ryuukohito Bilingual Diglot Groupie Malaysia Joined 6228 days ago 89 posts - 98 votes Speaks: EnglishC2*, Malay* Studies: French, Japanese
| Message 9 of 12 14 February 2008 at 5:34pm | IP Logged |
Dear rekunokoto,
Good luck with your efforts! I'm learning Japanese as well, so feel free to ask me for study tips (but please, nothing on the actual grammar, not yet) or study materials. I'd be happy to share.
A note on the Heisig method: spending time making stories should not be deemed a waste of time. It really helps. I speak from my own experience: I completed Heisig in about a month's time; by the end of it, I had managed to memorize (and was already able to produce, properly, with ease) at least a thousand kanji or so. (My exercise book was however never filled with rote exercises of kanji; so I think that attests to the efficacy of Heisig's method. The only times many similar kanji appeared together was when I was doing exercises to improve my handwriting.) Even now, when I haven't reviewed any particularly difficult kanji for some months, the mnemonic images flashing in my head anytime I try to think of the form of a kanji (or be given its keyword), would always manage to lead me to its proper drawing.
I however did peruse rote methods for mastering the kana. I think that's alright, considering that the kana set is limited, compared to kanji, which are numerous in number.
Edited by ryuukohito on 14 February 2008 at 7:30pm
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tryllid Groupie United States Joined 6045 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Studies: Japanese
| Message 10 of 12 01 May 2008 at 12:34pm | IP Logged |
Captain Haddock wrote:
I learned all the kanji in about a year using rote memorization and actual Japanese school textbooks. Like you, I found that complicated mnemonics were more trouble than just learning the character much of the time.
I second the need for an electronic dictionary. Personally, I use a Nintendo DS with the Kanji sono mama dictionary program, but there are some very nice stand-alone dictionaries that also let you write unknown kanji with a stylus. |
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tryllid Groupie United States Joined 6045 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Studies: Japanese
| Message 11 of 12 01 May 2008 at 12:35pm | IP Logged |
Captain Haddock - where did you buy your Nintendo DS. The version I've been able to find is about ~129 dollars. Did you buy it on Amazon?
Thanks
Tryllid.
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Captain Haddock Diglot Senior Member Japan kanjicabinet.tumblr. Joined 6760 days ago 2282 posts - 2814 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, Korean, Ancient Greek
| Message 12 of 12 02 May 2008 at 1:34am | IP Logged |
I got a DS Lite at a Japanese department store a few weeks after the Lites came out. (I had to visit every day to snag one from a fresh shipment, but they're easy to find now.)
I think I paid practically that same amount. Amazon usually gives you a bit of a discount from regular retail prices, though.
Edited by Captain Haddock on 02 May 2008 at 1:34am
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