Japanese speaking D-Addicts?

Anybody here from Japan, speaks Japanese, or is learning it? :3

My nationality is Chinese, but I lived in Japan before I moved to the United States (which is where I am now). I was more into anime/manga back then, rather than TV dramas, and I continued to be interested in anime related things even after I came here. That helped me retain my lanugage skills and interest in Japanese culture, though.

I'd love to learn Korean someday, too. (So if you speak it - teach me? ;3 )

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:37 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Konnichiwa.

So where in Japan did you use to live? I'm Japanese and I used to live in Yokohama and Tokyo for a while but am now in NYC. Man, do I miss the Chinese food in Yokohama. I know that NY has a giant Chinatown (and Flushing) but I find that Chinese food in Yokohama tasted better.

As for other topics, let's see I'm more into manga than anime. People have different tastes, but I am always a fan of good comedy. Nonaka Eiji (Cromartie Highschool, Kachoubaka ichidai), Azuma Kiyohiko (Azumanga Daioh, Yotsubato), and School Rumble is good too. I know that Kochikame will never be translated but that's one looong and great series.

And I don't speak Korean. Tongue

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 12:36 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

こんにちわ！

I'm glad there was another person here who speaks Japanese! ^^

I used to live in a town called Matsudo, in Chiba. It's a pretty small place, so I dunno if you've heard of it. I remember going to Yokohama once with my father, and yeah, the Chinatown there is pretty amazing. I heard somewhere that it's the biggest Chinatown there is (besides the actual Chinese towns in China), but I don't know about that...the ones in NY and San Francisco are pretty big, too. You know, I also find food from Japan better tailored to my tastes. Even if they're foreign dishes, like curry or kimchi, I prefer the kind produced in Japan.

Recently I've been more into manga than anime, too (that and drama ^^;;). I feel like the plot and characters are better developed in the manga, rather than in the anime.

Haha. pinch

But do you feel interested in learning Korean? I've noticed that Korea and Japan have gotten rather chummy in the last few years, or at least through their entertainment business. Korean dramas seem to be very popular in Japan (in China too. o__o;; ).

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 12:46 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

hello,

I am not an Japanese, but I studied Japanese for a while and even lived there for 8 months. But Japanese is such a difficult language... all the difference between women and men words etc. One of the other students had a Japanese gelufulendo who taught him Japanese. When some other Japanese talked with him they said that his Japanese was... let's say really girly-like Big Smile

I try to watch dramas and anime in Japanesefrom time to time, but I always have to concentrate so hard and often don't get the point, 'cause they are always talking so fast or use words which are popular but cannot be found in the dic. Blink

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:31 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Hi

[edit: oops didn't realize this had become so long, sorry!]

Well on the topic of language, I think I'm just too old and I don't have the time to learn another language, so Korean is out for me. Sad

As for Japanese, (well I'm a native speaker so I'm not the best person to gauge things), I feel that if you just want to learn how to speak and understand Japanese, it's not that difficult.

The pronunciation is relatively simple (at least compared to Indo-European languages and Chinese) and you can pretty much ignore the grammer as long as you use the correct "glue" words (ha, te, ga, ni, etc) and know the tenses of the verbs. I know that most Japanese grammer books say that Japanese follows the Subject Object Verb order, but the order really doesn't matter. In practice you put the word that you want to emphasize first. Smile

The big hurdle in spoken Japanese is probably the speed and the slang. Some people will also say the use of honorifics makes Japanese difficult, but honorifics are rapidly dying out and if you are a foreigner, then not using honorifics is tolerated so one could basically ignore it.

What your friend did, learning Japanese from a girlfriend (or I suppose boyfriend) is a classic mistake that has been known since Japan opened in the 19th century. This is basically a variant on the honorific usage, and it too is dying out (albeit a lot slowly than the regular honorificis). I think if you're careful you can avoid this, or the simple solution is to learn from someone of your own gender. Tongue

I will concede that reading and writing Japanese can be a real pain.

Now onto a lighter topic, I read that you used to live in Matsudo.

I've never been there, but in that direction lies Asakusa and Sumidagawa. I remember going to Sensouji at least 5 times, once as a tourist myself, and 3 times to show friends from overseas that place, and once more sort of just browsing. The drama Tiger and Drama took place around that area so watching that series also brought back memories. Dang I should have gone to more rakugo, hehe.

This is on a tangent from that, but one of the things that I used to do when I was in Japan was to visit temples and shrines (I'm Buddhist and I suppose Shinto as well). I like the hustle and bustle of Asakusa, but one of my local favorites is Kanazawa Bunko (a former temple that is now a library at the southern edge of Yokohama city). It's so quiet, and walking through what once must have been a market in front of the temple through the temple gates to the bridge over the pond, and then past the temple buildings to the open fields and the woods in the back was just extremely relaxing.

So what were some of your favorite ways to spend time in Japan?

PS
I prefer Chinese food in Japan, but for Indian food, so far the best Indian food I had have been in NYC (though I should go to India one of these days!)

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:57 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@prince of moles

yeah, learning to read and write in Japanese is a real pain. During my time in university we had to read business articles in Japanese or hold an presenation in proper Japanese. very difficult.
I agree with you that to communicate in Japanese ís not that hard but if you study Japanese your teacher expect you to talk in a proper way.
M grammar teacher was Japanese and we had to learn about 10-15 different grammar expressions each weak. And sometimes there were hardly any difference between them. Even our Japanese friends couldn't really explain us the difference. For example "naiwakeni ha ikanai" and zuni ha irarenakatte" and "zaru o enai". In English you would all translate them with "you have to"

the honorifics really makes Japanese difficult. If you are a foreigner normally they don't expect you to talk in this way. But I did an internship in a big Japanese company and there it was kind of better to use it. ( It made the guys there think, wow, a foreigner knows how to use these words ;)

Some of my favorite things to do in Japan were to eat Yakiniku, then having a nomihodai and finally going to KTV.

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:20 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Wow, another person! ^^ Sorry for my lateness, I'm not too good at checking for replies on forums. o___o;;

Gixo, it can be a difficult language, but at least you'll have a bit more of a background than most people learning Japanese in the United States, huh? Visiting/living there can make all the difference in prounounciation and such, I've found, with my own acquaintances.

One thing I have trouble with now is speaking formally (keigo), probably because I left Japan when I was very young and didn't have to use it very often. Also, I find that I might have become too bold and opinionated for their society. There is a Japanese exchange student at my school right now (a boy younger than me by three grades) and I seem to have offended him somehow even before I was introduced to him by his teacher, since he pretty much avoids all contact with me. X__x;;

Then again, maybe he's just extremely shy with girls?

I never really visited many places in Japan. I went to Tokyo Disneyland and Yokohama Chinatown, but since my parents were getting their PhDs, they were generally too busy to take me on vacations. But I really miss the festivals in summer (omatsuri). I miss the schools, too. I like the system of being with one homeroom class most of the time; I feel like it helps develop stronger ties between classmates. Then again, I suppose it can be painful for transfer students or loners.

Also, I remember playing outside a lot. I went to an after-school program until six everyday, and there the teachers would teach us little crafts with flowers and weeds and whatnot. I enjoyed that. I also remember fishing for crayfish (zarigani?) in first grade, and then creating somekind of a habitat for them out of stones and aluminum foil in science class. Also, flying kites by the Edo river in winter, going puddle-jumping during the summer storms, and going to see the cherry blossoms in Spring. I'm kind of ranting now, but the point is: it seemed that I had a lot of chances to interact with nature in Japan, even though there's a lot more open spaces and greenery here, in general.

Gixo, sounds like you had a lot of fun during your stay. XD

If I get a chance in the future (as in, if I have enough money) I'd like to go back again and hit some tourist attractions. I'd really like to visit Sapporo (I love ramen), and Osaka, too. I'm usually very silly and easy-going (not to mention just a bit too high on the tension), and that's the impression I get from Osaka. So I think I'd be quite at home there.

Since we've all talked a little about food, I feel like I should devote a whole paragraph to it. Heh. As previously mentioned, I love ramen. Instant, restaurant-style, anything. I prefer flour-based foods to rice, so I also love takoyaki. Aaah, the sauce. But I've never had okonomiyaki. I had a chance to one time, when a family that we were particularly close to (the father treated me like a granddaughter, even took me to the zoo and flew kites with me) was treating me for dinner, but they were closed that day. It was sad.

I will sign off now before I rant anymore. x___X;;

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:38 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@gixo

Yeah that seems rather excessive. I guess it all depends on the teacher you get, but unfortunately in any formal setting the language you are going to learn is going to be the polite/formal language. (As far as I know, no school teaching English teaches Ebonics for example.)

And on the topic of using honorifics, yup, I've seen that happen. When foreigners use honorifics it usually tells a Japanese speaker that he knows not only the language but also the culture. In fact I've heard some Japanese say that a foreigner who studies Japanese speaks better Japanese than the native Japanese. Smile

PS
on the 3 phrases of "have to do", the minor difference are:

naiwake niha ikanai = it must not be not done (double negative)=> I must do

~zu niha irarenai = not doing it must not be done (again double negative but more forceful or you are feeling compelled) => I felt compelled to do

~zaru wo enai = must be done even if you don't want to do it => I was forced to do

These are very subtle distinctions and really are not that often used (even in English).

PPS
Double negatives are used often when you are doing something that you don't really want to do.

A possible English language analogy is the difference between:

I have to do my homework (this implies that you are eager to do it)
[I have no choice] I can't not do my homework (this makes clear that you don't want to do it, but will do it)

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:21 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

konichiwaa~

woww~ I'm so glad to meet u all, esp osakana ^-^ ! I'm half jap n half chinese; I was born in japan in shizouka, but I moved to hong kong when I was realli young (round bout 3 or 4 years old). I go to a international skool, so like, the only language I'm completely fluent with is eng n cantonese. I can speak some jap (like, enough to be able to have a simple conversation with ppl), but it's a very limitted amount of jap n i often have to add bits of english in it to make myself understood. So yeaa.....I'm honestly quite ashamed of myself....>.< cuz I kno SO little bout my own culture (n language esp >.<").

I have realli similiar problems with Osakana ^0^".....I have troubles using keigo (I'm not sure with hu, or when to use it -.-"), and being in an international skool makes me quite open and bold; somethin that a typical jap gurl shouldn't realli be. I seem to go against so many 'rules' of society T.T.....also, I usually talk to my dad in jap n to my mum in chinese so my jap becomes quite 'guy-ish', lolz ^0^"

but n e wayy~ enough of my bletherin (I shall shut up now, lolzz) >.< *hehe*. I'm just happy to kno that I'm not the only one that finds jap hard =P

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@prince of morales

wow, your grammar explanation is really good. Wished I had known you when I had to do my Japanese tests.

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 3:11 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@gixo

Thanks. I try to do my best. Big Smile

If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to try and answer them.

Well, back to watching some more dramas. Tongue

Currently hooked on Kudo Kankuro stuff. Tiger & Dragon, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Manhattan Love Story, and hoping that Kisarazu Cat's Eye will be uploaded soon.

I am not japanese But I have studied, it was hard to learn from someone else it really is a mistake but for me I learn off of myself it took time, I was about 13 years old studying japanese myself, as I stop for 2 years I got into Animes more and later at the age of 17 JKC dramas and grew more interest into Animes and of course I am an artist, but nothing is impossible, it takes determination to succeed.
I am 18 now oh so young...

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 3:57 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

hello!
wow im actually surprised that there's lots of people speaks or learning japanese...

im a pure japanese who just moved into united states.(i used to live in Saitama Ken Koshigaya shi ^-^ )
and i LOVE j-pop, k-pop, c-pop, and JOHNNY'S JR.!!!
i also love manga too~~vv l like shojo or shonen comic esp with some sports related ones and very serious mangas(ex: Whistle!, Tenipuri, Vampire Knights, Merupuri etc...)>w<

japanese is very hard...
im forgetting every single Kanji and grammers.... TT-TT

is anybody in here addicted to Johnny's Jrs?? or any kind of japanese idols??

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:07 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I'm trying to learn it...There's a Japanese language course at my school and I'm trying to get into that class...I wish I could have learned it at a younger age because everything is so much easier then

I always ask my Korean friends to teach my some words...lol but they're in South Korea now and I'm in the U.S so big time difference Sad