Learn Kanji
- Japan Signs: A Day At Ueno Zoo
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February 24th, 2010
This sign is in the grounds of Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. We visited there when we last stayed in Ueno and apart from being the coldest and wettest day of our trip, it was definitely worth the visit. There’s a fair bit going on in this sign but don’t worry as we’ll go though the kanji and katakana one at a time.
- 3 Ways to Learn Japanese With YouTube
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February 17th, 2010
YouTube offers an amazing array of free resources for anyone wanting to learn Japanese. From anime to cooking, sports and Japanese news broadcasts, anyone with an internet connection can get instant access to tens of thousands of videos on demand.
Here are three ways to harness the power of YouTube to improve your Japanese.
- Similar Kanji: Eye vs Oneself
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February 14th, 2010
目 (eye) and 自 (oneself) are separated by just one small stroke and as such prove to be tricky for beginners to remember. Both kanji are part of the JLPT3 and are taught in grade one and two at Japanese schools respectively.
- Mnemonics: Learn Japanese Faster
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February 1st, 2010
When I first started Japanese, I struggled to memorise certain things – some I got straight away, others took time and slowed my progress.
Over a long period of trial and error, I came to the conclusion that mnemonics work very well for me. I seem to learn faster and retain information for longer as long as it is attached to some sort of story that makes sense to me.
- Use Twitter To Improve Your Japanese
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January 25th, 2010
The ubiquity of Twitter means you can connect to the Twitterverse in so many different ways.
Having the ability to always connect to Twitter on the run means you essentially have a free Japanese resource available to you at any time and wherever you happen be.
- Similar Kanji: Person vs Enter
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January 23rd, 2010
人 (Person) and 入 (Enter) are both JLPT4/N5 and learnt in Grade 1 in Japanese schools, however for a beginner, they can be very easily mixed up.
The only visual difference between the two is the small stroke at the top of 入 (enter), which is what I use to create a story in my mind to remember the two.
- WOTW: Doubutsuen
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January 17th, 2010
When we were last in Tokyo we visited the sprawling Ueno Zoo located in Ueno Park (上野公園), about 15 minutes train ride north of Tokyo. There was plenty to see and do in the park (and also in Ueno itself) including the zoo, an amusement park, temples and much more.
- Similar Kanji: Noon vs Cow
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December 29th, 2009
My advice to separate the two in your mind is to imagine that the line at the top of 牛 (cow) is the horn of a bull, which is similar enough to a cow to trigger the memory.
As soon as I used that idea it was very easy to separate the two in my head and I moved on to the next 1943 kanji to memorise!
- Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
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December 23rd, 2009
So you’ve mastered hiragana and katakana and now you’re ready to move on to kanji. Kanji is where things really start to get interesting. You’re about to begin the final piece of the puzzle as there is nothing more, in terms of written language, after kanji – except for more kanji. (^_^)
I have two Kanji Starter Kit Worksheet downloads available – one with the meanings and one without the meanings so you can test yourself by writing the correct meaning below each kanji on the printed worksheet.
- App Review: KanjiPop
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December 18th, 2009
Lima Sky, the two man iPhone development team responsible for the imaginatively titled Kanji (one of the first kanji iPhone learning apps), has unleashed yet another gem with the wonderfully addictive KanjiPop.