#advanced Japanese grammar

[tokidokitokyo]

If you understand this, you are JLPT N3 level

[homunculus-argument]

Hi! I'm trying to learn Finnish and I have a grammar question (probably several questions). Finding access to an in-depth language-learning program or class has been extremely difficult and I have weird gaps in my knowledge that I've tried to overcome with grammar workbooks and immersing in Finnish media. Given that Finnish media/native speakers often don't use kirjakieli, and the programs & grammar books I've used have taught exclusively kirjakieli... I keep finding that what I'm learning still isn't *super* helpful in understanding. Like. I'm over here having "Minä olen..." drilled into my brain, while I've never watched a video, listened to a song, etc where anything but "Mä oon..." has been used. I was BAFFLED when I finally learned they meant the same.

Anyway!

In your recent post about Riihimäki, you started it with, "Mulla ei oo"

I am *pretty* sure that in kirjakieli that would be "Minulla ei ole".

So. This is probably a silly question. But. Does "Minulla on" similarly become "Mulla oon" or "Mulla on"?

Also... Any tips for recognizing shortened/informal forms of formal phrases?

Anyway. I've taken enough of your time.

Kiitos!

One of my friends teaches finnish to immigrants for a living, and she can attest that her students are frequently frustrated by the way that spoken finnish and written finnish are completely different dialects, if not downright two different languages. Also fun fact, one of the most distinct ways that different finnish dialects can be identified is what word they have for "minä/sinä". The "mä" you have heard is mainly southern finnish dialects, in some regions people say "mää", "mie" etc, there's surely ones I haven't even heard of.

You're correct that in your assessment, "mulla ei oo" does indeed mean "minulla ei ole", and "minulla on" is indeed "mulla on". I have no idea how to help with recognising shortened informal forms, but one thing that I only consciously observed after someone asked me "soitatko jotain soitinta?" ("do you play an instrument?"), and it caught me off-guard because it never occurred to me that the grammatically correct written way to shorten "do I/do you/etc" questions is completely different from the spoken finnish.

For example, a question of "are you - ?" is written in kirkakieli as "oletko sinä - ?", but since the -ko suffix already clarifies who is being addressed, the word "sinä" is almost redundant. So to ask "oletko sinä tulossa?" (Are you coming?), a character in a book or a play would say "oletko tulossa?" but in spoken finnish, the "you" word used in that dialect is just glued to the end of the verb. So someone who says "sä" says it as "oletsä tulossa?" - which itself shortens to "ooksä" - and someone who uses "sie" asks "oletsie tulossa?" - shortening to "ootsie/ooksie tulossa?"

Speaking finnish is like learning to draw - trying to aim for perfect photorealism isn't necessary to be understood, you can pretty much draw stick figures and it's good enough if people will understand what you're trying to depict. If you've heard someone say that a non-native speaker can never really learn to speak truly flawless finnish, don't be discouraged by that. Finnish is more like japanese than french when it comes to foreign learners - people are impressed that you make an effort at all.

I've met people who have lived in Finland for decades, whose adult children are fluent bilinguals, and you can tell that someone's lived here for 30 years by the way they make more advanced and nuanced mild grammar mistakes.

In conclusion, good luck.

[kragehund-est]

every single language learning app on the market rn is like

LangBabble: Connect with Language!

Thousands of Lessons, Sign Up for Free Today! (6 free lessons and then it's $12 a month to access like 50 addtl. lessons)

Proven Professional Academic Study Lessons! (duolingo copy paste pattern recognition games that give you 0 understanding or ability to produce language.)

Advanced AI-Powered Learning! (fired all their native speaker developers for a glorified google translate. probably has a chat bot and an algorithm that tracks your mistakes. )

Memorable Learning Materials! (vocab flash cards and writing system games... but no grammar, pronunciation, or deeper explanations.)

User-Friendly, Stylish Interface! (highest saturation corporate blob artstyle, duolingo rip-off)

Start Speaking Immediately! (repeat common greetings and the same 24 useless phrases that were jammed down your throat dozens of times)

50+ Languages Supported! (has full courses for German, English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Klingon. a couple dozen half-dev'd euro languages and conlangs, and permanent "coming soon! under construction!" for endangered minority languages.)

[aliceslanguagediaries]

❁ My favourite Japanese podcasts for advanced learners (N2/N1) ❁

1.

I’ve been listening to this one for a year! Great for learning idiomatic expressions and Japanese culture. She also has transcriptions for every episode for free on her YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLemkUbsr8wLouj06xIOXOuf5nCcZ05OE&si=-NGjoxquDlTlZHGQ

2.

No transcript for this one as it’s intended as listening practice! Very informative episodes on various topics, mostly related to recent news.

3.

This one will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first Japanese podcast I listened to regularly (I’ve been listening for 3 years now). I recommend this one especially for casual language. Most episodes have the JLPT level at which they are aimed written in the description. There are also different styles of episodes based on the topic and register! Transcripts are available in the description.

4.

I really loved this one and I was sad to see the updates stop ): each episode is based around a phrase, grammar point or idiomatic expression and it’s perfect for upper intermediate and above. There is also a free transcript for every episode on Satomi’s website, which is linked in the description.

5.

I love the range of topics in this one, from daily life and funny stories to societal issues. Mizuki also seems like a really wonderful and down to earth person, I love hearing her views on these topics! There is a transcript available for free in the link of each episode.

6.

Very short but interesting episodes, mostly about Japanese language with some cultural topics too.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫･━━━━━━ ❜

I feel like social media is full of beginner Japanese resources but advanced ones are hard to come by; it took me a while to find these from various sources, so I hope this is useful to someone!

Let me know if I should do one for intermediate and native podcasts too :)

[ununotter]

this may be "two beers deep and crying over Эпидемия music videos" me speaking but

you should absolutely fully commit to whatever language-learning goals you have as much as you can because i was [badly] translating Japanese earlier and look

no matter how much Japanese I learn, I don't truly believe I will ever be able to communicate the nuances of even one single sentence in English as well as it was communicated in the original Japanese

for anyone who doesn't know, last year I was lucky enough to have the resources to spend three terms at a Japanese language school in Tokyo and our teachers were always trying to communicate to us the emotion or nuance in the way a particular piece of grammar was used, or what the connotations of a certain word are

and yeah the more AI and machine translation and whatever advances the more media from other countries you can enjoy to some degree but everytime I encounter one of those pieces that I remember a teacher saying "this grammar comes with emotions attached" (この文法は気持ちが入ってますよ) I think "wow, how can I possibly convey this in a translation?" and it fills me with a desire to learn as much more as I possibly can

honestly I regret not committing to Finnish or Russian at this level when I had the chance

[mynihongolessons]

Unlocking Advanced Japanese Learning: My Go-To Resources and Techniques for Self-Learning

As a Japanese teacher and lifelong learner, my journey with the language never ceases. Progressing in Japanese as a self learner or adult learner requires not only dedication but also the right resources. While textbooks are invaluable for building foundational grammar and vocabulary, finding suitable materials becomes more challenging as you advance. However, this doesn’t mean opportunities are…

[sammilearns]

with the way vocab was introduced in Genki, I had a hard time retaining anything until I started using jpdb.io and found the genki vocab decks. since those helped me SO much, I decided to go ahead and start the tobira vocab deck after I made the choice to continue advanced Japanese with that textbook!

I am really happy I had the forsight to start this as soon as I could because I'm already done with it! now I can focus on reenforcement with context from the textbook 💪🏾✨️

side note: tobira doesn't have English translations for practice text or grammar examples, which I am very grateful for. no handholding over here! 🙅🏾‍♀️

[mochimochi-learn-japanese]

How to learn Japanese online for beginners

If you want to learn Japanese online but don't know how to start, here are some basic steps for you:

Learn Hiragana & Katakana

Familiar with basic Kanji and words

Start with Japanese grammars

Immerse yourself in Japanese

Practice, practice & practice

Furthermore, learn basic phrases also makes you practice Japanese more fluently!

Now, if you need more details about each step, this website is for you. It includes all you need to learn Japanese online.

[tokidokitokyo]

about me

Hi, I'm toki (she/her)!

I've been studying Japanese for 10+ years (omg) and I've had this Japanese langblr since 2019. I learned Japanese formally starting in high school and although I've never taken the JLPT, I consider myself lower advanced level (N3/N2?) except when I'm not.

I post:

beginner to advanced level Japanese content * kanji * vocabulary * grammar * joyo kanji/kyoiku kanji * kotowaza kentei test * other content

photos of Japan (mine & others')

Japanese culture/fashion/art/illustrations

random personal thoughts

unrelated things

Please feel free to talk to me about Japanese (or not-Japanese) anytime! I will do my best to answer questions related to Japanese or point you to a resource that can help.

My Japanese goals:

be better at Japanese

teach my son Japanese (he is learning to talk)

improve my 敬語 (formal Japanese) all around

write more in Japanese and have my writing corrected

Personal stuff:

native English speaker

old enough to have a husband and a son (2020 pandemic baby)

full time working mama (adulting is hard)

my hobbies include raising my son and catering to the whims of my 3 cats

I like anime/manga/reading/movies/hiking/travel

I track #tokidokitokyo (and post original content under this tag) and I also track #looktoki

[madamepestilence]

Go Fund Gaza - Palestinians that have reached out to me

Don't have money to donate? Head over to arab.org/click-to-help, they'll convert every click you have into one Lebanese Lira, which are converted at a rate of 15 Lira to 1 USD donation regardless of the Lebanese economic crash and other economic exchange rate changes

I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies to the countless families whom I've been unable to help and were left not responded to in my inbox. I should've shared these months ago. I hope that sharing these now can at least help some.

Folks of Tumblr, some of these haven't received donations in months and/or have less than 1% fulfilled. If you have any funds to spare, donate at least something. Even just a single euro. Please.

If you want verification, I advise you find a different person to ask or reach out to people who have the energy and means to verify them. I'm not qualified to attempt that, and I'd rather be scammed than subject someone to genocide, especially given GoFundMe has a scam protection policy that refunds donators.

Please keep in mind that names/grammar may be slightly different in some places: some names anglicize multiple different ways (for instance, shonen being anglicized from Japanese) and English is a complicated second language.

Thank you in advance. I expect to see both the Arab.org Daily Clicks (I DO MONITOR THIS. WHY IS LESS THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF 0.05% OF THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES DOING THEM. 15000 PEOPLE ON AVERAGE? WHAT THE FUCK.) and donations go up.

I'll be posting these in threads of messages I've received at a time because there's a lot, and Tumblr doesn't care for posts with large quantities of links/@'s. 7 September 2024: Ahmed Khalil Tumblr: @ahmed0khalil GFM:

7 September 2024: Esraa Ayyad (with Maram Rafat) Tumblr: @esraayyad14 GFM:

7 September 2024: Muhammad Al-Sir Tumblr: @mohmadelser GFM:

7 September 2024: Ola Ahel Tumblr: @olagaza, @olagaza1, @olagaza2 GFM:

8 September 2024: Ahmad Salem Tumblr: @saveahmad2468 GFM:

8 September 2024: Ali Muqdad Tumblr: @alimeq92 GFM:

8 September 2024: Ahmed Al-Agha Tumblr: @ahmed-gaza12 GFM:

8 September 2024: Ahmed Zor Tumblr: @ahmedabuzuorfamily GFM:

8 September 2024: Jumana Hassan Tumblr: @mohmoud-j GFM:

9 September 2024: Noha Abed Tumblr: @nohabed GFM:

[shixhiro]

Tokito Muichiro x FEM reader !!

Series !!?!

Querencia

(n.) a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self

• Querencia is a metaphysical concept in the Spanish language. The term comes from the Spanish verb "querer," which means to want, to desire, and to love.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ in which two teenagers who hate one another and one's who suffer with problems will slowly fall for one another

Warnings? !:

This book will have mentions of the following below:

Abuse

Alcohol

Drugs

Smoking

Suicide

Self loathing

SA

And maybe other sensitive topics

If you are not comfortable with any of that this book might not be your cup of tea.

Before you go on, yes I am aware that tokito muichiro is a 14 year old boy so in this fic he will be aged up to the age of 17-16 but keep in mind they will not be any smut because I will not be comfortable of writing anything like that. There will be kissing, cuddling, flirting, dirty jokes and sexual tension but it will not escalate any further. Tokito Muichiro is a canon minor character so I will not be comfortable writing it obviously.

I planned this book with a friend @pasteriies so I will not be taking all credits for this fan fiction. I got inspired to do this fic by an author who I don't remember their tag but I was inspired by their book heartache. It's another tokito muichiro fan fiction I recommend to read but I assure you, my story will not have anything similar to theirs, at least I don't think so, maybe the similar in the dark theme but nothing else.

Female reader unfortunately, sorry to the male readers or nonbinary's and obviously modern au !!

Introducing our characters !!

L/N Y/N

The main female lead !!

Main love interest !!

Tokito Muichiro

The main male lead !!

Main love interest !!

My Original Characters !

(Mainly those who play a main role in the story. My friend helped me out so cr. m1zyuu)

Himari

One of Y/n's closest friends

Is known to be the sunshine of the group

Ichimura Haruka

One of Y/n's closest friends

The mother of the whole friend group

Aoyama Yuya

One of Y/n's closest friends

Known to be the star and cheerful one in the group

Lady Koshimizu

An old woman who sits at the park everyday for who knows what

People call her crazy for the things she says

Other Characters !!

Tokito Yuichiro

Twin brother of Tokito Muichiro

Kocho Shinobu

Homeroom teacher

Teaches art and math and other subjects

Kamado Tanjiro

A friend to Tokito Muichiro

Kamado Nezuko

A friend to L/n Y/n

Kocho Kanae

School guidance counselor!

Kanroji Mitsuri

English Language teacher

Kyojuro Rengoku

Japanese Language teacher

Iguro Obanai

Chemistry, Physics and AP Math teacher

Uzui Tengen

Physical Education teacher !!

Tomioka Giyu

Discipline teacher

Shinazugawa Sanemi

Engineering or Design and Technology teacher

And so on !!

I do not own any of the characters here, they all belong to Koyoharu Gotouge except for my original characters above and soon to come and y/n's personality trait.

I am still trying to improve my english so my use of vocabulary and grammar will not be advanced nor perfect as english is not my native tongue and it isn't my first language so please bare with me here. I promise you my English isn't bad it just needs a little reshaping

I do not tolerate plagiarism, this fic will be written in my tumblr account _shixhiro_ and my Wattpad account. If I see any of my fics being used in other platforms or other users you will be blocked but I don't mind taking inspirations just like I did with mine. I hope the author of the book I was inspired by doesn't mind that I was inspired to write a book of muichiro because of them. I assure you once more I was merely inspired and I will not be taking any of what you've written in your book !!

Reblogs appreciated !!

If you prefer to read it on Wattpad here is the link :

Taglist: (none yet)

[sadie-the-dragon-slayer]

Self / Independent Learner's Guide to Language Learning From Zero

-a mini study plan I used this for Spanish, French and Italian, it is my favourite way of starting to learn. It won't teach you the langauge but if this is your first time, if you feel confused and don't know where to begin, this is for you! -this is kinda romance langauge based but might give you ideas if you are learning from a different family too -this is very notebook / writing based since i prefer learning that way Step 1: Preperation

First of all, ask yourself "do i already have some amount of immersion in this langauge?" As humans, we learn from immersion a lot. Songs, but especially visual media is incredibly heplful. I never studied japanese but after watching a few animes i picked up 5-10 random words. Passive vocabulary, being familiar to most common words will be your biggest friend. If the answer is no, before start studying ANYTHING do some immersion. e.g. I watched dix pour cent for French and learned arrêt which means stop because characters were shouting to each other all the time.

After making sure you have some immersion or if you already have some, PREPARE YOUR RESOURCES. Make a file in your computer, reblog tumblr posts, save links. Search for pdfs in google. (x language a1 pdf / x langauge a1 grammar book / x language a1 reading) Free PDF's and and useful websites. The more the merrier. Why? Because when you actually start learning you will slowly realise them half of them are not actually useful, too advance, too simple, not in your preffered style etc. You will en up using same handful amount of resources again and again but before that, you have to TRY EVERYTHING. You are unique and so will be your learning process.

Google x language A1 curriculum. (you can try adding "pdf" at the end of sentence as well) It "probably/ hopefully" exists. If you can't find that way, learn which offical exam is necessary (e.g. for French it's DELF/DALF, in english there is IELTS and so many more) If you are lucky, you can find a langauge teaching enstitute's curriculum and you can find in what order they teach things. This was very helpful for me because sometimes you don't know what to study next, or just want to visualise what do you need to learn, it is helpful. I printed one out and paste it to the back cover of my notebook. You won't need this one YET. I'll explain in a second. Keep reading.

Get a notebook. I don't prefer books while learning from zero because it will be filled with vocabulary you don't know. My pereference is no squares no lines empty ass notebook and colorful pens. I'm a person of shitty doodles. I love to draw and visualise things. It really helps my brain. In A1, your knowledge is absouletly zero and your brain is about the explode with realising GREAT MASS of knowledge you need to learn in order to be "fluent" . So keep things away from being "too much" if you want to avoid a burnout.

Set a timer. If you want to avoid burnout, the secret is always quit when you feel like you can go another round happily. Quit when you are dopamine high. If you study too much, next day you'll wake up tired, want to rest etc. and make it harder for you to create a habit. I did this mistake with French by studying 4-5 hours everyday for around 30 days. I completed my challenge, completly quit and then didn't come back for MONTHS.

You will be re-studying A LOT. Language learning is repetition. You will start by studying "the A1 curriculum". But, because this is your first time your focus will be on the vocabulary and general comprehension. You are trying to re-wire your brain, and learn a different way of thinking and living. It's not easy. It will take time. It will be painful at times. But it is 100% worth it.

After you finished studying your curriculum, you'll take a short break and then study the curriculum AGAIN. For a second time. Because you already know the basics, this time you will be able to focus more on the little things you weren't able to comprehend the last time. e.g. articles or whatever little frustaring thing your langauge has. Also focus more on basic prononciation and especially reading aloud. Find a realistic text-to-reader. Copy-paste a text. Listen and repeat.

Get a new Youtube and Instagram account dedicated to langauge study. How many good resources exists and where they are is really depens on which langauge you are learning. For english, youtube is better. For French, instagram is better. You have to see for yourself. If you get a seperate account for your langauge algorith will learn faster and you won't be distracted by other stuff. Short form engaging videos are the best for absolute beginners. Re-watch things and try to repeat them out loud. It's called shadowing and is your future best friend.

If you want to learn how to speak, you first need to how to write. If you can't write sentences without looking at google translate (or reverso) you won't be able to make up sentences in your head. If you want to learn how to write, your first need to learn how to read. You need to start in this order but also don't be perfectionist. Do it even if you do it wrong. They will be fixed eventually and won't stick. Record yourself speaking even if the text you are reading is 90% google translated. Why? Beacuse speaking will enhance your vocabulary in a way no other thing can and that's the core of reading. So this isn't a linear thing. It's actually a circle!

Step Two! Ok, Sadie, i got my notebooks and read through all the warnings where do i start? *First page: [] means written is target langauge

[x notebook] x= your target langauge

Add something cute and make you feel happy to open up the notebook. It can a drawing, a picture, anything. First page is your entrance to your new home. Make it welcoming.

*[My name is X. I am Y years old. I live in Z.] *Greetings. Main articles if there are any. Yes, no, please, thank you. *What is your name, what do you do for living, how are you, where are you from, how old are you, how many langauges do you speak, numbers from 0-100. If there are multiple way of saying these things and probably there are, just write one. You will eventually learn others. Baby steps. *write a basic ass text of two people having a conversation asking and answering these questions.

*the alphabet and how to pronounce the letters. basic letter combinations that change into a different sound. a youtube video about this 100% exists.

*personal pronouns and if there is a "am/is/are" verb the conjugation of it. (in spanish there is two unfortunately) *artciles and basic noun endings. a couple exemples of nouns in x form but takes y article. *first 5 most common verbs. learn the conjugation, try writing basic ass sentences. (e.g. to come, go, have, speak)

*three more verbs (e.g. to eat, can, to want)

*take some time to fully comprehend. check your curriculum list to look and see if you want to add anything. e.g.for spanish that can be ser vs estar, for spanish is can be "how to ask questions in french" becaue it's way harder compared to other langauges.

*take some break from grammar and learn some vocab maybe. it can be colors, or feelings. (i am sad, i am hungry etc.)

*start studying most common verbs. usually a form of categorization exists. usually it's verb ending. (unless it's a language like turkish where every verb either ends with -mek or -mak lol.) Start with 10- 15 most common verbs. You will also be learning some vocabulary by default. (try to stick to regular verbs if you can, if not that's fine) (Do not learn any verbs you won't be able to use immediately.)

*Learn basic adjectives and how they work so you can form more detailed sentences.

*After comprehending how to form basic positive negative sentences and some verbs, congratulate yourself, because you deserve it! *Learn how tell time. "What time is it? It's x'o clock."

*learn clothing and how to simply describe physical look e.g. hair color, eye color, beard, glasses...

*learn the verbs of daily routine. be able to write a generic ass "i wake up, i do breakfast, i eat lunch at school, i sleep" sort of text.

*demonstratives. this that. these. those. you can add some vocabulary you like. this is a cat. this is a tree. you can add placement adjectives now or later. (the cat is under the sofa. the bird is on the table etc.)

*Now you know a lot of things! Take some time and focus a bit more on the vocab, let your brain process things, do some passive immersion. avoid a burnout at all costs. *learn how to say "there is" (if you want more vocab transportation and city centre themes can be included.) *learn how to talk about your hobbies. This is the generic A1 curriuculum. You are able to understand basic things, you have a generic comprehension. That's all it takes to be considered A1. If you want to pass it though, what you need is a good grammar source. For French and Spanish Kwiziq was very useful. I couldn't find a good online grammar resource for Italian yet. (please ask more experienced langblrs for recs.) Slowly learn more vocab (since A1 is more vocab based. If you hate Anki and Quizlet stuff check Linguno. Actually check Linguno anyway it's a banger and i'm gonna die on that hill.)

If you don't have have native friend to ask questiones and you don't have any ethical concerns ChatGPT can be useful. I'm using it for French for months. Why are we using this particle here, why this and not that, can you give me some example sentences.... you can play guess the animal, ask for writing prompts and then make ChatGpt find and explain your mistakes to you. It's very handy.

*Don't be scared to share about your journey on Tumblr and most importantly ENJOY!

[maziijapanese]

Complete guide to self-studying Japanese

Learning Japanese on your own can be a rewarding experience with the right resources. Here's a comprehensive guide to various methods and materials that can help you effectively self-study Japanese.

Self-study Japanese through textbooks and guides Textbooks and guides are the backbone of structured language learning. They provide comprehensive coverage of grammar, vocabulary, and kanji, ensuring a solid foundation. The "Genki" series is highly regarded for beginners, offering thorough explanations, engaging exercises, and accompanying audio CDs to practice listening and pronunciation. Another excellent resource is "Japanese for Busy People," perfect for those with limited time, focusing on practical conversation skills and essential vocabulary. Additionally, "Minna no Nihongo" offers an immersive experience by using only Japanese, pushing learners to think in the language from the start.

Self-study Japanese through videos Videos are an invaluable resource for enhancing listening skills and understanding pronunciation nuances. YouTube channels such as "JapanesePod101" and "Learn Japanese from Zero" provide free lessons ranging from beginner to advanced levels, covering grammar, vocabulary, and cultural insights. Additionally, watching anime like "My Neighbor Totoro" or dramas such as "Terrace House" with subtitles helps learners get accustomed to natural speech patterns and everyday expressions. For music lovers, listening to Japanese songs like those by J-pop artists such as Hikaru Utada or Arashi can also improve language skills and pronunciation.

Self-study Japanese online The digital age has revolutionized language learning, and Japanese is no exception. A plethora of online resources are readily available to cater to diverse learning styles. Interactive platforms and engaging apps offer personalized experiences, allowing learners to focus on specific language skills and track their progress efficiently. From mastering grammar to honing pronunciation and expanding vocabulary, these digital tools provide flexibility and convenience for self-paced study.

Self-study Japanese through exam preparation For those aiming to certify their proficiency, preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is crucial. Resources like the "Nihongo So-matome" and "Shin Kanzen Master" series offer focused practice across all JLPT levels, including grammar, reading, and listening exercises. Additionally, websites like "JLPT Sensei" provide practice tests and tips to help learners gauge their readiness and identify areas for improvement. Self-studying Japanese can be a fulfilling journey with the right resources. By utilizing textbooks, video lessons, online tools, and exam prep materials, you can develop a well-rounded understanding of the language. Remember, consistency and practice are key to mastering Japanese, so make use of these resources to enhance your learning experience.

[aliceslanguagediaries]

❁My favourite Japanese YouTube channels for advanced learners ❁

(Part one because tumblr is showing glitches when I try and edit further)

1.

Their JLPT lives and classes have saved my life on many occasions! When I started watching their videos they had only N3-N1 lessons taught in Japanese, but I believe they now also have N4 lessons in English. I also like their お金になるJLPT series a lot!

2.

Their N2 kanji playlist is the best I’ve seen on YouTube!

3.

I mentioned her podcast in the previous post, but she also has a lot of grammar and vocabulary lessons posted

4.

Her keigo and business Japanese playlists are really helpful, I always watch them when I need to brush up on it!

5.

The N1 grammar playlist is a lifesaver and covers everything

6.

Her vocabulary videos are really useful, I also love how she covers a lot in every lesson. Her vlogs using N1 vocab are great too!

7.

I will probably make a whole post on their 3 rules of onomatopoeia video because it has saved my life for JLPT, I’m now able to guess the answer based on these rules even if I have never seen the word before (and I used to struggle with onomatopoeia a lot)

8.

I love her conversation videos and vlogs! Probably suitable for intermediate learners too

9.

Amazing for kanji, especially if you’re also learning to write them!

10.

Also really helpful for JLPT preparation!

Please let me know in the comments if you know any others :)

[indigostudies]

What are those apps you usually post in your productivity updates?

hi! here's a breakdown of apps i use, as well as websites and other resources i've used/use for my learning (mainly chinese, though some of these resources can be used for other languages as well).

apps i use every day:

dot languages: this is a chinese-specific app where you select your hsk level, and then read articles at that level. there's a pop-up dictionary, an option to show pinyin, post-article vocab practice (audio, matching, translation, and writing), and the option to have your articles either in simplified or traditional.

TOFU learn: a blend between flashcards and writing, you can find decks for various things, including hsk level-specific decks, and you learn new vocab with the stroke order and then write each new term three times—once with an overlay (so the term is visible), and then two times from memory. there's also a review function, which helps you practice terms you've already learnt, and each term has audio that goes with it. i use it for chinese, but there's decks for esperanto, french, german, italian, japanese, korean, norweigian, portuguese, russian, spanish, swedish, and turkish.

the pleco dictionary app: my favourite chinese dictionary app; allows you to translate from english to chinese or chinese to english, has options for writing, radical, vocal, and keyboard entry, and has both traditional and simplified characters.

ankiapp: this one's not particularly complicated; it's a flashcard app, where you can make your own decks or download decks other people have made. it uses a spaced repetition system to help you remember terms—you rate yourself from worst to best on how well you remembered the term, and that determines how many times it'll pop up afterwards. it also gives you an overall grade for each deck, which is a nice way to measure your progress.

duolingo: probably my least favourite of all of the apps i use; the chinese course isn't the best, and now that they've removed the notes/grammar information option, there's no way for people who aren't already fairly familiar with the language and its inner workings to learn them if they exclusively use duolingo. it's okay for maintenance practice, though, but i'm already almost finished with the entire course and i would say it barely reaches to lower hsk 4, so i wouldn't say it's a good tool if you're more advanced.

apps i have but use less often:

readibu: this is sort of like dot in that it's an app for reading in chinese with a pop-up dictionary. however, that's where the similarities end; readibu has novels, short stories, and articles aimed at children, and each of those are further split into genres. readibu also lets you add your own web-pages and read them on the app, so you can use its pop-up dictionary with them. it's aimed more to intermediate and upper intermediate learners, with hsk levels ranging from hsk 4 to hsk 6. the only reason i rate dot above readibu is because dot has a larger range of levels (hsk 1 through hsk 6 i believe? but it may go higher) and exercises built in to help you learn the vocab.

the chairman's bao: also a chinese reading app, though if you use the free version, you only get one sample article per hsk level (hsk 1 - hsk 6). i believe that every so often you get a new sample article for each level, but i'm not sure what the interval on that is. it also has a pop-up dictionary and a flashcard option for saved vocab.

du chinese: another chinese reading app; it has articles divided into newbie through master (six levels in total, though they don't line up perfectly with the hsk in my experience), and new articles are free for a certain period of time before becoming locked behind a paywall. there's a pop-up dictionary and a vocab review/test option for vocab you save.

memrise: flashcards with audio, depending on whether you're using an official course or a user-generated deck. decent, but it can get repetitive.

hellotalk: not exclusively chinese, but i believe it started off mainly aimed that way. you set your language, and then your target language, and then you can talk to native speakers who have your language as their target language. potentially incredibly useful, but if you're like me and extremely introverted you may have a hard time using this app, since it requires a lot of one-on-one interaction.

slowly: i haven't actually gotten around to using this, but it's sort of like a digital penpal app, as i understand it. you can learn more about it here.

websites and other miscellanea:

this massive mega drive by @salvadorbonaparte (languages, linguistics, translation studies, and more).

this masterpost by @loveletter2you (linguistics, languages, and language learning books/textbooks).

this masterpost on chinese minority literature by @zaobitouguang

the integrated chinese textbooks by cheng and tsui, which are the textbooks i use for self-study—there's textbooks and workbooks, as well as character workbooks (though these can easily be cut out without suffering from the loss).

mandarinbean: graded readers, hsk 1 - hsk 6, with a pop-up dictionary and the option to read in traditional or simplified

chinese reading practice: reading, beginner through advanced (three levels), with a pop-up dictionary and some additional notes included on vocab and language-specific things non-native speakers might struggle with or not know.

hsk reading: graded readers, hsk 1 - hsk 6, divided into three sections (beginner, intermediate, advanced). does not have a pop-up dictionary, but does have an option to translate the text, post-reading quizzes, and notes on important vocab with example sentences.

my chinese reading: reading from beginner to advanced (four levels); has a pop-up dictionary, the option to play an audio recording of the passage you're reading, notes on key words, things that are difficult to translate, grammar, and post-reading comprehension questions.

the heavenly path notion website, which i would say is one of the best resources i've ever found, with a massive number of guides, lists of chinese media in a variety of forms, and general resources.

chinese character stroke order dictionary: what it says on the tin; will show you the stroke order for a given character.

hanzigrids: allows you to generate your own character worksheets. i use this very frequently, and can recommend it. the only downside is if you want to create multiple pages at once, you have to pay; however this can easily be circumnavigated by creating only one sheet at a time. you can download the sheet as a pdf and print it out for personal use.

21st century chinese poety: a resource i only came across recently; has a massive collection of contemporary chinese poetry, including translations; much more approachable than classical poetry, which can often be incredibly dense and hard to parse due to the writing style.

zhongwen pop-up dictionary: if you're reading something in chinese on a website that doesn't have a pop-up dictionary, this is a must. i've never encountered any words that it doesn't have a translation for so far, including colloquialisms/slang. i use it to read webnovels, and it's been a fantastic tool. you can also save vocab by hitting the r key when you're hovering over a word/phrase, making it easy to go back and add terms to your flashcard deck(s).

chinese reading world: a website put together by the university of iowa; split into three levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), with thirty units per level, and ten modules per unit, as well as multiple proficiency tests per level. each module is split into three parts: a pre-reading vocab quiz, the reading with a number of comprehension questions based on it, and a post-vocab reading quiz. it also rates you in relation to someone with a native proficiency based on how quickly you read and answer the comprehension questions, and how many vocab questions you get right.

jiaoyu baike: an extensive chinese-to-chinese dictionary, put out by the taiwanese ministry of education. you can find an extensive write-up on it here, by @linghxr.

social media etc: see this post by @rongzhi.

qianpian: another chinese-to-chinese dictionary; @ruhua-langblr has a write-up on it here.

this writeup on zero to hero by @meichenxi; initially aimed at chinese learning, but now has expanded greatly.

music rec's: this masterpost by @linghxr.

tv/film: youtube is a great place to find chinese tv shows and films, and they often have english subtitles. if you can't find something on there, though, you can probably find it either on iqiyi or asianvote, which have both chinese and other asian shows and films (though you'll want an adblock if you're going to use the latter). i use these a lot to watch things, and have discovered a lot of media through these, and then novels through those when i went searching to see what they were adapted from.

polylogger: a website for logging the amount of time/type of language study you do. has a wide variety of languages, and the option to follow other people. still, it's a fairly basic site.

[joannerowling]

Hi, fellow RadFem here.

This is kinda irrelevant, but years ago I started reading the first Harry Potter book in Japanese (I majored in Japanese in college, and I was curious about how it was translated).

Around that time, I talked to my favorite Japanese professor about it, and asked her about some of the grammar used in the poem (?) outside Gringott's Bank.

She told me that when she first moved to America, she had tried reading the book in English but found it too difficult. For some reason she was convinced that the books are too difficult for children to read, and didn't believe me when I told her that my classmates were reading the books when I was in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.

It was so weird. My prof insisted that they either "didn't really understand them" or that their parents actually read the books to them at home. The prose in the books (especially the early ones) isn't that difficult for a native English speaker to read, kids in the 90's and early 2000's knew how to use dictionaries, and there's always kids who have more advanced reading levels.

First of all: kudos for learning Japanese. I love the sound of it but it sounds so complicated. 😭

Honestly, since idk Japanese (and never will.), i can't tell if it's a her issue or maybe the translation makes the Japanese version feel that way? But anyway, i read all the books by myself from age 7 to 14 without problem. GoF did scare me a lot, but that's about the only thing of note. Re-reading them as an adult did feel different but not in a "oh i got that now!" sense. More in a "oh my god THESE ARE CHILDREN" sense. I think i understood things about it (in terms of immersion) that i would struggle more with today tbh.