16 December 2010

Hiragana / Katakana

As a Beginner I have been recommended to start by learning Hiragana and Katakana and to avoid using too much Romanji as it makes it harder in the long run. So here are some Charts to get us started:


I would also recommend taking a look at http://smart.fm/ , there are some fantastic tools to aid you in learning Hiragana / Katakana.


9 comments:

  1. how to say i follow or bookmarked you, in japanese

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  2. I am no master at Japanese, I think it may be: 「私はあなたをブックマーク」 `Watashi wa anata o bukkumāku`.
    Correct me if I am wrong.

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  3. I think that translates as 'I am a bookmark'

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  4. no it doesn't mean 'i am a bookmark' because there's the word anata. so i'm sure the anata=you there counts. i don't know if the sentence formation is right tho

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  5. 私はあなたをブックマークしました would be the best way to say "I booked marked you"

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  6. I meant "*bookmarked you" sorry about that

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  7. Kodansha Kanji Learners Dictionary - look it up. It will be helpfull

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  8. I'd recommend just brute memorization of the Kana. You'll be done with it in a day, move on to Kanji and grammar. That is where studies will be slower and more difficult. Do yourself a favor and memorize the Kana quickly. Because soon you'll need to memorize particles.

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  9. I've decided to frequent your blog. I am the poster of the last to comments. Hopefully there will be some feed back here soon.

    If you're still interested in learning Japanese, and for all that pass by, here's another tip: Don't use romaji. It's only use is to convey the sounds to absolute newcomers. If you need to drill yourself on the kana sets. Sound it out in your mind of the kana you are remembering and pair it with a symbol in your mind. Do this with a pen handy and write it.
    The reason everyone says romaji is a diservice is because it keeps your mind attached to English. Learning with it is a crutch and it will make it harder for you. A lot of the dictionaries have romaji including the Kodansha Learner's Dictionary. I wish they used hiragana instead because once you know the hiragana the romaji serves no use, and only brings back bad English thinking.

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