Comments on: Bah, humbug to methods!

By: Shiki

Shiki — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:07:21 +0000

I’ll try One Piece. I’ve read the English version so I should know what’s going on.

By: taekk

taekk — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:30:24 +0000

If you want something easier, probably go with some kind of 少女 or 少年漫画.

Personally, I like One Piece but that’s just my preference. If you want something closer to modern Japan, めぞん一刻 or ちびまる子ちゃん might be more suitable.

By: Shiki

Shiki — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:02:28 +0000

Well I like all kinds of manga No real preferences, just something that isn’t too difficult.

By: taekk

taekk — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:43:49 +0000

That’s a tough one. Do you have any particular preferences or interests in types or genre?

By: Shiki

Shiki — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:28:46 +0000

I have another question. I’m about half-way finished reading through your guide on grammar and I’m looking for something to read to practice what I’ve learned. Do you have any recommendations?

By: taekk

taekk — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:00:23 +0000

Well I’m not recommending it per se, I’m just saying what works for me may not for other and vice versa. So while I don’t like Heisig’s method personally, it seems to work for others, so who am I to judge?

The thing that really annoyed me was people saying things like, “I learned 2000 kanji in X weeks!” I highly doubt that’s the case.

There’s nothing wrong with trying different stuff for yourself and finding what works for you. But that doesn’t mean you should go out and tell others that they’re doing it the wrong way.

By: アカン

アカン — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:11:20 +0000

Tae Kim recommending Heisig to a reader? :O
Never thought that the day would come…..;)

By: taekk

taekk — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:48:45 +0000

Remembering how to write Kanji is difficult but drilling doesn’t really help.

Mnemonics and breaking them into its separate components help. Similar to Heisig but personally I use Japanese instead of stories and English keywords. For example, 忘れる is 亡くなる and 心, similar to 忙しい but death is on top so it’s completely gone (forgotten) while when it’s to the left, things are just difficult to manage (busy). Or I remember 練習 because 練る means to knead （I picture 糸（いと） and 車 as kind of a wheeled compressor on a string） and “kneading learning” means to practice.

Things like that and also just practicing writing by hand helps. I don’t mean one word over and over (once you’ve recalled it once, repeating it doesn’t really benefit) but complete sentences with various words. An SRS with sentences (NOT just words or individual kanji) written in kana to be converted to kanji can certainly help. But I don’t have the motivation to do those so I mostly practice as necessary. For instance, I got naturally good with writing kanji like 通勤手当、年末調整、and 雇用区分 while working in HR.

By: Shiki

Shiki — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:06:15 +0000

Thanks a lot for answering. I have one more question though.

Without actually drilling the kanji, do you ever find it hard to recall how to write them when you need to?

By: Khalid

Khalid — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:55:39 +0000

Great advice! I completely agree. I hope Shiki has fun with it.

One question I would add is: If you find a manga or TV show you really enjoy or make friends with Japanese people, is it possible to take a “break” from Japanese?

People who love to read don’t take breaks from reading, People who love to watch Heroes or 24 don’t worry about keeping up. Do you take breaks from friends for months at a time?

It’s amazing how easy it is to keep up with the stuff you enjoy…