こんにちは, Japanese learners! Learning a language is an exciting adventure, isn't it? To add a spark of joy to your Japanese learning journey, here's a collection of YouTube channels tailored for kids. Organized by JLPT levels, these channels offer a blend of education and entertainment for learners at different stages. Keep in mind, though, that JLPT levels aren't an exact science like math – language learning can be subjective in terms of difficulty. However, these resources provide a fantastic starting point and a fun way to explore the world of Japanese language and culture. Let's hop into this delightful world of animated learning and playful discoveries!
Friendly reminder to adjust your way of learning in order to make the most of what you're studying to reach the goal you truly want! read my post about it (ᵔ◡ᵔ)
꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴N 5 ╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱
— Curious George (N5 level)
— Japanese folk tales/anime series (Japanese audio/Japanese subtitles) from BomBom Academy (N5 level)
I learned it's easier to learn verbs in their ない form first, vs. their dictionary form first. Makes recognizing the difference between Godan and Ichidan verbs 100% easier and removes the need to "remember" the "hidden/fake/lying" verbs that parade as the other verb type. The trick to doing it is far easier and I hate how Genki teaches it in the book.
Leaving me with only having to learn the conjugation patterns for Ichidan, Godan, and Irregular verbs. Far, far easier.
This was launched on the Seitokai IG (seitokaisnihongo). Keep reading this post to get information that is written on the graphics (and the IG caption).
This is a new series that I've been working on for a bit! It'll be discussing pitch accent, dialects, listening comprehension, and anything else that may fall within that category.
If there's a particular dialect that you'd like for us to cover in this series, feel free to stick it in the reblogs, my inbox, my asks, on the Seitokai instagram, or the Seitokai discord server!
Without further ado, here is what the posts say above!
Pitch, Please! Let's talk about pitch accent.
What is it?
Pitch accent, known as 高低アクセント(kōtei akusento) in Japanese, refers to when a language uses pitch to distinguish between homonyms rather than stress/volume. For example: あめ, meaning rain (high pitch to low) vs あめ, meaning candy (low pitch to high pitch).
Pitch accent can vary by region and dialect. The previous example was based on standard/Tokyo dialect. However, the pitch accent is swapped with the Kansai dialect. あめ, meaning rain goes from low pitch to high and あめ, meaning candy goes from high pitch to low.
There are four (4) pitch accent patterns: 平板 (へいばん), 頭高 (あたまだか), 中高 (なかだか), and 尾高 (おだか). These will be discussed in further detail in a later post within this series.
How to work on it?
Listen to native speakers (podcasts, news channels, videos, etc.)
Converse with native speakers (if possible)
Mimic the correct pronunciation
Be willing to ask for help and accept correction
Resources
Online Japanese Accent Dictionary & Prosody Tutor Suzuki-kun
NHK Japanese Language Pronunciation and Accent Dictionary
Renshuu.org, Kanshudo.com, Forvo.com
Dogen's Japanese Phonetics Video Series
MIA add-on for Anki
MacOS dictionary
HelloTalk
If you're looking for fellow learners, there are over 500 of us in the Seitokai discord server (shameless plug) and we'd love to have you!
My kanji is terrible and I recently learned about the book by Andrew Scott Conning.
The Kanji Learner Course is an amazing book for learning kanji, the best thing about it which made me buy it was the fact that it explains how to remember every single kanji like a teacher.
I have only done till the first 100 kanjis for now but it's definitely a wonderful book!
I highly recommend buying it if you want a comprehensive kanji book.
undertale wears its inspiration on its sleeve, if you know where to look
and i'm streaming one major contributor tonight on my twitch channel (japanese version btw! it's the third game in the MOTHER series, which you may know as where those kids Ness and Lucas in smash come from.
if you need more convincing, this game also has froggy in a car ! see him!!!!
意味:Definitely not 接続:普通形+はずがない
1.動詞の普通形+はずがない
2.ナ形容詞だ+な/であるはずがない
3.イ形容詞+はずがない
4.名詞+のはずがない
1.動詞の普通形+はずがない
👉 来(こ)ないはずがない There’s no way he’s not coming
ちゃんと約束(やくそく)したんだから、彼(かれ)が来(こ)ないはずがない。
Having made a proper promise, there’s no way he’s not coming.
👉 食(た)べられるはずがない There’s no way I could eat it
あんなまずい料理(りょうり)が食(た)べられるはずがない。
There’s no way I could eat that bad…
I'm still sick but I'm doing good academically! at least I think!
Done with my pali assignment! (on day 4 morning btw)
Also done with my HSKK class!
I'm still studying Japanese at N3 level because I'm not ready for N2 yet... Hyouka is helping me along.
A new semester for HGU UNITWIN starts tomorrow! Worldview studies and Health Psychology here I come!!!
I finished "The Con Job" which is a Leverage novel and it was honestly disappointing since I'm rewatching the show. But I'm still gonna pick up "The Zoo Job"
On this week's HAIYUU book club activity: We're reading the little prince! Last week my friend chose that book and I was astounded by the amount of people who thought it was a children's book(??!??) Anyway, we're gonna discuss translations too since we decided to let the readers pick the language of the book they wanted. Personally, I'm reading it in Chinese.
My tonsilitis still persists. Now I have body aches. Idk when I'll get better but god, it better be soon.
Over the years, I've downloaded and tested many apps. Though my favorite app was discontinued (I miss you, mindsnacks Japanese), there are still others that I don't think I'll be removing from my phone any time soon. In light of duolingo's horrible update causing a large migration and search for other apps, I thought I'd share some of my favorites. Also, some of these apps have websites or discords for you to interact with other users or to ask support questions.
For those who cannot use/don't like the graphics, the written out version is below the break.
Lingo Legend
RPG-based language learning game that I was a beta tester for. It also offers Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Uses spaced repetition.
Offers beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels.
User can jump between lessons and difficulty levels.
Available on ios and android
Manabi Reader
Caters to all JLPT levels and offers reading options on an array of topics (including news, games, reddit). Can hilight words and look up in-app. User can also paste a link within the app to read.
Companion app available (Manabi Flashcards).
Available on ios
TODAI: EASY Japanese News
Aggregates news from various sources.
Offers practice JLPT exams in-app.
Offers grammar resources and in-app dictionary that can generate flashcards from words saved in notes.
Offers audio listening, as well as videos with transcriptions.
Available on ios and android. Also has a website.
Shirabe Jisho
Offline dictionary app.
User can favorite words, make lists, take notes, make flashcards, etc.
User can search for words in kana, romaji, drawing, or through radical (or radical building).
Available on ios
Renshuu
Think quizlet, but solely for Japanese. You can create your own lists, use others, play shiritori, earn prizes and interact on forums.
You can study grammar, kanji, vocab, flashcards, learn and submit mnemonics. You can also friend people.
Available on ios and android. Also has a website (of which I am an avid user).