Where to go next? (opinions please!)

[SHAD0W]

I feel as if I've reached a point in my Japanese learning where I don't know where to go next and cannot seem to get any better..

I've broken my Mp3 player so no more audio lessons in the car..

I've completed my books.. Classes (since i wasnt allowed streight into year 2 cuz i couldnt read and write japanese) are just repeating everything I learned last year on my own..

I can do:
Hiragana, Katakana, Introductions, Shopping (business hours, Prices, Money etc) Colours, Postions, Origins, Confirming Schedules, Make Plans (what to do, when and where), resturaunts (ordering etc), Compliments, Gratitude and talk about interests..

I can't do:
Kanji, Things that arent above.. Obviously..

Any ideas on what I can study next?

While writing this, i had an idea. I was thinking.. maybe we can do a *test yourself* thread? Maybe you super genius's that regulary translate things for people in the "japanese help sticky" (Kenmei, Nagoyankee and MMM for example) could make up little dialogs for us to translate? Maybe give each dialog a difficulty rating out of 10 and and then give us points out of 10 for accuracy? If this idea is god awful then please lemme know but I think it could help alot of people on this forum

Please pass this around, I'd like to know JF's thoughts on this

Discuss?

[CaptainThunder]

Read this if you haven't already. Essentially, just start doing everything you can in Japanese, and eventually things will start to sink in.

This is also an excellent website for learning the kanji.

I also like your idea of having test threads, it's often difficult to find native Japanese sentences with reliably-verified English translations.

[enyafriend]

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

I feel as if I've reached a point in my Japanese learning where I don't know where to go next and cannot seem to get any better..

I've broken my Mp3 player so no more audio lessons in the car..

I've completed my books.. Classes (since i wasnt allowed streight into year 2 cuz i couldnt read and write japanese) are just repeating everything I learned last year on my own..

I can do:
Hiragana, Katakana, Introductions, Shopping (business hours, Prices, Money etc) Colours, Postions, Origins, Confirming Schedules, Make Plans (what to do, when and where), resturaunts (ordering etc), Compliments, Gratitude and talk about interests..

I can't do:
Kanji, Things that arent above.. Obviously..

Any ideas on what I can study next?

The next step is pretty obvious. It's KANJI.

You've done all the basic stuffs - hiragana, katakana, intro, greetings. So, how fluent are you in them? Barely or at the back of your hands?

- Have grammar drills to strengthen your foundations.
- Watch Jdramas to train your ears in listening spoken Japanese and to improves your language fluency.
- Listen to JPops.
- If Kanji is a huge obstacle for you, you still have to do it, but do it slow. Do it at a pace that is comfortable to you. A word a day is good. Write them out over and over again.

As for the other suggestion of yours, I don't think anyone would be willing to go to that extend. That's a lot of work. But who knows.....

[kenmei]

Originally Posted by CaptainThunder

Read this if you haven't already. Essentially, just start doing everything you can in Japanese, and eventually things will start to sink in.

This is also an excellent website for learning the kanji.

I also like your idea of having test threads, it's often difficult to find native Japanese sentences with reliably-verified English translations.

ah, beat me to it this time around

i also recommend the first site if you're serious about it. and i recommend what he recommend for learning kanji ("remembering the kanji" series). there's also a nice kanji chart thingymabob somewhere on that site you can purchase which has the basic 2000 kanji highschoolers learn. and it's used for you to essentially "scratch off" the kanji (draw over) as you go so you can see your progress as you learn each kanji.


you've seemingly reached "the wall" where many people casually studying the language make their choice of:

to keep their rudimentary japanese that they've learned and stop studying

or

put in that extra effort that it takes to get to the next level and beyond.


time to commit yourself to the program (whichever you may choose) and study study study. if you're still in uni, i'd recommend seeing if you can do a semester (or year or whatever) abroad in japan, asap. I think that might be the best and most effective way to break down this wall and help (force) your studies. learning on your own is hard and classes you always have english language as a crutch to help you along.

so it is up to you mate

[SHAD0W]

THANKYOU EVERYONE!!

I really appreciate your input. Kanji it is then, ill be buying that poster. I know 6 or 7 already but there very simple and none related to each other so i could only use 1 or maybe 2 at a stretch in everyday conversation.

Originally Posted by enyafriend

You've done all the basic stuffs - hiragana, katakana, intro, greetings. So, how fluent are you in them? Barely or at the back of your hands?

I've done each section in my 3 books 6 times last year and 100 audio lessons that are 30mins long (covering prettymuch the same stuffs) 3 times.

I wouldnt say i was fluent though cuz i spend more time listening and reading than writing and speaking. I can understand alot better than i can speak and it takes me forever to write anything cuz I'm always too concious about stroke orders and all that jazz.. I also always get a bad case of writers block

Originally Posted by kenmei

if you're still in uni, i'd recommend seeing if you can do a semester (or year or whatever) abroad in japan, asap.

Please read this: Going to tsukuba

I definately dont want to stop at where I am. I'm glad you mentioned this as 'the wall' cuz now theres a name for it, I don't feel so bad as if Im the only one heehee

Please tell me your thoughts on this Thanks again everyone!

[MMM]

Time out. You don't know what to do next, but only know 6 or 7 kanji? Buy Basic Kanji Book 1 and Basic Kanji Book 2.

If you have completed your books with only 7 kanji, you are using no books I have heard of. You need some new textbooks.

Kanji isn't the be-all, end-all of language study, but getting a few hundred down will help you understand words and guess what words mean, even if you don't know for sure (both in conversation and in reading).

[MissMisa]

Originally Posted by MMM

Time out. You don't know what to do next, but only know 6 or 7 kanji? Buy Basic Kanji Book 1 and Basic Kanji Book 2.

If you have completed your books with only 7 kanji, you are using no books I have heard of. You need some new textbooks.

Kanji isn't the be-all, end-all of language study, but getting a few hundred down will help you understand words and guess what words mean, even if you don't know for sure (both in conversation and in reading).

MMM, I know Ash and he is in my Japanese class, and the book we are learning from is 'Japanese for Busy People,' and has two versions, a romaji version and a kana version. Because we'd only started the classes and most people were complete beginners, our teacher told us to buy the romaji version. I'm pretty surprised how quickly me and Ash picked up kana though so it would probably have been better struggling the first couple of weeks then using the kana one... xD

[MMM]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

MMM, I know Ash and he is in my Japanese class, and the book we are learning from is 'Japanese for Busy People,' and has two versions, a romaji version and a kana version. Because we'd only started the classes and most people were complete beginners, our teacher told us to buy the romaji version. I'm pretty surprised how quickly me and Ash picked up kana though so it would probably have been better struggling the first couple of weeks then using the kana one... xD

Then it is time for a new textbook! A lot of people rave about GENKI, but I have never used it. For kanji I recommend BASIC KANJI BOOK. YOUKOSO is a good textbook, too.

[MissMisa]

Originally Posted by MMM

Then it is time for a new textbook! A lot of people rave about GENKI, but I have never used it. For kanji I recommend BASIC KANJI BOOK. YOUKOSO is a good textbook, too.

Thanks MMM. I wouldn't say I was as advanced as Ash but we both have our own strengths. I will hopefully be getting to this stage in a while.

[Kai13]

I bought the book "easy Kanji" (it has like 500 kanji, I'm in my 20th :P), but I think I can't learn kanji without being in context, I mean, if I see the kanji in some text I don't know how to read it, because it might have several readings :\