Edwinrai

The American tourists that I've seen only ever talk in English. Like somebody mentioned, it seems they take it for granted that English will be understood everywhere which is not the case. The last time I was in Hong Kong some people didn't even understand the word 'match' when I asked for one and repeated it over and over again and this was in the middle of the city. I guess there is a stereotype for people from western countries that they can only speak English, especially here in Asia.

I picked up a lot of Japanese words by watching subbed anime but very few sentences. It seems every time I watch anime I come across new sentences that I've never heard before. Still, I can partly understand them by being aware of what is going on in the story. However, for me, this is a less than ideal way to learn Japanese. There has to be a better method out there.

I got stuck when learning Kanji because of On-yumi and Kun-yumi. Like the thread creator I was confused by them but the helpful posts above by some of the members has cleared up the confusion for me. I'll try to follow the rules posted here and see how it goes. Thanks everyone.

Wow. There's so much history behind that single idiom and it's a fantastic story as well. I too will have to find someone I admire and maybe look for a good moment to use this idiom. Fine post.

Great post. I am encountering many of these Japanese words for the first time. I really like kouhikappu, nagashi and hitaa. They are easy to memorize because as you pointed out they are very similar to the actual English words that they represent. I suppose learning the Japanese words for common household items is a necessity and this is as good a guide as any. Thank you.

Hi everyone. I am happy to be part of this forum. My main interest lies in learning to speak Japanese. I hope I will finds some good mentors here to help me do just that. I am fluent in English and Nepali so if anyone needs help with those languages, I'd be happy to help. Looking forward to interacting with everyone.