teasmartgarden.com » studying the 日本語

I Passed 3級!!

Charity — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:02:01 +0000

I passed level three of the JLPT!! (ok, yes, so the results came in a while ago, but I just now realized I had written this teensy blog all up and saved it as a draft…only to be forgotten to time).

And if I remember correctly from a previous blog, I said that if I passed, then the test must be fundamentally flawed. But let me tell you! It knew that I knew only just enough to pass. I needed 60% to pass, and I got, what…a 63%? Something horrid like that.

…

But I passed, so woo!

Now I need to start studying for level two. Or rather, all the stuff I didn’t know from the first test (shame they don’t tell you what you got wrong…).

Journal Writing in Japanese

Charity — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:02:10 +0000

And while we’re on the subject (of wizened learning), this is a book I’ve been carrying around with me, trying to figure out how best to go about using it. It’s a book geared towards Japanese people who want to write a diary in English. And I, like many (I’d hope) other Japanese-learners, have used such English conversation books to learn more colloquial Japanese. AAND they’re far more creative in their layout, since the majority of people learning English outside of formal institutions of learning are doing this as a hobby (I hear that’s why TOEFL scores for Japan are so abysmal…because people are just taking it for their own personal interest as to what they’ll score, and not out of necessity for a job or school or whatnot), and therefore don’t need a textbook, but something fun and happy (and it helps us visual learners, too!).

Anyways, just what I heard.

The book is called 「英語で日記を書いてみる」　(eigo de nikki wo kaite miru->”Let’s Try Writing a Diary in English”). You can buy it on Amazon.co.jp…though I don’t know about their international shipping procedures.

Here’s a pic…

As you could probably guess, the majority of sentences are in the past tense, and involve a storytelling approach, with lots of examples. The later part of the book has example after example of short journal entries. They’re great at showing how sentences work with each other to explain a story, idea, or opinion.

They’re also great as templates.

Templates are nice.

I’m Sure I’ll Get Tired of all the Driving

Charity — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:40:39 +0000

I will be going to my first real private Japanese lesson today. I say “real”, but only because I’m forking out money for this one (I attended one two weeks ago as a free trial lesson). It’s located waaay out in the Big City (Fukuoka City, if you will). Takes me about an hour and a half in total transit time to get to Tenjin (the part of town where my lesson is located…along with Fukuoka’s lovely nightlife). Blame rush hour traffic, because it usually doesn’t take that long to get there…and that’s without taking the Urban Expressway (toll road…bah!) that cuts across town. What would make my day, though, is finding a parking garage I like that is located closer to the building I need to go to. My favorite parking garage in Tenjin (yes, I have one…) is close to the main, fun part of town, but a 20-minute walk to class. Which would be ok if that didn’t make me late.

Though the excercise would be welcome.

I will also start going to weekly group lessons that are far cheaper (only 千円 a month…about 9 bucks US with the current exchange rate), that a lot of my friends attend. Really looking forward to that (starting next week).

Oh, the cost of transit! But least I’m driving a kei car. Good mileage and a small discount on tolls.

And yeah, I will still be writing Japanese blog entries (posted to my ~*secret*~ Japanese blog) using what I learned in my lessons. That resolution has yet to be considered FAIL, unlike some of the other ones I made, so I’m still innocently hopeful and enthusiastic…

…just like a little child right before school starts, knowing that this year will be different (she can feel it!), and that homework will be be like a fun puzzle, projects will be informative and done early, and classrooms will be nests of knowledge. This year will be HER year!!!

Yeah, I’m kinda thinking on those lines.

Kanji 練習

Charity — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:17:55 +0000

While making copies at school, I spied some kanji practice printouts near the printer. Upon closer examination, they had a website address on them, so I hopped over to my computer and looked it up. Sure enough, there were printable kanji practice pages on there (in the Japanese style of “of course you already know the word, let’s work on writing that word in kanji!”).

So if you’re studying kanji, perhaps these might help you out. You can learn some vocabulary too, while you’re at it!

Right, in case you just want to know how to look at these mystery sheets I’m talking about, without actually reading the Japanese (yeah, it’s a Japanese site), the pages are ordered from 1st to 6th grade level kanji on the upper left-hand side of the page *in blue*, starting with 小学１年生の漢字 (first grade kanji) at top to 小学６年生の漢字 (6th grade kanji) at the bottom of the list. Once you click on the link, there is a list of pdf files in the middle. The first is a shaded kanji version, the second is the kanji all full strength, and the third is the kanji totally missing with only the reading on the side to guide you.

My internet find for the day.

３級

Charity — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:20:37 +0000

I’m about to send in the application forms in order to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) for ３級 *san-kyu*, or third level, in December. For those who don’t know about the test, there are four levels, with four being the easiest, and one being the most difficult. I think I should be able to pass the ３級 so long as I can review, review, review! I also need to brush up on my kanji (“know” about 300, what’s needed for this level). I’m sure there will be a lot of vocab, verbs, and phrases I don’t know since everyone learns a slightly different bit of the Japanese language during study, but hopefully the acquisition will be swift.

I know that if I apply myself, I can easliy pass the test! Go me!

…

But I keep falling asleep everytime I study at work… Oh, what to do…

Well, I guess all I can do…make New ALT sign up for ３級 also and have him study with me. Motivation’s always stronger when I’m afraid of looking like an idiot for not studying (though he does already know more than me). I will “gambarre!” and all that nonsense.

And look! I added a new category to better place posts about my (non-existant) studying habits! The site slowly expands…