Languages are never fast. Sorry bud.
The most learning you could squeeze into the shortest amount of time would be one of many various 1 month study abroad courses. I recommend the Kobe YMCA summer program offered by the Center for Study Abroad. I also recommended you supplement that by studying kana before you go and using rosetta stone (if you're smart enough to get it for free).
These two don't work together. Rosetta Stone teaches you like 5 words after 600 hours.
The fastest way is simple:
- Complete RTKana and RTK by Heisig (anyone, no matter what their time situation, should be able to finish them in less than 3 months with Anki)
- Begin learning thousands of sentences using KANJI ONLY, but only AFTER you've completed RTK1.
- After you learn ~1000 sentences, find some Japanese friends and speak only in Japanese with them. Insist that they correct any and all mistakes you make.
Done. Nothing else, and it's all free assuming you pirate Heisig's books.
Name:
Anonymous2011-02-28 5:32
>>807
I forgot to mention, you should continue learning many thousands of sentences (in Anki) while you converse with your nip buddies.
Oh, I wasn't recommending Kanjidamage, but really, it's up to you. The whole point of Heisig is order + interesting stories that work your imagination. It doesn't matter if they're from RTK, Kanjidamage, or hell, even if they're in japanese you don't quite understand yet.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-01 5:46
>>809
Yes, good point. I actually tend to add my sentences from audio sources where possible, although I probably should have mentioned watching videos (news, dramas, and yes, even anime) and listening to music/radio/podcasts, too.
Heisig is a pretty much shit writer imo. The introduction is tolerable and probably helpful, but I personally couldn't stand the rest of his book because it was so goddamn awful.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-01 15:50
>>812 You need to have the instant language learning card implanted in your brain for that.
can i torrent that and if so i need a link
if not how much do those cost and where can i get one
As far as I'm aware, it's not used as いちにん very often.
But いちにん means something more along the lines of "one person", while ひとり means something closer to "alone".
Could be wrong though...
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-04 13:16
>>812
That's why you only read the introduction and the opening paragraph of the first bunch of lessons, and then just make use of the heisig kanji order (koohii is a good resource for non-Heisig-written non-Christian-faggot stories along with the great Heisig order).
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-04 19:44
Here's the deal:
I'm in Japanese I at my school which sucks, so that's pretty irrelevant, but it helped teach me the hiragana and katakana which I pretty much have down.
I started Kanjidamage today and feel like I'm learning some shit, but I really want to read some easy Japanese stuff (preferably an actual story, not manga or a kid's book) but it needs to use few kanji at all if any so that I can expand my vocabulary by dictionary flipping as I read.
英訳
Having fulfilled all testing requirements and with sacrifice and dedication to the Martial Arts, we bestow upon the named individual the honor of this ran
>>821
Stop trying to eat the cake before baking it. I'd recommend RTK over Kanjidamage like others have been here, but either way, just put in the hours and learn at least 2000 (if not 2500-3000) kanji before starting the other parts. It's not that hard, should only take you a few months even if you have lots of other obligations.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-05 12:03
I'm trying to beef up my Kanji/vocab, because when I tried the JLPT 5 practice questions, the vocabulary was my limiting factor. I've looked through some of the recommendations in this thread but couldn't find one that suits me.
Background: I know Simplified Mandarin, so stroke order and memorizing the "hieroglyphs" are relatively easy for me(coincidental similar meanings are a happy bonus). RTK and Kanjidamage however, have those unnecessary information.
What I really need is a long list of commonly used words and readings along with their meanings, preferably separated by noun/verb/adjective. I made a list from scrounging together googled lists which I'm almost done with memorizing, but I would really like a more comprehensive proper list.
Thanks for any help.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-05 19:42
長いようで、短く思われたホームステイ。
How in the world is this a complete sentence?
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-05 21:21
>>824
Conduct a search for "Core 2000" and "Core 6000." These are frequency lists based on Japanese newspapers sorted by the most common words. Also, don't bother with JLPT5. I don't really think you should be bothering with any of the JLPT tests, but if you have to take one just go directly for JLPT2 in 2012 and then JLPT1 in 2013. It's easier than it seems.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-06 7:54
>>826
Thanks for the advice. After much searching(smart.fm has since turned into a pay-service), I found Anki decks containing core 2000. It seems great as a tool for reviewing and memorizing, but feels lacking in the way you are supposed to start memorizing, which is apparently by throwing the question to you and practically expecting you to fail it. I guess I'll just have to get used to it, since the style of my formal education thus far is vastly different from that.
I was hoping to find a print-friendly version as well, but did not manage to. Do you happen to have one?
As for the JLPT tests, I was just using the practice questions as a simple benchmark of my aptitude. I am not planning to take any formal tests currently.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-06 12:30
Right now, I'm self-studying Japanese through Genki 1 and 2. I think both of those texts are pretty great, but while it'd still be a while away for me (I'm doing well with grammar, but my kanji and vocabulary skills could use some extra work), what would you say is a good text to read through after I'm done with the Genki ones?
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-06 16:32
>>828
"An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" is essentially Genki 3.
Though after Genki 2 I suggest just dropping textbooks and reading manga while drilling vocabulary in Anki.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-06 16:35
>>829
Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll check out that text anyways and also do what you said.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-06 16:38
>>827
Yeah, I had that same issue going through Core 6k in Anki. It's a little discouraging to fail a card multiple times before you can start getting it.
I suggest pausing every card, then just resuming ones you see in manga or words you're interested in. A lot of the words it throws at you are business and newspaper words anyway, which you might not be interested in if you just want to read VNs or whatever.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 2:09
>>827
You'll notice that the Anki version has links to audio files on its card (edit them to see). These audio files are available on sharing websites (search the koohii forums, they should be around there somewhere).
I recommend having the sentence with kanji on the front of the card and the hiragana sentence on the back along with the definition.
Regarding failing cards, well, it gets easier. Write down the kanji you're unable to remember the pronunciations for once you see the back of the card and try to form associations between the kanji in compounds.
As an example, 友達 has the RTK keywords "friend" and "accomplished," so as you write down the two kanji upon failing to pronounce them in a sentence you can say in your head "やった! I've finally made the accomplishment of finding a ともだち!" (usually you can just think of just the keywords and let the story play out in your head). Of course, you'll soon enough pick up enough Japanese for these stories to be in Japanese rather than in English :).
Well, yeah, that's why I would like to have a print-friendly version, so I can easily start off the memorization for everything and then use Anki for revision and long term memory, which it is most excellent for.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 7:51
Why are you faggots talking about how to learn instead of just doing it?
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 16:41
What is the difference between 'motte' and 'katte' in these example sentences?
1. karera wa shinbun o motte imasu.
2. kare wa neko o katte imasu.
Do they both mean 'to own', and one is for inanimate objects and the other is for living things?
Also, what is the unconjugated form of 'katte'? I know 'motte' is 'motsu', but if 'katte' is the conjucated form of 'kau', to buy, then the example pictures in Rosetta Stone don't make any sense.
Example 1 shows a picture of two people sitting on a bench holding a newspaper and Example 2 shows a boy holding a cat, but I don't know the exact relationship between the two.
Thanks in advance.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 17:09
>>835
飼う(かう・kau) means to keep or own something, most often a pet
This is why you should stop using Rosetta stone and open a goddamn book.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 17:17
>>836
I agree with you there, I do have other resources, Rosetta is just supplementing them. But my question has to do with 'kau', you say it is to keep or own (pet/animal) but when I google 'kau japanese conjugation/verb it only shows as 'to buy'. There's consistent conflicting data with this verb and it's confusing me.
Name:
Anonymous2011-03-07 17:58
>>837
There is no conflicting data, only your ignorance.
>>833
Actually you shouldn't be memorising these sentences at all. If you are, you're doing it wrong. Just read the sentence out from Anki. If you can pronounce everything correctly and know the general meaning of most of the words, that's already good enough. The goal is to expose yourself to thousands of sentences that you can roughly understand - complete understanding will come with experience.
>>835 >>837
Fuck romaji, and fuck Rosetta Stone. It's been said by someone else in this thread, but Rosetta Stone teaches you hardly anything given the number of hours you put into it. At least learn the kana (the kanji should only take 1-3 months if you want to learn them while you're at it) and then just start learning with example sentences. Core2000 is a good place to start, the Anki even has kana-only entries I believe.
If you insist on using Rosetta Stone, at least turn on the kana mode or preferably the kanji mode so you can get some practice there. Japanese was never meant to be written with spaces and the latin alphabet.