Sunday, May 27, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Japanese Graded Readers 3:1:2: 注文の多い料理店
注文 orders
料理店 restaurant
きっと fer sure
鉄砲 gun
撃ちたい want to shoot
案内 guide
急に suddenly
倒れます collapse
もちろん of course
廊下 corridor
喜んで with pleasure
だけれど although
賑やか bustling (-na adjective)
かかって hanging. If I read this right, the pic is wrong, which has the 鏡 hanging on the wall, not a 戸
こう like this
し used to list "reasons for multiple states and actions." So it's something like a conjunction. Works for adjectives at the very least.
おかしい strange (-na adjective I think)
脱いで take off (clothes)
裏 back
ネクタイペン Tie pin. I can't figure what this really is, as it's a strange thing to expect a hunter to wear.
財布 wallet
香水 perfume
入れ物 container
塩 salt
変 strange, unexpected, suspicious
鍵穴 keyhole
がたがた rattle
震える tremble
消えました disappeared
鳴き squeal
呼んで call
安心 relief
料理店 restaurant
きっと fer sure
鉄砲 gun
撃ちたい want to shoot
案内 guide
急に suddenly
倒れます collapse
もちろん of course
廊下 corridor
喜んで with pleasure
だけれど although
賑やか bustling (-na adjective)
かかって hanging. If I read this right, the pic is wrong, which has the 鏡 hanging on the wall, not a 戸
こう like this
し used to list "reasons for multiple states and actions." So it's something like a conjunction. Works for adjectives at the very least.
おかしい strange (-na adjective I think)
脱いで take off (clothes)
裏 back
ネクタイペン Tie pin. I can't figure what this really is, as it's a strange thing to expect a hunter to wear.
財布 wallet
香水 perfume
入れ物 container
塩 salt
変 strange, unexpected, suspicious
鍵穴 keyhole
がたがた rattle
震える tremble
消えました disappeared
鳴き squeal
呼んで call
安心 relief
Friday, May 18, 2018
Reading aloud to 息子
I've been reading these graded readers aloud to 息子．大丈夫です。妻も聞きます。I read a phrase and translate. He's interested enough in the story to tolerate the slowness; I hope he is getting some of the endlessly repeated phrases (言いました、鈴木さんのバスは、など).
I don't read the ones in which you get attached to an animal and the animal dies. Or the one about the dying girl's last wish (admittedly, an import from O'Henry). Tell you what, you have to grow up fast in Japan, if these books are any guide.
I don't read the ones in which you get attached to an animal and the animal dies. Or the one about the dying girl's last wish (admittedly, an import from O'Henry). Tell you what, you have to grow up fast in Japan, if these books are any guide.
Monday, May 7, 2018
And now, an opinion on how to learn
I am commonly seeing on Reddit r/LearnJapanese this question in various forms:
"Wouldn't it be easier to learn Japanese if I don't bother with X?" X is: reading; writing; learning kanji; doing something that isn't in my textbook. (Come to think of it, I hear this at home too. Just sayin'.)
They often get this correct response: If you don't know how to read/use kanji/whatever, you're illiterate. Or maybe support: you don't need to write kanji. Just type them in the keyboard like we imagine real Japanese native speakers do exclusively.
But here's a more compelling reason (compelling, at least, to those who say "I just want to converse/watch anime/whatever; I don't want to read or write): learning the same thing different ways is easier than learning it only one way.
Suppose you were learning world history. So you listen to a history professor give lectures. No book; no note taking. Would you learn it as well as if you read for yourself, took notes on what was important, summarized, talked to a classmate about the high points?
Suppose you had a list of vocabulary words. You can go over the word list until you know them; or you can do that and write a story using them and try them in conversation and understand the roots (androgynous: Greek andros, male, plus Greek gynos, female. Got it). Which way would have you remembering the most a month later?
More ways is better. It's also a heck of a lot more fun.
End Public Service Announcement.
"Wouldn't it be easier to learn Japanese if I don't bother with X?" X is: reading; writing; learning kanji; doing something that isn't in my textbook. (Come to think of it, I hear this at home too. Just sayin'.)
They often get this correct response: If you don't know how to read/use kanji/whatever, you're illiterate. Or maybe support: you don't need to write kanji. Just type them in the keyboard like we imagine real Japanese native speakers do exclusively.
But here's a more compelling reason (compelling, at least, to those who say "I just want to converse/watch anime/whatever; I don't want to read or write): learning the same thing different ways is easier than learning it only one way.
Suppose you were learning world history. So you listen to a history professor give lectures. No book; no note taking. Would you learn it as well as if you read for yourself, took notes on what was important, summarized, talked to a classmate about the high points?
Suppose you had a list of vocabulary words. You can go over the word list until you know them; or you can do that and write a story using them and try them in conversation and understand the roots (androgynous: Greek andros, male, plus Greek gynos, female. Got it). Which way would have you remembering the most a month later?
More ways is better. It's also a heck of a lot more fun.
End Public Service Announcement.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Japanese Graded Readers 2:3:11: 日本のお風呂
（たくさん言葉ですね！）
気持ち feeling
湯 hot water
湯船 bathtub
お風呂 bath
温泉 warm springs
蒸気 steam
蒸し風呂 steam bath
仏教 Buddhism
お坊さん high priest
銭湯 bathhouse
江戸時代 Edo period
狭い narrow
混浴 mixed bathing
広い spacious
できました was made
なくなる cease (literally "become not")
よく見る look well
番台 place for person taking admission
壁 wall
少なくなりました decreased
岩盤 rock bath (place to lie on hot gravel)
旅館 Japanese hotel
露天 open-air
ながら while
裸 nude
軽く lightly
ゆっくり slowly
桶 bucket
あったところ where it was
浴衣 bathrobe/summer kimono
気持ち feeling
湯 hot water
湯船 bathtub
お風呂 bath
温泉 warm springs
蒸気 steam
蒸し風呂 steam bath
仏教 Buddhism
お坊さん high priest
銭湯 bathhouse
江戸時代 Edo period
狭い narrow
混浴 mixed bathing
広い spacious
できました was made
なくなる cease (literally "become not")
よく見る look well
番台 place for person taking admission
壁 wall
少なくなりました decreased
岩盤 rock bath (place to lie on hot gravel)
旅館 Japanese hotel
露天 open-air
ながら while
裸 nude
軽く lightly
ゆっくり slowly
桶 bucket
あったところ where it was
浴衣 bathrobe/summer kimono