Learning the Japanese language?

[Celebiii]

I have always loved Pokemon, enjoyed Yu-Gi-Oh!, and have had an interest in Anime. These things have always drawn me to the Japanese language, but I have always felt it too difficult to learn. Two days ago, I started studying the Hiragana and memorized about ninety-percent of it. The problem is when I try to pronounce words using the characters. I feel like the average American high-schooler trying to read English (sometimes I think that I am surrounded by class mates who just don't have the drive or ability to learn). I was wondering if, possibly, I was taking too quick of a dive into the language, or maybe not enough? I am having difficulty reading Hiragana (just pronunciation), but I am wondering how long it will take me to get to a comfortable pace in reading? I would also like to know if there are some really good methods to learn other parts of the language, like Katakana (I really hope i'm saying that right), and Kanji aswell as cementing Hiragana into my brain. I would appreciate any help :) I also apologize if my main question/statement is unclear, because I am having difficulty tracing my thoughts back to it myself :P Thank you to anyone who could help me. -Celebiii
P.S. If this post is in the wrong section, then please notify me and I will kindly remove it, or let a moderator (or whomever) to move it to the right section.

 

[machomuu]

Pronunciation is pretty easy once you hear it and then cling onto it. I might say it's the easiest part of learning the language, and one of the most essential. I'd tell you to learn pronunciation before going on, as it will make learning speech much easier.

Second, as fluent Japanese speakers have taught me, you should try to avoid Romaji as much as possible and spearhead your way into Kanji.

 

[Celebiii]

Thank you machomuu :) Well, there are over 40,000 Kanji, correct? Where should I start?

 

[machomuu]

That all depends on you. In Japan they go with ones that have simpler meanings. Others (one particular other) say that you should go with the ones that require the simplest and fewest strokes. I can see the practicality of both, so it really depends on whichever you prefer.

 

[大輔]

Here is a tip, do NOT I repeat... do NOT just learn japanese because you want to move to Japan because of anime and other things like that. They are interesting yes... but not good reasons to try to adapt a language, especially since japan is revolved around a respect-oriented language. But, this is the first step in learning japanese...

LEARN YOUR HIRAGANA AND KATAKANA FIRST, get rid of that romanji!

Know how to write them, the stroke order, memorize them in your mind so that you'll just be reading a line through without a problem. Know that romanji isn't good for learning because you always try to go back to english with it. Once you get the hiragana and katakana down, erase romanji from your brain!!

Second, start learning basic phrases and learn how sentences work...

This is crucial for any language and all languages have certain rules and order of operation.

Third, rinse, wash, repeat ;)

Keep learning new Kanji, read Japanese books, play japanese games, watch japanese movies... sooner or later you'll be able to understand things over time. If you need to PM me and you want to learn more about the japanese language, you are free to do so :)

 

[Celebiii]

I have a strange interest in Japans culture aswell as their language. I don't use Romanji anyway. I have learned all of the Hiragana (with a few exceptions that I cannot write), but other than that I have a real passion for learning new languages as I want to collect them like people collect Pokemon :P I want to be a Polyglot and be able to communicate and interact with many cultures. Japanese just happens to be right down the road as far as my language journey is concerned and I have many motives to learn it. So from what I have gathered from you both is that I should now move on to Katakana, learn those, start learning simple-stroked Kanji and basic phrases, then move on from there? Hopefully I am understanding you correct? (My mind works very slowly so it may take me a while to fully understand, and with new thoughts and knowledge coming to fruition within my mind, some of my statements will become invalid, or outdated :P)

@dabeatmaster123 I am not sure if I will move to Japan :P I may visit it a few times due to their edge (along with South Korea, but there isn't a Korean culture forum on here :P) on technology. Japanese is a culture I am yet to understand or be knowledgeable about, however learning new languages is a way to meet that culture on a communicative level where both understand eachother no matter the differences in culture. I would not stop learning Japanese now for any reason other than no longer having the time, but I am not just learning a language due to a small selection of things that they have to offer.

 

[Graceful]

I would suggest using romaji to help with the katakana and hiragana as it does help with the pronounciaton and how to remember how to spell things in hiragana and katakana, but let it go and don't use it.
I've been learning Japanese for about a year and I would say I'm around high-beginner/middle level at the moment. The only hiragana I can't write is "Nu"/"ぬ" and I'm still struggling a little with my handwriting (I can barely write any katakana because I just can't get the stroke order right) and I've learned a few kanji :3
I've got a few online Japanese friends on my Facebook account and I have a fair few Japanese followers on Twitter, of whom I talk to in Japanese. I've also started writing on a Japanese blog site (Ameba) and I'm mainly focusing on grammar and vocab at the minute :3

I usually watch subbed anime, Japanese dramas, Japanese movies and listen to Japanese music. Sometimes, I don't read the subs if I understand what it means or I'll sit down and work out what I can understand from songs.

To start on kanji, try the learning them via the grades. Grade 1 kanji are supposed to be simpler (they are, I'm learning them now!) and it goes up ><

 

[Celebiii]

Thank you Graceful! Very helpful post. I will remember that Kanji come in grades because that will be helpful :) The Hiragana I always have trouble with is "Na" (which I would use the Hiragana instead of the Romanji, however I am using an English keyboard :/). Again, thank you very much! :D

 

[Esper]

I have some blog posts on learning Japanese. Here.

I would say that the most productive methods of learning are reading practice, writing practice, and having someone who knows more than you helping you not ingrain the mistakes that we all make. That third one isn't always an option, but if you're serious it's a good idea to at least look for a forum or something that has people willing to offer help if you ever have questions or are confused.

Spend some time cementing the hiragana that you've learned. Write them out on paper, 5 or 10 (or more) times each, and do the same thing tomorrow and the day after until you think you know them all. If you've got any materials written in Japanese (or, I suppose, the internet) then find something and try to pick out the hiragana that you know. Have a sheet with all the hiragana with you so you can check to see how you're doing. You want to get into the practice of recognizing these kana first by themselves, but also when they're mixed up in words (because that's how you'll be reading them eventually).

Don't worry about katakana for the moment. Don't worry about kanji yet. Just get your hiragana down first. That'll help you cement the pronunciations. If you need to use romaji while you do this, that's fine, but you should challenge yourself after you think you have them all and start studying without romaji.

If you want to quiz yourself there are plenty of places online that can do this. Like this little one. It's kinda past paced though, but maybe you'll enjoy it.

 

[machomuu]

Also, learn, do NOT memorize. One common mistake people make is that they try to memorize the characters, and that won't help you when it comes to actual practical use. For this reason, I highly suggest that you start reading Hiragana. IIRC, the Ace Attorney series uses Hiragana, and its text heavy, so it's worth checking out if you want to have some fun with it. After all, learning isn't all studying, practical use is essential.

Densetsu from GBAtemp's guide should help you out quite a bit, read through the first post, you'll find it useful.

 

[Celebiii]

Quizzing myself, I have come to understand that the Hiragana that I don't know are: "Me", "Ne", "Re", and "Ri". Other than those 4, I know all the Hiragana ^-^ Today is my third day studying Japanese and I have already started reading (for the most part I have no clue what I am saying) and I am definitely thinking about checking out the Ace Attorney series. Thank you both, Scarf and machomuu, for your help so far :)