What is Digg?Sponsored by Dragon Age: Origins
Can't get enough Dragon Age: Origins? Play the flash game. view!
DragonAgeJourneys.com - Play the free companion flash game to Dragon Age: Origins.
157 Comments
- Yogurth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This site has much more to offer to those who wish to learn Japanese:
http://japanese.sabotage.org/ - sovereign3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It's amazing how obsessed people are with learning Japanese in America.
Having taken Japanese for about three weeks in college and preparing to leave to Osaka later this month, my advice to anyone learning Japanese is to understand that Japanese is NOT EASY! Many people who began learning Japanese merely because of an interest in Anime or sushi, wash out by the time we get to harder levels. If you start learning Japanese thinking you're going to pick it up by playing some silly RPG, I feel sorry for you. Remember Hiragana and Katakana syllabry alone is about 100 characters, almost five times as large as our alphabet. Kanji is an even worse nightmare. There are more than a thousand in that pictography (most Japanese don't even know all of them). In order to be considered at least semi-literate you must know about 800 or 900.
I'll round on the high end and say I know a couple hundred and could maybe guess a few more, remember I've studied for a couple years.
Good Luck to anyone who wants to take up such a challenging language. Personally, I think Chinese easier. - swaxhog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I wrote some study aid software for Hiragana/Katakana and Kanji some years ago. Knock yourself out.
http://www.swaxhog.com/ - Rirath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6There's so dang much misinformation whenever any topic on learning Japanese crops up. Thanks in part, I suppose, to the current anime boom. Everyone who can remember "kawaii, baka, inu" thinks they too can now learn Japanese.
I've spent years studying to farther enjoy manga, anime, and games. So far can write 1400 kanji from memory and recognize 1800 (working on 2042), my vocabulary is a few thousand words, and I still have a hard time with the language. It's fun, it's a challenge, but no game or "learn Japanese in 24 hours!" system is ever going to work past the basics.
And there's some truth to mote's words. So many people on the net think "Oh boy, I'll go to Japan some day and it'll be super neato keen like in the anime!" Japan's a great place to visit as a tourist, but I wouldn't want to live there. Not that I don't enjoy much of their culture and technology, but real life is harshly different than entertainment. As I once heard said, and it's oh so true... Japan is the new "Middle Earth or Starfleet for today's computer geek. Some magical, wonderful place that if one could just get there, they'd suddenly fit in and all would be right." - cuby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4
just tried this game. it is a nice try but sadly it seems rather worthless, the gameplay makes absolutely no sense. it showed me 6 flashcards with the same kanji, then said that they mean "gyo", "sakana", "fish" and "uo". then it shows me the same card, and asks me to type in what it means. what it accepts as the answer is totally random.
sakana is fish, yes, but wth is gyo and uo? no sound, no hints, no instructions. and more importantly, is there any way to refund the author of this game the hundreds of hours he spent creating it, or else donate those hours to someone better able to handle a good idea such as this? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Its a nice enough program/game (fancy flashcard program) and I have used it a bit, but I don't feel that drilling alone is a good way to remember the kanji (and am currently making my way through 'remembering the kanji' which trys to apply some kind of logic to the characters.
Granted this book won't teach the readings, but its useful to recognise and identify the kanji with their meanings in a way that you can remember (and then later on do some more drilling style process to learn the readings of them).
I know loads of Japanese, and here's how to say that in japanese:
私は本当に馬鹿だよ
冗談だけ - Teh_Psyren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Yes! Now I can follow the detailed storylines in those yaoi movies I downloaded.
- Midnightbrewer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5mote said: "Both actually. it takes forever to learn Japanese and when you get to Japan everyone either talks to you in English or gets really cold and unresponsive when you speak Japanese. It's a rather boring city, I can only name a few fun places off hand, which doesn't really matter because corporate work hours are long and everything is so damn expensive you stay home in your tiny one room $800 a month apartment."
A) Japan is not a city.
B) My apartment in Osaka is three bedrooms and costs less than $600, with a great view of the mountains.
C) Osakans are the friendliest people in Japan. Get two Osakans together and you have stand-up comedy (actual Japanese saying.) They're absolutely delighted that I speak Japanese, and I teach them English if they want. It works out pretty well.
D) Not bored yet. - ziggystardust, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Japanese is 3 alphabets. They have nothing to do with China. That's like learning the English alphabet by asking a Korean about his native language. Apples and Oranges.
- ionix18, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3rirath, I have to disagree with you. I live in Japan and I enjoy it. But i have to agree with you that people tend to think they know Japanese when they only know couple of words/sentenses. This game is an amusing way to remember the kanjis but should be used as a tool and not as a mean to learn Japanese.
- KyleGoetz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3OK. Many, many people commenting on this page seriously need corrections:
Hiragana and katakana are Japanese syllabaries. Kanji are ideographs. All three of these writing systems are derived from Chinese characters (hanzi). The Japanese also use the Roman alphabet [roomaji,ローマ字] (a-z) and Arabic numerals [sanyousuuji,算用数字] (0-9) as well. An example of the usage of ro-maji is "CD", which is often written "CD" in Japanese. An example of all systems used simultaneously:
お宅は2つの事が好きで、アニメＤＶＤと日本の女性である。
"Otaku like two things: anime DVDs and Japanese girls." [note that I jest]
Furthermore, the Hepburn system is not a form of "romaji." The Hepburn system is a form of Romanization. "Romaji" literally means "Roman characters." This has nothing to do with the representation of Japanese using the English/Italian/etc. alphabet. People need to stop spouting off about that which they do not understand.
日本語能力試験2級 - EdwinBubble, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"oooh look the dog is trying to speak english!" - that actually made me LOL. I'm reasonably sure I've heard that tone of voice
- noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Please people... This game, it's not for learning Japanese from scratch. It's only a tool for memorizing the kana, kanji and words.
- kajoob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3now diggers will actually be able to understand all that porn they've been looking at.
- matid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Nice, but still - not for Linux and I think http://japanese.sabotage.org/ is better ;)
Anyway, dugg - zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"If you can't stand living in Japan, then America isn't going to be that much better."
I think the bottom line is that the average person has little tolerance from living anywhere they aren't used to or were originally brought up. I have lived in Japan and looked at the ups as well as the downs and I really enjoyed it there. - sovereign3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I meant three *years* in college, not weeks :)
- dharm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3this is digg... very unlikely you will find an intelligent discussiion...
there isnt a popular artiicle that hasnt gone offtopic and didnt turn into flaming of some sort... - ryokuin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3edwin - haha i so agree with the hot chicks. its a universal constant.
but as to learning japanese, its really hard when you first start. when i first went to japan for vacation i was an outcast. i couldnt speak for ***** and the japanese knew it. when i went back for my exchange program it was waaaaay better. how much do you integrate FOBs who can only speak a few words of english? its the same way. but take that foreigner who can speak damn good english and all of a sudden people are much more likely to integrate. add the ability to actualy be personal, friendly, interesting, and learn the skills to express yourself in their language and they LOVE you. - rcomegys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@berean
"I didn't find Japanese that difficult. You're right about Kanji, but if you're not writing in Kanji, it's still that too difficult."
If you're not writing in Kanji, you're not speaking Japanese. It's a necessary evil. The language is limited by the number of sounds it has, so there are like a bunch of words read as joujou or kyoushi, etc. You need kanji to distinguish them. Context won't always help you either.
According to most linguistics, Japanese has the most complex writing system of any language, but that's exactly why I love it. - noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have watched about 8h of anime, never read a manga (as in Japanese comic, not comic in general so don't smart ass please), met two Japanese people, of whom none was a girlfriend of mine.
I don't think I can make a living of it.
I don't even remotely think that Japanese is easy.
I don't think I will make JLPT more then at most level 4.
I don't think a Japanese person would understand anything of what i try to say in Japanese and none probably ever will.
Do i still think that learning a little Japanese can be useful to me? Yes, and if not It's still been a fun time learning the little i know.
There are probably more then just me who think this way.
Don't whine and call us "gaijin" and try to look smart, losers. - waiwai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2>sakana is fish, yes, but wth is gyo and uo
gyo, uo, and sakana are all pronunciations of the same kanji. Pretty much all kanji have multiple pronunciations, some used in compunds, some when used as a word, etc.. Anyone who has spent any time memorizing kanji before would know this, so it doesn't really need to be in the game. It takes a day to learn how kanji work, it takes years to memorize the damn things. - ThisGeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Japanese people learn four types of script, Hiragan, Kanji, Katakana and western.
Haven't tried the game yet, but if it only helps with vocabulary then that shouldn't be a problem, Japanese grammar is easy peasy lemony squeazy! - ryokuin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2whats with this chinese is more useful nonsense?
the japanese economy is the second strongest in the world, with the US as #1.
http://www.aneki.com/richest.html
highest GDP per capita... hey wait a minute china isnt even on the list! - cuby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3frankly those cgy01 posts made me fall over laughing. i think he's absolutely dead-on right. i knew plenty of guys in college who all did a japanese exchange program, and every last one of them was clearly and irremediably an asiophile. i'm certain their fascination and devotion to learning the language and culture was genuine, but in my experience anyway, it all starts from developing an attraction to asian women, who at least in america, are thinner and generally more visually palatable.
he was flaming, sure, but he was also calling a lot of people out mercilessly, like starr jones. - BIGmog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Japan was ranked 11th on the Human Development Index; an annual report done by the UN on the quality of life in every country. The US ranked 10th. If you can't stand living in Japan, then America isn't going to be that much better.
- KyleGoetz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Digg cuts off my post AGAIN.
If you cannot read the above phrase, do not attempt to argue with me about the subject. If you can, feel free to disagree with my explanation if you can explain why. I welcome educated disagreements, but many of the preceeding posters are ill-informed and not suited for teaching others. My post serves as a warning -- beware who you receive instruction from on the internet.
I am systematically modding lies and other grossly incorrect statements about the language down, because people do not need to read misinformation and falsehoods. Any suggestion on how to do this other than modding mistakes as spam (something I am loathe to do)? - duder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2lived in japan for 4 1/2 years and wife is japanese.. YES, japanese kanji are related to chinese.
peace,
duder - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The Mister Miyagi teaching method is under-utilized. We should turn more simple activities, like turn-based RPG combat, into educational drills.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Umm... no they don't. If I walked up to a Chinese person and asked them to pronounce Kanji characters, they probably wouldn't know how."
Kanji was imported from China around the 5th century. Many of the characters have been modified from their original while others are the same, but their origin is Chinese. Indeed many kanji characters have two readings the "on-yomi"(Chinese derived) and "kun-yomi"(native Japanese). For example the Kanji for moutain (山) would be "san" in the "on" reading, and in "kun" it would be "yama". - dannylewis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2crapiolio: Umm... no they don't. If I walked up to a Chinese person and asked them to pronounce Kanji characters, they probably wouldn't know how.
- clumsyninja, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2dharm: It's called learning. Learning about other cultures/languages is a good thing. Try it sometime.
- ahmerhussain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2yes it does!
- rcomegys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There's lots of people who've studied a little Japanese here, trying to set everyone straight. The question is: Does it really matter? kylegoetz, what you said was already stated. And while I appreciate Level 2, that doesn't really prove anything.
- noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Why does everybody talk about Japanese women!?
I submitted this post to help those learning Japanese to memorize the kana and kanji and everybody starts flaming about "ahh, you people just want to "have" Japanese shool girls".
What is wrong with you, get a life! - lame_duck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have to agree, this game isn't going to learn you much, but could be a great study program. Don't hate me because I have a intrest in the Japan culture and language. I also like Spanish and Celtic, does that make me a bad person?
- webwiz2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2http://thejapanesepage.com/
is much better!
Gomenasi - OP - noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2ryokuin (0) give us a break.
I don't think anyone of us really want to learn to speak fluent Japanese, it's just fun to get a little knowlage of a totally (OK not totally) different language.
I mean I've learned katakana, hiragana, a few kanji and a little grammar in my spare time the last two months, and it helped me with my programming just becuse it go my mind to something totally different. - noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Japanese language proficiency test (JLPT) level 2?
I'm not trying to be a smart ass just wondered if I "guessed" right. (I did have to look up 80% of the kanji :D) - QuickFix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1sweet!
- maxhodges, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1zetsurin wrote: "Not exactly correct. They are 3 writing systems. Hiragana and Katakana are also syllabaries, not alphabets. Kanji is a pictographic representation of the word's meanings."
That's not exactly true either. Some kanji are pictographs--stylized representations of actual physical objects. Other kanji are symbolic: logical designs that indicate more abstract notions (like "ue" for up). Then there are ideographs which are two pictographs or symbols that get combined together to create a related idea (like "sun" and "moon" combine to represent "bright"). Pictographs, symbols and ideographs are fairly easy to learn, but the majority of kanji--perhaps 80%--belong to the "phono-ideograph" group: kanji which combine an element that gives a clue to pronunciation with an element that hints at the subject-matter. Phono-ideographs are much more challenging for the learner.
Fans of Knuckles might also appreciate "Japanese Kanji Flashcards" by White Rabbit Press:
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com
White Rabbit Press also has a forum where they will be happy to clear up any questions you have about the Japanese langauge or Japanese culture. - Philbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is kinda fun, although I only played for a few minutes so far. "Fun" is pretty rare in learning games. I've tried plenty of Japanese learning games that claim to be fun but were anything but (they didn't teach very well either). One of the best I've had I actually got for free and when that disc broke I paid to replace it. it used the "linkword language system" and actually had 12 languages on one CD. It wasn't even actually a game, per-say, but they'd tell you the word and have you imagine something funny for 10 seconds that would help you remember it. Then they'd teach the grammar of how to use that word in a sentence. I learned really fast with that method.
Anyway, even if this game doesn't teach everything it's better than a lot of stuff out there. I'm talking to a company in Kyoto about working there right now (not teaching english), so if I get the job I'll need all the help I can get. +digg - EdwinBubble, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"and i would assume that its every white guy's fantasy to have an asian gurl"
LOL - stop flattering yourselves. Hot chicks are hot chicks regardless of where they are from.
Personally I learned a fair bit of Japanese not too long ago, enough to be able to follow at least the outlines of a conversation. Then I stopped when I realized that there's really no point. The Japanese pretty much hate you for knowing their language, and Japan is rapidly becoming an economic backwater anyways - the glory days of that are gone.
Onward with Mandarin - at least that's a language you can use for business. - lame_duck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Also, gaijin seems to be the new n-word in the "I hate Japanophiles" circle. Anyone else notice this? Really can't be helped tho, even Japanese have taken it out of context. *Instead of meaning foreigner it has taken on the meaning of anyone NOT Japanese, in a bad way.*
- magicaltrout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2ryokuin
chinese is going to be more useful because it's developing VERY rapidly. japanese is not going to be as useful anymore because it has already developed so much. japan doesn't have much more to offer other than technology and that isn't even a natural resource. in contrast, china has untapped natural resources and plenty of cheap labor being the giant it is.
also, a few years back a japanese telephone company was threatened to be banned by china if it continued to trade with taiwan. it quickly decided to export its products to china instead. pathetic as this action is, it shows that there is much more business to be made with china (a big country) than another island state.
and you need to quit boasting already. - noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"seems like a great game. could use better graphics, and I would learn the language easier if i had to find the english equivalent to the japanese word and not the japanese equivalent to the english word.
DUGG!!"
I think it works both ways later in the game. - mdsanta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1seems like a great game. could use better graphics, and I would learn the language easier if i had to find the english equivalent to the japanese word and not the japanese equivalent to the english word.
DUGG!! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"If you're not writing in Kanji, you're not speaking Japanese."
Wrong. If you're not writing in Kanji, you're not writing in Kanji. It's not a terribly difficult language. I bet most Americans that tried to learn it would do better with Japanese than they do with English. - Brutal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No OSX-version?
- noteventime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Maybe someone good at OS X programming could ask for the source and make a port :D
-
Show 51 - 100 of 157 discussions
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is