computer programs to learn japanese?

[EvoMonkey1]

hey everyone,

i'm wondering what kind of computer programs they have to learn japanese. i have some audio cd's but im an interactive learner. i've heard the rosetta stones are good but their incredibly expensive. so... any help is appreciated

[ultranova3]

minna no nihongo series. みんなの日本語。
dekiru nihongo.　できる日本語。
they come with CD to practice listening.

Try not to get the one printed in japan. It is very expensive.
The easiest will be to copy the whole book and rip the cd.

Do you must the library with those books.

[danslak]

You might try the on-line service YesJapan.com It's excellent.

Not a big fan of Rosetta stone. It's OK for listening practice, but not much practical stuff in there. It gives you 4 pictures, and a sentence that corresponds in Japanese to one of the pictures. Many times the picture and the sentence it matches are incredibly vague. Also, on the lower levels, it might say something like "She is driving the green car." Well, there is only one picture with a green car, so if you know the word for green you can easily pick the correct photo. Not much help in my opinion. You will NEVER hear sentences for ordering lunch, buying a train ticket, or anything else that will help you really communicate. Really, how many times have you said "The boy is on the table."? So for listening practice, great. But that's a hefty price tag for listening help.

[NishiHime]

Originally Posted by danslak

Not a big fan of Rosetta stone. It's OK for listening practice, but not much practical stuff in there.

I agree - I found while learning French, Rosetta Stone just wasn't as great.

- Nishi

[Veespin]

I agree 100% on the YesJapan thing. I have been a member since September 2003 and would recommend to anyone wanting to learn it. You can also download more than 150 videos.

[DragonShade]

I do think the best way to learn Japanese is to play Visual Novel games(like Fate/stay night...ect) and use dictionary and grammar book to help you progress thru the story. That's my method, and it works

[kawaiitori]

you would have to buy it but "teaching you the 31 languages of the world" is a great cd-rom that teaches transliterated japanese

[SSJup81]

Rosetta Stone hasn't helped me at all!! I don't think it's a good learning program at all.