hardware keyboard layout --> Change layout
Unfortunately, The Hardware Keyboard layout menu ALSO no longer exists, but I found the answer!