FACT: You cannot learn Japanese from Anime

[BakaCrisis]

I am well aware that you can learn a number of words in Japanese. However, for proper complete sentences, you just can't.

I'll put it bluntly, anime, manga, and J-Dramas in the original Japanese language is not meant for outsiders.

They are made for Japanese audiences who already understand the language. In other words, if you've studied Japanese outside of the three mediums, and you find that watching/reading anime, manga, J-Dramas, helps reinforce your understanding of the language, you don't count since you're learning from better resources already. Although, it would be harmful if you continue to learn from anime, manga, and J-Dramas. I know, I couldn't stop saying 'sorry' in informal Japanese in a test for Business Level Japanese.

Which brings me to my next point, the language used in anime, manga, and J-Dramas is usually informal, improper, and contains slang. If you talk to someone in Japanese with the language from those mediums, I can guarantee that people will look at you funny or take offense to what you said. If you don't understand what's wrong with informal or improper Japanese as well as slang, it's because daily conversation between people in Japan is supposed to be formal and polite. You wouldn't go up to your suit-and-tie-wearing boss while using a lazy tone now would you?

Fansub groups are not 100% reliable because they could be working from a script translated from another language aside from Japanese (Japanese -> Korean/Chinese -> English), the translator's comprehension of Japanese is sub par leading to faulty lines, or they'll "spice up" the dialogue with cursing when there is no cursing in that line, heck there's no cursing at all in Japanese, period.

If you really want to learn proper Japanese, take classes, hang around people that speak the language, and study from lesson books.

Still don't believe me?

Then translate these into Japanese using proper Japanese:

I work at the hospital every Wednesday from 12:30 pm to 5 pm.
It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to the ticket booth to buy a one-way ticket for an express train to Shinjuku.
It takes around 10 hours to get to Puerto Rico from New York by plane.
After school, I go work at Mrs. Suzuki's flower shop from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm. It takes about 30 minutes to go by train and on foot to arrive at her store.
I'm going to drive to Tokyo to meet my friends and watch a movie at 7:00 PM.

If I were you, I wouldn't use babelfish or any other online translation site because they are ultimately flawed, and using them shows how incompetent you really are.

[SailorBratt18]

Well said my friend. We believe you. You'd have to be plain stupid to only rely on anime when speaking to a Japanese person.

[TalnSG]

Hmmm, I listened to a conversation tonight on this very same subject with the same conclusions.

The dialogue in the animes has helped me with one aspect of language. I am getting better at distinguishing the general tones - melody, rise and fall of inflections, etc. - of the various Asian languages from one another.

(Baka, if you heard that comment earlier, I'll know its not coincidence.)

[tommasi]

I think it's a great way to train your listening for sure.

But in terms of speaking, impressions are all conversational and not formal.

For beginners, it is more important to learn the formal Japanese.

Don't reply on Anime or J Drama and think that's how everybody speaks.

I personally watched the Simpsons religiously when I was learning English at early stage and it worked really great.

[anrakushi]

i'm going to completely disagree with your use of the word "FACT"

first of all, i learn through studying and other methods and not solely through the above mentioned media, i'm only stating this to prove that you can't say it is fact.

I have met people who have learnt how to speak an entire language and have good vocabulary thanks to learning from regular exposure to tv programs in that language. granted this is not done in a year or two, but over many years of their life particularly starting from when they are very young and can pick up a language easier. You CAN learn a language without textbooks and studying, but you still need to be able to use the language.

I don't watch anime, i do enjoy j-dramas however. J-dramas do indeed include quite a bit of polite japanese and keigo, if you can't pick that up then you have issues with your japanese ability. i'm sure there would be certain anime that would also have such japanese used in it. you can learn all forms of japanese from anime, j-drama etc, I have one drama where a lot of the dialogue is very polite. if you are only watching school life dramas where the conversations are all between friends then you are not going to be exposed to much polite japanese but that is not the fault of the medium, it is your fault for only watching those types of programs.

i don't recommend this form of learning a language and it is going to be slow and perhaps frustrating in comparison to learning through study/classes etc. i would never rely on just one form of study when learning a language, it is never going to help you progress quickly. you should have a combination of as many ways to interact with the language as possible.

my issue is with you saying it is fact. to say it is a fact that you can't learn a language that way is a complete load of crap.

[SSJup81]

Late to the topic, but I've learned a bit through watching Naruto Shippuuden. Stuff I wasn't able to catch before, I do now, such as informal speech, whereas in the classroom, you usually learn polite for a long time before getting to it.

This past week's episode, I started noticing Naruto's casual speech and his using attachments like "nda".

Something else I will admit to have learned through anime is some vocabulary. In my class, my teacher might mention a word in English, and because of anime, I might know the word for it in Japanese right off. Now writing it is a whole other story. lol

Sometimes it can be helpful to learn some things through anime or Japanese dramas, but it shouldn't be heavily relied on, imo.

[Jaydelart]

I disagree, Baka.
Although, generally, you may not be able to learn the entire language through anime, it may still provide some valuable insight into it.

*I do know a few people who have learned a great deal of Japanese through anime. Of course, they'd been watching them since they were very young.

It is known that you can learn a language easier when you hear it being spoken often.
What makes (undubbed) anime any different? The voices in anime, afterall, are usually spoken by real Japanese speakers; therefore, you are somewhat receiving "real life" exposure to the language.

[Miyavifan]

Originally Posted by Jaydelart

It is known that you can learn a language easier when you hear it being spoken often.

This is also where jrock comes in handy. Even though that's singing, not speaking. It still helps with pronounciation.

[MMM]

The problem with learning Japanese from anime is the cultural clues in the language a non-native isn't going to get. People speak more innappropriately than appropriately, and I hear anime fans use words like ORE, OMAE, KISAMA, etc. in ways that are frankly offensive.

[Miyavifan]

They really do that? How do they use those terms offensively?