Learning Japanese

[sark1127]

Ok, so, now that I'm officially applying to study abroad in Japan next fall, I figure it's time to look into, you know, learning some Japanese (other than honorifics and the 5 words that I've learned from anime; something tells me that being able to call people stupid or death-gods isn't going to be toooo useful

Comments

[hir0protagonist]

I'd advise against using solely software/books. They work well in conjunction with a class, but without are fairly useless.

[anonymous]

hiya sis, headed over to see if you did anything cool for your birthday (the cake does qualify :-P) & just thought i'd offer my 2 cents.
taking a class or hiring a tutor & learning the basics is a very good idea. it's really hard to learn how to speak a language all on your own. esp with a language so different from our own or the ones you've studied before.
but in the mean time it would be well worth your while to use those same books & comp programs to teach yourself how to read japanese. the written laguage is invauble so you can shop & navigate on your own. and if you know the answer to a question from written cues, you can ask it verbaly to practice. if you have the basics of spoken & a good grasp of written, once you get there, your fluency will expand rapidly.
i can totally see you in japan. good luck!

[anonymous]

btw. . .
love,
marcy
not that you have more than one sister