So as I have mentioned before I have just recently started to take Japanese lessons. I really am starting a square one, therefore, a bit overwhelmed at times. Yes, I have lived in Japan for 2 years and yes, I have seen and learned a small amount of Japanese words since I have arrived. My teacher has started me off with Hiragana / Katakana, and although it could be construed that they are both very simple alphabets to learn, I find them quite difficult. Possibly not for the overall difficulty of the actual alphabet themselves, but for a couple of reasons, first, both alphabets are essentially the same in sound each having different symbols however. The second and most difficult aspect of the two alphabets, and this is just for me personally, is that I get extremely bogged down with the fine details of printing out the letters of each word. It takes me forever to finish, because I spend so much time to make it all perfect. I have been told that my handwriting is nice, and it makes me happy to hear it, but I would also like to write it a little more quickly. Ugh, what to do, what to do..
I guess I just have to write more and study harder.
If you have any tips, please feel free to let me know in class.
Jerry
Jerry
I am also learning Japanese, and at first found the Kanas difficult, but having learned them, a new world opened to me, and I am now trying to learn Kanji. I learned hiragana and katakana using books: Easy Hiragana and Easy Katakana. It builds up your knowledge systematically, and it doesn’t take too long. When I could read them, I felt a lot less lost and useless on my own. It is SO worth the effort.
John
Hi Jerry,
I’m not sure if this would be any help to you at all, but I used a book a few years back when I first came to Japan. It’s based on mnemonics and it really worked for me. Please take a look at this link, I hope it can be of some use.
http://japanese.gatech.edu/WebCTVista/JAPN1001/contents/Lesson02/hiragana/mnemonic-hiragana.html
Mike