Teira Eri

I used Minna no Nihongo as well when I went to Japanese language school. It's quite the useful tool, and it is more intuitive I think than the typical Genki textbooks a lot of North American colleges and universities use. The conversations and drawings were some of my favorite parts. These instances are great for learning to listen, read, and comprehend together. Aside from Minna no Nihongo, I also used Rosetta Stone, Genki, and Japanese Step-by-Step.

Spanish. For me, it's Spanish. I learned it all throughout elementary and intermediate school because the area I grew up in was popular with migrant workers and had quite a big ESL community. But I just...couldn't connect to it. Even though I would have liked to know what my Hispanic friends were talking about, I eventually stopped caring and gave up. I was also attempting to learn ASL, but my school district didn't offer enough immersion. And most of the deaf kids I knew could read lips astoundingly well, so I had little need to practice. Though, I still remember the alphabet haha.

As we've already seen from Blaveloper, Japanese is sloppy when it comes to correcting blatant translation mistakes. You would think that with all they spend on translation, they would hire proofreaders too. I've seen some sad English to French translations that goes along these lines: http://www.buzzfeed.com/marietelling/26-hilarious-titles-of-hollywood-movies-in-france#.joY405x0r

Japan is odd (no big surprise there I'm sure) in the realm of rap. There is a lot of American rap on the air in stores -- the hardcore gangster rap with minimalistic breakbeats and hard-hitting lyrics. Conversely, there is rap incorporated into J-Pop and J-Rock almost seamlessly. It's very international here in terms of music. I've never had a dance class with straight up Japanese music. Instead, I get piano from Ghibli, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, and electro dance remixes of Snoop Dogg in an hour. Examples include: Rookiez is Punk'd - Bump on da style The Japanese part starts at around 2:20 EDIT: Also found this after searching a bit longer -- Korean vs. Japanese Rap

First off, welcome to the forums! I attempt at reading books in Japanese all the time as a method of immersing myself into the language. Remembering vocabulary by simply looking up the meaning and writing it down doesn't do anything for me either. In fact, I find that I have to make use of it a couple of times before the word sticks. I need to practice saying it, writing it, and reading it. Then, when I see it or hear it outside of studying, I comprehend it. So, you're not alone there. My tip for learning the words in the text that you want to would indeed be writing them down manually. Other methods can be online flash cards, looking up example sentences from online dictionaries and thesauruses, and writing stories or short blurbs incorporating the words you're learning.

Have you tried FluentU? It's a system much like Youtube but for learning languages. Videos are played with subtitles so you can listen and read all at once. It's a bit limited, but it may be just what you're looking for. This article provides some insight on how to learn Kanji more organically than studying non-stop.

Aw, I can't watch it because I'm in Japan. How's that for bizarre? Still, I remember learning about the origins of English in high school. I'm very glad that we are no longer using the language of the Dark Ages or from The Canterbury Tales. What always astounds me, though, is how different American English is from British English. Even Australian English is unique. Dependent on location and demographics, what has influenced development of vocabulary is intriguing. Imagine how language might be if people had spread around the world a bit differently, or if certain pronunciations were emphasized more than others. I mean, we could all be speaking in Cockney right now...

To suggest another way of learning...don't use the charts for 'memorizing.' Keep them handy in case you need to quickly reference where something is but don't rely on them. Don't endlessly repeat writing them in any set order. The way I was introduced to learning hiragana was to take a bunch of words written in hiragana, write them down, sound them out, and then look up any characters I didn't get. I never memorized the charts. Flash cards were my thing. As for katakana, it was the same. Kanji was a simultaneous endeavor as I learned hiragana, since I wanted to learn the rudimentary ones to replace hiragana. But as everyone else is saying, learning kanji should be the last on the list.

Being in Japan, it's find of funny to see where the textbook lines blur. I've heard and am friends with very feminine women who have the most masculine speech. We read that Order Form (命令形・めいれいけい）is widely used by men in textbooks and the like. For example, 触るな!（さわるな） Don't touch me! Women use 'na' too. 邪魔するな、外人ちゃん is my favorite from the old women at the supermarket. There's also the girls that use 僕（ぼく）、俺（おれ）、and 君（きみ） to sound tough. The other day, I watched a petite woman grab her boyfriend by the wrist and grumble, 「何も見たくねぇ。行くぜ!」(There's nothing I want to see. Let's go) and I was a little shocked at how he obediently said, "Hai!" It was like a scene out of J-Drama or something.

I've been having this experience quite often now that I'm in Japan, trying to find work or converse with people. In interviews, I am absolutely terrified of messing up my speech...so much in fact that I go into vapor lock and can't think at all. Naturally, this looks incompetent to the person doing the interviewing. Everything in my mind either downgrades to baby babble or to English. When I'm angry or stressed, I can't help but switch to English. The exclamation of curse words in the mother tongue provides waaaay too much relief. I have a French-Canadian friend who, though adept in Japanese and English, will immediately go to French and "breathe dragon fire"--as we call it. Seriously, I've tried this not too long ago. I sounded like a dying cat and ended up doing more laughing than being angry. Needless to say, the issue was mitigated and I decided I should probably practice expressing anger in front of a mirror first hahah.

I get told I have a natural talent for a lot of things quite often...though I am rather incredulous when it comes to that. While I don't necessarily see it as an insult, sometimes the presumptuous tone behind "you're a genius at_____/you have a talent for_____" does indeed irk me. Sometimes when I hear this, it's like the person is suggesting I stop doing what I'm trying hard with and take the easy way out. I like challenges, thanks. As for their dedication being lackluster, I don't know if that's a fair generalization. I mean, I know people that want to learn a language but just don't know how. Either they lack the resources or the confidence. Outside of languages, talent versus effort is seen everywhere. My mom, for example, wants to learn how to use chopsticks. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the coordination in either hand to move the sticks correctly. Is this a lack of drive or motivation on her part? I think not. Here's another example: everyone can sing. But can everyone sing well? No.

Well, at first. But we all know the problem with cramming--eventually you don't retain them long enough to make use of it. I'd memorize the kanji for the tests but then lose them when writing essays or reading the newspaper. It's funny, because 4 years after graduating the language school, there are kanji that I remember seeing but have no idea how to read them.

Oddly, I've never been told I have an American accent, even though I'm from South Jersey, where everyone apparently pronounces 'coffee' as 'cawwww-fee.' No, everyone asks me if I'm from Britain or France...which I kind of don't get. But when I took a Linguistics course last year, I was amazed to learn the subtle differences people have throughout the regions. Like 'pin' and 'pen.' To some people, the words sound/are pronounced the same. To others, they're not at all similar.

For me, learning Japanese was contingent with a deep, heartfelt desire to 'go home.' I can only describe this drive to go to Japan as one that welled up slowly, like homesickness. Learning the language was something I needed to do if I planned on truly visiting the country and eventually live in it. So, I did. Oddly, I developed a rapid connection to the language. Going to language school in Shinjuku, Tokyo also helped cement my love of Japanese and the culture. Presently, I'm attempting to learn French because I want to visit one day. I also simply love the way it sounds.

I've used google translator many times over the years, and like others, I can attest to the fact that it is improving in some languages. Others, I feel it still fails to comprehend certain things. It's pretty bad at Japanese, I can tell you that. A friend of mine ror'd when I showed him some "translations" I was finding. But nonetheless, I do still use it sometimes when I need to know how to construct a statement or am looking for a word I can't think of it. It's faster than scanning my English to Japanese dictionary.

I attended an immersion school in Japan for a year. Everyone in my class, myself included, came out with Japanese equivalent to the JLPT N2 or higher. Immersion works the brain in ways we can't when we "study." Studying merely reinforces what we're picking up through engaging naturally with the language. It's pretty miraculous, this immersion effect.

When I was attending a Japanese Language School in Shinjuku, Tokyo, there was no explanation of the radicals. I thought it odd, because that was the way I shown to learn Kanji in the States. But basically, my teachers gave us 4-5 kanji each day. We were to take those kanji, practice writing them, put them in sentences, and memorize them. At the end of the week, we had a quiz (10 questions) or test (comprised of over 50 kanji). The difficulty and stroke count of kanji gradually increased the farther up into the Japanese Language School you climbed. So yeah, we just CRAMMED kanji. I remember seeing them in my sleep...

Language learning through the TV has done wonders for me. Sitting, listening, and repeating is the way our brains are programmed to learn, so why fight it? I mean, kids learn in the same fashion and pick up language rapidly as they grow. A friend of mine moved to America from Cambodia as a child. When she got to the States (Massachusetts, no less), she, along with 90% of her family, had no experience with the English language. They were too poor to afford actual training. So what did her parents do? They bought a TV and ran the news endlessly. My friend learned so much English from the TV that she never even gained a Bostonian accent. It's pretty crazy.

I love this topic. When I meet with fitness-clients or am giving advice to people who simply want a clearer mind, I tell them about the brain food's the OP listed. It's interesting to see the change in people when they add healthier components to their diet. For me, the best brain foods and drinks are peanuts, bananas, spinach/lettuce, mushrooms (all that selenium), tofu, and carrots. Chia sometimes makes an appearance when I feel like paying for a bag lol. I also take advantage of complete amino acid (BCAA) profiles to stay fuller and energized for longer. Examples of that are peanut butter and whole wheat, rice and beans.

My recommendations are anything from Haruki Murakami or the light novels of Studio Ghibli movies. There are also light novels for popular anime and movies, like No. 6, Another, Mawaru Penguin Drum, and Lous Garous. You can try Yesasia.com for those. I would also say to try English novels translated into Japanese. One of my favorites has always been Harry Potter in Japanese. Because I read it in English as a kid, I inherently knew what was happening and could extrapolate what was happening even when the Japanese didn't make complete sense. That's the same reason I like the Studio Ghibli novels.

The worst part of learning a new language where you have to do homework or give yourself homework. Studying, reviewing, and quizzing yourself is downright tedious. Maybe it's not as boring as it is aggravating and frustrating. We pick up our mother tongues so rapidly that sometimes the pace of learning a second or third language feels like it moves at snail pace. But the beautiful part? It's that moment when you open your mouth and the words you've word so hard to speak suddenly just flow. You don't even realize you're speaking in another language. It just happens. And then, hours later it dawns on you. That's a fantastic feeling.

That reminds me, my rent's due soon. I think it's at the end of the month. But as everyone is pointing out, It's is a contraction. It's = It is. When in doubt, think of it that way. For some odd reason, I can't think of any good examples for the possessive pronoun its.

Oh gosh, I used to feel like such a nerd in high school, because I was one of the few students in Honors and AP English that wholeheartedly enjoyed reading Shakespeare. I even took Drama and Theater to be a part of the Shakespeare Fair. I played a part in Taming of the Shrew and had to translate the Shakespearean verse into modern English for kids. Shakespeare is a genius. His poetry can be read from several angles, and everyone will perceive something unique (regardless of whether it's the correct meaning or not). Through his plays, we are told stories of the human condition that still happen today. More people should read Shakespeare, in my opinion. Everyone can garner something.

For me, music was really got me started with learning Japanese. I'd met a Japanese kid online when I was just starting out who introduced me to the method of translating lyrics to memorize little clips of vocabulary at a time. It was highly effective. I still use music to help with pronunciation and whatnot.

Hello! こんにちは。Bon Jour~! My name's Valerie, and I'm presently living in Japan as a freelance writer and dancer. I've attended a Japanese Language School in the past but am now enrolled in a Japanese dance college in Shibuya. Feel free to send me questions about Japan and the culture if you're interested. It's one of my favorite things to talk about. I do teach English and writing in English. If you're interested in that, again, feel free to contact me. Additionally, I'm going to be rather active in the English learning forum. Presently, while my Japanese is pretty decent (ペラペラ, my Japanese friends say, but I disagree), I'm also studying French on the side. I've always loved the language and seek to enhance my understanding of it even further. Looking forward to conversing with everyone here. See you around the forums!