How and what I study!

Hey, today I want to talk about some tips on "studying". If you're not spacing out all ready from the word, here are some tips!

1) Confused? Don't understand the explanations here? Email me! I have a special email just for this which I check twice a day! nihongo911@gmail.com

2) Japanese characters are hard to write! All characters are written from left to right, top to bottom. I have yet to upload writing youtube videos but you can check out Usagi's Hiragana Chart here. Just click a character for the writing!

3) Japanese pronunciation is difficult! Coming from a huge language like English to Japanese, it's hard for us to actively remember that we often "add" sounds to Japanese. (Like "uh" and "aye" sounds.) Pronunciation is something that your brain will eventually get and do for you! Japanese pronunciation is luckily not complicated so it won't take much other than just listening.

What is the most common mistake for beginners?

1) Japanese is based on syllables so we often brake up words differently. So for example, "Hiragana" is broken up into, "hi-ra-ga-na". Try speaking like a robot.

2) You're thinking in English! This is a common mistake while studying Japanese grammar/word order. We often forget we are dealing with a foreign language. Some things WON'T make sense because we are thinking in English. Languages are more than just words -- they are ways of thinking so you have to adjust  yourself. For example, "5'oclock PM" is "PM 5 hour" in Japanese. Why? Well in Japanese you go from big to small. So years comes before months and PM comes before the hour.

3) You're studying! "What?" Yes, you heard me write. Don't over do it! Languages weren't meant to be studied like theology. They were developed to be natural and learned through osmosis. (Without active study.) Think of the dumbest person you know; chances are that person can speak and possibly write just fine. Languages aren't impossible -- that would be against the point. Learning a foreign language is hard to "study" but wants to do that? Just find dun things to do in Japanese and you WILL learn something. I have learned dozens of words through music and browsing the web! Relax and try to have some fun!

4) This is the last one I promise. People while learning Japanese may feel like they are getting no-where. Japanese is like PE. The only thing that actually affects your "grade" is participation. Did you skip Monday? Doing, "nothing" in Japanese 3 minutes a day will get you much farther than 2 hours on Saturday. Look at Japanese people. What advantage do they have over you? Participation! They do Japanese all day, every day. Just do some now and some later!