Learning Japanese From Video Games?

Learning Japanese From Video Games?

With region codes being removed from a lot of the games and game systems, it has become easier than ever to get copies of Japanese games. The big question however, is do games make good tools for practicing Japanese?
In the past I would have generally said “not really”. Not for me at least. If you [...]

February 2nd, 2010 by Nick 

Kanjilish- Learn Japanese and Kanji While Reading English

Kanjilish- Learn Japanese and Kanji While Reading English

In the last few years there have been quite a few tools coming out to help students learn Japanese. One of my favorites is Rikaichan. Rikaichan is an add-on for Firefox that will give you the readings and definitions for Japanese characters when you mouse over them. It is a great tool for anyone learning [...]

January 26th, 2010 by Nick 

Japanese Words with Sound

Japanese Words with Sound

One of the main focus of Japanese Words has always been about learning new Japanese words. In the beginning you need to know a certain number of words to communicate in Japanese and as you get to a more advanced level you will need to more words to express more complex ideas and feelings.
Today I [...]

January 14th, 2010 by Nick 

Rikaikun (Rikaichan for Chrome)

Rikaikun (Rikaichan for Chrome)

I have written about Rikaichan before and how it is one of my favorite tools for reading and learning Japanese. It allows even a someone with a basic understanding of Japanese to read like a pro. Well, for all those who use Google’s chrome, a port has been made called Rikaikun.
Since the current release of [...]

January 8th, 2010 by Nick 

Getting Back on Track with Japanese (and Japanese Words)

Getting Back on Track with Japanese (and Japanese Words)

Over the last month I have been pretty busy with a number of things including the holiday season, working as a volunteer diver to remove おにひとで (devil starfish) to protect the coral, and just work in general that have kept me away from my Japanese study. It has also caused me to write less on [...]

January 7th, 2010 by Nick 

Learning Hiragana and Katakana

Learning Hiragana and Katakana

The second Japanese class on Edufire ended today and Eri had a lot of fun teaching it. Thank all of those who attended. I hope you enjoyed the classes and learned some new Japanese.
Eri has posted a couple new classes as well. One for those wanting to learn to read and write Japanese (hiragana and [...]

January 4th, 2010 by Nick 

Free Japanese Classes With a Native Japanese Speaker

Free Japanese Classes With a Native Japanese Speaker

In my last post about choosing Japanese classes I talked about the importance of speaking and listening to native Japanese speakers. It is something I believe is very important for those wanting to speak Japanese. I also mentioned that those interested in the chance to learn and speak with a native Japanese speaker should stay [...]

December 28th, 2009 by Nick 

Japanese Classes and Choosing a Japanese Teacher

Japanese Classes and Choosing a Japanese Teacher

Since I started Japanese Words I have tried to give a lot of tips and information about how to learn Japanese. I have given tips on choosing books, study tools, study methods, studying the right words (including common words lists) and a few tips on grammar. The one thing I haven’t done is create videos [...]

December 17th, 2009 by Nick 

Common Japanese Words and an Easy Way to Learn Them

Common Japanese Words and an Easy Way to Learn Them

I have mention before that learning the the most common Japanese words first is an essential part of learning to speak Japanese quickly. You want to learn the words that you will use, not just the ones that are ordered in a book.
However, wouldn’t it also be great if there was a simple way to [...]

December 7th, 2009 by Nick 

Japanese Folk Song on the Sanshin (家庭和合)

Japanese Folk Song on the Sanshin (家庭和合)

Over the last few weeks I have been spending a lot of time preparing for an sanshin performance. For those who don’t know, the sanshin is an traditional three-stringed instrument popular in Okinawa. I started playing earlier this year and ended up joining a サークル (club) in my area.
Last week, the サークル (myself not included) [...]

November 24th, 2009 by Nick 
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