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The Big Ass Superior Thread of Learning Japanese

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_Ryo_

Member
Gonna sound strange, but I don't really like AnkiDroid.

So, over the years of not really studying I've forgotten A LOT. It really is true if you do not use it, you lose it, and since I'm older now i'm finding it harder to remember a few things when relearning. (I'm doing a reboot. I'm starting over from scratch. haha.) So with that said, here's a weird question: does anyone know of any psp/GB/GBA games that are in かな (ひらがな・カタカナ)only? I know Pokemon is.

The only ones that I REALLY struggle with are the カタカナ for シ, ツ, ソ, and ン
 

kamakazi5

Member
What are some good apps to learn vocabulary on android?

I've tried a lot and my favorite is Obenkyo. Very basic but it really fits the the way I like to use flashcards. I just wish they would put it on IOS so I could use it on my iPad.

Gonna sound strange, but I don't really like AnkiDroid.

So, over the years of not really studying I've forgotten A LOT. It really is true if you do not use it, you lose it, and since I'm older now i'm finding it harder to remember a few things when relearning. (I'm doing a reboot. I'm starting over from scratch. haha.) So with that said, here's a weird question: does anyone know of any psp/GB/GBA games that are in かな (ひらがな・カタカナ)only? I know Pokemon is.

The only ones that I REALLY struggle with are the カタカナ for シ, ツ, ソ, and ン

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 (probably 4 as well) have the option to switch between English, kana only, and normal kanji.

Also, it sounds stupid but here is how remember シ, ツ, ソ, and ン.

シ - shi too low (like she's too low)
ツ - shoot tsu up (like shoots you up)
ソ - so one up (like sew one up, think of a button)
ン - if you know the others then this one is n by process of elimination
 

Zoe

Member
The only ones that I REALLY struggle with are the カタカナ for シ, ツ, ソ, and ン

It can be hard to tell depending on the font used, but it might help to remember that the stroke direction is different on those.
 

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
You guys probably know Lang-8, that site where you can write texts in the language you're learning and have native speakers correct them.

Do you know any similar sites, community or messageboard of any kind that does the same thing for speech? Like, you record something, and they tell you if you're pronouncing right, if your accent is good, if your tone is good, etc. Cause I'd like to do that for Japanese. I like to record myself, and I think I have a pretty decent accent, but obviously it's not perfect...

If you know anything like that please share and I'll love you forever with a cherry on top.
 

_Ryo_

Member
I've tried a lot and my favorite is Obenkyo. Very basic but it really fits the the way I like to use flashcards. I just wish they would put it on IOS so I could use it on my iPad.

OMG. I used to have this program and loved it I totally forgot the name of it. Thank you!

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 (probably 4 as well) have the option to switch between English, kana only, and normal kanji.

On PSP or Gameboy or both?

Also, it sounds stupid but here is how remember シ, ツ, ソ, and ン.

シ - shi too low (like she's too low)
ツ - shoot tsu up (like shoots you up)
ソ - so one up (like sew one up, think of a button)
ン - if you know the others then this one is n by process of elimination

Thanks but my mind doesn't work like that unfortunately. :X
 

kamakazi5

Member
OMG. I used to have this program and loved it I totally forgot the name of it. Thank you!



On PSP or Gameboy or both?



Thanks but my mind doesn't work like that unfortunately. :X

PSP, I did check the GBA version and it doesn't have the option.
 

Jintor

Member
シ = shi = The two dots are verticle
ツ = tsu = the two dots are horizontal.
ソ = so = more 'rounded' lower stroke.
ン = n = more of a 'tick' to the lower stroke

But to be honest I just got used to reading them after a while. The so/n distinction came across after reading a lot of other people's handwriting.
 
シ = shi = The two dots are verticle
ツ = tsu = the two dots are horizontal.
ソ = so = more 'rounded' lower stroke.
ン = n = more of a 'tick' to the lower stroke

But to be honest I just got used to reading them after a while. The so/n distinction came across after reading a lot of other people's handwriting.

Uh I think you got the descriptions on シ and ツ backwards there. シ is horizontal and ツ is vertical.
 
lol english brain fart. Corrected

/edit wait... nope... you've got the brain fart mate. lol

Uh.

シ -> dots are more horizontal than vertical.
ツ -> dots are more vertical than horizontal.

...Are you talking about their relationship to each other? I'm talking about stroke direction.
 

urfe

Member
Uh.

シ -> dots are more horizontal than vertical.
ツ -> dots are more vertical than horizontal.

...Are you talking about their relationship to each other? I'm talking about stroke direction.

Perhaps this is why some people have trouble with them, but those are definitely not dots and most definitely lines.
 

RangerBAD

Member
So I downloaded Anki and downloaded the decks for the kanji lessons I've done so far to keep up with those and not forget them. Are these decks good or should I use something else? Any tips about this program?
 

Fugu

Member
So I downloaded Anki and downloaded the decks for the kanji lessons I've done so far to keep up with those and not forget them. Are these decks good or should I use something else? Any tips about this program?
The first thing I would say is to set your limits to something reasonable. Anki has a way of really snowballing things out of control with reviews if you let it, and it can get to the point where it stops being useful and starts being an enormous time sink. Blitzing through your reviews to get them done is about as useful as not doing them in the first place.

The other thing about Anki in general is that I find it much more useful as a source for reviewing vocabulary than it is for learning new stuff. The best approach I've come up with is to mix the adding of new material with mostly review stuff so that I'm not bogged down pretending to know a bunch of words I've only ever seen twice in my life. Personally, I use Core N Vocabulary decks mixed with a deck consisting entirely of words I've found through my own reading, as well as an audio deck with a low review count because it's very time-consuming.
 

RangerBAD

Member
The first thing I would say is to set your limits to something reasonable. Anki has a way of really snowballing things out of control with reviews if you let it, and it can get to the point where it stops being useful and starts being an enormous time sink. Blitzing through your reviews to get them done is about as useful as not doing then min the first place.

The other thing about Anki in general is that I find it much more useful as a source for reviewing vocabulary than it is for learning new stuff. The best approach I've come up with is to mix the adding of new material with mostly review stuff so that I'm not bogged down pretending to know a bunch of words I've only ever seen twice in my life. Personally, I use Core N Vocabulary decks mixed with a deck consisting entirely of words I've found through my own reading, as well as an audio deck with a low review count because it's very time-consuming.

Well, I've put kanji in there that I know and have at least written a number of times for now. I really don't even know what to do with the program.
 

Fugu

Member
Well, I've put kanji in there that I know and have at least written a number of times for now. I really don't even know what to do with the program.
Like how little do you not know how to do with the program? Do you know what it does? Do you know what the point is? Do you know how to use it? Sorry, I'm just trying to understand how to help.
 

urfe

Member
Figure of speech. I know they're lines.

(And I actually have seem them stylized as dots!)

I thought you would have, but perhaps others due to them often being stylized as dots.

The leeway in size of lines in various scripts' characters is very interesting. I used to do the first stroke in ケ quite small, but now it's honking huge when I write it.
 

upandaway

Member
So I downloaded Anki and downloaded the decks for the kanji lessons I've done so far to keep up with those and not forget them. Are these decks good or should I use something else? Any tips about this program?
I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with the program and using it how it would best fit you, and not try to fit yourself to it (much less, its defaults). I got into a groove of custom study sessions and custom settings and all that stuff, it made me study a lot more efficiently than when I was just hacking at decks daily with the default formula.

For example, I have a copy deck that progresses much more slowly but with no leech suspending but a higher easy percentage, so I can throw away leeches in the original deck free of mind. That helps me make more focused custom study sessions for bus rides, if I want a quick review of cards I'm stronger on using the original deck for example, etc etc. This is just what fits me, it's important to utilize the flexibility.
 

muteki

Member
The first thing I would say is to set your limits to something reasonable. Anki has a way of really snowballing things out of control with reviews if you let it, and it can get to the point where it stops being useful and starts being an enormous time sink. Blitzing through your reviews to get them done is about as useful as not doing them in the first place.

The other thing about Anki in general is that I find it much more useful as a source for reviewing vocabulary than it is for learning new stuff. The best approach I've come up with is to mix the adding of new material with mostly review stuff so that I'm not bogged down pretending to know a bunch of words I've only ever seen twice in my life. Personally, I use Core N Vocabulary decks mixed with a deck consisting entirely of words I've found through my own reading, as well as an audio deck with a low review count because it's very time-consuming.

Recently iKnow has recently pulled some licensing hi-jinks and forced Anki to pull any and all decks containing material relating to them, so the Core decks are not available/hard to find for new learners. Also a recent change to the TOS hides all previously shared decks until the uploader accepts the terms, and many uploaders have not gone back and done this. So the amount and quality of existing shared decks has dropped.

Well, I've put kanji in there that I know and have at least written a number of times for now. I really don't even know what to do with the program.

It makes it much easier to learn Kanji by optimizing the order they are learned in based on their components. There are a few methods to this (RTK, WaniKani) but it saved a lot of time for me. Also, same is true for vocab.

Anki at its best is not very user friendly, it is difficult (or was for me anyway) to see the use of it without spending some time reviewing. Once you get a number of cards in circulation it will make more sense.
 

RangerBAD

Member
It's sounding like Anki might not be that great for me.

Like how little do you not know how to do with the program? Do you know what it does? Do you know what the point is? Do you know how to use it? Sorry, I'm just trying to understand how to help.

The settings and the like. Understanding that.
 

muteki

Member
It's sounding like Anki might not be that great for me.

The settings and the like. Understanding that.

I think if you either:
-put in kanji that you don't already know
or
-find an existing deck of info that you would like to learn

and ran with it, you could see the benefits, over time. Anki is about learning new material and retaining it. If you only fill it with information you already know well then there isn't much benefit.
 

RangerBAD

Member
I think if you either:
-put in kanji that you don't already know
or
-find an existing deck of info that you would like to learn

and ran with it, you could see the benefits, over time. Anki is about learning new material and retaining it. If you only fill it with information you already know well then there isn't much benefit.

I was just thinking I might not know those things as well as I think. lol
 

Ants

Member
So I saw tangible results to my learning for the first time today.

My girlfriend and I were watching Mononoke and the DVD defaulted to Japanese so we said "fuck it" even though she prefers the English version. At one point, Ashitaka finds some wolf tracks and notes that they are "with three toes". She says that he doesn't say that in the English version and wonders aloud if he really did say that in Japanese, so I rewind, and, what do you know, I manage to catch みっつ, or 'three things'.

I was pretty stoked to find utility for it in the wild, without any sort of reference material.
 
This is a bit complicated of a sentence, but how would I say that "Schools must provide children with half of their daily requirement of Calcium." ?
 
This is a bit complicated of a sentence, but how would I say that "Schools must provide children with half of their daily requirement of Calcium." ?

What's the situation in which this needs to be said? I think the following ought to do it, but there's likely a better way to phrase it.

学校は生徒に生徒たちの1日の摂取量のキャルシアムの半分を与えなければなりません。(がっこうはせいとにせいとたちのいちにちせっしゅりょうをあたえなければなりません。)
 
What's the situation in which this needs to be said? I think the following ought to do it, but there's likely a better way to phrase it.

学校は生徒に生徒たちの1日の摂取量のキャルシアムの半分を与えなければなりません。(がっこうはせいとにせいとたちのいちにちせっしゅりょうをあたえなければなりません。)

I'm trying to discuss school lunch in Japan. I recall reading that they have to follow some requirements, including providing up to half of a students daily required calcium.

Thank you.
 

kubus

Member
I've only been here for two weeks and they want me to do a speech in Japanese at a school ceremony next Monday. Lots of important people in suits attending...

Errr. Wish me luck :x
 

Cranzor

Junior Member
Can anyone help me translate this? It's from a manga.

「まさかのとさまってばヒーローの事···」

For context, a girl (Hiirou) is talking with a boy about a plan she has. A shot of her talking with another boy shows up, and then on the next page she is talking to the original boy again. The original boy says this. The next frame is not him talking, so his sentence ends there.

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a name or not (Masa Kanoto-sama?). If it is, I can't find it being used again in the rest of the manga.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Are you sure you copied that down exactly as it appears?
 

Cranzor

Junior Member
Are you sure you copied that down exactly as it appears?

Yep.

8syrEKF.png


My friend bought this manga and wanted me to translate it for her. I had pretty much no context before but I just talked with her for a bit and apparently it's doujinshi fan fiction or something. Being thrown into something like this with little context is really difficult. For example, I thought the one character was referring to the girl as Hiirou (which would be an odd name), but apparently he talks about himself in the third person as "the hero." So weird.

Also, if it helps, she said there is a character named Noto-sama, so I guess there is a name in there. I still can't parse the rest though.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
"Noto-sama, please, I'm not a hero"?

Nah... not that. If he's talking about himself in third person as "hero."

Really, you're not going to find a reasonable translation without providing much more context on the characters, plot, situation, etc. That line alone isn't telling us much.
 
"I can't believe notosama did that to Hiro " I can't believe NOTSAMA did such a heroic act"
ヒーロー is the character's name you say?

These are a couple of guesses.

There are so many sentences I can come up with but I have no idea just by that line...
 

Cranzor

Junior Member
This is page two and volume nine or something of the manga and I'm not familiar with it at all, so I really don't have much context to provide unfortunately. Apparently the guy speaking there is not "hero" though.

My Japanese isn't great to begin with. I told my friend I would give her a rough translation -- at least enough to be able to follow along. For that line, I guess I'll just pick something, hope it's right, and roll with it.

Thanks for the help everyone.
 

Aizo

Banned
I don't understand using しまう/ちゃう in the て form.
Like やっちゃって, for example, as a command.
I see it in ヤンキー manga, so the context is like the boss telling an underling to beat up/kill some guy.
 
I don't understand using しまう/ちゃう in the て form.
Like やっちゃって, for example, as a command.
I see it in ヤンキー manga, so the context is like the boss telling an underling to beat up/kill some guy.

Pretty sure that adds emphasis to the thoroughness of whatever it's attached to, emphasizing that it needs to be done thoroughly (or even more than thoroughly). 殺しちゃって would be like "kill him ****ing DEAD"
 

urfe

Member
I don't understand using しまう/ちゃう in the て form.
Like やっちゃって, for example, as a command.
I see it in ヤンキー manga, so the context is like the boss telling an underling to beat up/kill some guy.

Either negative thing done, or that you've done it all.

飲んじゃった can be you drank it all, or you unfortunately drank (more than you should have).

(I'm not an expert, just my feeling, etc)
 

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
Either negative thing done, or that you've done it all.

飲んじゃった can be you drank it all, or you unfortunately drank (more than you should have).

(I'm not an expert, just my feeling, etc)

Well, the more likely meaning would be something like "Whoops, I drank it" (and I was not supposed to). In the same vein, when you forget something, you often regret it (because you were supposed to remember), so you'll hear "忘れちゃった" instead of わすれた most of the time because the latter sounds too matter of fact. But you're definitely right that in many cases the implication is negative.

However, I think AlabastreAizo was asking in the specific context of an imperative form. In which case I'm never quite sure what the nuance is. Anyone care to chime in?
 

Jintor

Member
Could anyone give me a quick rundown on where I would actually use どっち? Like, I know... for example, if presented with two options... 京都か大阪がどっち好きですか? Right? But if you're asking "which [noun]", that's "どんな[noun]" (like どんな駅), yeah?

So where else do you use どっち? Just hanging by itself?
 

upandaway

Member
Nah... not that. If he's talking about himself in third person as "hero."

Really, you're not going to find a reasonable translation without providing much more context on the characters, plot, situation, etc. That line alone isn't telling us much.
Yeah I felt like I was taking a random shot. I'm way more reliant on context than I thought.
 
Could anyone give me a quick rundown on where I would actually use どっち? Like, I know... for example, if presented with two options... 京都か大阪がどっち好きですか? Right? But if you're asking "which [noun]", that's "どんな[noun]" (like どんな駅), yeah?

So where else do you use どっち? Just hanging by itself?

どんな is "what kind of". To ask which station you'd say 駅はどっち?
 

Aizo

Banned
Either negative thing done, or that you've done it all.

飲んじゃった can be you drank it all, or you unfortunately drank (more than you should have).
I understand how it works every way except て form. Seems so weird.
 
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