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May 15, 2006

Comments

Aisha

LOL. Wow! You're just like me. I remember when I first read the name "Ranma" of an anime character in hiragana, I was so happy because I could finally read hiragana. I had been having so much trouble reading Japanese, but when I figured out how to do it, I was so happy.

risingsunofnihon

Learning Mandarin was just as hard for me. I felt like it took years to learn to say it, then decades to learn the simplified characters, then centuries to learn the classical characters. It is so worth it in the end though!

Zen

Very well put, good advise. I just made it on to your site so I have some catching up to do.

Alexandra

I've just started learning Japanese, and I'm happy that I can recognize some kana XD and not even all of it, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? And I work on pronunciation of romanji, especially through music.

subajogu

This is an excellent post! My friends here in Okinawa (as well as total strangers) like to commend me on my abilities to read and speak Japanese, especially when it comes to pronunciation. They say my Japanese is umai but I can't help but realize that learning Japanese is a humbling experience and that I am nowhere near the level I'd like to be.

In the past, whenever I met someone who was at a higher level than I was, I tried to rationalize it in my mind with excuses such as: "It's because they work off base" or "They've lived here for 15 years" or "Because they're half." While all of these situations may be seemingly beneficial to those of us who study Japanese, they are not automatic and, as mentioned above, nothing more than excuses and direct violations of rule #5.

But, as you stated, "...you never know how much time and money someone has spent just trying to get to their current level." So this is encouragement that even though my formal study is currently on hold, I should always take advantage of the opportunities I have to practice speaking and reading Japanese. Just reading that others have similar thoughts/experiences has provided a little motivation in my never-ending quest for personal improvement.

Sophi

Hi!
I like your blog site!
Was wondering where do you learn Japanese?
I'm in Shibuya area and am wanting lessons, preferably private tutoring though
xoxo
Sophi

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