Beginners questions. Where to begin?

[ddumaxxx_498792]

Hello everyone.

I am looking forward to learning Japanese language. I just recently started doing research on it, learning it. I have a lot of questions.

So I haven't started doing anything big related to learning Japanese. I want to know all the necessary stuff about learning/how to learn. I don't want to make a bad approach to Japanese. You know how they say "A good start is half the job done". So I want to make a good beginning knowing I wont fail.

My main goal would be at least to grasp the basics of Japanese language. I would like to be able and speak Japanese. So for that purpose I would need to know the vocabulary and phrases, right? But all that stuff is in romaji. I mean there's a lot of videos on youtube or other sources that teach you how to talk, but they do it in romaji. So I heard that romaji is very bad. It is not the real Japanese language, but just romanized, something like cheating in Japanese, doing shortcut. But all this stuff will backstab you in the future. Because you will be learning not the real japanese language and it may also ruin you Japanese pronouncation. If anyone don't understand what I mean when i say romaji, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSrpkd8X4MQ I hope it's okay to post videos from youtube?

So I have learned that at first you need to learn the basics of their writing system. At least to know the hiragana and katakana. By doing that you can know how to write, read, pronounce syllables and stuff like that.

So... How and where should I start learning Japanese? I would like to speak/understand their language a little at least, so that's earthly desire, I don't aim for the "impossible", not for now . So going for romaji phrases is bad? So should I take the long/hard way and start with writting, reading and by doing that learn all the vocabulary, speaking and so on?

Please, give me some tips where to start. I don't want to make the bad approach. I really want to study Japanese, but not sure where to begin, I don't want to make an early fail.... Please guide me to this awesome journey!

Thank you very much. Sorry for the long post!

P.S. It would be very great If someone could enlighten me with useful information, their experiences, books, sites and all kind a useful Japanese sources.

[patrick_harnett]

You could start with the flash-cards. Even the first 100 word list covers some useful basics and exposes you to romanji, spoken, kanji and listening (i.e. the range of things you'll need).

Personally I like them (flash-cards) a lot and while I'm a slow learner, persistence pays off. Some of the video lessons and newbie ones (or survival phrase series) are also good starting points. depends on how much time you can spare and motivation.

I'm still not very good at speaking or reading, but I can have a basic conversation with people (like on a train coming back from the Suzuka F1 last year with some random teenagers), and enough to read signs/menus/ some tv subtitles. And, I'm interested to see how I've improved (or not) when I next visit the friends I've made in Japan.

[community.japanese]

ddumaxxx san,
Thank you for the post.
I agree with your opinion of romaji.
I suggest you should memorise hiragana for two weeks or less than two weeks while you listen to our lessons.
Firstly it is ok for you to rely on romaji however, after two weeks you start learn Japanese, you should read hiragana and pronounce them using Japanese sounds.
As well as memorising hiragana, you should memorise vocabularies and expressions in lessons.
Once you master hiragana, go to katakana practise then kanji.
However, as patric_harnett san said, it depends on how much time you can use for learning Japanese.

patric_harnett san
Thank you for sharing your study tips and experience.
You had a really good experience in Japan!

Yuki 　由紀
Team JapanesePOd101.com

[ddumaxxx_498792]

Thank you very much!

Firstly I'll start with kana

[community.japanese]

ddumaxxx san,
ganbatte kudasai.
I cheer for you.
Yuki 　由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com