Need help learning this!

[MMM]

最初の投稿者：shawnjeezie

kewl. thanks. now i di need to know what to do about learning that 1100 symbols they use for writing. If im to someday get out of texas and to someplace better, learning those symbols could come in handy.

Don't call them "symbols"...call them "characters".

[shawnjeezie]

sorry. I always get those two words mixed up.

[MMM]

When it comes to written language never use the word "symbol". And there is not need to apologize.

[shawnjeezie]

okay. thanks.

[CKuzushi]

Yup. Take a couple years of college and this will provide you a base to start abosorboing Japanese through other conduits.

You say you are taking college classes? College requires language. Make it Japanese!

[shawnjeezie]

im gonna try and make it japanese but college i go to doesn't offer japanese teaching.

[yuriyuri]

You could learn to read kana and go here for a good start: Tae Kim's Japanese guide to Japanese grammar (actually he has kana charts on there too)

Luckily you don't need classes to learn any language, so even if you don't get on a Japanese course it won't matter, although obviously they are a great starting point for those who don't know what to do, but I've not taken a single class and am managing just fine.

To learn vocab, just read, whether it be manga or novels it doesn't matter.
If you apply a bit of common sense you can learn from anything, without sounding like a samurai/anime char etc.

I've also heard for reading and vocab the books "Kanji in context" and "kanji odyssey" are good if you can afford them.

[GTJ]

edit: My bad, didn't see the second page.

[IcewindDude]

最初の投稿者：MMM

Don't call them "symbols"...call them "characters".

Lol, I went through this conversation already... but I still disagree . They are interchangeable in English and can be replaced in many environments.

In any case dictionary.com - Character
12. a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet.
13. the symbols of a writing system collectively.

A character is a symbol. Character is just more specific, but symbol is not wrong.

[shawnjeezie]

thanks guys. much appreciated. but what about the other 3 froms of the japanese characters. I might need those too right?