tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27051931760146330752024-03-18T21:56:20.354-07:00Living JapaneseLearning Japanese by Living Japanese.Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-10750844681225165302014-08-25T14:57:00.002-07:002014-08-25T14:57:28.768-07:00Living Japanese is due for some change...Within the next couple weeks I will be moving Living Japanese from it's current home with Blogger and onto my own server. I've been wanting to get back to writing for a while, but the current site is too cluttered. I'm rewriting everything and condensing many of the posts into single articles that should be much more helpful. I hope you'll bear with me if the site is inaccessible from time to time during this process, and I hope you'll enjoy the new site.<br />
<br />
Good luck with your studies!Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-45458542960637442332013-09-22T21:18:00.001-07:002013-09-24T17:20:05.166-07:00So you want to learn Japanese (Part 3)<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Many of the people that I talk to
about learning Japanese are in the earliest steps of the process.
Unfortunately, most of them have some <i>interesting</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
notions for what is required in order to learn Japanese, and clearing
up some of those </span><strike><span style="font-style: normal;">excuses</span></strike><span style="font-style: normal;">
misconceptions will help the people that really want to learn. This was
originally going to be a single post, but it's turned into a series. This is the third post in the series, <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/08/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-1.html" target="_blank"><u><b>click here for the first post</b></u></a> or <u><b><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/09/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-2.html" target="_blank">here for the second post</a>.</b></u></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I want to learn Japanese, but I don't know where to start...</span></b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is a difficult hurdle in the language learning process: taking
that first step. I've tried to make simplified pages and guides to
give a step-by-step procedure for learning Japanese, but in reality
everything tends to happen all at once. You'll be learning kanji as
you learn vocab, and you'll likely have to relearn the kana a lot
during the first few months. It's all connected, so it's hard to learn any one part separately.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
However, I have found that one thing in particular is essential –
the most important thing of all, and what you should do as your first
step: <b>Get started immediately. Right now. Just do something.</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b> </b>I think that most people believe that an <b>ultimate method</b>
for learning Japanese exists, and if they just keep looking they'll
find it eventually. They look and look, and look some more, but never
find the ultimate method, and then they get distracted and forget
about learning Japanese for a week or two. When they remember their
desire to learn, they go back to the hunt. The same process happens
again. It makes me sad. </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPuCJOnRb6zv5QK8i4v2ZCw3zm9dvrV9w3DZUmP_3kbdG1UZESJP4iSJzKwHTO0vRk1XHUfk7o3hnPoCa5nComiWMnZQDL-dsWLZhfFlPtTq3wQnaiWF1t6GhkKohDlNqjbYu4v_IyFo/s1600/drowning+my+sorrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPuCJOnRb6zv5QK8i4v2ZCw3zm9dvrV9w3DZUmP_3kbdG1UZESJP4iSJzKwHTO0vRk1XHUfk7o3hnPoCa5nComiWMnZQDL-dsWLZhfFlPtTq3wQnaiWF1t6GhkKohDlNqjbYu4v_IyFo/s320/drowning+my+sorrows.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some nights I just can't handle it...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
What you should realize is that no <b>ultimate method</b> exists,
and looking for it is just detracting from time that you could be
using to learn. Let's face it, no single method will work for every
person, so how could you ever know which one is best for you? <b>Nobody
can tell you what method is best for you</b>; it's something you have to discover through trial
and error. So how can you go about finding the method that will work
for you? By just getting started with something, <i>anything</i>.
Trust me, you'll know if the method isn't for you, and when you come
to that realization you'll have new insight into what method <i><b>is</b></i>
for you.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In my own case, I started learning Japanese with Rosetta Stone. I
thought, “Hey, immersion, that sounds cool!” and went on my merry
way in learning. But with the way the program worked, I couldn't
remember most of the words for long – and I noticed that the
program never went back to old material. I found myself repeatedly starting over and redoing lessons. I was getting nowhere.
Then another realization hit me – I was learning Japanese in
romaji, and a quick Google search informed me that real Japanese is
never written in romaji.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmU21nRdValTn_3PZttAB0wrwqnE2GaPKCjEZluLfbVpFPRbcoilOU49Ne2o-5SzOeGd4lUpxUPsxprHmLrStz04z4LPlrwiGMvri1W4GO6o9sHz6Et2uPtmICYabbvtE_OCPcXtNnWM/s1600/kana+tiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmU21nRdValTn_3PZttAB0wrwqnE2GaPKCjEZluLfbVpFPRbcoilOU49Ne2o-5SzOeGd4lUpxUPsxprHmLrStz04z4LPlrwiGMvri1W4GO6o9sHz6Et2uPtmICYabbvtE_OCPcXtNnWM/s320/kana+tiles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"But EVERYONE loves the roman alphabet!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
After a solid month of studying in Rosetta Stone, I admitted that I
was learning nothing and that I would start again – this time with
the kana. So I found a website with a flashcard teaching system for
kana and began learning. I discovered that I liked learning from
flashcards and example sentences, but I had major doubts: “I spent
an entire <b>month</b> learning with Rosetta Stone before I realized
it was crap, so how can I be
sure that this is <i><b>real </b></i>Japanese?”</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was this question that led me to begin reading manga in
Japanese. Here was Japanese written by and for native Japanese
speakers, so it had to be <b>real</b>. In reading manga, I found that
kanji were way more important than my beginning Japanese websites had
told me, so I looked for a focused method for learning them all. The
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2012/07/how-to-learn-kanji.html" target="_blank"><i>Remembering the Kanji</i> books by Heisig</a> caught my eye, and I
devoted myself to studying with that method. Ever since then, I have
continued to learn by immersing in real Japanese, and I've always
been guided to what I needed to know.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji009iI5gvTdPEoQ7NXBqfPRRCXBFoDXESFxpXW3avUgedfFJO4Ww2z9wTcdpuuCA2xyflVBD4W9N6VrAPmvUviOQE9jVf2kQxKQgwMRAfZ0hhqT9GMfKaCxYm5ulHSoU2BVxm399w_T0/s1600/kanji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji009iI5gvTdPEoQ7NXBqfPRRCXBFoDXESFxpXW3avUgedfFJO4Ww2z9wTcdpuuCA2xyflVBD4W9N6VrAPmvUviOQE9jVf2kQxKQgwMRAfZ0hhqT9GMfKaCxYm5ulHSoU2BVxm399w_T0/s320/kanji.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kanji for kanji.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The point of that story is that just by
attempting to learn Japanese and remaining open to new methods I was
able to find the system that worked for me. That's the system I write
about here, and hopefully some of the ideas will work for you as
well. That's really all there is to it: <b>just pick something and go
with it</b>. If you just keep going, you'll find that none of your effort
is ever truly wasted. <b>Improve your methods for learning as you
improve your Japanese. </b>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credits: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiffanymichele/">All rights reserved by tiffany michele</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenlen/">Some rights reserved by Zen Len</a></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/japanese-kanjisymbols/">Some rights reserved by japanese-kanjisymbols</a></span>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-757634103244598802013-09-10T00:47:00.000-07:002013-11-21T17:49:05.200-08:00So you want to learn Japanese (Part 2)<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Many of the people that I talk to
about learning Japanese are in the earliest steps of the process.
Unfortunately, most of them have some <i>interesting</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
notions for what is required in order to learn Japanese, and clearing
up some of those </span><strike><span style="font-style: normal;">excuses</span></strike><span style="font-style: normal;">
misconceptions will help the people that really want to learn. This was
originally going to be a single post, but it's turned into a series. This is the second post in the series, <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/08/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-1.html" target="_blank"><u><b>click here for the first post</b></u></a>.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I want to learn Japanese, but don't you need to be in Japan for immersion?</span></b><u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I
love hearing this. Okay, no, I don't </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">love
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">it, but I do find it amusing</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">. It's just like the idea that you need
to take language classes in order to learn a language. Sure, it's
helpful to be surrounded by people speaking the language that you're
learning, but that's really just an immersion environment. Immersion just means that you are in frequent contact with the language (surrounded by it). Think
about it this way, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>do
you really need to be living in Japan to encounter Japanese frequently?</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If all you are gaining from being in Japan is increased contact with the Japanese
language, then couldn't you just swap out English media for Japanese
media? Reading comics and watching TV in Japanese would provide the
same benefits as living in Japan, but it would be a whole lot easier
to do. You don't have to drop everything and run to Japan in order to
be surrounded by the language.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4ynvPc2JKspKne8lgr4vtAmNQ4mVD724Qe24zYMUGjtqnWSZlCWHcjSKSrJZQ1BA24eKpbYgNUCla_v-LCoNo_8JR3tV1W04cldwo7a8ea4FQArl0hRmC84gNr7FjFe178uaKZziq8/s1600/japanese+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4ynvPc2JKspKne8lgr4vtAmNQ4mVD724Qe24zYMUGjtqnWSZlCWHcjSKSrJZQ1BA24eKpbYgNUCla_v-LCoNo_8JR3tV1W04cldwo7a8ea4FQArl0hRmC84gNr7FjFe178uaKZziq8/s400/japanese+books.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are your new Japanese friends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you have access to the internet, then you have a way of building
your own immersion environment. You can download media and order
products from Japanese websites to create a little piece of Japan
inside your own home. There are even <a href="http://lang-8.com/" target="_blank"><u><b>language exchange sites</b></u></a>
where you can make friends and get help with your studies from
native-speakers.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXtY5BGLd7jBpUrLMeeSv0YyyTaKVYqmuei52roEpiAxgiZs1Nf6E3STNB8R4vFsuwtL-yMFi8FefSMxOnU6QczItME4rAuEss5mr3L30Zfzz_jIFb-h4Lxj4aV8NWoXSu2bvafYw_iE/s1600/lang8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXtY5BGLd7jBpUrLMeeSv0YyyTaKVYqmuei52roEpiAxgiZs1Nf6E3STNB8R4vFsuwtL-yMFi8FefSMxOnU6QczItME4rAuEss5mr3L30Zfzz_jIFb-h4Lxj4aV8NWoXSu2bvafYw_iE/s400/lang8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have native speakers critique your writing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Essentially, this is another case of misinterpreting a
helpful tool as something that is necessary for success. Just like
having a class of peers and a mentor can be helpful while
learning the language, having native-speakers in your daily
life would be great – but you don't <i>need</i> them (especially when
you're just starting). <b>You can get all of the benefits of living in
Japan without ever leaving home</b>, so don't let living in another
country stop you from achieving your goal.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC6cXogVXZsbsq8QiVFWQldKNmQhyphenhyphenYKGTl06DbDyp9bfFFIN8X3KXyjt3ph6bpRhg9WHjjJshxCuf4oh3ky94MUi19Fpzc23HCJqd-AS5OxAVv57CDH-dMeXXiQMqv3DLk01YQEG0UM0/s1600/a+letter+to+momo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC6cXogVXZsbsq8QiVFWQldKNmQhyphenhyphenYKGTl06DbDyp9bfFFIN8X3KXyjt3ph6bpRhg9WHjjJshxCuf4oh3ky94MUi19Fpzc23HCJqd-AS5OxAVv57CDH-dMeXXiQMqv3DLk01YQEG0UM0/s400/a+letter+to+momo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can learn a lot about Japanese life just by watching movies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now, some of you you might be thinking, "Whoa Tigoris! The reason I want to learn Japanese is because I plan on living in Japan! Why not just wait until I get there and then start learning?" Which is certainly a valid question, but in the end it really just comes down to this: <b>learning another language takes a long time, so it's best to start as soon as possible</b>. Sure, you can wait until you're in Japan to begin, but you haven't really gained anything by doing so.<br />
<br />
Living in Japan will definitely test and improve your knowledge of Japanese, but you don't need to be in Japan to start learning. Use media and the internet to create a Japanese bubble around you, and then if/when you do find yourself in Japan you'll already have the basics covered. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And just because I appreciate the irony, this post was delayed
because I was busy moving to Japan.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/09/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-3.html" target="_blank">Click here to read the next article in the series:</a><br />
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/09/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-3.html" target="_blank">"I want to learn Japanese, but I don't know where to start..."</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Images:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/br1dotcom/">Some rights reserved by br1dotcom</a></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinbloys/">Some rights reserved by gavinbloys</a>
</span></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-70677373305611579152013-08-29T08:38:00.000-07:002013-11-21T17:50:26.747-08:00So you want to learn Japanese (Part 1)<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Many of the people that I talk to
about learning Japanese are in the earliest steps of the process.
Unfortunately, most of them have some <i>interesting</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
notions for what is required in order to learn Japanese, and clearing
up some of those </span><strike><span style="font-style: normal;">excuses</span></strike><span style="font-style: normal;">
misconceptions will help the people that really want to learn. This was originally going to be a single post, but it's turned into a series. This is the first post in the series and covers the issue of...</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I really want to
learn Japanese, but I can't find a class to take!</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> I
would honestly be more surprised if there </span><i>were</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
classes available near you. You really don't need a teacher or a
class of other students, in fact, I'd say they are more of a burden
in the early steps. There are plenty of textbooks and free resources
online (such as this site) that can help you get started. Once you
have a foothold in the language, immersion becomes your teacher. If
you read a sentence and understand it, then you pass. If you can't
read it, then you study a bit for the “make-up test” and try
again.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> Language
classes are only ever a supplement to your individual study – a
language course will </span><i>NEVER</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
make you fluent. The people that you may know who have taken language
classes and become fluent put in a lot of time outside of the
classroom and their assigned work to get there. Learning a language
requires an independent effort, so I find it's best to focus on that
aspect over class-oriented content.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVXhkUlTcZTDaCXl-ctqm5uDx89fuGOdVqNcAmKqatLsCUec7NQo_JXc_TlDK7WURWu3BNigTlMXATVc5glg1EjD0jM0YEsALrm9_EHXDNI2eWU85z8KEiLnvv0b22rYgOWUGjyZEpsM/s1600/reading+manga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVXhkUlTcZTDaCXl-ctqm5uDx89fuGOdVqNcAmKqatLsCUec7NQo_JXc_TlDK7WURWu3BNigTlMXATVc5glg1EjD0jM0YEsALrm9_EHXDNI2eWU85z8KEiLnvv0b22rYgOWUGjyZEpsM/s400/reading+manga.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If those <i>manga</i> were in Japanese, this would count as individual study.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
For a personal
example, I began learning Japanese entirely on my own at home. I
didn't know anyone who had any connection to Japanese, but online
resources and tools (mostly free) helped me get started. A year and a
half later I began taking classes in Japanese, only to discover that
my independent studies had accelerated me far beyond the scope of the
class lessons (I skipped the first three semesters). The classes gave
me a place to practice speaking and learn some of the finer points of
grammar, but my focus never strayed from my individual study plans.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
During my time in
these classes (I took 3-4 semesters of Japanese courses) I witnessed
the huge gap in ability between students who only did assigned work
and those who developed their own individual study routines. The ones
who I often saw with additional (unassigned) textbooks or with raw
Japanese media would show up semester after semester, often knowing
the content covered in class before it had been introduced.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrT1jLMndzifraikXCepKiXwLVeLqeZ_wOnt1Fo2lBsnvs2BnvdwqJ-x-49zNXdBK_jNeWvROI7nKZsCIF9VBixdvWQN4xjSfevWGH9w7oXMi_N9Ea_0OQlz02vDXsqf_Bcqglzge4J4/s1600/sailor+moon+collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrT1jLMndzifraikXCepKiXwLVeLqeZ_wOnt1Fo2lBsnvs2BnvdwqJ-x-49zNXdBK_jNeWvROI7nKZsCIF9VBixdvWQN4xjSfevWGH9w7oXMi_N9Ea_0OQlz02vDXsqf_Bcqglzge4J4/s400/sailor+moon+collection.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Yes, I studied Japanese with the 'Sailor Moon' text series. "</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Meanwhile, the
students that only did the assigned work often struggled with older
material and had even greater difficulty with new material. What
makes it worse is that many of these people were majoring in Japanese and
wanted careers using the language, but they had the belief that
language classes alone would be enough to get them to fluency. Their
knowledge of Japanese began and ended with canned phrases from
textbooks and speaking exercises.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aN41Aqe1i2a-QPjkoy08iqneeoKRPUuDWKqq0Tf_DAH1uyQkT5Ty576d0Wy_chEmcVhlzH9Xpy5jtWCatgnFNKomXpndkSgQXJO_5yB4lBoN_UNNE05cLPP75eSbvRxrYUFE9kF-cMI/s1600/robot+with+drink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aN41Aqe1i2a-QPjkoy08iqneeoKRPUuDWKqq0Tf_DAH1uyQkT5Ty576d0Wy_chEmcVhlzH9Xpy5jtWCatgnFNKomXpndkSgQXJO_5yB4lBoN_UNNE05cLPP75eSbvRxrYUFE9kF-cMI/s400/robot+with+drink.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't talk like a robot: learn real Japanese!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> While
language classes are a great way to get practice with the language,
they will only ever be a small part of your studies in the language.
In fact, the first semesters of a Japanese class are required by
necessity to focus largely on learning the kana and kanji. The huge
downside to this is that kana and kanji cannot be taught, they have
to be memorized – and language classes almost always employ
brute-force memorization to get the job done. You can learn all of
the kana and all of the basic-use kanji (over 2000 kanji!) in </span><i><b>three
months</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
of individual study, but it would take </span></span><b><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">years</span></i></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
to do the same thing in a classroom.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
All of this sums up to a single point – <b>do not use the excuse of
not having access to a Japanese class as your reason for not learning
Japanese</b>. You can learn so much on your own, and the internet makes
finding the tools and media you need so very easy. </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/09/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-2.html" target="_blank">Click here to read the next article in the series: </a><br />
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/09/so-you-want-to-learn-japanese-part-2.html" target="_blank">"I want to learn Japanese, but don't you have to be in Japan for immersion?"</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Credits:</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollily/244111526/">ollily</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright All rights reserved by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/missmlight/">Moon Memento ☆ ムーン ☆ メメント </a></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/darynbarry/2469548600/">Darin Barry</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
</span></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-2337933063278430792013-07-28T12:24:00.000-07:002013-07-30T06:10:02.034-07:00Upcoming Content<br />
My apologies for the lack of posts recently, I've been rather swamped with working, finishing up biochemistry courses, and preparing to depart for Japan. I've been thinking about what tools would be the most helpful, and I've decided that these two projects will be my focus:<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Living Japanese E-Book</b></u>: The information on the site is spread out among a variety of posts, so it can be hard to know which order to read content or what the best methods for studying Japanese are. I'm hoping to address these issues by compiling everything the site has to offer (along with new content) into a single e-book.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I'll be applying the organization of the book to the website as well, so it should be much easier to read articles "in order" and get the most out of your reading time.<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Next Reading Pack</b></u>: For the next <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html" target="_blank"><u>reading pack</u></a>, I think it's time to move away from <i>Yotsubato!</i> and into some new territory. I'll be scouring bookstores in Japan to find the best series to use for the third reading pack, but I've already decided that this one will not have furigana. It's quite difficult to start reading manga that does not have furigana for kanji, so I want to have tools available to help those who are ready to take that next step.<br />
<br />
I'll be posting more frequently once I get through with my finals, so until then... good luck with your studies!<br />
<br />
(Also, feel free to contact me via email at Tigoris@LivingJapanese.com if you need help or have any questions)Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-86560506195884418352013-06-25T11:49:00.001-07:002013-07-20T09:42:41.419-07:00Kanji Stroke Order<br />
Kanji stroke order can seem complex, but it all comes down to a few simple guidelines. As I promised in the post "<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/05/never-be-stumped-by-kanji-again.html" target="_blank"><u>Never be stumped by kanji again!</u></a>" here is an overview of those guidelines. All of the images used in this post are taken from <a href="http://jisho.org/">Jisho.org</a>, so try searching kanji on there if you want to be sure of stroke order.<br />
<br />
<b>-Start </b>at the top or left-most part of the kanji and work down.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sfKDIY1omAM8Wm63DepIBdG5W_TFLvAx-aLt7Z0QDH_-Je0eyiqW3eSQ_sly-NE2C28JnCd8fZCjnFswqw9xjY88de4m5ukmSjVhnQtOGdT4eUjguoVl_rMEgInhLLheaU2KaNETTB8/s1600/%E5%AE%B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sfKDIY1omAM8Wm63DepIBdG5W_TFLvAx-aLt7Z0QDH_-Je0eyiqW3eSQ_sly-NE2C28JnCd8fZCjnFswqw9xjY88de4m5ukmSjVhnQtOGdT4eUjguoVl_rMEgInhLLheaU2KaNETTB8/s400/%E5%AE%B6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">家(いえ)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>-Vertical</b> strokes go top to bottom. Horizontal strokes go left to right.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G2XhiWok3syyA4brAAl9Jqc_AK7g6JZZ7NN9HWrYbHGd2ZIfMUE-slKbnSUcAN3UW8GAIiXG55yZD5WF-F6fK8LBYU_5SagPPGeJ9aWpXUPypUidt3SRXchNmQ_4a-T3lcD2f1UNuBo/s1600/%E7%94%B0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G2XhiWok3syyA4brAAl9Jqc_AK7g6JZZ7NN9HWrYbHGd2ZIfMUE-slKbnSUcAN3UW8GAIiXG55yZD5WF-F6fK8LBYU_5SagPPGeJ9aWpXUPypUidt3SRXchNmQ_4a-T3lcD2f1UNuBo/s400/%E7%94%B0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">田(た) You'll see this kanji a lot in this post.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>-You</b> can run a horizontal and vertical stroke together if they will both be drawn in their proper directions (as seen in stroke #2 above/below).<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsDMaj65R99TWkiNDcTupFHMk0w5MPW3zWac7aJ971EdBDxqsSHP1v0qKCnD0tas23PJ8p7HJPYL8r1KZyY4YtDnCZNsTY3F0kbDmglQ7bAOu7tJtEqxwMKwjxfbU6OTDIWXN0-YKkI0/s400/%25E7%2594%25B0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">田(た)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>-For</b> frame kanji, draw the outer frame, then draw the inside/bottom in order starting at the top.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsDMaj65R99TWkiNDcTupFHMk0w5MPW3zWac7aJ971EdBDxqsSHP1v0qKCnD0tas23PJ8p7HJPYL8r1KZyY4YtDnCZNsTY3F0kbDmglQ7bAOu7tJtEqxwMKwjxfbU6OTDIWXN0-YKkI0/s1600/%25E7%2594%25B0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsDMaj65R99TWkiNDcTupFHMk0w5MPW3zWac7aJ971EdBDxqsSHP1v0qKCnD0tas23PJ8p7HJPYL8r1KZyY4YtDnCZNsTY3F0kbDmglQ7bAOu7tJtEqxwMKwjxfbU6OTDIWXN0-YKkI0/s400/%25E7%2594%25B0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">田(た)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Explanation:</b> In the first and second stroke, the outer frame of the kanji is drawn. In the third stroke, the top-most inner stroke is drawn, then the middle, and finally the bottom. Here are some more examples.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vxG0_wDVtKXxOh8eVTWHepgZiIhZY7J1ENf5NhZpQ-BytAEr-cHkjYeCefhTQrI5SfH4xM-x5k1dxu1jW_SAsLUPs_Uln1Fqe9qVlQe6OEfiuUzRPgO8K_gTXUwEOngpahMIOqJN9ko/s1600/%E6%97%A5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vxG0_wDVtKXxOh8eVTWHepgZiIhZY7J1ENf5NhZpQ-BytAEr-cHkjYeCefhTQrI5SfH4xM-x5k1dxu1jW_SAsLUPs_Uln1Fqe9qVlQe6OEfiuUzRPgO8K_gTXUwEOngpahMIOqJN9ko/s400/%E6%97%A5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">日(ひ)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVATc3i5k-Qm-RAAxXI9-UFOTL6wIiy-qNnM8Je2Uv9U_Ahti-PKAY9LqjU5REZUzFPFKiubCssVvPQlYvoXXDrGnCLnNKfwekX5T6F1OHc_zqGAmWeaDnJNVYSvWzaMiN4hD8gAuY-I/s1600/%E6%9C%88.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVATc3i5k-Qm-RAAxXI9-UFOTL6wIiy-qNnM8Je2Uv9U_Ahti-PKAY9LqjU5REZUzFPFKiubCssVvPQlYvoXXDrGnCLnNKfwekX5T6F1OHc_zqGAmWeaDnJNVYSvWzaMiN4hD8gAuY-I/s400/%E6%9C%88.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">月(つき)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>-If there</b> is a stroke going through the middle of a frame, it comes last.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsoKizDaypCyEECILq03U7rxEJMYKs_CwwyfPtoNpnyIsQjEXlKGRIfDmlEK-uIaFreLk3CttmSj3o7-iMsaMlhCWbGUjUYgMxHEH4xJxHZB4Z90KhhzkS0R_gcwksYXtKREMU8UjLe0/s1600/%E4%B8%AD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsoKizDaypCyEECILq03U7rxEJMYKs_CwwyfPtoNpnyIsQjEXlKGRIfDmlEK-uIaFreLk3CttmSj3o7-iMsaMlhCWbGUjUYgMxHEH4xJxHZB4Z90KhhzkS0R_gcwksYXtKREMU8UjLe0/s400/%E4%B8%AD.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">中(なか)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRE46Y8WCdgxBFbpz_R_MMxuRQ9NyLeXBKts3av3Zw7IUygkQfGpmL9b4iJymrzCG68uBPhZnN9l7q3dFo2DdDYam9p2Qw46bDvarui5QYZ7qaht2aS7t1KX5MMNyV5Sn4HCkWwT5OhY/s1600/%E8%BB%8A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRE46Y8WCdgxBFbpz_R_MMxuRQ9NyLeXBKts3av3Zw7IUygkQfGpmL9b4iJymrzCG68uBPhZnN9l7q3dFo2DdDYam9p2Qw46bDvarui5QYZ7qaht2aS7t1KX5MMNyV5Sn4HCkWwT5OhY/s400/%E8%BB%8A.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">車(くるま)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtX4yazrmhcvaIFyuh77xB3GCWlMvbD8Ns4IuOycsRtJmMTGj12q6oMN4gwLcYM5Suj7F0enx8z12whTcajISZIj99I5qFHbtxrAjIPFjOQgFnKxrSuOsZrAo-53k2pxxQwFtVwnoc9A/s1600/%E6%AF%8E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtX4yazrmhcvaIFyuh77xB3GCWlMvbD8Ns4IuOycsRtJmMTGj12q6oMN4gwLcYM5Suj7F0enx8z12whTcajISZIj99I5qFHbtxrAjIPFjOQgFnKxrSuOsZrAo-53k2pxxQwFtVwnoc9A/s320/%E6%AF%8E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">毎(まい)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>-Diagonal</b> strokes go right-left, then left-right.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwROQn7z7CHCIym8qRvHAVNBZLD3jZE2kamCKvWHKpu5EDO9EwI9tSUCPpLOT3gEw_rrq54LyCFFoAKdYDQQvUXlxmZc0qn-FZdiz8G0DtkXCg6cYxazOMlOaBolFe6ainmLYFa3B7ySc/s1600/%E6%96%87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwROQn7z7CHCIym8qRvHAVNBZLD3jZE2kamCKvWHKpu5EDO9EwI9tSUCPpLOT3gEw_rrq54LyCFFoAKdYDQQvUXlxmZc0qn-FZdiz8G0DtkXCg6cYxazOMlOaBolFe6ainmLYFa3B7ySc/s400/%E6%96%87.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">文(ぶん)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>-A final note</b>: The 手 (hand) <b>radical</b> (the <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%89%8C" title="扌">扌</a> in the image below) has a somewhat odd stroke order. The top horizontal stroke is first, then the vertical, then the final horizontal/diagonal. (Note: The 手 <b>kanji</b> is not written this way, only the <b>radical</b> [<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%89%8C" title="扌">扌</a>])<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Yp553tOvprWaVftdda5rZu3atTcBfDjQmJpMorcOzcIPaBKi9Yh8b8TkVjUikJPQbjRizExJsLPNnuW9ND2sKQ8T4RYqy5G7jPEsAIFcjnk2gbSkdA3hE3PU1S1RZMkpyzMihhYLDFY/s1600/%E6%89%95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Yp553tOvprWaVftdda5rZu3atTcBfDjQmJpMorcOzcIPaBKi9Yh8b8TkVjUikJPQbjRizExJsLPNnuW9ND2sKQ8T4RYqy5G7jPEsAIFcjnk2gbSkdA3hE3PU1S1RZMkpyzMihhYLDFY/s400/%E6%89%95.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">払(ふつ)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-42628361745737262622013-06-12T20:38:00.000-07:002013-06-12T20:38:30.839-07:00Revised Reading PacksA couple of kind fellows sent me emails in the last week about the content of <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html" target="_blank"><u>the two <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading packs</u></a>. I've made some changes to the two packs to help make the content more similar, as well as fixing some problems that have been pointed out to me. The big changes are listed in detail below.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>For the <i>Yosubato!</i> Volume 1 Reading Pack:</b><br />
<br />
The main change for this reading pack was created by an inspired user. He's made a new HTML version of the vocabulary reference list, which is now included in the pack. It keeps the readings and meanings of words hidden until you click to reveal them, so you can't accidentally see them and "cheat" at reading. It's a genius addition to the pack, so many thanks to the contributor!<br />
<br />
<b>For the <i>Yostubato!</i> Volume 2 Reading Pack:</b><br />
<br />
I apparently lost about 200 Anki cards when I packaged the deck for the second reading pack - <i>whoops</i>! I found the missing cards and repackaged the deck, so all is now back in order. I sent out emails to all who have purchased the reading pack so far, but feel free to contact me if you're having any trouble with downloading the revised deck.Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-66659638686556902852013-06-04T17:53:00.000-07:002014-09-08T08:28:31.517-07:00Yotsubato! Volume 2 Reading Pack <h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The second <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack is now complete! </b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>About
the Reading Pack:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Continuing from where the <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/01/the-yotsubato-reading-pack-available-now.html" target="_blank"><u>first <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack</u></a> left off, this pack covers the entirety of the second volume of the manga. Learning how to read and have fun through immersion is the best way to learn Japanese, and the purpose of this pack is to help you to take those first steps into reading. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This reading pack will help you to build a strong foundation in Japanese that will allow you to enjoy the language as you learn. After using the reading packs, you'll have the skills needed to learn through immersion on your own.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Here's
a list of what is included in the pack:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Fifty-five pages</b> of
vocabulary list! The vocabulary for each page of the manga compiled
to form the ultimate reading companion. </div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over <b>1000 vocabulary cards plus more than 60 sentences</b> pre-loaded into Anki decks</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A short instruction manual to help
you get the most out of the reading pack </div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: Files come in both
document and PDF formats, packaged inside of a RAR file. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">To open the RAR, you may <span style="font-size: xx-small;">need to download Win<span style="font-size: xx-small;">RA<span style="font-size: xx-small;">R (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">you can google or <a href="http://download.cnet.com/WinRAR-32-bit/3000-2250_4-10007677.html">try this download</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The
Vocabulary List:</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Normally learning to read Japanese requires a lot of searching through dictionaries to decipher each and every word, which is why the vocabulary list makes reading so much easier. <b>Every word on every page of the manga has been listed</b> with kanji, pronunciation, and definition (in English). Simply keep the vocabulary list nearby as you read and you can easily look up any words that you don't know. You'll never have to dig through a dictionary!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGnODTHryzSO47amvraQtzjXKVV2kI1t6ZY1gi3_8FvgHPfvdBexEXL26YFCtpr7g-E8GwqYY_SS6PEet5LFtn5UgS5nwkDw1EiOURjHcrlBKMsH1ArnSWpWh0edduDIaLZSMk2inLl0/s1600/vocabulary+list+example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGnODTHryzSO47amvraQtzjXKVV2kI1t6ZY1gi3_8FvgHPfvdBexEXL26YFCtpr7g-E8GwqYY_SS6PEet5LFtn5UgS5nwkDw1EiOURjHcrlBKMsH1ArnSWpWh0edduDIaLZSMk2inLl0/s400/vocabulary+list+example.jpg" height="331" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vocabulary is listed in a page-by-page format.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The
Sentences:</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Just like the vocabulary list, each
sentence included in the reading pack is from the manga. These are
solid sentences that will really help you with both grammar and
vocabulary. Just load the sentences into Anki after you've had some
time to learn the vocabulary to get practice with words in context.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdSxS1sqXRyihIsRXALiGwQ9V2w4qJxpd5Pirbc4XX55TqhYzqcpVqalxfAwhHrbnJJF1BlymVLQ2Vm1uJ8kA6FeEdSDyjvr2uktBcOf7Fpfk_B-yDb22Z3tPuLxWYFkR1oWZiu_lnHI/s1600/sentence+list+example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdSxS1sqXRyihIsRXALiGwQ9V2w4qJxpd5Pirbc4XX55TqhYzqcpVqalxfAwhHrbnJJF1BlymVLQ2Vm1uJ8kA6FeEdSDyjvr2uktBcOf7Fpfk_B-yDb22Z3tPuLxWYFkR1oWZiu_lnHI/s400/sentence+list+example.jpg" height="111" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Anki Decks:</span></b><br />
<br />
All of the sentences and vocabulary for the first volume of the manga
have been pre-loaded into Anki decks, so all you have to do is import.
There are more than <b>800 cards</b> in total! By combining these decks
with the vocabulary reference list, you'll not only be able to read the
manga, but learn and remember all of the words that you encounter along
the way.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How
to buy the reading pack:</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The <i>Yotsubato!</i> Volume 2 Reading Pack has two purchase/download options. You can purchase the reading pack for <b>$10.00</b> and support Living Japanese by clicking <b>Add to Cart</b> below. On the page that comes up, simply click<b> Checkout with PayPal </b>(you don't need an account).</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a class="ec_ejc_thkbx" href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=1246548&cl=236857&ejc=2" onclick="javascript:return EJEJC_lc(this);" target="ej_ejc"><img alt="Add to Cart" border="0" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/ej_add_to_cart.gif" /></a>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">If, on the other hand, you're unable to pay for the reading pack, you can click the link below and get it for free. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
<a class="ec_ejc_thkbx" href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=1380643&cl=236857&ejc=2" onclick="javascript:return EJEJC_lc(this);" target="ej_ejc"><img alt="Add to Cart" border="0" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/ej_add_to_cart.gif" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">Don't
own the </span><i>Yotsubato!</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
manga?</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In order to use this reading pack, you need the manga. It's a very
popular series and can be found at almost any retailer that carries
Japanese books, but here are links to a couple stores that have it in
stock.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840226745" target="_blank">Kinokuniya USA</a> – Located in the US so
shipping is <i>much</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> cheaper.
Currently in stock.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840226741/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840226741&linkCode=as2&tag=filicireg-22"><span style="font-style: normal;">Amazon.co.jp</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_02422207.html"><span style="font-style: normal;">Honto</span></a></div>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOBK-18366">CDJapan</a></span><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Now
go read some Japanese!</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/01/the-yotsubato-reading-pack-available-now.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Click here to see the <i>Yotsubato!</i> Volume 1 Reading Pack!</span></a> </b></span></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-39720534556204833052013-06-01T17:40:00.000-07:002013-06-01T17:40:07.137-07:00Reading Pack #2 coming VERY soon!<br />
As the title says, the second reading pack is nearly here. I'm putting the final touches on the pack right now, and could possibly have it ready for release by tomorrow. Here's the info on the reading pack from the last post in case you missed it!<br />
<br />
Here's a breakdown of what will be included with the second pack:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Vocabulary Reference Sheet</b>: This is a page-by-page list of
every word in the manga. Keep it handy while you read so that you never
have to look words up in a dictionary. A new feature for the second
volume's reference list is a "notes" section for additional information
that can help with understanding a word or how it is used in the manga.</li>
<li><b>Sentence Excerpts</b>: These are sentences taken straight from
the manga with a reading guide and definitions. These sentences will
allow you to study grammar and vocabulary in context. For the second
reading pack I want to have a larger batch of sentences, so this part of
the pack will be more robust than before.</li>
<li><b>Anki Decks</b>: The sentence and vocabulary lists will be loaded
into two separate Anki decks. Add the decks to your library and you'll
be able to remember the vocabulary from the manga long-term. </li>
</ul>
If you haven't already done so, check out the <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html"><u>first <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack</u></a>.
You might also want to get the second volume of the manga so that you
can move on to the second reading pack when it's released. Several
online vendors with the second volume of <i>Yotsubato!</i> are listed below.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840226745" target="_blank">Kinokuniya USA</a> – Located in the US so
shipping is <i>much</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> cheaper.
Currently in stock.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840226741/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840226741&linkCode=as2&tag=filicireg-22"><span style="font-style: normal;">Amazon.co.jp</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_02422207.html"><span style="font-style: normal;">Honto</span></a></div>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOBK-18366">CDJapan</a></span>Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-33642651189292398752013-05-25T08:16:00.000-07:002013-05-25T08:18:22.697-07:00Never be stumped by kanji again!<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you've ever come across a kanji that
you couldn't read, but that you wanted to look up, then you've
probably had that moment of “<i>how the heck do I type the word into
the dictionary to look it up when I can't look it up to see how to
type it!</i>” Yeah, that feeling sucks. Luckily, there are several
ways to work around this problem that don't involve pulling out a print dictionary and spending ten minutes trying to find the kanji.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Use the Asterisk:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This first method is useful for kanji
compounds where you know all but one kanji. If you go to <a href="http://jisho.org/" target="_blank"><u>Jisho.org</u></a><span style="text-decoration: none;">
and type in the kanji that you know, then replace the kanji that you
don't know with an asterisk (*) to search, the dictionary will treat
the asterisk as a “wild card” and pull up all words that match.
In case that's not clear, here's an example:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">Imagine
that we come across the word </span><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="ja-JP">微分積分学</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
You might not know the first or third kanji, but you probably
recognize </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ja-JP">分</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">and
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ja-JP">学</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
So type those kanji into Jisho and then replace the two kanji you
don't know with asterisks:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FkCQyYt7NANKgNkIOtEJoonocUhSV-34Efz23E7xzAe_6K18ImxDL-7fLKp4z6dQtl08WOSGFjpm60e0oppPtPwyzjTsVWeeHBA01rqSd1Frs8l7gDjKArfArCKraU2saaFYWe1fBxA/s1600/jisho+wild+card+search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FkCQyYt7NANKgNkIOtEJoonocUhSV-34Efz23E7xzAe_6K18ImxDL-7fLKp4z6dQtl08WOSGFjpm60e0oppPtPwyzjTsVWeeHBA01rqSd1Frs8l7gDjKArfArCKraU2saaFYWe1fBxA/s400/jisho+wild+card+search.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">In
this case there is a single result, how convenient! In a lot of cases
you'll have to go through a page or two until you find the specific
word you were looking for. In some cases you'll get five or more
pages of results, so I'd recommend using one of the other methods to find the kanji.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Jisho Kanji Radicals:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Radicals are extremely helpful for
looking up kanji, but the old paper dictionaries just aren't worth
the effort. Instead, use <a href="http://jisho.org/kanji/radicals/" target="_blank"><u>Jisho.org's “Kanji By Radicals” page</u></a><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Radicals are the parts that make up a kanji, essentially the same as
the elements found in <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2012/07/how-to-learn-kanji.html">James Heisig's </a></span><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2012/07/how-to-learn-kanji.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Remembering the Kanji</span></i></a><span style="text-decoration: none;"> books. So
find a major element of the kanji you want to look up, then click on
that radical, and then pick the kanji from the list that appears. You
can select multiple radicals to narrow the results. Note that
everything is ordered by the number of strokes. Example time!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">The
kanji we're going to search for is this: </span><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">鬱</span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">
</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">from the
word <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">鬱蒼</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">The
easiest radical to pick out is <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">木</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
so we'll start there.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngp2MzfcZznPMd3jHGM8Rd4iqCRYJSP0dDNyTrAZsqRO89XYqBmobvbkiHTC-FZQZdRG7qbwk1PCB3i2segg6956PYB24Ncd7mgh0RQ-RlHbKRK91ztu3-jMxaCPKycRvQJTrcPLiIbM/s1600/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngp2MzfcZznPMd3jHGM8Rd4iqCRYJSP0dDNyTrAZsqRO89XYqBmobvbkiHTC-FZQZdRG7qbwk1PCB3i2segg6956PYB24Ncd7mgh0RQ-RlHbKRK91ztu3-jMxaCPKycRvQJTrcPLiIbM/s400/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">So
we've got 600 kanji that contain that radical. Instead of searching
through those 600 kanji, let's pick another element out of the kanji.
Note that the radicals that are grayed-out are ones that do not
appear in combination with the <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">木
</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">radical we
already selected (highlighted in yellow), while the radicals in white
do appear with it. So how about <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">缶</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Once the second radical is selected the list narrows.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNbQOSEoXMmeYCECaX2WI044Lwd_qwu1XAxxdymCIDMHGltPkuXGWvRxVM4vmlmP-4p0xprHzRHzXkyslfdiHutfzR4ycF_B50i2mtCAKvnLZNZFKzqyzVij1ZFiK9qqvFNfqL3tcOPY/s1600/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNbQOSEoXMmeYCECaX2WI044Lwd_qwu1XAxxdymCIDMHGltPkuXGWvRxVM4vmlmP-4p0xprHzRHzXkyslfdiHutfzR4ycF_B50i2mtCAKvnLZNZFKzqyzVij1ZFiK9qqvFNfqL3tcOPY/s400/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">And
there is our kanji! Clicking on the kanji in the list pulls up a page
with all of the information you could possibly want, including stroke
order and words containing the kanji. You can also copy/paste the
kanji from the page to use in another search.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmp4ifDtDAKz2u-gBaP2Q1PNHxwQkB4p9eBQMioaBLnh3EXbMnW8yo5n7Se4CiPS5yjib07QYSOS2isqImwyFtk1SBSqUafH89bXufN8sS3YwLj9tyxEd3l3BSyJQCcCsNDzbWvHXIsE/s1600/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmp4ifDtDAKz2u-gBaP2Q1PNHxwQkB4p9eBQMioaBLnh3EXbMnW8yo5n7Se4CiPS5yjib07QYSOS2isqImwyFtk1SBSqUafH89bXufN8sS3YwLj9tyxEd3l3BSyJQCcCsNDzbWvHXIsE/s400/jisho+kanji+by+radicals+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">IME Pad Interface:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This last tool is built into most (if
not all) IME programs. An IME is “input method editor,” and it's
what allows you to type in Japanese. If you don't already have an IME
on your computer, then I recommend doing a quick search online for
how to activate the one that comes with your operating system or you
can download the Google IME.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With that done, it's time to learn
about the IME Pad. The IME Pad allows you to write kanji into a small
window using your mouse. The IME then produces a list of likely
matches to your written kanji. The exact method for opening the pad
will differ based on OS version, but it will be located on the IME
bar and is usually called either IME Pad, IME<span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">パッド</span></span>,
or <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><span lang="ja-JP">手書き</span></span>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here is what the window looks like once
it's open:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKv0VsmqO33sw0mYoyEz4xE7jrtX5hjjmHYKTIf-bRR1HyPLj0ltxg8A1q05jMb6FZz0vbMYHB0y1jOoWhKqnj-FNLMudQZRGX3DAGdUa0xob9XCZkcBXxw3TlcUVu-jq3_kOvlN442A/s1600/IME+pad+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKv0VsmqO33sw0mYoyEz4xE7jrtX5hjjmHYKTIf-bRR1HyPLj0ltxg8A1q05jMb6FZz0vbMYHB0y1jOoWhKqnj-FNLMudQZRGX3DAGdUa0xob9XCZkcBXxw3TlcUVu-jq3_kOvlN442A/s400/IME+pad+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now let's try searching for a kanji
using the IME pad. So we go to <a href="http://jisho.org/" target="_blank">Jisho.org</a> again (or any other
dictionary) and click in the search bar, then open the IME pad and
begin writing. Let's search for <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS; font-size: large;"><span lang="ja-JP">翼</span></span>.
Now, an important thing to remember when using the IME pad is that
stroke order matters! So as a general rule of thumb, start at the top
left and draw every line moving to the right or down. A more detailed
post on stroke order will come later.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DcGlpOAIMfF_4MVMVr28s1r2KMMmdEu8DTYb5b3fFQKGaVljAXdocqrBMg8QXq-Y2HpztJ45ql32wFJVxe54HlUaV21shqlwN3qW34Le5mVAS0S4SIcMUPLpir8Qx0Fzk6SYiaoo_xo/s1600/IME+pad+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DcGlpOAIMfF_4MVMVr28s1r2KMMmdEu8DTYb5b3fFQKGaVljAXdocqrBMg8QXq-Y2HpztJ45ql32wFJVxe54HlUaV21shqlwN3qW34Le5mVAS0S4SIcMUPLpir8Qx0Fzk6SYiaoo_xo/s400/IME+pad+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you look closely, you'll see that
the kanji we're looking for is already in the list. You can click on
it in the list and it will be input into the search bar. If the kanji
didn't appear, however, you may need to draw more of it, so let's
continue on for the sake of the example.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0RjeWHfpErmdRpcna2xQbVnwotWW2YcDoglB7zEn9HKUtwl4qzbQTOnTmqC2eHePYvC-6cIxm2dVzUbQTgW5lNgdguCSctPrsdMwGOf4eP6i8NyiHo5xlvdmG6ghtJBXjNsMJhC5U94/s1600/IME+pad+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0RjeWHfpErmdRpcna2xQbVnwotWW2YcDoglB7zEn9HKUtwl4qzbQTOnTmqC2eHePYvC-6cIxm2dVzUbQTgW5lNgdguCSctPrsdMwGOf4eP6i8NyiHo5xlvdmG6ghtJBXjNsMJhC5U94/s400/IME+pad+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once completely drawn in, the desired
kanji appears at the top of the list. As you can see, my drawing is
pretty awful, but because I got the pieces in the right spots and had
good stroke order, the IME was able to understand what I was drawing.
So click on the kanji and it appears in the search bar.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJa1vQLBcUUt0YJcgrdW3nNd-vVEXIA4Exr4G3YYBO0X9Q3KIq2ON0iaBDyo7zaX8ABZIcGjM0IQqgUiyOrc8fVw6AatjuowilAUhx5hYTwPmq4-nTAwGsHvuKysiTsadxPFvZaszL6XI/s1600/IME+pad+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJa1vQLBcUUt0YJcgrdW3nNd-vVEXIA4Exr4G3YYBO0X9Q3KIq2ON0iaBDyo7zaX8ABZIcGjM0IQqgUiyOrc8fVw6AatjuowilAUhx5hYTwPmq4-nTAwGsHvuKysiTsadxPFvZaszL6XI/s400/IME+pad+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As a final note about IME programs: If
using the Windows IME, try pressing Alt+Shift to switch between
English and Japanese input and Alt+Caps Lock to switch from Hiragana
to Katakana.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So there you have it, three different
ways to look up words that have you stumped. With these techniques
you'll find it much easier to read materials that don't have
furigana, because now you can look up words even if you don't know
how to type them!</div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-16601218912184102312013-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:002013-05-11T18:22:22.570-07:00Progress Update: Yotsubato! Reading Pack 2<br />
I've been quiet for a while about the second reading pack, but never fear - it's nearly ready! I've had finals to handle and I'm currently working out all of the details of my rapidly approaching departure for Japan, so it's been a bit difficult to make updates. Finals are over now, so I'm going to be finishing up the last bits of the reading pack.<br />
<br />
So in case you've missed out on the first <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack, here's a breakdown of what will be included with the second pack:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Vocabulary Reference Sheet</b>: This is a page-by-page list of every word in the manga. Keep it handy while you read so that you never have to look words up in a dictionary. A new feature for the second volume's reference list is a "notes" section for additional information that can help with understanding a word or how it is used in the manga.</li>
<li><b>Sentence Excerpts</b>: These are sentences taken straight from the manga with a reading guide and definitions. These sentences will allow you to study grammar and vocabulary in context. For the second reading pack I want to have a larger batch of sentences, so this part of the pack will be more robust than before.</li>
<li><b>Anki Decks</b>: The sentence and vocabulary lists will be loaded into two separate Anki decks. Add the decks to your library and you'll be able to remember the vocabulary from the manga long-term. </li>
</ul>
So if you haven't already done so, check out the <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html"><u>first <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack</u></a>. You might also want to get the second volume of the manga so that you can move on to the second reading pack when it's released. Several online vendors with the second volume of <i>Yotsubato!</i> are listed below.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840226745" target="_blank">Kinokuniya USA</a> – Located in the US so
shipping is <i>much</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> cheaper.
Currently in stock.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840226741/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840226741&linkCode=as2&tag=filicireg-22"><span style="font-style: normal;">Amazon.co.jp</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_02422207.html"><span style="font-style: normal;">Honto</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOBK-18366">CDJapan</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>To get email updates on the progress of the second reading pack, </i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>enter your email address in the box on the right side of the page! </i></span></span></div>
</div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-77936465116166282562013-04-27T20:38:00.000-07:002013-05-09T09:02:58.975-07:00Why you should spend less time studying<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“The too constant use of even good
things is hurtful.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-Publilius Syrus, <i>Maxims</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
</span></span>
</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In retrospect, I spent far too much
time studying Japanese and not enough time immersing. It's a trend
that I've noticed among many other individuals who are learning on
their own. But what exactly does that mean? How can you spend too
much time studying? Isn't studying a good thing?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, studying is without a doubt an
important part of learning another language, but you shouldn't focus
all of your efforts on building Anki decks and hunting down
vocabulary lists. By immersing in the language - chatting with
friends, watching TV, or reading manga, etc - you can learn so much
more than you would ever be able to through rote memorization.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Intuition</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the best parts of immersion
learning is that you get a feel for Japanese. Think about when you're
reading or writing in your native language. Sometimes you come across
a word that just doesn't <i>feel </i><span style="font-style: normal;">right</span>.
You might not be able to explain why the word is wrong, but you know
it is. Immersion is the source of this kind of intuition, and by
immersing in Japanese you'll start to understand more of what you
encounter and also have an easier time speaking or writing. You won't
know the grammar “rules,” but you'll have a natural feel for
them.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Specialize
your knowledge</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If your only contact with Japanese is
your Anki deck, then you'll never gain the skills necessary to speak,
read, or write. Anki is an amazing tool for learning vocabulary, but
it's just not enough on its own. If you want to read, then you have
to practice reading; in order to speak you must practice speaking.
Studying is a supplement to what you learn through immersion, it's
not the main course.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As an example, I've met several people
whose parents came from another country and did not have English as
their native language. Those people almost always had the ability to
understand what their parents said to them in the other language, but
they couldn't reply. The can understand the language with ease, but
when it comes to speaking it's as if they don't know it at all.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've personally experienced this as
well, as I've always focused more on reading and listening instead of
speaking and writing. It's as if you know the language and can
perfectly understand what the other person is saying, but when you
open your mouth to reply all of the parts gets jumbled – like you
don't know anything at all! Your brain has to “specialize” your
knowledge of Japanese in order to use it well, and the way that you
can get your brain to sort through that knowledge is to practice
through immersion! Chat with people on Skype, write entries on
Lang-8, read manga, listen to Japanese podcasts or TV shows. If your
only contact with Japanese is in Anki, then you're going to have a
rough time when you finally try to use Japanese.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Warning:
Burn-out Ahead</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's okay, you can admit it – doing
Anki reps and scavenging dictionaries for new cards isn't exactly
exciting. Sure it can be fun, but sometimes you just don't feel like
doing it. This is especially true if you are focusing on this aspect
of learning Japanese too much! The great thing about immersion is
that you can continue learning while having some fun at the same
time. You can only handle so many reps before your eyes start to
glaze over, but if you're chatting with someone in Japanese or
reading an interesting story you probably won't even notice the time
passing. Plus, if you keep having fun with Japanese you'll remember
why you started learning in the first place and get more motivation
to keep at it!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>All
things in moderation...</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
The goal here isn't to quit studying in favor of immersion, but instead to find a balance between the two aspects. If you read manga and look up words to add into Anki, then that is a perfect example of immersing and studying at the same time (<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html">this is the goal of the reading packs</a>). You can do the same by adding corrected sentences from Lang-8 into Anki or making note of words that you didn't know during a conversation you had (obviously easier if the conversation was online). <br />
<br />
What was your reason for learning Japanese? It's easy to forget once you get caught up in the process of learning, but take the time to think about it now. Can you start using Japanese for what you intended? If not, is there something you can do that will make it easier to take that step later? Ask yourself these questions and you'll likely find a good way to start immersing. You can also try to do some of your hobbies in Japanese (reading, gaming, watching TV, etc). You'll learn so much more by varying your sources, so give it a shot. <br />
<br />
How do you immerse in Japanese? Leave a comment below and share your experiences with others!<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-51399451307534091402013-03-15T10:21:00.000-07:002013-03-15T10:27:03.623-07:00Reading Pack #2: Yotsubato!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gkK3dHEB2g913Yr_8K-bpxXBQYFPtLt9tyKbNr0WZT5I9ikEw6hufzXHmtU7l8RCnZa6CESxl8CD8INms1yHw3yEK52_iuBHw4wiuxAIPdr31LUWs25N2ZxOSE0fDqt21L9LFAXsTV4/s1600/yotsubato+volume+2+cover+japanese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gkK3dHEB2g913Yr_8K-bpxXBQYFPtLt9tyKbNr0WZT5I9ikEw6hufzXHmtU7l8RCnZa6CESxl8CD8INms1yHw3yEK52_iuBHw4wiuxAIPdr31LUWs25N2ZxOSE0fDqt21L9LFAXsTV4/s320/yotsubato+volume+2+cover+japanese.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The content of the second reading pack
has been decided! As the majority of requests were for a continuation
of the <i>Yotsubato!</i> series, I will be picking up where we left
off and moving into the second volume of the manga. Thanks everyone
for your input; I'm looking at the other requests as possibilities
for later packs.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Contents of the second Reading Pack:</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Page-by-page reference list</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sentence pack</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki decks (sentences and
vocabulary)</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The content of the second pack will be
much like the first, except that now it will come with the Anki decks
right from the start. I'm also going to add more sentences into this
pack, so you'll have more to add than just vocabulary.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>If there is anything you'd like to see
added in this reading pack, please leave a comment below!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also, if you're wanting to plan ahead
and order the second volume of the manga, here are a few vendors with
it available.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840226745" target="_blank">Kinokuniya USA</a> – Located in the US so
shipping is <i>much</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> cheaper.
Currently in stock.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840226741/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840226741&linkCode=as2&tag=filicireg-22"><span style="font-style: normal;">Amazon.co.jp</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_02422207.html"><span style="font-style: normal;">Honto</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Kinokuniya is the cheapest option for
those in the US.<br />
<br />
<b>And if you haven't read the first volume, check out <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html">the first reading pack</a>! </b></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-82147131455445784052013-03-05T07:56:00.000-08:002013-03-05T07:56:04.743-08:00The next reading pack will be...I'm going to begin working on the next reading pack soon, but first I need to pick the manga that it will cover. If you have a manga that you'd like a reading pack for, please leave a comment on this post. I'll post another announcement once it's been decided.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Until then, good luck with your learning!</div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-57380046001565199082013-02-23T13:46:00.001-08:002013-02-23T13:46:52.736-08:00How to make your dreams a reality
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It's hard to find the time or energy to
get the “extra” things done in life. We make it to work or class
because we have to, but after that it's hard to get into the mindset
to work on hobbies or develop the skills we want – such as learning
Japanese. Lately I've been trying to find the time for
the things that matter, and here's a list of the strategies I've used.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Decide
what you want.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The first thing I first noticed
when I started trying to "do more" is that I would list everything out that I could possibly want to do. It was a really long list, and with all that stuff to do where was I supposed to start? What did I
want to do the most? There's no way I could
ever get it all done. <b>That's when I realized that I didn't really
want most of it.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was writing down every little thing
that I thought I wanted, but the majority of it wasn't important. Did
I really need to organize my socks? Heck no. So to counteract my
habit of writing down every little thing that I thought I wanted to
do, <b>I made a limit of about three things per day</b>. I honestly
don't have the energy to do more than that, so it helps me to find
what I really want and get it done.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Hint: Learning Japanese should be on
that list every day!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Find
the time of day that you get things done.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Most of us like to
sleep until something forces us to wake up. Usually it's school or
work that finally gets us up and out of the bed, then we rush off to
face the day. By the time that duty is over, the day is done and it's
time to relax. Who wants to start studying after a long day of work?
So we put it off until tomorrow, and then an entire week goes by
without any contact with Japanese. A great strategy that I've used in
the past, and that I'm embracing anew lately, is waking up early to
do the things I really care about.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, I'm not
saying that you have to wake up at five in the morning every day to
learn Japanese, but what you <i>should</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
do is experiment with studying at various times of the day. <b>We all
have a time of day that we really get things done – our period of
peak efficiency.</b> For me, I found that my most efficient time of day
was right after waking up, which meant that I was wasting the best
hours of my day going through a mindless pre-departure routine and
commuting! How did I fix this? By waking up 2-4 hours earlier than
usual to do my real work. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Your peak time of day may be very different from mine. As a good
example, one of my roommates does his best work in the middle of the
night. So when he has a project deadline approaching, he'll go to bed
at four in the afternoon and wake up at midnight, then work on his
project all night until he has to leave in the morning. <b>He's found
his peak time and he adjusts his schedule to fit around it.</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>So to sum it up:</b></div>
<ul>
<li>
Find the time of day that you feel energized and motivated</li>
<li>
Schedule yourself around that time so that you can get things done</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Put
yourself in position to succeed.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The concept of momentum is quite useful in getting yourself
motivated. We often set lofty goals and focus on achieving them as if
they were a single, massive chunk. Just as with making a list with
too many things to do, you'll be overwhelmed with finding a starting
place to ever do anything. <b>So don't make huge goals or focus on
making a lot of progress each day – aim smaller. </b>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
For an example, instead of setting the goal to learn 50 new kanji
every day, <b>set the goal to be sitting at your desk with your kanji
study tools and just </b><i><b>start</b></i><b> learning new kanji</b>.
Once you get started, you'll find it easier to keep going. You might
even achieve that goal of 50 new kanji on the way, or perhaps go
beyond that, but that's just a byproduct of achieving your real goal
– <b>to show up and </b><i><b>START</b></i><b> learning every day</b>.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The same idea applies to many other choices we make each day. If you
come home and plop down on the couch in front of your TV, odds are
that you'll turn it on and start watching it. Or if you get on your
computer with no real goal in mind, you're destined to end up on
reddit or refreshing Facebook for hours. Try to think about what
you're promoting. If you instead pulled out your Japanese study tools
and <i>then</i> sat down at the computer and opened Anki, then
you're more likely to start on your reps. <b>Put yourself in a
position to do what matters.</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Make an appointment with
yourself.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We make appointments and schedules for getting to
work/school and for getting those assignments done, but what about
for hobbies or personal interests? Do we ever set aside a specific
time to enjoy those things? Probably not. Instead we say that those
things can wait until “later,” which usually translates to
approximately “never.” So how do we overcome this tendency to put
off what really matters? By deciding exactly when it's going to be
done.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Get a planner or a calendar and write down when you will
start. For example, you could say that at 5:00 in the afternoon
you'll start studying Japanese each day. You can be flexible on
finding a stopping point, but make sure that you know exactly when
you're going to make the time for learning Japanese, jogging, playing
an instrument, or whatever else you may have on your list. <b>Pin
that vague “later” down and make your dreams a reality.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stop
making excuses.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is by far the most difficult step. All of our lives
we've trained ourselves to be masters at making excuses for why we
<i>can't</i> do the things we want. We're too scared to try and fail,
so instead we settle for whatever is safe. We run away from trying
new things because we've built up this lie that we should never feel
the slightest discomfort, that discomfort is <i>bad</i>. Your mind
will try to convince you to avoid the unknown, to not take the risk,
but <b>by settling to only be comfortable with your current position,
you'll never be able to do the things you dream about. </b></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Learning a language is all about dealing with the
discomfort of <span style="font-size: small;">the</span> unfamiliar. When you look at Japanese text
and see kanji and kana that you don't know, you feel uncomfortable.
The idea of learning such a <i>different</i> writing system causes
discomfort, which leads many people to shy away and give up. <b>But
do you know what happens when you face that discomfort and start
learning despite it? It goes away.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A good example is <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2012/07/how-to-learn-kanji.html" target="_blank"><u>James Heisig's method for learning kanji</u></a>. By the end of the first lesson, the kanji change from
foreign squiggles to symbols with meaning. After a week of studying
with the book you'll probably find that kanji aren't nearly as <i>scary</i>
as they were before. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I know that it's hard to stop making excuses, so try
this. If you really want something, whether it be to learn Japanese,
start going to the gym, or read a novel <span style="font-size: small;">every</span> week, then let yourself
make all of the excuses you can possibly think of. Write them down if
you want – all the reasons you shouldn't do it. <b>Then do it
anyways.</b> Schedule out starting points through the week and stick
to them. If at the end of your first week you haven't felt those
excuses melt away, then reconsider if this is something you want. If
you really do want it, then you'll keep going. </span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-87762503149662611182013-02-15T18:46:00.000-08:002013-02-15T18:46:07.483-08:00Yotsubato! Reading Pack UpdateYou all wanted it, so I made it! There are now Anki decks included in the <i>Yotsubato!</i> reading pack. All of the vocabulary and sentences from the pack are included (over <b>1200 cards</b> total). This should make it even easier to add the manga contents into your studying. <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html" target="_blank"><b><u>Go get your own reading pack now!</u></b></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Cheers!</b></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-42230093751310751502013-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:002013-02-02T12:19:57.751-08:00Reading Pack and Site Updates<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thanks to everyone who has left
feedback for the <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html"><u><i><b>Yotsubato! Reading Pack</b></i></u></a>! I've got some information
regarding the next reading pack, as well as an upcoming update for
the first one. I also have some changes to the site layout to
announce and a bit of exciting personal news.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Yotsubato! Volume One Reading Pack:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Several people have mentioned that
including an Anki deck of the vocabulary would make the pack better,
so I'll be adding one into the pack. Some people have wanted the
vocab sorted by frequency of use, but with the way that Anki handles
reviews I can't add that in (sorry).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Next Reading Pack:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With that said, future reading packs
will include vocabulary and sentence Anki decks. I haven't decided on the manga for the next
reading pack, so feel free to submit any requests in the comments of
this post.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">An Updated Article Index:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The old “Map of the Journey” page
has been replaced with the <a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/articles-by-topic.html"><u>Articles by Topic</u></a> page. The old
index was getting cluttered, so I finally gave it the overhaul that
it needed. I'd appreciate it if you could let me know if there are
any issues with the navigation of the new page.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tigoris in Japan:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I found out last weekend that I've been
selected by my university to take part in a year-long exchange
program with a Japanese university in Tokyo. I'll be starting classes in September. I'm
looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences with you all!</div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-67074598983380540572013-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:002013-02-09T10:03:48.954-08:00Six Reasons to Upgrade to Anki 2<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So I finally made the jump over to Anki
2.0, and it was a surprisingly easy transition. They've given us a
new interface and some fancy deck options that make creating cards,
doing reps, and learning much easier. So here are some reasons for why you should make the switch too...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Deck Size and Saving Optimized</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki decks are now compiled into a
single “collection” of cards. This means that all of the cards in
all of your decks are stored in a single file, but are separated into
different categories. Decks can also be placed as a subset of a
larger subject, so you can make individual grammar, sentence, and
vocabulary decks that will all fall into a larger Japanese deck. This
allows you to focus your studying on any one deck or study the entire
Japanese deck type at once.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki now also saves your decks
automatically every five minutes or after certain tasks. This means
less risk of losing the cards that you've been reviewing or adding.
Along with this, deck sizes have been reduced to allow for faster
loading.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Learn New Cards Faster</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the new version of Anki, new cards
are shown at least twice before they become review cards. This means
that when you first see a card and pass it, you will see it again in
about ten minutes to check that you really know it. Once you've
passed it a second time, it will become a review card and show up at
later and later intervals. Whenever you fail a card, it becomes a
“new” card again, so you'll see it a couple times before it goes
back into the stack.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. New Shared Decks</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Back in the old days, you had to
navigate the in-program Shared Deck list to find Anki decks that
other people had made. Those days are no more! By going to the Anki
site you can browse through decks by subject to find the ones that
you want. Each deck can now have a long description and comments to
help you find the best ones.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/">Click here to see the shared deck page of AnkiWeb.</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Once a deck has been downloaded, click
File => Import... and load it into Anki.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Set Review Limits</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki reps are scary. If you've ever
missed a day or two of reps and come back to see <b>TEN THOUSAND
REVIEWS</b> awaiting you, then you know what I mean. In Anki 2, the
default number of reviews per day is capped at 100, so you can keep
your daily reviews manageable. This number isn't set in stone, so you
can still change it to accommodate any number of reviews per day, but
it does allow you to get in, do your reviews, and get out without
seeing a daunting number of cards still waiting for you.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(This can be changed by going to the
Review tab of the Deck Options.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Easy Forward/Reverse Card Creation</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the past I always had to make two
cards for each word if I wanted both Kanji to Reading and
Reading to Kanji. With the new card creation options, you can set
Anki to create two cards at once with the click of a button. I think
the old Anki had this option as well, but I never bothered to learn
how to work it. Now there's no need to search! Just click the Type
selector on card creation and choose “Basic (and reversed card).”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Native Media Support</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you've only been using Anki for
learning Japanese, then you might have never included media in your
cards. But with native media support, you might want to consider
giving it a try. Whenever you add images or audio to a card, it will
now sync with your deck in Anki and allow you to use it on multiple
devices. This could lead to some amazing decks that combine audio
with text.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
To sync with AnkiWeb, go to Tools =>
Maintenance => Full Sync. Enter your account info and you can
choose to download your decks onto your computer. If it's your first
time syncing, you can instead upload all data to AnkiWeb.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a href="http://ankisrs.net/"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Click here to download Anki</b></span></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'd considered making guides for how to
use the new Anki, but there's actually no need. If you take a look at
the extensive <a href="http://ankisrs.net/docs/manual.html"><u>Anki 2 Manual</u></a>, you'll be able to find the
solution to any questions you may have. You can also check out the
Change Log to see what's new in this version.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://ankisrs.net/docs/manual.html">Anki 2 Manual</a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://ankisrs.net/docs/changes.html">Anki 2 Changes</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Making the change to Anki 2.0 was
extremely easy. The new interface is so clean and simple, it's hard
to feel lost while navigating. The old AnkiWeb is going down in a
couple weeks, so go ahead and make the switch now!</div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-12435681187371573402013-01-22T06:54:00.000-08:002013-01-22T06:56:47.366-08:00Do you have a target yet?<div style="text-align: left;">
Hello everyone, today I'm sharing an image about goal setting. It really speaks for itself, so take a look and consider how you're approaching learning Japanese. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a href="http://www.onlineeducation.net/2013/01/07/setting-goals"><img alt="Setting Goals Infographic" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/infographics/Never-Kept-a-Resolution_Final.jpg" width="500" /></a>
<b>Please Include Attribution to OnlineEducation.net With This Graphic</b></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-3280933676042418892013-01-13T11:50:00.002-08:002013-01-13T11:50:29.065-08:00Challenge Yourself
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you want to learn Japanese, and I
mean really learn it, then you have to work at it every day. There's
no such thing as a rest day for Japanese, do it every day or don't do
it at all.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>What's going on?
What happened to that nice, friendly Tigoris who told me to be kind
to myself and take it easy? I don't like this new guy, he's MEAN!”</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'll admit that it sounds harsh, but
it's the truth. In order to make progress anywhere in life - be it
learning Japanese, getting a college degree, or losing weight - you
have to put in the effort and challenge yourself. That doesn't mean
putting yourself into Living Japanese boot camp, but it does mean
giving up two of those most treasured past-times: making excuses and
settling.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>No
Excuses</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>I worked twelve
hours today, I'm just too tired to do anything Japanese right now.
I'll make it up tomorrow.”</b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>I've got a big exam
this week, I should put my Japanese studies on hold until after
that's over.”</b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>I really need to
study Japanese, but my friends are going out tonight and I want to go
with them...skipping one night won't hurt.”</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If these sound familiar, then you've
got trouble. Skipping one day of Japanese turns into two days, into
three days, and before you know it - <b>WHAM! </b>It's been an entire
week and your SRS is bursting with reviews and kanji just look like a
mass of squiggles. So what can you do?
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Never miss a day!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It doesn't matter
how much work you've done or how tired you may be - if you want to
learn Japanese then you will sit down and study. It could only be for
<b>five minutes</b>, but make yourself show up to study. <b>Every.
Single. Day.</b>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you study
every day, you're guaranteed success. It doesn't matter how much you
study or how you study – as long as you continue to access and use
Japanese on a daily basis, you'll keep moving forward. And the great
thing is, if you keep moving forward, you'll find yourself wanting to
go faster, to go to new places and to achieve new goals.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Simply by staying in contact with
learning Japanese, you'll find yourself striving for more!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Never
Settle</b></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>Well, I can read the
kana, but I'm fine with not learning the kanji. Not even Japanese
people can understand them, so I don't need to!”</b></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>I can read manga
with furigana now, and that's good enough. There aren't that many
manga without them, right?”</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Settling is like quitting, only you
convince yourself that you're okay with it. You make great strides
and learn so much, but then you decide that you're “okay” with
only being half-literate or semi-fluent. <b>Don't kid yourself.</b>
Nobody wants to be “passable,” we all want to be amazing! We want
to be the best and the greatest! Mediocrity is no fun! Just look at all these exclamation
points!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm not saying that if you learn
Japanese, you need to be a master of the language and know every
rule, every nuance, and be perfect at <b>everything</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
What I </span><b>AM </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">saying is
that you should be honest with yourself about what you want. Do you
really want to continue stumbling around every time you speak
Japanese? Do you really want to only “kind of” understand what
you read? I doubt it. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Stop settling for mediocrity.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you've learned
the kana, then start learning the kanji. If you can read manga with
furigana, then start reading manga without furigana – then go read
a novel. If you're good at talking about puppies in Japanese, then
expand your conversation topics to include kittens, or knitting. Keep
challenging yourself to learn and experience new things. Don't stop
until you're <b>satisfied</b>.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<b>Knitting?”</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yes, knitting.
Learn what interests you. So if you can knit up a storm and make a
sweater in half an hour, learn about knitting in Japanese. Read about
knitting in Japanese. Do <b>something</b> in Japanese every single
day and never settle to be mediocre.
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So
break it down for me, Tigoris<span style="font-size: large;">:</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What's the key to learning Japanese?</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> The
key to learning Japanese is to spend as much time with it as
possible. To fill your life with Japanese and live it every single
day. Constantly challenge yourself with new things to learn and stop
making excuses for why you <b>can't</b> do something. <b>You can do
anything. </b></span>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> If
you've got a busy schedule, wake up ten minutes earlier and squeeze
in some Anki reps. Take along a sheet with a few kanji and practice
writing them whenever you get a spare moment during the day. If you
ride the bus or train to work/school, bring some manga to read
or go to a Japanese news site on your phone. <b>Find every single
gap in your day that you can and fill it with Japanese.</b> If you do
that, then you will get to where you're going.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Related Articles:</span></b></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://livingjapanese.blogspot.com/2012/07/are-you-on-right-path-in-learning.html">Are you on the right path in learning Japanese? </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html">Yotsubato! Reading Pack</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://livingjapanese.blogspot.com/2011/05/never-stop-reviewing.html">Never Stop Reviewing</a> </span></li>
</ul>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-70647668679146480542013-01-07T07:39:00.002-08:002014-09-08T08:32:24.490-07:00The Yotsubato! Reading Pack: Available Now<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">At long last, the reading pack is
complete!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Let the reading begin!
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About
the Reading Pack:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The goal of this reading pack is to
help you take the first step in reading Japanese. Reading manga is an
amazing way to combine having fun and learning Japanese, and
<i>Yotsubato!</i> is such a simple and enjoyable story that it's the
subject of this first reading pack.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After using this reading pack and
getting a taste of the pure joy that it is to learn how to read in
Japanese, you'll find the inspiration and motivation to keep reading
and tackle other titles.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here's
a list of what is included in the pack:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Sixty-six pages</b> of
vocabulary list! The vocabulary for each page of the manga compiled
to form the ultimate reading companion. </div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over <b>1200 vocabulary cards plus 31 sentences</b> pre-loaded into Anki decks</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A short instruction manual to help
you get the most out of the reading pack </div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Files come in both
document and PDF formats, packaged inside of a RAR file. <span style="font-size: x-small;">To open the RAR, you may <span style="font-size: x-small;">need to download Win<span style="font-size: x-small;">RA<span style="font-size: x-small;">R (<span style="font-size: x-small;">you can google or <a href="http://download.cnet.com/WinRAR-32-bit/3000-2250_4-10007677.html">try this download</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The
Vocabulary List:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The vocabulary list's purpose is to
make reading easy. You won't need to look words up in a dictionary
because it's already been done for you. The vocabulary list is a
whopping <b>sixty-six pages long</b>, with each word of each page
listed for convenient reference. It's organized according to the
manga page number, so it's extremely easy to find what you need.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The
Sentences:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Just like the vocabulary list, each
sentence included in the reading pack is from the manga. These are
solid sentences that will really help you with both grammar and
vocabulary. Just load the sentences into Anki after you've had some
time to learn the vocabulary to get additional exposure to the
language.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Anki Decks:</span></b><br />
<br />
All of the sentences and vocabulary for the first volume of the manga have been pre-loaded into Anki decks, so all you have to do is import. There are more than <b>1200 cards</b> in total! By combining these decks with the vocabulary reference list, you'll not only be able to read the manga, but learn and remember all of the words that you encounter along the way.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>How
to buy the reading pack:</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This reading pack was originally offered in a <b>name-your-own-price</b> system that allowed you to pay nothing at all if you desired, but is now shifting to a fixed price of <b>$10.00</b>. However, you can still receive this first reading pack completely for free if you so choose.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would greatly appreciate it if you would purchase the <i>Yotsubato! Volume One Reading Pack</i> for $10.00, and you can click the </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Add
to Cart</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
button below to do so. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a class="ec_ejc_thkbx" href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=1193448&cl=236857&ejc=2&amount=7.99" onclick="javascript:return EJEJC_lc(this);" target="ej_ejc"><img alt="Add to Cart" border="0" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/ej_add_to_cart.gif" /></a>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
If for whatever reason you're unable to purchase for $10.00, then use the link below to get the reading pack for free. If you get it for free, please smile at a stranger, pet a puppy, or do something else to "pay it forward." <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="ec_ejc_thkbx" href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=1273632&cl=236857&ejc=2" onclick="javascript:return EJEJC_lc(this);" target="ej_ejc"><img alt="Add to Cart" border="0" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/ej_add_to_cart.gif" /></a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">Don't
own the </span><i>Yotsubato!</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
manga?</span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In order to use this reading pack, you need the manga. It's a very
popular series and can be found at almost any retailer that carries
Japanese books, but here are links to a couple stores that have it in
stock.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840224666">KinokuniyaUSA</a> </span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840224668/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=filicireg-22&linkCode=as2&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840224668">Amazon.co.jp </a></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_02345571.html">Honto (bk1)</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Now
go read some Japanese!</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2013/06/yotsubato-volume-2-reading-pack.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Click here to see the <i>Yotsubato!</i> Volume 2 Reading Pack!</b></span></a><br />
<br /></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-81821305081244637882013-01-03T20:58:00.000-08:002013-01-04T17:14:23.803-08:00The reading pack is SO close...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW5IvjUWtC1j5jYrgsEAu1VlaRld9kGuoY3aBbBtqVzCtpePlNwgxxbzlf2njkut98l0X-oRUlRthyNgsVVaGxXNRMkfukflLFyQE2eRnfgKyPMoT-fpEPXe96G8ZV2GK-rI_DWwsSiQ/s1600/Cheers+to+you,+random+Japanese+guy+drinking+Guinness.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW5IvjUWtC1j5jYrgsEAu1VlaRld9kGuoY3aBbBtqVzCtpePlNwgxxbzlf2njkut98l0X-oRUlRthyNgsVVaGxXNRMkfukflLFyQE2eRnfgKyPMoT-fpEPXe96G8ZV2GK-rI_DWwsSiQ/s320/Cheers+to+you,+random+Japanese+guy+drinking+Guinness.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
Let the celebration begin, for the reading pack has been completed! Unfortunately, I'd like to go over it a few more times before releasing it, so you'll have to wait just a bit longer. I hope you guys are as excited as I am!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LivingJapanese&amp;loc=en_US"><span style="font-size: large;">You can subscribe now and receive an email update when the reading pack is released!</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewleavy/836334023/">drewleavy</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-26578287299456834802012-12-23T16:43:00.000-08:002012-12-23T16:43:09.826-08:00Happy Holidays!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbJ4Tczg4TXCeXEgylXmBkPYzPbozOLFKq_2G9TvIbaWvnAAbl-Lc3CoR2Qqkw_US2dW5B5Qxnc8-W1ybWBGDPtFnwe8lpKg43CTe-g4o_0gqB1rmTwaNo1nXusBhQ8NTfSZ5ue6Q6F0/s1600/amazon.co.jp+danbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbJ4Tczg4TXCeXEgylXmBkPYzPbozOLFKq_2G9TvIbaWvnAAbl-Lc3CoR2Qqkw_US2dW5B5Qxnc8-W1ybWBGDPtFnwe8lpKg43CTe-g4o_0gqB1rmTwaNo1nXusBhQ8NTfSZ5ue6Q6F0/s320/amazon.co.jp+danbo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone loves Danbo~*</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy holidays, Living Japanese
readers! I hope you're all having a nice break from work or school.
As you know, this holiday season Living Japanese is all about the
upcoming release of the first reading pack, so it's time for a...</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Progress
report for the <i>Yotsubato!</i> <span style="font-size: large;">r</span>eading pack!</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The <b><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/2012/12/the-yotsubato-reading-pack.html">Yotsubato! reading pack</a></b> is well
under way! The current progress stands at around 50% completion of
the vocabulary list, which is the biggest part of the pack. The
vocabulary list should be complete within a few more days, and then
work begins on the sentence portion of the pack. Since there's still
some time left before it's complete, ask yourself this question:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do I have the first
volume of the <i>Yotsubato!</i> manga?</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If not, then now is a great time to get
it! You'll need a copy if you want to use the reading pack, so buy
one or borrow one now, then you'll have it ready when the pack is
complete. This manga is quite popular, so just about any online
retailer will have copies of the first volume. Here are links to a
couple sites with it in stock.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4840224668/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=filicireg-22&linkCode=as2&camp=247&creative=7399&creativeASIN=4840224668"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon.co.jp</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784840224666">Kinokuniya USA</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LivingJapanese&amp;loc=en_US"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">B</span>e the first to know when the reading pack is released<span style="font-size: large;">:</span></span></b></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LivingJapanese&amp;loc=en_US">Subscribe Today! </a></span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dampowls/5183253697/">Chris J Bowley</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-69235321734924840392012-12-14T16:50:00.000-08:002013-01-07T07:51:00.991-08:00The Yotsubato Reading Pack<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<h1 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> The Yotsubato! Reading Pack is now available. </span></h1>
<h1 class="western" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.livingjapanese.com/p/reading-pack.html"><u>Click Here</u></a> to see it!</span></span></h1>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvj0WV2kcaumzdAjfSNZPnpAzooPg1AEHf99RivNGlCM-tueAvf6rt8t6A-VKK8jARhiLzlb7_ReZ-YiBVbYfQJ4El_lkiHt1_efdWR_UmkwrBM9qEsC74Me-cChcrr5R0ADkaGTPLS-c/s1600/Yotsubato+Volume+1+Cover+Japanese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvj0WV2kcaumzdAjfSNZPnpAzooPg1AEHf99RivNGlCM-tueAvf6rt8t6A-VKK8jARhiLzlb7_ReZ-YiBVbYfQJ4El_lkiHt1_efdWR_UmkwrBM9qEsC74Me-cChcrr5R0ADkaGTPLS-c/s400/Yotsubato+Volume+1+Cover+Japanese.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h1>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;">What is a reading pack? What does it do?
</span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Well, it's really just about making it
easier to pick up a book and start reading. In this case, we're
focusing on the first volume of the <i>Yotsubato!</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
manga. The best way to learn and develop the ability to read Japanese
is to actually do it, but with a few handy tools and tricks you can
make the process much easier.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">So what is in
the reading pack?</span></span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">The
heart of the reading pack is a page-by-page vocabulary list, so that
you don't have to be chained to a dictionary to keep reading. Print
out the list and keep it with the book, so that if you need to look
up a word it's right there. The rest of the pack builds off of this
list and works to make you remember the words long after you finish
reading.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Reading pack contents (could change):</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Vocabulary list</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki vocabulary cards</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anki sentence cards</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;">More on the Anki cards:</span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The vocabulary list will be set up so
that you can easily take the words that you want from it and add them
into Anki for long-term memorization. Each entry on the list can be
used to make two cards: one that presents kanji and that you
should know the meaning and reading for, the other that gives the
meaning and reading, for which you should know the kanji. If that
sounds confusing, don't worry; I'll explain more later.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In addition to the vocabulary cards,
some additional sentences in a separate pack will be included. These
will help to focus on words that have multiple meanings or uses that
might make them confusing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As a note, none of these cards or lists
will be monolingual. Definitions will be in English.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;">What does this reading pack cost?</span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Someone asked this a while back. Rather
than setting a price for it, I'll be making it a name-your-own-price
system, and you can even choose to not pay at all. I know what it's like to not have money to spare, so I'd like to help out where I can.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;">Questions or comments?</span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is the first reading pack, so I'm
still working on finalizing what it contains and how I approach it.
If you have something you'd like to see included or if you have
questions about the pack, please leave a comment here or send me an
email (Tigoris@LivingJapanese.com).
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LivingJapanese&amp;loc=en_US" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Be the first to know when the reading pack is released!</span></a></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LivingJapanese&amp;loc=en_US" target="_blank">Subscribe to receive email updates today!</a></div>
Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2705193176014633075.post-38832469819315042952012-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:002012-12-06T10:00:03.546-08:00Posting Resumes Next Week!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZViFTbAKm7BVtA_e9HsB45pCVOnCFggK8UIWGtyVMZM8d4vNNzlg7nDaNTQgGAv8SUEHpa_3dmBy4G2g5C7X5ff27VCzgw06PkkS0BN3Mng3k3UwDbWcRC9V-MOh1ODwcyDqL7BvtXU/s1600/not+even+dogs+can+escape+finals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZViFTbAKm7BVtA_e9HsB45pCVOnCFggK8UIWGtyVMZM8d4vNNzlg7nDaNTQgGAv8SUEHpa_3dmBy4G2g5C7X5ff27VCzgw06PkkS0BN3Mng3k3UwDbWcRC9V-MOh1ODwcyDqL7BvtXU/s320/not+even+dogs+can+escape+finals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is no escaping finals...*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Living Japanese has gone for a while without seeing an update. That's about to change. Starting next week posting will resume and continue on for eternity! <br />
<br />
Here's the tentative line-up for a few of the new posts:<br />
<ul>
<li>The completed reading pack for Yotsubato</li>
<li>Updated guides for Anki 2</li>
<li>New posts for sentences, vocab, and kana/kanji</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/betta_design/2200198472/">betta design</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>Tigorishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00216918083382717395noreply@blogger.com2