Learning Tools Part 5 (学習ツールパートご)

My Japanese Coach (Nintendo DS)

This was a game I had my eye on for about 2 months before actually finding it for the right price.  You can order it off the internet for like 40 bucks or you can wait and get it used at GameStop for somewhere around 22-24 bucks.  Much better price for anyone.

Anyways, lets get to the review...

I was a bit skeptical about it however very open-minded.  Going from Rosetta Stone to MJC (My Japanese Coach) was a BIG change in direction.  MJC is very English-i-fied while Rosetta Stone focuses on full immersion with no help from mommy.  This turns out to be a good thing with MJC because Rosetta Stone can be very vague and sometimes confusing with what something means while MJC points it out right beside the word.

They both use voice comparison however MJC lets you compare it yourself instead of having a computer (Sometimes VERY inaccurately) do it like on Rosetta Stone.  MJC has a feature to hear it said by a "native" speaker (I put that in quotes because Khatz over at AJATT pointed out how well that term is flawed) and then you can record your own voice and play back either your voice, their voice, or both at the same time (One in each speaker)

You really need headphones to hear everything crisply unless you are in a fairly quiet area.  But that isn't bad because you can get a cheap pair of headphones for either next to nothing or free (They are everywhere!)

The bad thing about MJC is that I don't feel like it is as in-depth or reinforcing as Rosetta Stone.  I am told the words maybe like 3 times then they are used in a sentence once IF lucky and that's it...  I've "Mastered" the word...  Well, I've mastered it after a whack-a-mole game and a Word Search game...  It moves a little too fast for me to really grasp the words and their definitions to have a solid link between the two in a way that I can use them.

One of the BEST parts is that it is portable!  You can take it anywhere, bed, bathroom, bus, restaurants, hospitals, Church (I don't recommend getting smote for not paying attention in Church though), etc.

That and it is touch screen so you can get some good practice writing your Kana (Hiragana mainly with a hint of Kanji).

Another good feature is the dictionary and phrase book.  Every word in the game plus a great many phrases are there for you to hear, compare, write, and learn at any time!  Oh and you can favorite any phrase to use later.

Pros
Portable
Voice features
Writing
Engaging

Cons
Not as in depth as other mediums

So in conclusion, it is definitely worth the 25 ish dollars to have a portable interactive dictionary that teaches on the side.

Learning Tools Part 4 (学習ツールパートよん)

Microsoft IME

Many people ask me how the eff I am typing in Japanese without a Japanese keyboard!

Well, it's quite simple you see, I use Microsoft IME

Microsoft IME is basically a program that lets you type in different languages

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=CEED31CD-15A9-4B86-AFE5-E77A095599F3&displaylang=EN

I think that will work in Windows 7 and such but I don't know...

anyways, you simply click input mode and then Hiragana to type things like this

ひらがな！

and then back to Half-width Alphanumeric to go back to English!

It is a great way to type things quickly in Japanese or any other language!

Edit:  Another great usage of IME is the IME Pad.  It allows you to draw out the characters using your mouse!  A great way to get practice with strokes and shapes!

Learning Tools Part 3 (学習ツールパートさん)

Hiragana and Katakana Flash Cards

After using SRS for a while, I wanted to find a nice compact way to have the same effect while away from a computer (School, Work, Long walks on the Beach. You know, the usual.)

So I looked up Hiragana and Katakana Flash Cards.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands if not five different ones I found.  Doesn't matter which one of course, just as long as it is readable and such.

So I nabbed a .rar file chocked full of nice lovely Kana Kards- er, Cards...

I really suggest trying this in your early learning techniques as I don't think it'd be portable to carry around all 20000 or so Kanji in flash card form...

Anyways, if you can't get hold of flash card paper to print on, regular printer paper will work as long as you do one side and then flip and do the other side correctly lined up.

The ONLY thing bad about it was cutting them... all like 450 or so...  and now, with 2 stacks (One Katakana and one Hiragana), they each are about an inch thick of cards...  kind of hefty for home made but well worth the 30-45 minutes of straight paper cutting device paper cutting...

I highly suggest this.  Also, don't worry if you get them "out of order" when you cut them because a random order will help stop you from inferring what the next card will be...  "I just had Ka so the next one MUST be Ki" not too healthy for memorization unless your mind is wired that way, which it might be which would be fine.  I just like having random ones so I can't guess without really examining the symbol.

Happy Hunting!

PS: I guess I'll take advice from our friends at AJATT and use bolding to save time for people who can't/don't want to read all of that

We're Back

After a bit of Down-Time, we are back for good now.  It's time to get this place going where it should be instead of just meandering around a bit kicking the dirt.

So yea, it's time to get some more active members and keep this place alive, I can't do this without others coming here and giving input.  Even if it's just for questions and not to help answer.  You always have something to learn when using another language.  ask questions, hold conversations, talk about what works and doesn't work for you.  Above all, make it fun to learn while doing it too!

Learning Tools Part 2 (学習ツールパートに)

Heisig's Remembering the Kanji

Heisig has made many books.  Very useful books in my style of learning but if books aren't your thing then don't sweat it.  Anyways, Heisig has made books on Remembering the Kana (The alphabets {Hiragana and Katakana}) and Remembering the Kanji (The pictographic symbols that mean whole words)

You can pick up a copy at either Amazon.com or Borders for somewhere around $35.00 but it has 3007 Kanji in it

The basic setup tells you number of strokes, stroke order, and a nice way of remembering how to draw it

 

This book can be paired with the Anki deck Heisig Remembering the Kanji (RTK 1-3) AND the website Reviewing the Kanji