Hard time learning Japanese
 

Hi, I have a really hard time learning Japanese! I'm not much of a book-worm. I'm more of the person of action. I don't learn from books, I learn from actual/hands on! If that makes sense, anyways, what I'm trying to find out if there are any people or groups out there where I can maybe hang-out (MSN, AIM, SKYPE, etc.) with and learn Japanese. The best way for me to learn is to actually be using the language everyday.

Thanks! BTW! I'm new to this forum! :ywave: :ywave: :ywave:

You only have one choice: go to Japan.

And if you can't go to Japan you could try the following:

-Learn to read an write Kanji and Kana
-Install Skype and look for Japanese people to talk to on there
-Go to a site like language-exchanges.org and find a Japanese pen pal
-Register on Amazon.co.jp and buy some films and books
-Register on Lang-8 - Multi-lingual language learning and language exchange and keep a daily journal and have it corrected by native Japanese
-Look for Japanese language forums to do with your interests that you can post on
-Look for Japanese blogs to read
-Change your computers language to Japanese
-Change your browser to Japanese
-Change anything you can to Japanese (Homepage/Consoles/iPod etc.)
-Find a Japanese news site you can read
-Sign up to ニコニコ動画(ββ)
-Find Japanese music you like
-Sing along to your Japanese music
-If you play internet games try to find a Japanese chat room within the game
-Try to think in Japanese more (Try to re-think your thoughts in Japanese)
-Get a J-J dictionary
-Use Japanese Google

If you want to learn hands on you can do so much more than just finding a chat group :)

Hope this helps.

Thanks! These are great suggestions!
I can read and write hiragana and katakana. perfect... useless without understanding though ehhehe.

I'll check these out! Thanks!!!! :ywave: :ywave: :ywave:

YESS!!! THE BEST!!!:D

Got any tips of how to search on Skype for Japanese ppl?

Not really, since in skype you can only search for a Country and Language pretty much.
You could go through the list of results asking people if they would like to talk but I don't know how successful you would be because I've never done that before :p

The best way would probably be to sign up to that Language Exchanges site I linked earlier and find somebody on there.
Exchanging skype details and writing blogs it the main focus of that site anyway so the chances are that the people you find on there will have skype.

Yes. There is a search field in Skype for specific languages. Set it to "English and Japanese" or something. Then search.

Jeez, give something at least a simple try before asking people for help.

I did... I tried it as soon as I read it. I was just wondering if I did it the right way lol! Please don't get so upset. :D

Get a Mixi, then you can talk to people in Japan.
Invite only though.

I saw this, it's already been very useful as I've easily found a language partner. Thank you! :)

To do this you also need a Japanese mobile now.
My friend tried to invite me, but you need to have a confirmation sent to both a normal email address and a valid Japanese mobile address.
If you do not have a Japanese mobile like me, your out of luck.

If you have a friend in Japan, borrow their mobile number when you register. That could possibly work.

I got in on Mixi back in like 2005 or 2004 when I was in Japan, so I didn't have to deal with that restriction, so my advice is not necessarily fool-proof.

I STILL don't have a Mixi. Is it really worth it?

That makes too of us with that question.

Do you have friends in Japan? If not, no. If yes (and they don't have Facebook), yes (assuming you want to stay in contact in the way Facebook enables you to).

Mixi?!?!?! Ack! Invite only!!

Also you need japanese email! ie"DOCOMO.NE.JP"

Which is why I said you need a Japanese mobile.

OF COURSE!!! :ywave:

If any of you REALLY want a mixi I can go sign up for one and offer some invites. PM.

Again, to address the thread title and to quote MMM: Unless you go to Japan, you will hit a plateau in your Japanese learning and will be forever stuck, at best, at the "mediocre and unnatural-sounding" level. Even if you come to Japan, it's not hard to stay at that level and not improve at all. You need to work very hard for it.

This.

Also, I adore your nickname subtitle or whatever it's called. "Defeater of weeaboos." THANK YOU. (I almost risked calling you "Mamoru-kun" to make some sort of bilingual punnery.)

Haha cheers ;)
I do despise me some weeabooery. :cool:

Learning Jp
 

I know exactly how you feel

My skype: nosferatzu
MSN: nosferatzu@hotmail.com