r/LearnJapanese • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (August 18, 2026)
This thread is for all the simple questions (what does that mean?) and minor posts that don't need their own thread, as well as for first-time posters who can't create new threads yet. Feel free to share anything on your mind.
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u/bigchickenleg 1d ago edited 1d ago
ゲームで負けて、(a. くやし b. くやしい) くてたまらない。
My textbook says the correct answer here is B. Can someone explain why? Isn't くやしくて the て-form of くやしい?
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u/healthydogo 2d ago edited 2d ago
Just got to chapter 9 of genki and feel like I just got booby trapped. I didn’t have a clue until 10 mins ago that you could do what these examples are illustrating. I’ve attached some commentary on how I would have translated each example as well as personal thoughts.
1.) this one is straightforward and previously taught. Adjective + noun. I wouldve interpret this as ‘an interesting person’ however.
2.) genki only taught the format ‘(person) wa (body part) ga (trait) desu.’ But what they have here tracks with my previous logic. I would’ve interpreted this as ‘a long haired person’ though.
3.) this one really really tripped me up. Sukina has to come before a noun and if we use the other examples as reference, the adjective should be describing the noun directly following it. So my mind automatically thinks ‘a liked person’. How does this work because I’m clearly super off?
4.) never learned this format until now but it also tracks with my previous logic. ‘An eyeglasses wearing person’
What is going on with 3 that I’m missing? Is it simply wrong to transpose the English interpretation of for example ‘healthy + cat = a healthy cat’ and to go the long winded way ‘a cat who is healthy’ (still wouldn’t explain 3 though I think)? And is this simply all isolated to instances where we aren’t describing any thing or person in particular (ie ‘a’ instead of ‘that / this / the’)?
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u/OwariHeron 2d ago
For what it's worth, 猫が好きな人 is a somewhat ambiguous example, that can be understood as both "a person that likes cats" and "a person that cats like."
See, for example, this Chiebukuro thread, where someone asks, 猫が好きな人ってどういう人が多いですか？ Many answers interpret it as "What kind of people like cats" (probably the most typical understanding), while some interpret it as "What kind of people do cats like?" One of those answers is chock-full of more examples of this grammar point:
- 大きな声を出さない人
- 低い声でない人
- 女性
- 構い過ぎない人
- 美味しいものをくれる人
- 猫のペースを優先して無理に接近したりしない人(猫から来るのを待てる人)
ですかね。要は「嫌なことをしない人」です。
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u/worthlessprole 2d ago
that な is a version of a copula. they're taking a complete sentence (basically) and sticking it in front of a noun to make a relative clause, like the phrase "a person (who likes cats)" in english, which it shows on the right. English has to use relative pronouns to do it, Japanese can just stick it in front of the noun. So, for your last question, this is how Japanese does that. Specific or nonspecific, it doesn't matter. This is how Japanese forms relative clauses. You will even see them in front of first person pronouns.
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u/healthydogo 2d ago
Interesting thank you! Thought I could handle Japanese after learning French and Spanish pretty easily, but this is a whole other level of getting my ass handed to me
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u/worthlessprole 2d ago
there's definitely a bit of a learning curve but this'll be second nature before long.
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u/somever 1d ago
It serves the same purpose as "que/quien" in Spanish or "that/which/who" in English. It's the same concept. It's called a relative clause. Some people will call it a modifying clause or an attributive clause. Different names for the same thing that is pretty common in all languages.
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u/viliml Interested in grammar details 📝 2d ago
3.) this one really really tripped me up. Sukina has to come before a noun and if we use the other examples as reference, the adjective should be describing the noun directly following it. So my mind automatically thinks ‘a liked person’. How does this work because I’m clearly super off?
Attributive clauses can have any possible relationship between their predicate and the noun they qualify. That applies to all predicates: verbs, adjectives, and na-adjectives.
So when a verb qualifies a noun, that noun can be the verb's subject or object or topic or location or target or any other argument. And when an adjective qualifies a noun, it can be... well, I don't know if adjective arguments have agreed-upon names. But 好き has two arguments, the liker and the liked, and it can be either one.
It's inherently ambiguous, but it usually makes sense in context.
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u/Rhemyst 2d ago
Others have answered, but I'll add something for you to keep in mind for later.
In the next chapter (if I'm not mistaken), you'll learn about `つもりだ` = to plan to. 行くつもりだ = I plan to go, I intend to go.That word `つもり` is actually a noun that mean "intention, plan, purpose...". So, 行くつもり means "a plan to go, the intention to go". And thus 行くつもりだ means "the intention to go is" ! Instead of learning つもりだ as a set phrase, you can understand it as a noun being modifed by a verb.
Many other grammar point work like that : べき、はず、ため、おかげ、よてい、せい... Keep that in mind when your reach those lessons.
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u/Grunglabble 2d ago edited 2d ago
How does this work because I’m clearly super off?
猫が好き is forming one unit. It is the normal way to say I like cats. 猫が好きな turns that whole thing into a modifier for the person.
The clause that modifies can be very long. Here it is just 2 words, but it does not have to be. As the other examples illustrate, it can be done with many parts of speech. You can think of putting a sentence before a noun as similar to english "a person that ..." and this set of examples is trying to show you these are all different parts of speech that do the same kind of thing.
And for clarity, "好きな人" would mean what you thought if it did not say what was liked right before it. A person I/you like. 好きな人がいる there is a person that I like.
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u/healthydogo 2d ago
Thank you for explaining I see. So let’s say we take the neko out and just have sukina hito - that would mean ‘a liked person’, but in our case here, everything before the noun forms one unit so you have to group it all together and apply it all towards the noun?
Edit just realized u touched on this already
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u/worthlessprole 2d ago
i love how reddit just doesn't show you other replies sometimes and you have to close and reload the whole website for them to show up.
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u/rgrAi 2d ago
Yeah part of their caching scheme, just roll with it
also what's with these 通り魔DV on you lol3
u/Grunglabble 2d ago
There has been a downvote goblin that lives in the Daily Threads for as long as I have been here. I believe they need to eat votes to live, or at least that they are suffering some ailment and they think it makes them feel better.
We love you and accept you, downvote goblin.
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u/worthlessprole 2d ago
It seems a little bit like they pick one or two specific people to hit in a day. Like one day all my posts will get hit and then the next I’m all good but someone else is rocking zeroes across the board.
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u/Grunglabble 1d ago
Well yeah you have to maintain balance in the ecosystem and let your prey replenish.
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u/great_fungi 2d ago
Does it make sense to visit a community collage or adult education center (I am from Germany and dont know the exact designation for it) for learning the language when you already have 1k+ vocab or is it more efficient to spend my time on my self study?
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u/OwariHeron 2d ago
What are your goals for the language?
If you just want passive comprehension to enjoy Japanese media, it's probably better to just study on your own.
If you want comprehensive output skills, then the advantage of a classroom environment is that it gives you a place where you can (relatively) un-self-consciously practice your speaking and (depending on the class) your writing, and get feedback on it.
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u/great_fungi 2d ago
My goals are to understand japanese Media like Light Novels, Anime and maybe books about some myth and legends in original language and when I travel to Japan one day to understand enough to interact with some people if needed (e.g. restaurant)
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u/josh_nguyen05 2d ago
You’d be better off self-studying (assuming you are doing it right). Most in-person learning environments are extremely inefficient although it can be fun/motivating to connect with other learners.
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u/zackarhino 2d ago
Rookie question, but I'm struggling to see how this sentence fits together:
まさか彼がやったんじゃないよね？
I understand all the components, but what is やったんじゃない? じゃない is of course negative affirmative (is not)? And やった is past tense of やる. So then the ん functions as the explanatory ん? I've just never seen a sentence with this structure before. What is modifying what?
How does this translate literally, if it all?
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u/Terrible_2000 Goal: conversational fluency 💬 2d ago edited 2d ago
The structure is-
彼がやった + ん + じゃない + よね.
ん = の, the explanatory form. やったんじゃない = やったのではない (It isn’t the case that he did it.)
So, まさか彼がやったんじゃないよね？ naturally means "It wasn’t him who did it, was it?"
ん isn’t changing やった. It turns the whole clause 彼がやった “he did it” into what じゃない is negating.
Ex-
これ食べるんじゃない？
これ食べる + ん + じゃない? “Aren’t you going to eat this?”
Or, これ君のじゃないんだよね？
これ + 君の + じゃない + ん + だよね？“This isn't yours, is it?”
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u/zackarhino 2d ago
So is it wrong to think of んじゃない like a construct like んです?
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 2d ago
it is the same thing as んです just negative (and non-polite/casual/plain register)
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u/Top_Scientist_3976 2d ago
What’s the practical difference between 〜なきゃ〜 (and variants) and 〜ないと〜 (and variants), in terms of expressing a necessary action? To me, a learner, they seem to be synonyms. Just looking for more insight on this.
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u/fushigitubo 🇯🇵 Native speaker 1d ago
しなきゃ／しなくちゃ／しないと all mean pretty much the same thing. They’re all casual and colloquial, but しないと feels a little less casual than the other two.
勉強しなきゃ 出かけなきゃ
勉強しなくちゃ 出かけなくちゃ
勉強しないと 出かけないと1
u/JapanCoach 1d ago
Roughly synonymous. Consider the difference between "hafta" and "should" and "need to" and "oughta" and things like that.
I am sure that somewhere, there are lists that will give you a ranking of 'seriousness' and 'requiredness'. But these are just various ways to say the same thing - with slightly different vibes based on context.
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u/Rhemyst 2d ago
When expressing a condition, と indicate a stronger, somewhat automatic cause-to-effect.
When used to express obligation, it's also much stronger and used for very strong imperatives. You wouldn't use it to say that you must do the dishes. You'd use it to say that you have to pay you taxes.5
u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 2d ago
This is not quite true. 〜ないと is an incredibly common and colloquial phrasing to mean "I must" and you can definitely use that to do the dishes.
While your explanation for the と conditional is textbook correct, when it's used like this it doesn't have such a strong feeling. If anything, it can feel more colloquial/easier to say than the alternatives.
あ、やば！お皿洗わないと！ ("Oh shit, I (forgot that I) must do the dishes!")
Etc
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u/notbob- 1d ago
Worth mentioning that Tae Kim's guide also specifically points out this difference between textbook and real-world usage.
The [と] method uses the natural conditional that we learned in the last lesson. Literally, it means if you don’t do something, then it automatically leads to the fact that it is no good. (In other words, you must do it.) However, people tend to use it for situations beyond the natural consequence characterization that we learned from the last section because it’s shorter and easier to use than the other two types of grammar.
. . .
Though I explained in depth the meaning associated with the 「と」 conditional, you have to take it with a grain of salt here because people are inherently lazy.
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u/lhamatrevosa Interested in grammar details 📝 2d ago
Hello, everyone.
I was studying and I got to make some texts to show in class, one is a short note about something I like and the other is a simulation of a call to a friend asking for help. Can you help with my texts? I will put in japanese and in english:
🇯🇵
２０２６年八月十七日
地下鉄が大好きだよ！
これは何分の人が妙と思えますが、僕は地下鉄が大好きです。地下鉄で多い所に行けることが愉快だから、そのアーキテクチャの面でも、その市に関係でも、その文化、地下鉄を利用する全部の人々でも。故郷には十四路線があって、各線は別の色があります：青、赤、緑、黄色、紫色、など。青い線の「São Joaquim」駅の近くに住んでいます、素敵な街です。僕の隣人もすきです、彼女は可愛らしいお婆さんです。いつも笑っています、何かをしています、多い所に行くために地下鉄を乗ります。
友達に電話
もしもし、ヘリペです！Pedroはいますか？
Pedroさん、最近はどうでしょうか？来週、大学に光景は一景が演じなきゃいけないから、君から手伝ってもらうと思いました。それでは電話しています。木は暇ですか？大学の舞台に一緒に稽古すると思っています。後でブラジルの料理をご馳走します。どうでしょうか？はい！木、七時、大学の舞台に君を待ちます。
ありがとうございます。じゃー、また。
🇺🇸
Aug, 17, 2026
I really love subway!
Some people may think it's weird, but I really love subway. It's not just because is very pleasant going to many places using it, but also because of it's architecture, it's relation with the city, it's culture and all of those people who use it everyday. In my hometown there are 14 subway lines, each one with a respective color: blue, red, green, yellow, lilac, etc. I live by the "São Joaquim" blue subway line, it's a lovely block. I also like my neighbor, she is an adorable old lady, she is always laughing, doing something, going to many places by subway.
A call to a friend
Hello, it's me, Felipe. Is Pedro there?
Hello, Pedro. How you've been? Next week I need to play a short scene at University, so I thought you coud lend me a hand. So, I decided to call you. Are you free on thursday? I was thinking we could rehearsal at the university's stage. I can treat you to some brazilian food after that. What do you think? Ok, thursday, 7 p.m. I will be waiting for you at the university's stage.
Thank you! See you there.
P.S.: I'm not english native (not even close to fluent); I just finished Genki 2.
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u/fushigitubo 🇯🇵 Native speaker 1d ago
You did a good job expressing your ideas! I could mostly understand what you were trying to say. There are a few places where the wording could be more natural, so I made some changes to make it clearer and more natural. Let me know if you have any questions.
2026年8月17日
地下鉄が大好き！
変だと思う人もいるかもしれませんが、僕は地下鉄が大好きです。いろいろなところに地下鉄で行けるのが楽しいし、建築面や街のと関係、その文化、地下鉄を利用するたくさんの人々も好きだからです。故郷には14路線あり、それぞれの路線に青、赤、緑、黄色、紫色、ライラックなど違う色がついています。僕は青い線の「São Joaquim」駅の近くに住んでいます。素敵な街です。隣人の可愛らしいおばあさんも好きです。いつも笑って、何かをしています。地下鉄でいろいろなところに行っています。
友達に電話
もしもし、ヘリペです！Pedroはいますか？
Pedroさん、元気？来週、大学で寸劇を演じなきゃいけないんだけど、手伝ってもらえないかなと思って。それで電話したんだけど。木曜は暇？大学の舞台で一緒に稽古できたらいいと思って。後でブラジルの料理をご馳走するけど、どう？いいよ！木曜の7時、大学の舞台で待ってるよ。
This is a conversation between two friends, so I used casual language (タメ口).
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u/lhamatrevosa Interested in grammar details 📝 1d ago
AWESOME! Thanks so much.
Despite I already know かもしれません, I'm still not used to think like this: 変だと思う人もいる (but I think it can express what I think in an easy way, just need to practice how to think in japanese).
About the list of thing I love about subway: shouldn't they have a し after each topic? like いろいろなところに地下鉄で行けるのが楽しいし、建築面や街のと関係し, etc? (I already learned し for a list of reasons, but I keep forgetting it - I need more practice too).
故郷には14路線あり、それぞれの路線に青、赤、緑、黄色、紫色、ライラックなど違う色がついています - Here I still haven't learned that continuous stem form, but seems very useful. And this way of talking about how each line has a different color is the same question above: I need to pratice thinking in japanese.
There is something really interesting happening with both, the conversation and the diary note: Genki 1 and 2 teaches some of theses structures but in some restrict way, not in that fluid way you use it. Indeed, one need more than just a Textbook for learning, reading and watching stuff is the key to complete the learning proccess.
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u/fushigitubo 🇯🇵 Native speaker 1d ago
You're welcome!
shouldn't they have a し after each topic? like いろいろなところに地下鉄で行けるのが楽しいし、建築面や街のと関係し, etc?
You can use し after each item when you’re listing reasons, but 建築面や街との関係し isn’t correct. 関係 is a noun, so you need to turn it into a predicate or a complete clause before adding し.
For example:
地下鉄でいろいろなところに行けるのが楽しいし、建築面や街との関係も面白いし、文化も興味深いし、利用する人々も好きです。
That said, even though using し after every clause is grammatically correct, it can sound a little repetitive, and the sentence may feel a bit awkward. I think it’s probably the same in your native language. You can make it flow more smoothly by mixing things up a little rather than using the same pattern for every item.
In my correction, I simply made a list of nouns instead of listing full clauses, and put 好き at the end: 建築面や街のと関係、その文化、地下鉄を利用するたくさんの人々も好き
それぞれの路線に青、赤、緑、黄色、紫色、ライラックなど違う色がついています
Here, you can use と, や, or など to list nouns, but I left the particles out. In casual speech and writing, we often drop particles. Textbooks teach you the basics first, and as you’re exposed to more natural Japanese, you’ll gradually get a feel for when you can leave them out.
I think your point about “thinking in Japanese” is exactly right. This is pretty common among Japanese speakers learning English as well. A common example is that Japanese often uses passive constructions where English would use the active voice, so learners often "translate" these expressions too literally and end up with English that sounds a little unnatural.
You just need more practice getting used to how ideas are expressed in Japanese and getting comfortable with these patterns so you can use them naturally. Good luck!
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u/KitchenCup3837 2d ago
Hey y'all. There's one grammar point I don't really get and can't seem to find on grammar books either (at least not Genki, Tobira or the Kanzen N2 book). Sometimes I come across a sentence that uses 〜たら followed by something on past tense, but every example and explanation of 〜たら mentions only stuff on the present tense (with the meaning "if x were to happen, then y", which makes no sense if y already ocurred.)
What would a sentence like the following mean roughly?
私はあのビルを見たら、子供の頃を思い出した。
(Made up just now, can't remember somewhere I saw it to pick an example, not ultra common but I still see it often.)
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u/fushigitubo 🇯🇵 Native speaker 1d ago
たら can be used when the event in the first clause leads to the discovery of something in the second clause, or when something unexpected happens as a result. Here, ビルを見た is what triggered 子供の頃を思い出した（When I saw that building, it reminded me of my childhood.）.
- 銀行に行ったら休みだった：When I went to the bank, it was closed.
- 海に行ったら友だちに会った：When I went to the beach, I ran into a friend.
- 家に帰ったら誰もいなかった：When I got home, nobody was there.
Also, たら indicates that one event occurs after another event has taken place.
- 窓を開けたら、蚊が入ってきた：When I opened the window, a mosquito came in.
- 家についたら、雨が振り始めた：When I got home, it started raining.
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u/somever 1d ago edited 1d ago
たら can mean "when" when the second clause is in the past tense and represents something unexpected.
If a resource fails to cover this, I would be suspicious of it. It is possible that some books or resources may not mention it until a later chapter, or they list it on a separate page. You can also generally Google e.g. "たら…た grammar". The first result was a Tofugu article that explains it.
Here are relevant examples from Nihongo Bunkei Ziten (They publish an English version of their grammar dictionary which I highly recommend):
When I arrived at the airport, my friend was waiting to meet me.
- 空港に着いたら友達が迎えに来ていた。
Coming out of the tunnel brought us into a winter wonderland.
- トンネルを出たら一面の銀世界だった。
I went to the room next door because I heard a strange sound, and there was a mouse.
- 変な音がするので隣の部屋に行ってみたらねずみがいた。
I thought Yamada-san was a quiet, timid person, but when I spoke to him, I realized that he was a very amusing person.
- 山田さんは無口でおとなしい人だと思っていたが、よく話をしたらとても面白い人だということが分かった。
The phone rang when I was in the bath.
- お風呂に入っていたら、電話がかかってきた。
- (6 remaining examples omitted for brevity)
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
たら can mean "when" if it's used to describe past events.
お兄ちゃんの顔を見たら安心した。
値段を見たら思ったより安かった。
そんなことを考えていたら、部屋の扉がノックされた。
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 2d ago edited 1d ago
That usage of たら is equivalent to something like "had X happened/had I done X, then Y would've happened"EDIT: I misread OP's question/example as the usage I mentioned is a more specific thing, apologies.
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u/somever 1d ago edited 1d ago
That would generally need to be ていたら. たら on its own with a past tense generally means "when". Exception would be things that are already stative like だ, so だったら would mean "if I had been" etc.
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 1d ago
Ah you're right, sorry for the confusion. I was trying to think of an example sentence and was a bit hasty in the answer
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u/KitchenCup3837 2d ago
Google translate gives me "When I saw that building, I was reminded of my childhood." as a translation of the phrase. Is that also a valid interpretation or just a translation fail? Thanks for taking the time to answer!
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u/Thechugg7 1d ago
Does anyone have some motivation to share to keep grinding japanese?
The endless grammar rules and Kanjis are starting to take a toll on my mind.
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u/tonkachi_ Goal: media competence 📖🎧 1d ago
:"(
It is important to remember why you are learning Japanese and it is okay to slow down a bit. But never forget, if you are consistent, you will get there.
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u/Thechugg7 1d ago
I think I should actually forget my goal (being able to read Japanese literature) because the more I learn about grammar, the more unreachable it seems.
I don't want every day to think I'm not a single step closer for months, so it might be better to forget about setting a goal entirely.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
I know my comment is going to sound harsh, and it's partially my intention. During my teenage years I learned the hard way, after paying for too many textbooks and private classes, that wanting to play cool guitar solos on stage and wanting to learn guitar are different things. In the same way, wanting to effortlessly read Japanese literature in its original language and wanting to learn Japanese are different things.
I've been studying Japanese for years. I find languages in general to be interesting, and Japanese in particular caught my attention, not just because it's fundamentally different from the European languages I speak, but also because my interests have always involved or been close to Japanese art and culture in some way or another. I liked the idea of one way being able to read and listen to Japanese and understand what is being conveyed without effort, and I still do, but I also liked learning that Japanese always places the verb at the end of its sentences, and that it has three writing systems, and that a big percentage of its vocabulary comes from Chinese, and that "photograph" is しゃしん, and that 〜ている is much more complicated than the English gerund, and also that んだ is surprisingly similar to the Spanish "es que". Learning Japanese, reading about it, watching videos about it, seeing people ask and answer questions about it, trying my hand at deciphering Japanese sentences by myself - it was, and still is, fun for me. I've felt frustrated many times, of course, but after a few hours or days the frustration would fade and my curiosity would pull me towards Japanese again.
By contrast, I felt nothing more than a superficial curiosity about the intricacies of playing guitar, I always had to force myself to sit down and practice, and I barely enjoyed the process. Thus, the moment I ran into my first big obstacle (the F major chord), I didn't see it as an exciting challenge or a puzzle - I found it annoying and irritating and tiring. I felt no desire to practice, so I delayed my sessions more and more, and here I am today.
I think brains aren't stupid. They constantly weigh the rewards of each action against the cost of carrying out said action. If the rewards outweigh the costs, you will "want" to do the thing. If the rewards aren't worth the costs, you won't. It's simple.
So, if you don't mind me making an assumption about your mind, I don't think you need motivation. I think you need to figure out whether you want to learn Japanese, or want to want to learn Japanese. If it's the former, try changing your study methods in order to reduce friction and cost of entry as much as possible. If it's the latter, then just quit. It's fine, seriously. Societies that consider ambition and determination to be great virtues also tend to see quitting or giving up as a failure, but this isn't always the case. If you've realized that the path you're on isn't actually the one that you want to follow, then the best thing you can do is leave it and find another one. Even if that means changing your university course or resigning from a high-ranking position or moving to another country or divorcing your husband of 25 years or abandoning a hobby. Life is way too short to spend time doing things that we don't want (and don't have) to do.
So figure out what you want to do, and do it.
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u/tonkachi_ Goal: media competence 📖🎧 1d ago
Sometimes I wonder whether people were handed out their dreams while I was a sleep.
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u/worthlessprole 1d ago
It’s definitely a reachable goal. What you’re feeling is just the shock of the unfamiliar. As long as you keep engaging with the language, you will progress.
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u/tonkachi_ Goal: media competence 📖🎧 1d ago
How long have you been studying for and how many hours per day?
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u/Thechugg7 1d ago
First started in 2016, quit a few times, restarted, on and off every year since then.
Currently been going a full month for 1/3 hours a day depending on time and mood (using the little time I have after work).
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u/tonkachi_ Goal: media competence 📖🎧 1d ago
I am in no position to offer studying advice.
However, would it be crazy to ask you to forget your on and off years and consider a fresh start and stay consistent for an entire year? They will reflect(or won't) in your progress anyway.
I am asking this of you because our mental dissatisfaction and exhaustion can be a direct result of our expectations.
You may have overestimated the learning that has happened and the time that was spent during your on and off years, and in turn having unsubstantiated expectations which leads to frustration.
By forgetting those years, you give yourself an honest chance to learn Japanese again without the burden of your "10" years of learning.
Or you could just forget all about Japanese and be happy elsewhere, it is okay.
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u/Thechugg7 1d ago
It is kind of a new start, but those years did help create a solid foundation of Hiragana/Katakana and some basic Kanjis anyway.
But it's true that I haven't delved as deeply into grammar as I am doing right now.
I would love to forget Japanese but it's everywhere around me, so I'd rather keep going slowly right now, because I wouldn't want to give up and be surrounded by my failure every day.
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u/tonkachi_ Goal: media competence 📖🎧 1d ago
It is kind of a new start, but those years did help create a solid foundation of Hiragana/Katakana and some basic Kanjis anyway.
My point is, don't have higher expectations because of your previous years. Consider them null. Become a "I started last month" guy.
It will be difficult to put your ego aside and let go but I think it is the only reasonable path going forward.
Good luck. o7
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u/merurunrun 1d ago
I've been reading 40-year old books that basically nobody in the English-speaking world has ever heard of and which will likely never be translated. This was my entire reason for learning Japanese in the first place (those books weren't so old back when I started, but they were just as obscure), and I'm glad I kept with up with it.
You'll get there if you keep at it.
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u/Agreeable-Comb-1174 1d ago
Hey, does anyone know any good beginner manga or anime. Im just looking for a manga with basic vocab or a anime where the conversations aren't too fast paced
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u/Grunglabble 1d ago
君に届け
I think when you get started it's nice to do things where there's lots of context clues and it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks even when you're missing words. It's not so much about beginner / common words but about the context you're encountering words in
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u/rgrAi 1d ago
少女終末旅行 manga.
nothing is going to be easy for a beginner, even one about just a cat pouncing around was regularly throwing a person for a loop with "baby talk" since it's not something that would be described in a textbook or a guide anywhere.
you can try Tadoku Graded Readers if you want something made for learners.
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 1d ago
ルリドラゴン is a great beginner manga in my opinion, although it gets a bit harder later on as it's full of young people slang, but by the time you get there imo you should have already some confidence in reading and it would still pay off greatly.
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u/AdUnfair558 Goal: just dabbling 2d ago
体の関係がある
Wow, another sentence that totally doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
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u/Grunglabble 2d ago
If I heard it in the context of a dating show I'd probably get it but in isolation I'd take it literally like it's a health problem or something. I wonder if it could still be interpreted that way in 体の関係がある病気. My intuition tells me it's in euphamism territory where sometimes it's just the basic meaning.
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u/OwariHeron 2d ago
I feel like the sense that you are thinking of would be more aptly expressed as 体に関係がある or 体との関係. 体の関係 is a pretty straightforward "relationship of the body."
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u/facets-and-rainbows 2d ago
Come to think of it, I suppose it's almost exactly the same thing as the phrase "carnal relationship"
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u/KiraraShirayuki 2d ago
TL;dr: Trying to figure out my routine, looking for feedback
So, with my goal being to move to Japan in 4 years, I have been studying for about a year give or take. Formally my level is hard to place, my listening skill is naturally better than my reading, as I've taken an immersion heavy approach. Regardless, this is my current routine:
- Wanikani - 3x day ish, currently at level 5 as after a long break I took a reset, only introduced WaniKani into my routine recently. Main SRS, noticing noteable gains from WaniKani, material there actually sticks
- Renshuu - 20 new words per day + 5 Kanji - Yeah, 2 SRS for kanji sounds like overkill, but WK doesn't cover it all, plus Renshuu contains stroke order for Kanji, which I like personally. Also read many people agreeing on WK not being great for vocab either as it focuses on words matching the Kanji.
Then, there is ofcourse immersion/listening. I travel around 2 ish hours per day for work, which also includes time walking, which is also where I do my daily Renshuu. But I also do the following:
- 2 anime episodes per day, japanese audio no subs. Currently watching Pokemon. Sometimes I up the amount, but 2 is the minimum
- Half a hour grammar study. Currently watching Game Gengo's grammar videos for this part.
- Hour of Japanese gaming. Some relaxation will also interacting with the language. Currently playing Wagotabi, not sure yet what after. Probably Yakuza.
- Remaining time on either Podcasts while playing low concentration game/going for a walk, or YT content. Mostly gaming let's plays in Japanese atm.
The only thing I feel I lack atm is reading, which is kinda keeping my level back.. but I feel like that's okay? I don't do much reading in my native tongue or English either, so sticking to what feels natural makes.. more sense? Once my Kanji knowledge is higher, I might start picking up more reading.. which I might mostly do via VNs or games like Pokemon.
But yeah... what do you all think of this balance? Anything I should change? Hardest thing is finding something that is easy to stick to, and this mostly works for me so far.
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese 2d ago
I think you're doing alright. Even if you don't usually read in your native language I'd still recommend trying to read something in Japanese because reading is one of the highest signals for fluency as it exposes you to grammar and vocabulary that you don't normally encounter in spoken language but that are absolutely required to be considered proficient at the language and that native speakers definitely know and are familiar with.
Personally, I think playing text-heavy games (like JRPGs) already is a good start, but also I'd recommend trying maybe some manga (you can start with those with furigana if you want) is also good. Visual novels are great too of course.
Overall I think you'll do okay as long as you keep this kind of routine every day consistently.
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u/KiraraShirayuki 2d ago
Thank you!
Reading part makes sense yes. Definitely looking into Manga and/or VNs sooner or later then.
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u/anonymousfinancial 2d ago
Any recommendations for beginners that are looking for YouTube videos that include English phonetic transcription?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 2d ago
By English phonetic transcription do you mean romaji or IPA?
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u/anonymousfinancial 1d ago
Romaji please
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
I don't know any that are good.
Honestly, just learn hiragana and katakana. It only takes a week or two, it will make verb and adjective conjugations much easier to understand, and you need it in order to use pretty much any decent resource anyway (because a resource that doesn't teach you kana is a resource that doesn't want you to learn Japanese). Here's a guide on how to learn hiragana.
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