Japanese Discussion 日本語の討論会

[Guest prisonerzero]

Okay, so if I write...

akusento

like: アクセント。I believe I used Hiragana with that... is that correct? Haha, sorry, I'm just very nervous and hoping I can get this right since I don't want to feel as idiotic as the Korean language board made me feel. ^^ ;

Oh, I also tried typing out ジュンジュン at one point, but when I typed it, it didn't look like that.

Ahhh, so confusing, haha.

[butterflyeffect]

Okay, so if I write...

akusento

like: アクセント。I believe I used Hiragana with that... is that correct? Haha, sorry, I'm just very nervous and hoping I can get this right since I don't want to feel as idiotic as the Korean language board made me feel. ^^ ;

Oh, I also tried typing out ジュンジュン at one point, but when I typed it, it didn't look like that.

Ahhh, so confusing, haha.

That is actually katakana, but it is correct.

I'm not sure what is ジュンジュン, but maybe when you typed it it came out as hiragana?

[Guest LK.]

Okay, so if I write...

akusento

like: アクセント。I believe I used Hiragana with that... is that correct? Haha, sorry, I'm just very nervous and hoping I can get this right since I don't want to feel as idiotic as the Korean language board made me feel. ^^ ;

Oh, I also tried typing out ジュンジュン at one point, but when I typed it, it didn't look like that.

Ahhh, so confusing, haha.

アクセント = Katakana

what's JunJun? XD is it a name?

-- edit --

butterfly is fast ;D

早いですね (笑)

-- edit 2 --

I should introduce myself XD

はじめまして！~

俺の名前はラマーです！~

シドニーオーストラリアにすんでいますよ。

17歳です。

よろしくおねがいします

あっ~ところで俺の日本語がまだ上手ありません~~~

ごめん~wwww

[Guest prisonerzero]

Well, my computer's an idiot then, hah. It said the opposite, not Katakana. Sorry. xD

And yes, Jun Jun is a name, haha. Or nickname, really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Chun

I was trying to experiment by typing what I could see to make sure I could get them right.

And thanks to you both. Hopefully, this'll make me a little less confused (I thought it'd be easier than my Chinese class once it ended, but now I'm only a bit more confused, heh).

[Guest LK.]

^

ahh!~ I was actually thinking of that Jun Jun from Morning Musume XD but wasn't quite sure.

But yes ジュンジュン is correct =) .

[Guest prisonerzero]

Jun Jun from MoMusu. <3 I'm not that big of a fan of them anymore (though I do kinda like their new single), but I do love this girl a lot, haha.

When I write Jun Jun with all the options it gives me, I have:

順準

ジュンジュン

HEY THE SECOND ONE WORKED THIS TIME. XD

Yay!

Thank you!

xD

I think this now motivates me even more.

Question: Which did you use to type your introduction up there?

[Guest LK.]

Jun Jun from MoMusu. <3 I'm not that big of a fan of them anymore (though I do kinda like their new single), but I do love this girl a lot, haha.

When I write Jun Jun with all the options it gives me, I have:

順準

ジュンジュン

HEY THE SECOND ONE WORKED THIS TIME. XD

Yay!

Thank you!

xD

I think this now motivates me even more.

Question: Which did you use to type your introduction up there?

Ahah, yeah I like old school Morning Musume <33

It would be 'ジュンジュン' because it's a name =D. I would say it's foreign but it's not XD * Matsumoto Jun * But because it's a nickname it would be in Katakana.

I used a combination of Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji =D .

[uruchai]

the 2nd "to" you mean?

The second to, as Little Mixed Girl said.

thanks for the answer.

I know it was the 2nd と but I didnt get what made it so wrong. I guess I was thinking about the sentence in English. I failed to realize that it does sound unnatural in Japanese. so thanks to both for explaining it fully. my textbook doesn't seem to explain some things very well.

[little mixed girl]

Okay, so I know that Korean language uses their own "special" keyboard or whatever for typing and such (well, actually, I just learned this). Is it the same way with the Japanese language? I'm trying to learn a bit of the language with this coursebook I have and I like typing them out, but I don't know if I'm going about them correctly.

japanese computer keyboards are whack.

i use one at work, and when i need to type in japanese, i ususally just type in romaji.

be warned that づ is made by typing "du". and you make small a, i, u, e, o by typing x then the letter.

so "x" + "a" = little "a":

あぁ

besides from that, the japanese keyboard has a weird way of typing where, say, the U key is a "ru" when you press it.

it totally ticks me off and sometimes if the computer gets messed up it somehow switches to that...

[13infamyss]

is it possible for me to get someone who can translate a birthday wish to japanese?

i can understand japanese like 75% of it but i cant read a single darrrn character. i know i am a disgrace to japan

i mean i know the basics (higarana and katakana) but it will take me forever to read one sentence and if kanji is included, im a major fail. -___-

and so, i would like to write a birthday wish in japanese.. so anyone care to help me? my message won't be that long. that's for sure

[x5trawb3rri]

Hi,

I am currently learning Japanese online with my school districts online school program since I didn't start in grade 9(I am in grade 10 now). And I didn't want to be in a class with grade 9s.

Anyways, I also chose Korean as well, but i am going to drop it because the Japanese progame explains everything better and with lots of english and romanization to make learning it easier. In the Korean class, they have a lot of Korean and you're suppose to just read it and listen to what they're saying ect..

Or maybe, it's because I haven't been exactly a good student cuz I just rush all my assignments in because I really don't have much time to do them actually really absorb the infomation because I have my other school courses + work.

But the thing is, i am not really motivated to learn Japanese. But I feel like Japanese is the easier language to learn because my parents studied abroad in Japan so they know Japanese. They can help me if I ever need help. On the other hand, there really isn't anybody to help me whenever I have problems. And also, when I was young, I use to love anime and everything Japanese. And because I emerced myself in Japanese culture so much, I can now even before ever learning any Japanese, understand bits and pieces of phrases. Or if its somthing simple like "Today, I eat meat" something like that, I would totally understand it.

But I want to learn Korean, but I don't want to learn too many languages at the same time or else its hard to learn it well. I am also taking Chinese school as well since I am Chinese. My parents are like if you can't even learn Chinese properly, then why are you taking on two more?

I think it's better to find an actual class to learn Korean in, rather than doing this online because I am struggling. So I only sticking with Japanese.

So the whole point of this is can anyone help me get some insparation to learn Japanese. Or else I might have to learn this language and not enjoy learning it because I am really into Korean culture right now.

P.S- Since I really like DBSK, it really helped me to like Japanese a little bit more because they do a lot in Japan. But now, since they're mostly in Korea and I've sort of started to like 2pm a lot, there's no more insparation from that anymore.

Sorry for the long post

I am just kind of distressed on what to do.

[Guest plumplum]

Ahah, yeah I like old school Morning Musume <33

It would be 'ジュンジュン' because it's a name =D. I would say it's foreign but it's not XD * Matsumoto Jun * But because it's a nickname it would be in Katakana.

I used a combination of Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji =D .

Her name is Li Chun, isn't it? Junjun is her Japanese nickname. Chun is written like 純, and in Japanese that's read like Jun.

[Guest prisonerzero]

japanese computer keyboards are whack.

i use one at work, and when i need to type in japanese, i ususally just type in romaji.

be warned that づ is made by typing "du". and you make small a, i, u, e, o by typing x then the letter.

so "x" + "a" = little "a":

あぁ

besides from that, the japanese keyboard has a weird way of typing where, say, the U key is a "ru" when you press it.

it totally ticks me off and sometimes if the computer gets messed up it somehow switches to that...

Ah. Well, I don't use a Japanese keyboard. It's just the Japanese language bar that's added in when I change the regional settings and such. But hey, I'm going to keep that in mind, thanks!

Her name is Li Chun, isn't it? Junjun is her Japanese nickname. Chun is written like 純, and in Japanese that's read like Jun.

Yes, her name is Li Chun. I usually call her that since I like it more than Jun Jun.

[Tamago86]

Hi,

I am currently learning Japanese online with my school districts online school program since I didn't start in grade 9(I am in grade 10 now). And I didn't want to be in a class with grade 9s.

Anyways, I also chose Korean as well, but i am going to drop it because the Japanese progame explains everything better and with lots of english and romanization to make learning it easier. In the Korean class, they have a lot of Korean and you're suppose to just read it and listen to what they're saying ect..

Or maybe, it's because I haven't been exactly a good student cuz I just rush all my assignments in because I really don't have much time to do them actually really absorb the infomation because I have my other school courses + work.

But the thing is, i am not really motivated to learn Japanese. But I feel like Japanese is the easier language to learn because my parents studied abroad in Japan so they know Japanese. They can help me if I ever need help. On the other hand, there really isn't anybody to help me whenever I have problems. And also, when I was young, I use to love anime and everything Japanese. And because I emerced myself in Japanese culture so much, I can now even before ever learning any Japanese, understand bits and pieces of phrases. Or if its somthing simple like "Today, I eat meat" something like that, I would totally understand it.

But I want to learn Korean, but I don't want to learn too many languages at the same time or else its hard to learn it well. I am also taking Chinese school as well since I am Chinese. My parents are like if you can't even learn Chinese properly, then why are you taking on two more?

I think it's better to find an actual class to learn Korean in, rather than doing this online because I am struggling. So I only sticking with Japanese.

So the whole point of this is can anyone help me get some insparation to learn Japanese. Or else I might have to learn this language and not enjoy learning it because I am really into Korean culture right now.

P.S- Since I really like DBSK, it really helped me to like Japanese a little bit more because they do a lot in Japan. But now, since they're mostly in Korea and I've sort of started to like 2pm a lot, there's no more insparation from that anymore.

Sorry for the long post

I am just kind of distressed on what to do.

I had that problem when I was your age..not sure which language to learn. You have plenty of time to learn all three though if that's what you want, since you're still very young, but I wouldn't recommend doing two at the same time until you already have a foundation in one of them (ie study chinese for 1-2 years then start japanese while continuing chinese, study japanese 1-2 years then start korean while continuing chinese and japanese). You should choose the language you're most likely to continue in, if you study a language just because you like a band, or anime or something, then when that hobby fades so will your inspiration in learning the language, so choose whatever language first that you feel you really want to learn and will keep with it. They're all great languages to learn but they all require huge time commitments due to their difficulty. College is a much better environment to learn a language in since the programs there are more serious, so you could keep learning Chinese now, and take Japanese/Korean while in college. Or you can keep trying Japanese or Korean, just don't do all three at the same time.

[Guest aymei]

こんばんわ！

I'm currently taking Japanese 1st year course in college and I'm on my second term & I plan to go on to 2nd & 3rd year with a study abroad program also.

Although it is easy to learn the only thing that I really need help on is:

ga/o/wa

When do you use it?

How do you know when to use it for direct objects, subjects, topic markers, noun, adjectives, nominals, non nominals (etc...)

When do you switch from ga/o to wa?

When is wa used? How do you know when to use ga, o, wa?

What about degree of necessity like: watashi wa kasa wa irimasu or Tanaka san ga kasa ga arimasu ka? (I heard that this degree was used when you add a noun + noun verbal sentence)

(this is something I learned last week, so if my sentence doesn't make sense please correct me)

What about when to use with kore/sore/dore o, konna/donna/sonna o? (I'm not sure if you use it with this), kono/sono/dono o?

can someone please help me? with a thorough explanation and examples? I know I'm asking for a lot but please help T.T

どうもありがとう (:

[Guest GreenTeaLeaves]

Just wondering....quick question.

Has anyone on this thread taken the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験), and if so, how hard was it, and just in general....what was it like?

I'm most worried about writing, because I can speak/listen and comprehend with no problems, I can read alright.....but I always forget how to write kanji. Somehow, it always turns out really....dyslexic.

That aside, I only know like....125 or so, and that's probably not enough for a national exam. Any pointers?

Maybe I should hold off on taking this test for a few years....

[little mixed girl]

こんばんわ！

I'm currently taking Japanese 1st year course in college and I'm on my second term & I plan to go on to 2nd & 3rd year with a study abroad program also.

Although it is easy to learn the only thing that I really need help on is:

ga/o/wa

When do you use it?

How do you know when to use it for direct objects, subjects, topic markers, noun, adjectives, nominals, non nominals (etc...)

When do you switch from ga/o to wa?

When is wa used? How do you know when to use ga, o, wa?

What about degree of necessity like: watashi wa kasa wa irimasu or Tanaka san ga kasa ga arimasu ka? (I heard that this degree was used when you add a noun + noun verbal sentence)

(this is something I learned last week, so if my sentence doesn't make sense please correct me)

What about when to use with kore/sore/dore o, konna/donna/sonna o? (I'm not sure if you use it with this), kono/sono/dono o?

can someone please help me? with a thorough explanation and examples? I know I'm asking for a lot but please help T.T

どうもありがとう (:

i can't give you a through explanation...but...

when i learned "wa" (as in: watashi wa gakusei), the guy taught us to think of it like "watashi wa" = "as for me".

...that's a crappy explanation, but it would make more sense if i was the teacher...

basically, it's a never ending battle to figure out where the was gas and wos go.

lots of listening to tv shows will help you start figuring out what sounds good and what doesn't.

[Tamago86]

Just wondering....quick question.

Has anyone on this thread taken the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験), and if so, how hard was it, and just in general....what was it like?

I'm most worried about writing, because I can speak/listen and comprehend with no problems, I can read alright.....but I always forget how to write kanji. Somehow, it always turns out really....dyslexic.

That aside, I only know like....125 or so, and that's probably not enough for a national exam. Any pointers?

Maybe I should hold off on taking this test for a few years....

The test isn't too bad at lower levels. I think you can do level 4 (lowest level) with 125 kanji. There are many sites geared towards helping you study specifically towards the JLPT that you should look at

www.jgram.org for the grammar

www.jlpt-kanji.com/ for the kanji

The test paradoxically does not test speaking, but it does test listening which most people probably have the biggest problem with. It's pass/fail and you only need around a 70% to pass so if you just study the kanji and grammar you should be fine.

Although it is easy to learn the only thing that I really need help on is:

ga/o/wa

When do you use it?

How do you know when to use it for direct objects, subjects, topic markers, noun, adjectives, nominals, non nominals (etc...)

When do you switch from ga/o to wa?

When is wa used? How do you know when to use ga, o, wa?

What about degree of necessity like: watashi wa kasa wa irimasu or Tanaka san ga kasa ga arimasu ka? (I heard that this degree was used when you add a noun + noun verbal sentence)

(this is something I learned last week, so if my sentence doesn't make sense please correct me)

What about when to use with kore/sore/dore o, konna/donna/sonna o? (I'm not sure if you use it with this), kono/sono/dono o?

That's a loaded question, and wa/ga are probably the hardest concept for people to grasp (unless they speak korean). Basically like mixedgirl said you learn by observing and experience, haha.

"o" is easy, it is the object marker, if you say keeki o tabemasu "I eat cake" the "o" is marking what you eat, because it marks the object of the verb (tabemasu).

One of the uses of ga is to introduce things, while wa talks about things already introduced. An important thing to know about 'wa' is that it's also contrastive. "kasa ga arimasu ka?" and "kasa wa arimasu ka?" have two very different meanings. "Kasa ga arimasu ka?" is just a standard way of asking "Do you have an umbrella?". Asking "kasa wa arimasu ka?" is like asking do you have an umbrella? we show this by intonation of voice in english so it's harder to explain when typing. For example if you were getting ready to go out, and you had a hat and a raincoat, your friend might ask "kasa wa arimasu ka?" or just "kasa wa?" Do you have an umbrella? / What about an umbrella?

Also notice that "wa" can replace "o" when contrasting like this. "keeki o tabemasu ka?" means just "Do you eat cake?" but if your friend knew you eat a lot of things he might ask "keeki wa tabemasu ka?" Do you eat cake? (can also just say keeki mo tabemasu ka?)

In some situations you almost always use "ga", like in questions. dare ga tabemas!ta ka? "who ate it?" is good, you can't say dare wa. So those are things you'll just have to learn as you go along.

You can't say kono/sono/ano/dono o or konna/sonna/anna/donna o, but you can say kore/sore/are/dore o. kono/sono/ano/dono and konna/sonna/anna/donna need to connect with something, kore/sore/are/dore don't. So you could say "kono pen o" or "konna pen o", but not "kore pen o" (you'd just say kore o)

With all the k/s/a/d things it means this/that (near you)/that (near neither of us)/which

For example kono/sono/ano/dono pen means This pen/that pen (near you)/that pen (near neither of us)/which pen?

whereas konna/sonna/anna/donna means This kind of pen/that kind of pen(near you)/that kind of pen (near neither of us)/what kind of pen?

The distinction between s/a are really important, sono/sonna is something that is closer to the speaker than it is to you, whereas ano/anna is something far away from both of you. sono/sore can also be used neutrally to mean something like "the" or "that" like in English but you don't need to worry about that right now.

Hope that helps somewhat

[Guest nuwera]

If I want to say that I'm supposed to update something, what word should I use for update?

Is it "shuusei suru", or "koushin suru" ?

--angel

[Guest nuwera]

^ Thanks alot

--angel