Learning japanese thanks to anime

[Trellum]

I'm a big fan of anime   I actually follow a lot anime series right now, I love the ones that come with subs; I completely dislike the dubbed ones!  Believe it or not, I've been able to learn A LOT japanese words thanks to watching anime regularly (at least the pronunciation - and that's a good start!).  And even if you don't learn a lot japanese thanks to anime, at least you had a good time watching it (I do every time!).

What do you guys think?  Do you think watching anime is a good way to learn some japanese words? Do you ever watch anime?

[MyDigitalpoint]

Many years ago I head that Japanese is an easy-learning language as opposed to what many people think.

I tried to study this language but the school was in the other side of the city and never was able to organize my schedule to have the time and get there. Eventually forgot about this language.

However I have seen that people who anime loyal fans do not only learn Japanese with easiness, but also they are immersed into the Japanese culture thanks to this learning, which is easier for them because of the motivation that Anime provides them.

I have watched Anime, but actually it's not longer appealing to me. If Sailor Moon is Anime, this is the last one I watched several years ago when was first aired.

[Miya]

I don't watch anime, but I definitely know what you mean. Any form of media is useful in learning a language.

I've heard that some animes exaggerates the sounds of Japanese words. So while it's good to pick up bits of vocabulary, keep in mind that the pronunciation might be a bit different.

[SpiralArchitect]

I've heard that some animes exaggerates the sounds of Japanese words.

It is actually easy to notice where the accent has been exaggerated in anime. Its mostly for comedic or dramatic effect.

My knowledge of Japanese is limited to just common words and a few phrases but pretty much everything I know has been learnt from watching anime with subtitles. So, I can definitely see how it can help. Can't really replace actual teaching but not bad as a supplement to keep you in touch with the language while you're learning it.

[Miya]

It is actually easy to notice where the accent has been exaggerated in anime. Its mostly for comedic or dramatic effect.

True, but then how would one know how to say the word properly if they keep listening to exagerrated pronunciations?

[Czarownica]

One of my Japanese teachers is not really a fan of this approach, she thinks that her students watch too much anime sometimes and they should focus on actual studying instead But yeah, watching TV shows in the language you're learning is very beneficial to you most of the time, anime's no exception.

[ashleybotts]

I enjoy watching anime as well. However, the best way to be immersed in the media is to watch Japanese news - you get the best pronunciation and important vocabulary. I can still remember the first Japanese word I immediately memorized from an anime - Doite. I can't remember what anime but the sister wanted her brother to get out of the way and just kept saying "Doite!" Anime is definitely great for learning rude phrases. Be careful!

[Trellum]

I enjoy watching anime as well. However, the best way to be immersed in the media is to watch Japanese news - you get the best pronunciation and important vocabulary. I can still remember the first Japanese word I immediately memorized from an anime - Doite. I can't remember what anime but the sister wanted her brother to get out of the way and just kept saying "Doite!" Anime is definitely great for learning rude phrases. Be careful!

Hahaha, thanks for the warning   I never implied anime would be the best way to learn japanese, but a nice way to learn a few new words   Plus the enjoyment you get from watching it.  I personally love watching anime, and thanks to it I've learnt several new words   I'm happy with that, since I'm not actually trying to learn the language, I'm just a huge fan of anime!  But my best friend is actually trying to learn it!  He's the one who told me he has learnt so much japanese thanks to anime and I believe him

[SpiralArchitect]

True, but then how would one know how to say the word properly if they keep listening to exagerrated pronunciations?

Well mainly by saying the same thing with restraint. But you're right, it can help you but watching anime is not an alternative to conventional learning methods. It can be seen as more of a supplement.

[Miya]

Well mainly by saying the same thing with restraint.

That's not always possible though. Like what if more than one syllable was exaggerated? People with no prior Japanese knowledge wouldn't know.

Reading manga in Japanese would probably be a better way to learn Japanese than watching anime (imo). 

[Trellum]

Many years ago I head that Japanese is an easy-learning language as opposed to what many people think.

I tried to study this language but the school was in the other side of the city and never was able to organize my schedule to have the time and get there. Eventually forgot about this language.

However I have seen that people who anime loyal fans do not only learn Japanese with easiness, but also they are immersed into the Japanese culture thanks to this learning, which is easier for them because of the motivation that Anime provides them.

I have watched Anime, but actually it's not longer appealing to me. If Sailor Moon is Anime, this is the last one I watched several years ago when was first aired.

My best friend is totally immersed in the japanese culture and language, all this thanks to the magic of anime   He has learnt a lot japanese thanks to anime, and is eager to learn even more.  He dreams of moving to Japan one day, and I truly hope his dream comes true.  If someone deserves to have his/her dream come true, that person is him.  He's the most amazing friend I've ever had...

I agree with you, anime can lose its charm after a bit.  I actually drift back and forward from it.  I can spend very long periods without watching any sort of anime, until I find a new anime that really interest me.  Right now I'm following ''Another'' & ''NaNa''.

[honia]

This is how I learned my first words in Japanese: inu and neko. I developed a passion not only for their language but for their culture as well. I am fascinated and cannot wait to get there.

I learned a lot from anime but I usually double check every new piece of information I find out. Sometimes they tend to exaggerate or present facts in a favorable manner for the plot so it's better to check using a more reliable source.

[Mr.Styx]

Anime and manga are my main motivators for learning Japanese, and I am usually not ashamed to admit that.  Ultimately I'd like to be able to read untranslated manga and listen to anime without relying on the subtitles. 

[Trellum]

Anime and manga are my main motivators for learning Japanese, and I am usually not ashamed to admit that.  Ultimately I'd like to be able to read untranslated manga and listen to anime without relying on the subtitles.

That's awesome!  Actually my best friend's love for thye japanese language and culture started thank to anime   He is so in love with Japan that his dream is to actually move there one day and get married to a japanese girl.  I can only hope his dream comes true. He really deserves it.  I'm also a big fan of anime and japanese culture in general (anime has enriched my life greatly, really), but I'm not motivated to learn the language (too busy trying to find the time to learn dutch!).  Is great managa and anime are motivators for you to learn this amazing language   Kudos to you!

[pandandesign]

Yes, that is what I have heard too. People can learn Japanese from anime or cartoon shows. I don't know how they can do that, but at least I cannot because I usually learn the language through reading books.

[Hedonologist]

I'm a big fan of anime   I actually follow a lot anime series right now, I love the ones that come with subs; I completely dislike the dubbed ones!  Believe it or not, I've been able to learn A LOT japanese words thanks to watching anime regularly (at least the pronunciation - and that's a good start!).  And even if you don't learn a lot japanese thanks to anime, at least you had a good time watching it (I do every time!).

What do you guys think?  Do you think watching anime is a good way to learn some japanese words? Do you ever watch anime?

Absolutely. Watching foreign media is why so many people can speak English. Obviously there is also an economic reason to do so, but the reason that fluency is so widespread is because of such high levels of immersion.

[Dieselfit]

Anime is a great way to learn the basics of Japanese. I wouldn't depend on it since it's not suppose to be a lesson but it's still a great way. That being said, I can't stand how lame dubbed anime sounds! I can't imagine the translations being accurate to what they say in the originals. It's strange!

[Daimashin]

I watch a lot of anime and J-Dramas too but all I could pick up are short phrases. Other than that, I can sometimes tell what they're saying based on their tones without looking at the subs. I never learnt anything complicated just by watching though.

[broknkyboard]

It's definitely better that you watch subbed anime, since most anime often have breaks in their dialogue where only a few words are spoken at a time, making it easier to pick out a new word. However, this is at best a supplement to actual Japanese studying, and isn't nearly enough on it's own.

[Kotro]

Yeah, I have some friends who are taking Japanese. In their class there's a guy who picked up a lot of the language from Animes, and the teacher (who is Japanese herself) can't stand him, says his Japanese is incredibly rude and that animes have basically spoiled his learning the language properly.

[Jetta]

Ah for me learning through anime is difficult because I always forget I'm trying to learn a language and get caught up in the story haha. I think it could be helpful if you have other learning methods going at the same time. But to learn Japanese mainly from anime no wayy. At best you'd pick up a few phrases. One thing that I do is I get those 3 minute anime series, and I watch it twice. Once with subs, and a second time without them. Been pretty helpful for me.

[BonClay]

Anime is a good source to pick up a couple words here and there, as long as the subtitles have the correct translation. It's also one of the main reasons why I wanted to learn Japanese. It would be awesome to get to the point where you can turn the subtitles off and just listen. You can also brush up on your kana and kanji by trying to translate the episode titles or signs that appear. 

[AExAVF]

While anime is a good medium with which to learn Nihongo/Japanese, I personally would not limit myself to it.  There are various Japanese shows which I also enjoy watching.  Right now though, watching anime isn't my only reason anymore for studying the Nihongo/Japanese language. I'll be getting a job soon and I've always been fascinated as well as inspired by the work ethics of the Japanese.

[Cave Bear]

Anime and manga is a good place to start, but eventually you want to graduate up from that. It's important to keep on challenging yourself. 
Anime will teach you some commonly used words and phrases, and learning to sing the theme songs can help you with the overall flow and stress of the language, but it's not as helpful if you want to speak to real Japanese people. Real Japanese people do not talk like anime characters!

[magnum]

I've recently bumped into a pretty interesting article about studying Japanese with anime. The method uses Anki (though I'm sure you could adapt it to some other SRS) and subs2srs (a tool that automatically turns subtitles into flashcards which can then be imported to an SRS). You make cards out of the lines in the Japanese subtitles, putting the English translation (from the translated subtitles) on the back of the card and adding a snapshot and audio from the episode. Then you study the deck and try to watch the show without subtitles, or with Japanese subtitles. That's the gist of it, at least. Read the article for more details.

Has anyone ever tried this or something similar? I'm quite fond of the idea, being somewhat of an SRS maniac, but my current Anki workload is pretty high. It's gonna take a while until I'm comfortable adding new cards again.