I'm starting to learn kana and Jaapanese...

[oro!]

Are there any suggestions?

[Syaoran]

sweet I always wanted to learn japanese. I say go for it. It might be fun

[indyrocker]

Well heres a fun frase Onaka ga suite imasu it meens I am hungry but as far as when i started I went to http://www.japanese-online.com and they have free lesions there to get you started.

[inkhana]

Here are some sites I use a lot...^^

http://www.takase.com/Names/HowToWritePart1.htm <---How to write names in Japanese
http://genki.yousei-ziploc.com/intro.php <---Nihongo o Oshiete (Japanese lessons)
http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/~ts/japanese/index.html <----More lessons
http://members.aol.com/writejapan/index.htm <----and some more! This one has a tutor of some kind on it...can't remember how it works..XD
http://www.cnfj.navy.mil/phrases.html <---key phrases in Romaji
http://jeff.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/japan.html <---fonts!
http://i33www.ira.uka.de/~bgarz/nihongoshoho/KanjiIndizes/kanjiIndex_StrokeCount_StrokeCount.html <---Kanji index
http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C <---Romaji dictionary

Hope these help...

[oro!]

Thanks. I can't get how to pronounce the long sounds and short ones. Help?

[shooraijin]

This is not the most accurate way, but you can get *started* by thinking of length as similar to stress in English. In English, we pause on certain syllables we want to emphasize, and you can *approximate* (this is not *exact*) long vowels in Japanese by putting stress on those vowels. You can approximate double consonants in the same way (if you know Italian, doubling in words like 'nonno' is done the same way as in Japanese).

In reality, Japanese syllables have no stress and are pronounced the same way (the technical term in linguistics is not syllable, but something called a mora). When a vowel or consonant is lengthened, it becomes another syllable (like がっこおう gakkoo is actually these morae: ga k ko o). You can approximate this in English by saying gak-KOH, even though that's not quite accurate. However, it will get you started until you can practise with a native speaker or a tape that can help you to pronounce the morae correctly individually.

[Arnobius]

Flash cards and practice writing the kana every day.

First of all, this will allow you to get used to seeing the kana as characters instead of squiggles and helps you to remember vocabulary.

Second, writing the kana helps you get familiar with them.

Spend a couple of hours each day or more. When I started out, I was a source of amusement to my co-workers, always going through my flashcards on every break. It helped me to first learn the characters and then the words written with them.

You should also go over the lessons every day to keep from forgetting the material.

Finally, Japanese is a very logical language, but you need to remember that the rules are very different from the rules of English.

For a tongue in cheek guide, you can check out this article written by a Japanese major

EDIT: I apologize for not doublechecking the content before linking.

[shooraijin]

A funny link (a little naughty but otherwise pretty well written).

... wait, anime isn't real?

[Arnobius]

[quote="shooraijin"]A funny link (a little naughty but otherwise pretty well written).

... wait, anime isn't real? ]
Oh, I'm sorry. Did I violate some bad taste guideline for CAA?

[Saint Kevin]

Yeah, I've read that before (maybe like 2 years ago?. My favorite quote:
"Anime isn't real, but you can be sure that at least half your classmates think it is, and will spend most of your classtime asking how to say things like 'crystal tiara' in Japanese."

Also, thanks for the links Ink. I've got them all in my favorites now. Now...if I could only find the time to actually sit down and memorize a bit.

And oh yeah. Chipchat is a good substitute for flashcards, if you don't have them for learning hiragana/katakana. For now just google that, until I post a link later.

[oro!]

That was funny! I can't stop laughing! Tomorrow someone will see me laughing my head off in the middle of class, and think I'm crazy, but I'm not, because that was sooo funny!

[Arnobius]

And oh yeah. Chipchat is a good substitute for flashcards, if you don't have them for learning hiragana/katakana. For now just google that, until I post a link later.

I *really* advise the practice writing. This is especially important when it comes to the kanji (which eventually you'll get to). It's been acknowledged in a problem in Japan and China where, after using computers, people start to forget how to write them properly.

I also recommend making your own flash cards (which is what I did) because it allows you to tailor them to what you cover in class and where your weak points are.

[oro!]

I think i'll try the flashcards. It seems like a good idea, since I have mixed up a couple of hiragana.

[Rue Shibusky]

at howtodrawmanga.com they sell some books and the have a kana book called kana de manga that they're selling. You have to order it online though ( I got mine on Christmas XD ) but I thought it was really useful (even though I've been lazy and only know up to ko). I don't know if kanji de manga is out yet, but that'll be buyable someday too...

[_Sin_]

I can't believe noone mentioned that one:
Learning by doi... playing! Yippi!

[BigZam]

Waaah! This is confusing.......whats kana?!?!?!?!

[Rue Shibusky]

Kana is hiragana and katakana

[Arnobius]

I think i'll try the flashcards. It seems like a good idea, since I have mixed up a couple of hiragana.

It takes awhile to get used to, hence the need to practice.

I can't believe noone mentioned that one:
Learning by doi... playing! Yippi!

I remember that one but under the name of "Slime Forest." That one was pretty good for kana. More difficult for kanji.

[Shipuh]

im in japanese at school, so we had to memorize fast. (flash cards NEVER worked for me)

writing it will help it stick in your brain instead of reading it. (besides, you learn the stroke order that way)

the way that worked for me was rewriting it OVER AND OVER on a sheet of paper. just writting it. OVER AND OVER i must have like over 10 pages full of them. start with hiragana. after maybe 2 pages...do a quiz and see how much you can write without looking at a book. the ones you have trouble remembering...come up with funny terms to help you rember the symbol to the sound. ("tsu" has a shape of a wave like a "tsunami", "he" reminds me of a "hay stack".) dont try to do it with ALL the symbols...just the ones you struggle with.

then do the same for katakana.

for me...katakana is harder. i have trouble distinguishing (even still) the differences between "shi" and "tsu" and also the differences between "so" and "n". another i used to struggle with was "ku" and "ke" (especially since they are right next to each other in the "alphabet") but alot of the symbols were easy to pick up because some are similar to the hiragana symbols.

since i learned it in an actual class at school, there were other people i got help with...but not by much. we used some symbols and made inside jokes out of them. ("tsu" and Jin Kim are inside "ro") DOOOONT ASK!

just figuire out funny things that work for you. if you use other peoples way to remember them...it probably will not work. >_>;

and remember to write the "alphabet" SEVERAL times! =D

[dreamhacker]

What is flashcards?

[Azier the Swordsman]

http://www.yesjapan.com

Don't let the fact that it's a pay site deter you. If you are too much of a weenie to shell out $20 a month for the best online lessons avaliable, I feel sorry for you.

[Megan86]

If you are too much of a weenie to shell out $20 a month for the best online lessons avaliable, I feel sorry for you.

Sorry, but some people don't have $20 a month to spare. It doesn't make them a "weenie."