Who's learning Japanese?

I thought Sumi Masen was "exscuse me"?

 

I have never learnt Japanese, but being here helps to pick the essentials up. When I come back for a few months I will probably get lesson though.... speaking it is ok, but reading it is definately another kettle of fish entirely, although I can read a tiny amount of katakana and Hiragana. Kanji.....no way!

 

I wouldn't mind a Japanese pen pal or email-dachinko or something to help me out... I think it'd be fun!

 

why don't we just turn this into a japanese speaking thread and pick up on things from each other?

 

Speak it and listen to it. That's the best way to learn, plain and simple. I just got back from 5 weeks in Japan. I traveled around the country and had a blast. I've taken 4 years of Japanese, but for the past 14 months, I haven't studied it or spoken it or taken any classes and I lost a lot of my knowledge of Japanese in that time. But, while I was in Japan, it all came flooding back to me after using Japanese for a little while. But, now I'm back to America where I don't use it at all, unfortunately. So I'm kind of in same boat.

 

If you like cartoons,you can watch some cartoon made in Japan .You can pick up some Japanese when you are having fun.

 

learning nihongo for 3 years.

best site: thejapanesepage.com
best book: Japanese for busy people (books 1, 2, 3)
best forum ( to ask questions while you learn): kanjistep.com
best dictionary: the Oxford Starter Japanese

wutever u do, you NEED that dictionary! you can practically learn the whole language with it, since it has grammar and verb charts

 

i have been trying to teach myself Japanese for a year or so.

it really is not easy, but i found that listening to Japanese music and videos helps alot.
in fact, in my area, there is a TV station that airs some Japanese televison during the week.

Fujisankei TV-check your area.

 

sumimasen is both sorry and excuse me but it all so depnds on context...there are far more complex ways of saying what you want in particular situations but that is a good start!

so many words have contextual meaning that I have to agree that it is just being there and using it that makes a big difference between learning it and being able to use it. Much like any language!

 

I was learning from Japanese for busy People! it's a good book.
Another book that is pretty good is Minna no Nihongo.

 

Yeh, I say sumimasen a lot when I bump into peoples hehe