Just starting, quick question.

[christopherlandrie7250]

I am just starting. Just had 2 questions.

1. Is starting at Newbie lessons season 1 the best place to start? (I want to be completely fluent / i will eventually be moving there, so grammar and everything must be learned)

2. If I do start at the newbie lessons ... at which point does it actually go over learning to read/write in Hiragana and Katakana.


Thanks!

[moiriayne4502]

Newbie season one is a good spot to start, but season 2 has the Nihongo Dojo, which follows a group of people throughout the whole series. Dunno if the whole series swaps over to kana. I know they have a video series for learning kana, seperately.

http://www.japanesepod101.com/index.php?cat=47

[christopherlandrie7250]

Ok ty. Is it better to finish newbie season 1 first or work on learning hiragana and katakana first

[moiriayne4502]

Depends, do you feel comfortable learning both? I would recommend doing both at the same time, maybe one session be the audio track season 1, and next study session be kana lesson. If you feel this is too much to start, then pick one, if spoken language is eaiser for you to pick up, then go with that, if you know some Japanese, and want to learn kana, then go with kana. I, myself, am doing both now; when I started, I only studied the verbal, due to a fear of kana.

[christopherlandrie7250]

Ah ok. I have already wrote many times the Kana for some letters but not all of them. I Printed off work sheets that have me wright each one about 30 times. And 2 sets of work sheets. but its missing 1-2 kana i think >< Ji was not on it.

I can do both no problem, I just feel like I will have to backtrack and write down all the words I learned in Kana from every lesson I do without knowing full Kana.

Any suggestions are tips. I am 100% new to learning a language and I am not very good at doing things on my own without some form of guidance.

So if anyone can explain what I should be doing with a lesson or what might help it would be great. Right now I have a note book i take with me and I wright the words in Romaji > definition in english > Word spelled in Kana

But I dont think that is very effective. I also made flash cards with the Kana that I learned already which is only the first 8 or so. and a few words that those make to try and remember them but it doesnt seem to work the best for me. not sure what else to try.

[moiriayne4502]

じ　Ji Ji is shi with a diacritic mark

here: http://buna.yorku.ca/japanese/ejlt/hiragana.pdf

I would do kana word -> defintion in english so you don't get lazy and rely on romaji.

If you have a iPhone or Android, the app Kana Card Free has the basic Hiragana, katakana, and some Kanji. It only has the basic 46, not all the variations. Good for study on the go.

Making your own flashcards are good, I have a set of basic vocab words in both kanji and hiragana on one side, the back side has up top, the litral meaning of the kanji, then in middle, the word in romaji, under that is english translation., with sometimes a literal translation included.
Example:

おねがいします　（front)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　乾杯　　　（front)
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　かんぱい
Back
Ｗｉｓｈ　　　 dry glass
　　　　　　Ｏ－ｎｅｇａｉｓｈｉｍａｓｕ Kanpai
　　　　　　　　　Ｐｌｅａｓｅ Cheers!
　　　　　ｈｕｍｂｌｅ　ｗｉｓｈ　

Ａｓ　ｙｏｕ　ｓｔｕｄｙ　ｅａｃｈ　ｌｅｓｓｏｎ，　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｅａｓｏｎ　１，　ｗｒｉｔｅ　ｄｏｗｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｖｏｃａｂ　ｗｏｒｄｓ　ｉｎ　ｋａｎａ　ｆｏｒｍ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｉｏｎ　
Ｔｈｉｓ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｈｅｌｐ　ｙｏｕ　ｌｅａｒｎ　ｗｒｉｔｉｎｇ　ｋａｎａ，　ａｎｄ　ａｌｓｏ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｈｅｙ　ａｌｌ　ｗｏｒｋ　ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ．　　If you don't know the kana by memory yet, use the lesson notes Jpod provides if you have subscribed. If you can't swing the full premium price, the basic has a lot of tools available for you to use that would help.

Walmart has the set of 50 index cards on a spiral layout that you can use for portable flashcards since I haven't found any index cards or cards with a hole in the side for use as stereotypical Japanese flashcards you see in anime/manga.

I. myself, work better in learning by writing everything down then highlighting the important parts or whatever. Some people, though, do better just highlighting printed papers, like the provided lesson notes.

Try several different things, and see what works for you.

[christopherlandrie7250]

Ah ok, as far as the Romaji went, it was only because I hadnt learned all the Kana yet to write the words down. My flashcards are 100% Kana aside from Definition on the back. I have a premium membership but no printer at the moment, and my study time is at work. I need to either find a laptop or a printer to print things off and bring with me. :\ it has kind of set me back a little. I have plenty of free time, and I want to learn atleast 1-2 lessons a day (after I get a hold of Kana enough to read and write)

[moiriayne4502]

Walmart has cheap small printers for like 20$.

[christopherlandrie7250]

Do you think it would be easier to bring a laptop with me? Or use my phone for videos / audio and print everything else off?

[moiriayne4502]

Depends on you, do you have ability to use a laptop with internet at work? If so, then you can save the pdf's and various things while at work. Then print them off or write down what you want to use off each one when you have free time at home.

[christopherlandrie7250]

I wouldnt have internet at work, but I can pre-download all the audio and PDFs on my laptop. Its a Tablet so I can also get applications for it. I am hoping this method will work well enough for me. Just having everything on the tablet that is. I am putting everything on my external drive so that I can switch between tablet and computer

[moiriayne4502]

That would work, I dont see why not. The important thing is to find what works for you.

[christopherlandrie7250]

Do you have a suggestion lesson order that Maybe I can follow and about how quickly to do them? I am terrible at learning things by myself, so it helps if someone lays down a guideline or a foundation for me to base my self study off of. I just downloaded the 25 levels of Kantan Kana, and im about to get Newbie Lesson 1 -2 -3 -4 -5, Is there any other beginner videos you might suggest, and how often / how much should I do them, before it becomes too much or to little >< I am sorry to ask so many questions, but I just want to make sure I'm doing this the right way so I dont screw myself or make it harder to learn then it should be.

I have plenty of time to work on lessons atleast 2-3hours a day if not more. Specially on weekends. Any suggestions you can make to how many lessons per day / week is good for a slightly fast pace ?

[moiriayne4502]

Tips:
Listen to music in your target language.
Watch TV and movies without subtitles, in your target language.
Use what you learn to comment on lessons or in the forums.

Lesson Breakdown
About 8-15 minutes
1)Listen to the audio track all the way through
-Context for practical conversation
-Conversation
-1 time at native speed
-1 time slower with intonation
-1 time at native speed with translation
-Insight
-Vocabualry
-1 time native speed
-Translation
-Broken down sylable by sylable
-Grammar points
-Detailed Explantion

Under 1 Minute
2)Listen to the conversation only audio track, add to your music player or tablet

About 3 minutes
3)Practice with the Audio review track
-Listen and repeat

About 25 minutes
4)Read the lesson notes provided

About 15 minutes
5) Read the lesson notes while listening to the lesson audio

Move on at about 85% mastery


Sample plan (Adjust as you see fit)
Sunday - LIsten to Lesson Audio, repeat the Japanese when you hear it.
Read lesson notes during a break
Do Kanji-close up
Study one lesson of Katankana
15 mins practicing writing
Monday - Review yesterdays work
Tuesday- LIsten to Lesson Audio, repeat the Japanese when you hear it.
Read lesson notes during a break
Do Kanji-close up
Study one lesson of Katankana
15 mins practicing writing
Wednesday - Review yesterdays work
Thursday- LIsten to Lesson Audio, repeat the Japanese when you hear it.
Read lesson notes during a break
Do Kanji-close up
Study one lesson of Katankana
15 mins practicing writing
Friday- off VERY IMPORTANT
Saturday-Reivew the weeks work

If you have a rough time with a lesson, study it the next session as well, but don't expect perfection.
Study your flashcards at work on break or lunch.
On review days, you can watch some shows or anime, or what have you, to practice as well as relax.

[christopherlandrie7250]

Thanks I just have a question

When you say Kanji Close up? I am not sure what that is, are you referring to me learning the Kanji spelling as well as Hiragana?