How/when did you start learning Japanese?

[~SnowAngel~]

This is just for fun asking things like:

What got you interested in learning Japanese?
How did you start learning Japanese? (things you used, when you started, etc.)
What is your goal for learning Japanese? (talking to JP people, travel, etc.)
What level are you wanting to reach? (ex: enough to read, talk to people, live in japan, more kanji etc.)
What do you enjoy about the language?
Using only a few words, give a tiny bit of advice that you've learned from your experience~



sooo I'll mention a few things about me~


I really don't remember much about why I was interested in Japanese XD but I do know that I disliked the idea of learning spanish (really don't know why I do x-x). I told my mom that even if I taught myself and had to learn spanish, I'd learn Japanese~ I didn't like what was being offered in usa, and generally wasn't interested in plenty of cultures. I think I had already been watching anime at the time. I thought about learning Chinese, but it just didn't click with me.

I started learning by getting this software called instant immersion, which called to be "as good as rosetta stone." So I got that, the level 1 stuff was very interesting and I was motivated to learn. Once I got to level 2, things got very confusing to where I didn't learn anything. level 3, goodbye world XD. Sooo I then started looking for books. I decided on a tutle book for learning their writing system. I just wrote from that, and I learned about flashcards and stuff, using that to learn vocab. Thennn things get more complicated so I'll leave it there :3

My goal is pretty much to be helpful to Japanese people somehow~ not just doing something for them, but giving them new life :3 The level I want would be around intermediate, all 2k kanji and a large vocab. I'd want to read at about the same speed I do in English.

One thing I remember a Japanese person said was that he thinks of language like music. Sooo I kinda agree with that. There's definitely something I like about the language overall, but I can't say it's just one thing.

My advice is to learn from a variety of things, keep yourself from being bored of learning XD

 

[Frankincense]

> What got you interested in learning Japanese?
I am proud to say that I initially wanted to study Japanese solely for reading visual novels; No reason else.

>How did you start learning Japanese? (things you used, when you started, etc.)
Some textbooks, whose names I already forgot.
I started learning Japanese about a few years ago. I started with kana, some very basic words just to help with my study, and grammar. Once I was familiar with Japanese grammar, I started practicing using reading material that is visual novel to learn more vocabulary and kanji.
Sometimes I wanted to give up. Only by sheer determination to understand visual novels have I been continuing my study. ;|

>What is your goal for learning Japanese? (talking to JP people, travel, etc.)
My initial goal was to allow myself to read visual novels. However, my goal is gradually changing. I can't put it into words well. =| It's like it's gradually becoming a part of my life now, and I think I might be able to to do something useful with it in the future.

>What level are you wanting to reach? (ex: enough to read, talk to people, live in japan, more kanji etc.)
I want to be as much fluent as possible.

>What do you enjoy about the language?
It's hard to put into words. I just enjoy studying language. To me, I think it's comparable to art.

My advice... I think you should make yourself in contact with Japanese media all the time, even if you don't understand it. Listening to music, looking at signposts, reading visual novels. Try to immerse yourself in Japanese. It'll pay one day. ^^

 

[choonagi]

>What got you interested in learning Japanese?
It may have all started after I read James Clavell's Shogun, notwithstanding the fact that I was also in the midst of learning various arts from the Far East. However interesting I may have found the language and the culture back then, it simply wasn't enough to hold down a hyperactive 10-year-old who loved the action part of the culture just a little bit more than books. Although my love affair with Japan's culture and history ran strong over the years, it was only three years ago that I finally started learning the language seriously, after discovering the third "himitsuougi" to make life more interesting - anime and manga!


>How did you start learning Japanese? (things you used, when you started, etc.)
Reviewed my kana and basic grammar with the help of various sites on the net. I then moved to reading manga after learning to read and write some kanji, while watching anime (well, actually, it was mostly listening to it run in the background as I alternated between work, study, and play). Grammar and vocabulary from animes, kanji and its forms from manga.

>What is your goal for learning Japanese? (talking to JP people, travel, etc.)
I'd like to be able to hold an intelligent conversation in Japanese, be it with an actual person or "on paper." Traveling isn't out of the question, either. So many possibilities.
>What level are you wanting to reach? As fluent as possible.

>What do you enjoy about the language?
Kanji is especially interesting.

My ten cents on the subject - Lose yourself in it, and enjoy every part of the experience to the fullest. (Been dying to use this smiley!)

 

[setuna1279]

What got you interested in learning Japanese?
Well, my original goal was pretty much like everyone else: learn Japanese to read and watch raw anime,manga and eroge. But now, studying in University really changed my mind. Right now, I learn Japanese to apply to study and work in Japan if possible. I want to stay in Japan to learn about the culture, people, biotechnology, my major; and more importantly, the education system. I want to know how the Japanese are so amazing and what makes them like that. Then, I'd like to go back to my country to apply what I learn to teach the young generations. I feel sympathy to them not being able to have good education like other countries.

How did I start learning Japanese?
From the beginning, I tried to study both Japanese and Chinese at the same time since they somehow have the same writing system. I started with the list of 500 basic Chinese characters. After practicing and writing, I became used to the writing and recognized the components of the characters with their meanings. Then I took a beginner Japanese class organized by my university. I learnt some basic there like hiragana, takakana, a few basic kanjis and some grammar structures. After that, I started reading the Japanese grammar guide by Tae-Kim. I learnt a bunch of grammar at once and started applying them into reading eroge. Obviously, that wasn't enough to understand anything so I still needed AGTH tools to help me translating. After a while, getting used to the grammar, I continued learning more and the process repeated. I'm still doing it right now but I have gone to the point that I can express about 50% what I want to say in Japanese with my teacher.
About vocabulary, I use Anki flash cards and learn about 10 words a day. The dictionary is customized. While I'm reading eroge, when I come across some words that are frequently used in anime, manga, I add them immediately in Anki. Every time I read, I add about 50 words or more. I also record the lines having those words in a notepad file in case I forget how to use the words. I also have my friend who knows Japanese help me along the way.

What level are you aiming for?
I want to be able to read any type of documents in Japanese.

What do you enjoy about learning language?
Language is a tool for conversation. When learning language, it's interesting to know how people use words to express their ideas and feelings. Time by time, I become more and more fascinated by how profound and great language is and how it is
applied.

Advice: Learning Japanese is very difficult and people may lost motivation to stick to the end. When your motivation is gone, image how awesome yourself is when you can speak and read Japanese.