Difficulties of Learning Japanese

Let us begin with my background to find out why I decided to learn Japanese in the first place. 

During the 80s and 90s, due to the bubble economy in Japan, Australian schools started providing Japanese language classes. We were taught greetings, very basic vocabulary, some hiragana, as well as information about Japan and Japanese culture. I remember we would watch an episode of a Japanese language programme which featured a character called Chibi and two ninja teachers. I loved seeing all the footage of Japan, from Mt. Fuji to the shinkansen. I remember my teacher explaining how Tokyo was due for a massive earthquake. From that moment on, I told myself that no matter how much I wanted to visit Japan, I would never travel there just in case the earthquake occurred while I was there. Fortunately, I was very lucky the two times I travelled to Japan.

After my time at primary school, and several years of very scratchy Japanese language and culture classes, I moved on to high school. We were given a choice to learn either Japanese, Italian and French. As my mother had some knowledge of French, I decided that was the best language to learn. It was only compulsory to learn a foreign language in our first year of high school, so I stopped learning French. It was only in the last two years of high school that I discovered a strong passion for languages and applied to learn French via a correspondence course.

After my final high school exam, I joined my friends for a drink and they suggested we spend the night watching anime. I had only ever seen Pokemon on television, and I doubt I even knew that Pokemon was anime. I also hated animation. That night we watched Laputa and I remember wishing the film would end. We drank on, passed out and the next morning, someone suggested we watch Spirited Away. The film started and I fell in love with it, and I remember thinking quietly to myself how it might be pretty cool to know some Japanese. Two of my high school friends who had studied Japanese for the Higher School Certificate were there, so I asked them if it was a hard language to learn. They said it was really difficult, but when I enrolled at university, I nevertheless decided to start studying Japanese seriously. I had no idea what a ride I was in for!

During my first year, I thought Japanese was an easy language. It all seemed so logical and well structured. Even after learning the first 20 kanji, I thought I’d be fluent in a year or two. Gradually I realised that in actual fact, it required rewiring ones brain completely in order to form a coherent sentence. I focused on kanji knowledge and neglected reading, speaking and listening practice. I was really good at remembering how to write kanji, and it was my strongest point. Sadly, however, I was falling behind in other areas and became so overwhelmed by the language by my third year that I chose not to continue learning Japanese at university.

I remember seeing my fellow students speaking Japanese so well in class. They were good at speeches and colloquial Japanese, while I was stuck struggling with formal Japanese. Thinking back, they were all into anime much more than I was, and had therefore learned a lot from watching it. It was very upsetting and frustrating for me, especially after having such a drive to learn the language in the beginning.

After a one year break from learning Japanese, I got back into it and decided to try and focus on my weak points. I made lists of verbs and grammar points, tried to watch more Japanese anime and dramas, and did my best to practice speaking Japanese. Once again, I felt as though it was an impossible task. I could barely say anything and when I did form a sentence, I was pretty sure it was wrong, even after spending a good few minutes trying to form it. Then there was the impossible task of learning the transitive/intransitive pairs. Not to mention the 250 kanji that I could no longer write.

Three years ago, I discovered Lang-8 and decided to try even harder than before to push my Japanese to a level that I would be happy with. I wrote myself a learning contract and agreed with myself to study hard and then sit for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N3 when I felt I was ready. In those three years I studied hard, wrote a lot of articles on Lang-8 in Japanese, travelled to Japan on the JET Programme, and sat the JLPT N3 exam. As I have mentioned in my previous post, I passed and am incredibly proud. 

So, to conclude, even though I have made progress, I am still disappointed at my level of Japanese. There have been so many obstacles along the way, and after having studied it for nine years, I am quite frustrated that I can only speak a little Japanese with confidence. I am constantly hesitating and trying to select appropriate vocabulary when I speak to people and instead of feeling inspired after having a conversation in Japanese with someone, I am left feeling quite saddened. I pushed myself a lot while I was in Japan, and I definitely made a lot of progress from having to speak and listen to Japanese every day. I am currently pondering whether I should write up a second learning contract and study as hard as I can for the JLPT N2 exam before I give up on Japanese completely. After this long journey, I would rather not lose everything I have learned.

In case you’re wondering, here is a list of the aspects of Japanese that I have found most difficult.

Vocabulary

I find it hard to determine which word is which when it comes to words that are alike. For example, words like kaishou kaijou shoukai etc.

Word Stress / Tone 

This is a topic barely touched on in textbooks. While I was trying to speak to people in Japan, I was often given a perplexed look because a word I had said had a different stress / tone than the one I had used. (For example, hashi can mean bridge or chopsticks depending on which syllable is stressed. Of course, the context would be quite obvious for the word hashi, but I came across several other words which weren’t so clear.)

Transitive / Intransitive Pairs: This is something one needs to learn by rote. After eight years, I still have doubts that I use the right verb.

This has been my learning experience with Japanese. Many others I know have much more success and aspects that I find difficult are aspects that they find easy to grasp. If I had any advice for those having difficulty learning Japanese, I would focus on:

1) learning vocabulary

2) recognising kanji over knowing how to write it by hand

3) speaking with people in Japanese as much as possible

4) writing in Japanese (on Lang-8)

5) learning grammar formulae

AWESOME BLOG for learners of Japanese!

すごい！I just discovered an awesome blog called チョコチョコ written to encourage other Japanese language learners out there to gang together and study as hard as they can! 

The blogger originally started the blog to write about his journey learning Japanese, but after he realised there were lots of people out there learning just like he was, he began writing to help others learn more effectively. 

Screenshot of the チョコチョコ site.

On his blog you will find study tips, book reviews of Japanese (and Korean) textbooks, kanji study tips, posts about Japanese culture, as well as some other learning resources and grammar notes. You may also be lucky enough to discover a new creature called a チョコチョコ (which may in fact be the encouraging, friendly form of Deva). I am eager to find out exactly what they are and how they can help me learn Japanese!

The main reason why I am mentioning this blog is in fact because of the reading resources offered on the "Great Library" page! I know this may seem simple, but I am going to start reading from the very first story. I need to practice my reading so bad...

In the Great Library, you can select your level of Japanese and then you are presented with some stories  for you to read. I am really impressed, and hope one day to be able to read the stories from the advanced level. (OMG, 漢字がたくさん！）

Well, I'm gonna go and have an even closer look at that blog! 

Happy studying, guys!

☆ENGLISH UPDATE☆

This week I decided to take a different approach in regards to the way I study Japanese. 


I was reading a few blogs about study techniques, and one of the blogs asked me to question what is hindering my studies. I came to the conclusion that my lack of vocabulary is my biggest issue and it is really interfering with my Japanese language study. In fact, I am a little upset I didn't come to this realisation much earlier. I had thought about my lack of vocabulary and tried to build it up a little, but I didn't realise how serious an issue it really was, and therefore I tended to move on to other areas of study.


So, how exactly does a lack of vocabulary hinder ones learning? Well, a lack of vocabulary means:

• when you are trying to write, you have to look up lots of words,
• when you are trying to read, you have to look up lots of words,
• when you are trying to speak, you stumble and can't express yourself,
• and when you are listening, you are absolutely LOST. (oh, and depressed...)

You get the picture. 

Well, I kinda knew this ages ago, but you tend to forget the seriousness of having a weak vocabulary. It has now clicked just how important it is, and also how vital it is in order to actually be able to practice listening, reading, writing and speaking. To practice these, you need to know as many words as possible, because otherwise you feel like you don't know anything, and then the whole process of study becomes incredibly boring, daunting and depressing. (Hey, Deva! You mightn't be around for much longer! Muoahahaha!)

All the times I felt depressed about study was really due to my lack of vocabulary. All the times I opened my reading practice book, tried to read a passage and then closed it in frustration was ALL because I didn't have enough vocabulary to keep me going. 

Now, of course, for those who are learning Japanese out there, I'm not saying that you should stop focussing on reading, writing, listening or speaking practice. Not at all! After all, it is through this that you learn new vocabulary and set into concrete the words you have studied that you happen to come across while practicing your reading etc. By practicing your reading, writing and listening, you are seeing the words you have studied in use and in their correct environment (ie. with a certain verb combination etc).

So, what I plan to focus on is expanding my vocabulary as much as I can, so that when I do try and read or listen to Japanese, I don't get so overwhelmed by the words I don't know. By doing this, perhaps the 4 or 5 words of the sentence that I don't understand will turn into a 2 or 3. That could mean a big difference from having no idea whatsoever about the meaning of the sentence, to having an idea of the context and being able to fill in the blanks! 

Ah I feel much better now, so on that note, I will leave and study vocab! 皆、がんばってね！

☆ENGLISH UPDATE☆

Well, it has been about a week or two since I've posted anything on the blog. Deva has really been on my mind and I haven't been to inspired to study. In case you are new to this and don't know who Deva is, you should click on his name. Perhaps Deva visits you from time to time as well! 

I have been doing some study, however. I was watching My Boss My Hero and came across some words that I thought were quite useful so I wrote them down. A moment later, my mind was coming up with tonnes of useful words that I could add to the list. So, I have this wonderful list of words that I have been trying to learn. It isn't too lengthy a list, but I think I might be able to learn them quite easily as they are words that I find really interesting. (My heavens, Deva is making me doubt my sentences in English... no wonder I get down about studying Japanese!)

So, I've almost finished my bag of marshmallows (WHITE ones only), and feel slightly ill. Why do I do this to myself......

Anyway, I will study my list, and with help from Anki! I have had Anki on my computer for a while but haven't got on with it so well. I find the interface a little bland and uninspiring. Nevertheless, I will try to use Anki with my list. 

Ohhh I feel ill. Note to self: try NOT to eat 125g of marshmallows in the space of 10 minutes. 


I don't really know what else to say. I'll report back when I've learnt the list of words. I might even try to use them in a post! 

Speaking of posts, I have disappointed myself. I had planned a few months ago to research something from Japanese culture and then write about it here. Unfortunately I haven't been focused enough, nor had enough time, so I might come back to that project in a month or so. :) 

語彙問題

今晩のマイボスマイヒロのエピソードを見ながら、新しくて便利な言葉を習った。その実、今晩のエピソードは僕に新しい勉強方法を教えた。その方法で一番便利と良く使う言葉のリスとを作って、勉強します。 最近は小さい語彙があるので、日記を書く事と、日本語で話してみることは難しい。だから、あきらめる。面白くて便利な言葉のリストを作れば、その問題は全然再発しない。

デバは僕の側にもういない！

日本語の勉強を一生懸命頑張るよ！

☆ENGLISH UPDATE☆

It's been a few weeks since my JET program interview, and I have finally put it out of my mind. That first week was taken up by worry that I'd stuffed it up completely. Now, I'm leaving the decision up to the gods. 

So, I have neglected my Japanese a little over the last few weeks. Deva has taken over a little, and despite having told him to go away and bug someone else, he keeps telling me that I'm making no progress whatsoever. Apparently there is just too much to learn that there's no point in trying anymore! My heavens, he can get nasty.

So, I have decided to focus on my other languages for a time. I have neglected them and with all this cold, rainy weather we're having here at the mo, I feel much more motivated to study cold, coniferous European languages.

I am having a crisis. I have always wanted to study Swedish and after listening to all my old Kent CDs, I really, really want to learn it! It is not fair. I didn't ask for this obsessive desire to learn every language in the world. It's really hard to manage. Not only does it frustrate me to know that it is impossible to learn every language, it makes me neglect languages I have been learning and of course as we all know, in the end I will never develop fluency and be able to speak a little of many languages instead of a lot of one language. Jack of all trades, master of NONE. This is quite unrelated to my Japanese studies, but I have this list (several lists that change depending on my mood) which I try and stick to. It is there to limit me and my desire to conquer every language under the sun. If I stick to my list, I may end up able to converse in maybe three languages. If I stray from it, I will be overwhelmed. I keep straying... it's not good. 

So, I will "eurofy" my language studies a little and then hopefully Deva will find another fellow to hang with, giving me back my enthusiasm and study powers to focus on Japanese.

I will head off soon for yet another holiday and with all this rain hopefully I wont become stranded and unable to return! I might take Deva with me and try and convince him to stay there for some time! 

Ok, ciao for now!

☆ENGLISH UPDATE☆

I just received my letter from the consulate telling me I got through to the next round of the JET Program application process! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY! I won't get too excited yet though. :P The next step... THE INTERVIEW! Wish me luck, guys! 一生懸命頑張りますよ！

So, how have my studies been going so far this year? Mm, not so good. All throughout the Christmas / New Year season, I've felt really apathetic and exhausted. I decided it was my brain demanding a break from my constant language study. Then off I went to Thailand for two weeks with friends. We had a wonderful time and I will try to write a little about my trip later.

So, now I am back, life is slowly returning to normal. I'm back at work on Friday, and even that mightn't happen as the business I work for isn't doing terribly well at the moment. I will be hunting for a new job - hopefully, HOPEFULLY in the media industry. If not, I will find a little cafe and hone in on my coffee making skills. 

Despite life returning to normal, I still feel a complete lack of motivation. I try to get up early, but my sleepy mind keeps convincing me that there's no point in getting up. I need to change my life somehow.  Maybe I'm still in holiday mode and just need a little time to settle back in to my world. 

In regards to my Japanese studies, I tried to do a little revision while relaxing by the pool in Thailand, but I don't think I absorbed much. Again on the plane, I tried to revise my grammar, but I don't feel like it helped. I feel as though my last post in Japanese must be really badly written... or maybe Deva is feeding me negativity pills again... grrrrr!

I'll have to study lots of Japanese in prep for my JET interview! :D

またね！

二月以来、よくなりましたか？

みなさん、

二月ブログの始め以来、よくなりましたか？　ブログの前に比べて練習をたくさんしました。今日はミカエラのブログを訪れた。ミカエラはほかのブロガーについて話した。そのブロガーは日本人じゃないけど、日本語を上手に話せます。ブロガーを一つは日本語の勉強し方について話した。彼女は毎日一人で自に日本語で話していました。僕をフランス語の練習をしたとき、同じのすることをします。

devaを覚えますか？ 今彼は僕のそばにいます。彼はいつも僕の耳に否定的な言葉を囁きます。時々信じるように開始します。あのブログおかげ、もうすこし嬉しい感じます。一生懸命に頑張りますよ！

皆さん、助言があれば、コメントを書いてください！　最近習うの戦略を考えています。僕はJLPTの試験をすることが出来るかな。でも、どんな準備をしなければいけない？　ちょっと分かりません。言葉のリストをたくさんしますけど、覚えられない。もういちど、アドバイスをあれば、書いてください！：）涼の日本語、上手になりたいです！

読むのはありがとう！じゃあね。

英語で：

Hi everyone,

Have I improved since I started this blog in February? Compared to before the blog, I have been practicing my japanese a lot more. Today I visited Mikaera's blog. She spoke about some other bloggers who aren't Japanese but speak Japanese really well. One of the bloggers talked about how she studied Japanese. She said she spoke to herself in Japanese each day. I do the same when I practice my french. 

Do you remember Deva? Right now, he is by my side. He always whispers negative things in my ear. Sometimes I start believing him. However, thanks to those bloggers, I feel a little happier. I will do my very best! 

So, everyone, if you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment! Recently I've been thinking about learning strategies. I am wondering if I should take the JLPT test, but I don't know what kind of preparation I need to do. I don't really understand it. I make vocabulary lists, but I never remember the words. Once more, if you have any advice, please write to me! Ryou wants to improve his Japanese.

Thanks for reading! See you later! 

Go away, Deva!!!

Last night, I was watching a wonderful Japanese film called Swing Girls and I understand why it was so popular when it came out (well, that is what I've heard). It is now on my list of favourite films! The only thing I didn't like about it was, it encouraged Deva to come out from hiding and to start hassling me about how bad I am at Japanese and how by now I should be able to understand what was being said in the film.

At one point, I tried to understand the Japanese without reading the subtitles and I could barely understand one word that was being said. I know that the language being spoken was very informal Japanese, but it is very frustrating after studying Japanese for so long to be faced with not being able to understand a word of what was being said. I understood a lot when the Japanese was more formal, but I think it's especially upsetting when the kind of informal language that I want to be able to speak and understand sounds as though it's a completely different language.

I thought my little book of colloquial Japanese might help me - and I still believe if I studied it a little more it would help, but there must be so much more that I need to learn...

Deva has almost taken over my mind and I must try and ignore what he's saying! If anyone has been at this stage before, please encourage me to keep trying!

レイニー朝

みなさん！今朝、たくさん雨が降っています。ですから家の奥に泊まって、日本語を勉強します。一時午後ところを朝のコーヒーを飲んだり、TaeKimのブログを読んだりします。 I just realised I don't know how to say "although" in Japanese and according to my dictionary, 「ところを」is one of the ways to say it in relation to time or in relation to a certain condition. I also don't really know how to say "to decide to do something", and this is one phrase that I always find myself using. Apparently 事にする is the way of saying it, but I always feel it isn't expressing what I want to say haha. So for my above sentence, does「ですから家の奥に泊まって、日本語を勉強事にします」make sense if I want to say "so, I decided to stay home and study Japanese"?

As you've seen, I've been posting a lot of Japanese songs, and I'm quite sick of listening to them and not understanding everything! Back at uni, my friends would take the song lyrics and study them so they knew what the song was about, as well as how those ideas were expressed in lyric form. For ages I have been meaning to do this too but have never gotten around to it, so I've decided 「事にする」(haha), to try and study the song lyrics to Utada Hikaru's Goodbye Loneliness. I also want to read more spoken Japanese, because when I listen to people speak there are a lot of words - little words that I don't understand. (Go AWAY Deva, you're trying to fight me again!)

Well, a friend of mine just posted this video on youtube, and I thought I might share it with you! I love it! :D

I

Vocab!

Hi all! I was writing something in Japanese the other day about something I felt really strongly about. I noticed that my sentences in Japanese seemed to make sense and somehow I felt able to express my opinion with the words I knew. Compared to writing on Lang8 about everyday topics like gardening, drinking coffee, having lunch etc, I felt much more able to express myself. When I write about everyday topics, the use of language seems much more disjointed and vague. I should practice writing more Japanese about topics I feel strongly about! Take that, Deva!!

Here is my weeks vocabulary list! Some good words there, if I do say so myself! この言葉は出来るだけに覚える。(I'll learn the words as best I can?)

合法化する（ごうほうかする）- to legalise

伝統的な（でんとうてきな）- traditional, conventional

伝統（でんとう）- tradition

首相（しゅしょう）- Prime Minister

政府（せいじ）- government

政府（せいふ）- politics

社会（しゃかい）- society

文化（ぶんか）- culture

毛布（もうふ）- blanket

認める（みとめる）- to recognise, to appreciate

暫く（しばらく）- a little while, short while, moment, instant

呪文（じゅもん）- spell, charm, incantation, magic word

費用（ひよう）- cost, expense

急いで（いそいで）- hurriedly

急ぐ（いそぐ）- to hurry, to rush, to hasten, to make something happen sooner

用意（ようい）- preparation

そんなに - so much so, like that

お八つ（おやつ）- afternoon snack

ちゃんと - perfectly, properly, exactly

出来るだけ早く（できるだけはやく）- as soon as possible

出来るだけ（できるだけ）- as much as one can, as much as possible, if at all possible

其の儘（そのまま）- without change, as it is

Ok, here's some Teriyaki Boyz for you to listen to. I'm not into hiphop, but it was cool to hear. 

Formal or informal?

みなさん、

Everyone who studies Japanese at uni learns formal Japanese and I remember being frustrated when I came across something written in informal Japanese because it was so different from the form of Japanese I had been studying.

Since university, I've been trying to learn and practice informal Japanese and I recently bought two books - Dirty Japanese and Making Out In Japanese II, (I already have book I). Ignoring all the vulgar expressions in the two books, it is interesting to see how informal Japanese is put together, and I have been using those books to try and understand it a little more than I do.

So, when I write to people, I know I should be writing in polite language, but I feel I want to practice informal Japanese. Sometimes, in films, there seems to be a fine line between the use of both forms. I had thought that if one was chatting away to ones friends, です wouldn't be used, but in a film I saw recently the character used informal language and then threw in a です as if to place emphasis on what he had just said. 

I am yet to find anything in a book or on the net explaining this, but I think I should try and practice informal Japanese. I just worry that if I focus on informal Japanese, I might forget certain aspects of formal Japanese. When I visited Japan recently, I remember practicing informal with my friend, but then accidentally using it to a shop assistant. I understand that one can use informal language, but I felt bad and a little impolite.

UPDATE:

Deva, the little evil cat, keeps telling me that I should never have attempted to write yesterday's post in Japanese. He has been shouting at me and telling me that I am hopeless and can't speak Japanese at all. I can defeat him! I can! 

Here's some ウルフルズ for you to enjoy!

Post No.1!

僕のブログにようこそ！I'd like to write my entire blog in Japanese, but I just started trying to write it and there are too many things I am unsure of when writing, so I will use both English and Japanese. I guess I should be a bit more brave, but I don't want to write things that don't make any sense. Despite my years of learning Japanese, I still find it difficult to put a sentence together. Deva, a little evil cat at the back of my head, tells me that what I'm writing is ungrammatical or a whole lot of nonsense! Damn him! You can meet him HERE if you like. Please tell him to leave 涼 alone! Hopefully, with help from this language learning journal, I will defeat him and he will leave me alone for good!

So, here is a list of words that I have been trying to learn for the last month. The trouble with making a vocabulary list is that it is easier said than done. I have a programme called J.E. Dict which, at first, I thought was a great computer dictionary. Sometimes it is ok, but mostly when I type in an English word and hunt for the Japanese word, I really have to hunt for it. The programme comes back with over fifty or so results, and with some words, I can work out which ones aren't the word I'm wanting to use, but with most of them, I wouldn't have the slightest idea which one to use. I'm sure some of the words must be archaic or slang, and I know that English also has a lot of words to express one idea, but I really need to find myself a simpler dictionary - but not too simple!

For the following list, if there is a translation that is more frequently used rather than one I have written below, please tell me! Apologies for the lousy attempt at putting these into columns...

中華街　                         ちゅうかがい      　chinatown (n)
言語                                  げんご　                 language (n)
外国語　　　　　　　  がいこくご　　     foreign language (n)
以来                                  いらい                     since, henceforth
興味                                  きょうみ　　         interest (in something) (n)
羨ましい　　　　　　  うらやましい　　 envious, jealous
有用な                               ゆうような　   　 useful, helpful
役立つ　　　　　　　   やくだつ　　　　to be useful, helpful
語学学習　　　　　　   ごがくがくしゅ    language study, language learning (n)
修理  　　　　　　　　 しゅうり 　　　   repairing, mending (n)
冷蔵庫　　　　　　　   れいぞうこ　　    refrigerator (n)
訳ない　　　　　　　   わけない         　   easy, simple, "there's no way..."
恋に落ちる　　　　　   こいにおちる　    to fall in love
危ない　　　　　　　   あぶない　　　　dangerous, risky, hazardous

Some of those words are quite simple, and I was happy that as I was typing them out, I could remember most of them! YAY!

Well, thank you for reading! I will leave you with a song that I really like at the moment by バンプオブチキン！ またね！