Learn Japanese The Easy Way P1 - Start

2/12/2017 09:50:00 PM Unknown 0 Comments

Before diving in, be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel as I post translations of untranslated visual novels / manga / songs / and more that most fansub groups don't touch as a way to study Japanese:   http://tinyurl.com/Subscribe2SeeMore

Table of links for "Learn Japanese The Easy Way":
part1:  Start
part2:  Self-Learning Method
part3:  Beginner Level
part4:  Intermediate Level
part5:  Advaned Level
part6:  End / Motivation

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Name's Chris. I'm quite laid-back, easy-going, and a little lazy, but when it comes to studying Japanese, I'm very motivated. My drive to study comes from loving anime and games from a young age. The stories, music, voice acting, graphics, character personalities that are presented are much better than the stuff airing on real TV. One main reason to study is so I can surpass English subtitles in anime. My eyes are always looking down at the subs and rarely at the main scenes. That reason alone was the final push I needed to actually study the language because those Japanese characters just looked so hard from the start.
One of my study tools is watching my favorite anime airing as of now with the actual Japanese anime subtitles. It's interesting trying to translate what they're saying and seeing if the professional / fan English translation was correct by having the english subs right above the japanese subs as I'm watching anime.
Another study tool of mine is translating raw manga and comparing my version with fan translations to see if I was close to the actual meaning:

Manga: Citrus

-Raw:


-English Translation:
 

My ultimate way of studying Japanese is reading untranslated visual novels (that will or will never get a translation). I wasn't too fond of this method at the start because it'd put me to sleep, but when you think about it, reading is just a good way to review a hell load of vocabulary, kanji (chinese characters), and grammar all at the same time. As the words suggests, 'visual novels' contains lots of visuals and dialogue, which definitely kept my interest 
I've been studying japanese on my own for about 6 years on and off. Right now I've completed Japanese Core 6000, which teaches the most common 6000 words used in Japanese. I can honestly say that I'm still not fluent yet.  Even when I'm translating Japanese subs to English, there's always a few words here and there that are unfamiliar. Knowing 10k doesn't seem like enough, but once you're past the 6k mark, it's very easy to pick up words.

At this point it might appear despairing to study Japanese. But everytime I watch anime and get to those climactic moments, I can't help but fall in love with the language even more. Even if I have to learn 10k+ words, I believe this feeling I have will help me break through that barrier and reach a point where I can truly turn off the subtitles for good.

I'm a huge couch potato and usually hanging out by myself. If you need any type of help, just leave a comment below and I'll see what I can do. よろしく！

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