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Bantam19
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Joined: August 12 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Points: 221
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Posted: April 11 2012 at 20:49 |
colorofmoney91 wrote:
k, but why is きれい mean clean, but きれいです translates to "is beautiful"?
My handwriting is too atrocious for writing the sharp lines in かたかな. |
It means both clean and beautiful depending on the context. Reflects Japan's cultural emphasis on cleanliness also. Katakana is fun :) don't you love how ツ シ ソ&ン are easily distinguishable?
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Apsalar
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Joined: June 06 2006
Location: gansu
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Points: 2888
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Posted: April 11 2012 at 21:54 |
mmmm, i find google translate more confusing than helpful.
i don't think kanji or hiragana were designed for left handed persons. the whole stroke patterns run counter-intuitively to my brain. but then again my handwriting in English is barely legible so i guess it is not such a problem.
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
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Points: 22774
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Posted: April 11 2012 at 22:42 |
I don't trust Google translate at all but so far it's the only vocabulary resource I've used. I really need to get a legit English/Japanese dictionary or something similar.
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DamoXt7942
Special Collaborator
Joined: October 15 2008
Location: Okayama, Japan
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Points: 17493
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Posted: April 12 2012 at 08:48 |
The shortest cut for learning Japanese language ... please drink Japanese Sake.  My favourite sake;
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
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Points: 22774
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Posted: April 12 2012 at 12:44 |
I don't drink, but if chugging a bottle of sake would help me learn Japanese quicker, bring it on.
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
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Points: 22774
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Posted: April 13 2012 at 22:09 |
わたしはアランです、アメリカ人で。よろしくおねがいします。
Does this make sense? Google says "sure, i dunno lol".
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Bantam19
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 12 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 221
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Posted: April 14 2012 at 10:25 |
colorofmoney91 wrote:
わたしはアランです、アメリカ人で。よろしくおねがいします。
Does this make sense? Google says "sure, i dunno lol". |
Yep :) That's a fine sentence. Like if you were introducing yourself to someone. Only thing is that you wouldn't technically put a comma between the first two sentences, but that's pretty insignificant.
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
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Points: 22774
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Posted: April 14 2012 at 14:15 |
Aw. Yeah. Brah.
So when are commas usually appropriate? Also, do you have any tips for reading sentences (because of there being no spaces)?
I feel like I'm doing decent for two weeks of study. I think I'll order a Japanese book about something and read it to build my vocabulary.
Edited by colorofmoney91 - April 14 2012 at 14:17
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Bantam19
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Joined: August 12 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Points: 221
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Posted: April 15 2012 at 14:53 |
Well, the impression I got from my sensei at least is that periods are typically used over commas. That building humongous sentences with commas, colons, semi-colons, etc. is not common practice, because that's not the way people speak; there is a big emphasis on give-and-take in conversation it seems.
Reading sentences will only get easier the more words you learn is my advice lol. Well also, once you learn all the particles and their use, that really helps break up a sentence visually.
Ya, two weeks is nothing, you're doing fine. Do you mean a book written in Japanese, or a book about learning Japanese? Cause I'd recommend the latter, not sure if the former would be of any use to a beginner.
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
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Points: 22774
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Posted: April 15 2012 at 15:22 |
I was thinking about a book written in Japanese, about something that I know absolutely nothing about, so I'll have to force myself to learn each page word by word, building my vocabulary. Marty Friedman said he started out reading comics in the newspapers to do pretty much the same thing.
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Bantam19
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Joined: August 12 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 221
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Posted: April 17 2012 at 14:28 |
Keep posting Alan! We need to critique your learning :)
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
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Posted: April 17 2012 at 16:58 |
Well I've only been learning katakana, though I'm almost done with it. I've been practicing by translating English names.
アラン エリック マット カーリ マーコ ヘンリー フィリープ アンヂー カンサス ノルツカロリナ
In a few days, I'll be working more with sentences so I can start learning kanji within contexts rather than studying them individually, which seems like it wouldn't work very well.
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Bantam19
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 12 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 221
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Posted: April 17 2012 at 21:05 |
colorofmoney91 wrote:
Well I've only been learning katakana, though I'm almost done with it. I've been practicing by translating English names.
アラン エリック マット カーリ マーコ ヘンリー フィリープ アンヂー カンサス ノルツカロリナ
In a few days, I'll be working more with sentences so I can start learning kanji within contexts rather than studying them individually, which seems like it wouldn't work very well. |
I know all of those people except Kansas (Tanner) and whoever Nolutsukarorina is lol. Also, what about モシュキット?
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colorofmoney91
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
Status: Offline
Points: 22774
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Posted: April 17 2012 at 22:02 |
Bantam19 wrote:
colorofmoney91 wrote:
Well I've only been learning katakana, though I'm almost done with it. I've been practicing by translating English names.
アラン エリック マット カーリ マーコ ヘンリー フィリープ アンヂー カンサス ノルツカロリナ
In a few days, I'll be working more with sentences so I can start learning kanji within contexts rather than studying them individually, which seems like it wouldn't work very well. |
I know all of those people except Kansas (Tanner) and whoever Nolutsukarorina is lol. Also, what about モシュキット? |
Our PA prophet, fountain of perpetual wisdom? 
Nolutsukarorina was supposed to be North Carolina, where I live. I gave up while translating it and decided to stop caring.
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CCVP
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 15 2007
Location: Vitória, Brasil
Status: Offline
Points: 7971
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 06:42 |
Japanese always reminds me of the Dragon Language.
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colorofmoney91
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Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
Status: Offline
Points: 22774
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 07:28 |
I see some similar characters in there.
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DamoXt7942
Special Collaborator
Joined: October 15 2008
Location: Okayama, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 07:31 |
colorofmoney91 wrote:
Bantam19 wrote:
colorofmoney91 wrote:
Well I've only been learning katakana, though I'm almost done with it. I've been practicing by translating English names.
アラン エリック マット カーリ マーコ ヘンリー フィリープ アンヂー カンサス ノルツカロリナ
In a few days, I'll be working more with sentences so I can start learning kanji within contexts rather than studying them individually, which seems like it wouldn't work very well. |
I know all of those people except Kansas (Tanner) and whoever Nolutsukarorina is lol. Also, what about モシュキット? |
Our PA prophet, fountain of perpetual wisdom? 
Nolutsukarorina was supposed to be North Carolina, where I live. I gave up while translating it and decided to stop caring. |
フィリープ? ... We call Philippe as フィリップ or フィリペ (mainly the former). And not アンヂー but アンジー (or アンディ?) Aaaaand ... ノルツカロリナ ...
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DamoXt7942
Special Collaborator
Joined: October 15 2008
Location: Okayama, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 07:32 |
CCVP wrote:
Japanese always reminds me of the Dragon Language.
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Cannot read such an advanced language.
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colorofmoney91
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 16 2008
Location: Biosphere
Status: Offline
Points: 22774
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 07:41 |
DamoXt7942 wrote:
フィリープ? ... We call Philippe as フィリップ or フィリペ (mainly the former). And not アンヂー but アンジー (or アンディ?)
Aaaaand ... ノルツカロリナ ... 
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アンヂィ does seem to make more sense.
I'm kind of stuck on trying to translate North Carolina. ノルタカロリーナ, maybe?
Edited by colorofmoney91 - April 18 2012 at 07:42
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CCVP
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 15 2007
Location: Vitória, Brasil
Status: Offline
Points: 7971
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 07:47 |
colorofmoney91 wrote:
I see some similar characters in there. |
The Dragon Language is the dragon's Japanese.
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