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 Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:50 pm
Ok, so, you're ready to learn buuuuuttttt you don't know where to start. That's what this forum's for. Here, I'm going to be posting all of the links I can find for good, reputable Japanese-learning links, free AND paid. I'm hoping that this'll eventually be a valuable resource to Japanese students, one that's not confusing.
Happy learning, and feel free to submit any links you found useful.
Oh, and before you decide to embark on your Japanese learning journey, read this:
http://pepper.idge.net/japanese/
But don't take it too seriously.
Oh, and if you need to know how to type in Japanese, go here.
http://www.autopenhosting.org/unicode/type-Japanese.html
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:52 pm
FREE LINKS!!!! Everyone loves stuff for free, so here're links that Ivy Lana Lee put together, with some additions. smart.fm ATTENTION: Smart.fm is closing on March 31, 2011, and transferring to a paid service called iKnow. I'll be posting that in the "Paid Links" section.....Farewell to a great free language service..... You make lists and such, and it has three different ways of studying those lists, and looks really good. Also, you don't need to have a Japanese input program to use it effectively. You can study a list you made, or study ones other people have made, and it has some for reading kana. Ivy Lana Lee says: "I will only add here that there is a "dictation" mode that could be good for listening comprehension... if it worked properly. Unfortunately, on both of the lists I've tried, there have been bugs with it, mainly in the reading of certain Kanji compounds, if they don't follow the usual rules." www.jisho.org Seems like a good online dictionary/translator. This was also submitted by Zalzie below, before I got a chance to copy everything over. http://www.angelfire.com/anime4/jslang/jibiki.htm The Japanese Slang Jiko Ivy Lana Lee says: "At least it's alphabetized. It's answered a lot of questions for me." http://www.coolslang.com/in/japanese/index.php Japanese Slang Dictionary Rather prettier. Organized by Hiragana, rather than alphabetized. Some overlap, but there is more good information there. http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/common-japanese-onomatopoeia-word-sounds-found-in-manga/ Ivy Lana Lee says: "Ah, Japanese onomatopoeia. The Japanese language uses onomatopoeia a LOT. And, really, almost none of it is (I think) very intuitive to an English speaker, and many of them you will not find in a dictionary, either. So, I've found this page to be very useful." http://books.google.com/books?id=z0nRi62_iIwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0 A book on Google Books about Kinki Japanese Ivy Lana Lee says: "No, not kinky Japanese, Kinki. Kinki refers to a region (I actually lived there for a couple months), and it has its own dialect. Aka Kansai-ben or Oosaka-ben. It's a Japanese dialect, and probably the most distinctive one. I've always had a very difficult time understanding it (it really is learning a whole new set of vocab here), and this helped me a lot. Technically, it's not free, but even what is available freely as a preview of the book is very helpful." http://www.rikai.com/perl/HomePage.pl?Language=Ja Rikai! Lots of flashcards and other good study materials. I personally looked at this, and it appears to be useful. I haven't had a chance to test it extensively, though...Ivy Lana Lee says: "Oh yes! And the nice thing about Rikai is that you can put in a web address, and then it will take you to that page and give you the readings of the Kanji on that page! Not only that, but if several kanji make up a word, it will give you that word, the definition of the word, and the definition and reading of the kanji in the word. All you have to do is mouse over the text! Very helpful on, say, Asahi Shimbun's Japanese website." http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/ Also, rikaichan, a verrrry useful pop-up dictionary for Firefox. As I'm not using Firefox, I haven't had a chance to see it in action, but it sounds useful. I'm tempted to install Firefox just to look at it.
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:59 pm
PAID LINKS!!!
This little bubble is for links to Japanese-learning websites that require monehs.
www.jbox.com
A veritable cornucopia of Japanese products and study tools! Everything from candy to video games to Japanese i-Tunes gift cards! You can really spend ALL your money there, seriously.
www.whiterabbitpress.com
Geared specifically toward study tools. Also, if you have a Nintendo DS, you're in luck! They sell Japanese DS games that are meant for study, and the DS is region free, so it's even legal! If you have the cash to burn and are a serious student, I would HIGHLY recommend looking at the electronic dictionaries available there. Especially try to find one that can look up Kanji through what you draw with the stylus. I personally got Kanji Flashcards from this company, and they're great!
http://www.amazon.com/New-Nelson-Japanese-English-Character-Dictionary/dp/0804820368
This is a link to Amazon to buy a Nelson's Kanji dictionary. Ivy Lana Lee says : "I have an amazing electronic dictionary, but I still find myself turning to the Nelson's very often. A very very useful tool."
www.yesjapan.com
This is what I used before I took lessons. It's where I learned to write, and a bunch of the grammar I know. I still use it for reference, and I watch their videos. The only reason I stopped was that I got a private tutor. They sell their online textbooks as print versions, so you can travel with them, and have a small selection of pre-tty cool stuffs. They DO allow people to have free accounts now, but you don't get nearly the amount of content, and you still have to pay for most of their videos. Hence, it's under "paid". This website is affiliates with Japanfiles.com, which sells Japanese music of all sorts.
Human Japanese
http://animeaffairs.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/putting-human-japanese-through-its-paces/
This link is to a review of the iPhone / iPod Touch app Human Japanese. I've personally never used it, but from the review, I would say this looks like a good tool for those who love their gadgets. ^_^
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:03 pm
It's not a learning site, but my sensei gave me this link- it will translate romaji into katakana, hiragana and kanji even though it is designed to be an english/japanese online dictionary.
Jisho.org
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:42 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:57 pm
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Ivy Lana Lee Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:58 pm
Dj FiFeN http://www.rikai.com/perl/HomePage.pl?Language=Ja Rikai! Lots of flashcards and other good study materials. http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/Also, rikaichan, a verrrry useful pop-up dictionary for Firefox. Oh yes! And the nice thing about Rikai is that you can put in a web address, and then it will take you to that page and give you the readings of the Kanji on that page! Not only that, but if several kanji make up a word, it will give you that word, the definition of the word, and the definition and reading of the kanji in the word. All you have to do is mouse over the text! Very helpful on, say, Asahi Shimbun's Japanese website. Japanese news articles have GOBS of Kanji; it's seriously ridiculous and kind of reads more like Chinese, lol.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:06 pm
Ivy Lana Lee Dj FiFeN http://www.rikai.com/perl/HomePage.pl?Language=Ja Rikai! Lots of flashcards and other good study materials. http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/Also, rikaichan, a verrrry useful pop-up dictionary for Firefox. Oh yes! And the nice thing about Rikai is that you can put in a web address, and then it will take you to that page and give you the readings of the Kanji on that page! Not only that, but if several kanji make up a word, it will give you that word, the definition of the word, and the definition and reading of the kanji in the word. All you have to do is mouse over the text! Very helpful on, say, Asahi Shimbun's Japanese website. Japanese news articles have GOBS of Kanji; it's seriously ridiculous and kind of reads more like Chinese, lol. I wish, Chinese grammar is loads easier gonk
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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:20 am
www.livestation.com
You can download a nifty little gadget to watch foreign (Japanese for us) TV on your computer. Most of the pre-programmed stuff is news/shopping channels, but you can also find user-added channels. My personal favorite station is TBS (Tokyo Broadcast Staion).
For Japanese radio there's www.radiotime.com
Virtually every Japanese station there seems to be mix or Top 40 pop, but hey, its more fun than flashcards ^.^
Kehole TV..
is another download which is meant for Japanese but in my experience mostly gets radio. The video I have gotten on it has been excruciatingly boring, but I've caught some pretty amusing radio talk shows. ^.^
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:54 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:52 am
There are also two books that I have, that have a lot of conversational and slang. I would not recommend to use these as your dictionary, but they are small and compact for on-the-go review. 1. MAKING OUT IN JAPANESE 2. MORE MAKING OUT IN JAPANESE EDIT: Also found new website: http://nihongo.j-talk.com/kanji/
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 4:13 am
Yamasa Online Kanji Dictionary - Very handy since it shows stroke order. Hiragana and Katakana are all there too. Best if you're learning how to write. JGram.org - User created dictionary of grammar. Hit and miss but there's a lot there.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 12:46 pm
WWWJDIC - This is by far the best online dictionary/resource I have found in my studies. the Radical Kanji look-up is especially helpful if you don't have the そのままdictionary for the Nintendo DS. Which, has to be the best electronic dictionary I have ever seen.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:30 am
I was browsing around in the threads and someone was askintg about expressions and emotions in Japanese. I totally forgot about this book called MANGA MOODS. It is great for a drawing reference as well as language. Check it out: http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/campusstore/mangamoods.html
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