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In the fall, if everything goes as planned, I will be studying abroad in 日本 (Japan). It's something that I have always wanted to do, so you could imagine my excitement and anticipation.
I want to enjoy everything Japan has to offer, so I need to study Japanese every hour of every day...ok, maybe not that extreme, but I really need to brush up. I already know some stuff, but I am still at the beginner stage.
When studying a language, it's important to make it as enjoyable and fun as possible. Let's face it, if it becomes like a chore, you will not want to do it. You also need to have a passion or desire to learn it. I remember when I was in high school, I had to take either French or Spanish. I chose Spanish for some reason, I think it was because that was what my friends picked. Anyway I'd get decent grades, but I never realy learned anything. I fogot a lot of the Spanish I learned, because I really didn't want to learn it. After all, Japanese had always been the language that interested me ever since Usagi Tsukino became Beaultiful Soldier Sailor Moon.
I started studying Japanese through online sites and a book I bought from Barnes and Noble. That was how I learned Hiragana...I am still struggling with Katakana. >.< To hear the pronunciation, I'd listen to Japanese music (Utada Hikaru, Hamasaki Ayumi, Gackt), and I'd watch anime. I know people say that anime is not the best way to learn Japanese, since you'd learn words you don't really need to say. I mean, why would you need to know how to say "In the name of the moon, I will punish you," or Dragon Ball fighting terms...you get the point. However I still believe it's a good way to start out...And plus, anime is what brought a lot of people to enjoy the Japanese culture, which ultimately leads them to wanting to learn the language. So if you enjoy learning through anime, use it for listening purposes. Watch it without subtitles, see what you can pick up, and then watch it with subtitles. By no means will anime hinder your learning experience, since any exposure to the language is great, especially if you live far away from anything Japanese. Just some word to the wise: just because you can understand a few bits of an anime does not make you fluent.
After a few months of studying Japanese, I realized it was easier than I thought. Of course the language is difficult, but it's not impossible, like a lot a people think it to be. Yes, kanji is intimidating, and the sentence structure is totally different than English, but it's really not that hard. It just takes time and patience. In my opinion, I think it's easier than learning Spanish, but that could be because of the detication I put into Japanese, since I sort of gave up on Spanish while in high school.
I am now a year into studying the language, but since it was off and on, I am not all that far. However I am happy to be able to understand a few kanji and a lot of the grammar.
To make studying enjoyable, I listen to even more music, since it is love <3. I watch Japanese movies, and of course, Japanese doramas. There are so many great resources online that I use, and I recently bought a Japanese textbook called Genki.
Hopefully I could use this journal to post my journey through the language, and one day, maybe it could help someone out. ^_^
Until then, !
じゃね
