hwastudies

I found this website where you can find many books for children:

First Month Edition

All my current study materials, because sharing found resources is caring. These are not JLPT-specific and are for pre-beginners to beginners like me. I can't believe I have been studying for a month. Comparison is truly the thief of joy. I am a slow learner, but that's okay. Find a community because it truly does make a difference. Shoutout to Seitokai's Nihongo Discord, and to @tokidokitokyo whose post let me know about it and is just overall a great person too.

Main study material: Marugoto Online A1 Self-Study Kastudoo and Rikai with downloaded PDF and Wordbook (my original post about it)

Supplemental references:

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (The only NOT free resource in this list, sorry! The e-book sold on Amazon does not have good reviews as it's a scanned copy of the book, rather than a properly formatted e-book. A free alternative to this is JapBase which also contains Intermediate and Advanced content.)

Marugoto Plus which accompanies the Marugoto courses and includes videos, audio files, etc.

Apps: Anki, Renshuu

Anki decks:

Tatsumoto's Kana (Recognizing and Writing)

Tatsumoto's AnkiDrone Sentence Pack V7

Official KanjiDamage Deck (from the creator of KanjiDamage, crude language warning for both the deck and the site)

Marugoto A1 Rikai Katsudoo 2021

Dictionaries:

Rikaitan browser extension (installed JMDict English V4, JMExtra, 日本語文法辞典(全集), and Kanjium)

Takoboto app (with offline access)

Other resources:

Sukiruma for practice writing sheets

Reader Ttsu for reading Japanese materials on a browser (used in conjunction with Rikaitan, since I couldn't find an e-book reader that I can install a Japanese dictionary in)

Sousakuba for downloadable genkouyoushi without watermarks

Youtube:

Favorites marked with a ⭐️.

Comprehensible Input for what it says on the tin, in bite-size formats

Daily Japanese with Naoko for vlogs with Japanese subtitles

Dogen for the funny videos that you can learn from and/or relate to

Game Gengo because Japanese learning through games, and has JLPT geared content if you're looking for it

Gino Kei who has shorts teaching Japanese in a not so serious way

Hiro - Food in Japan for cooking videos, not in Japanese, but these make me crave for Japanese food anyway so that counts

⭐️ Japan Eat for Japanese food commentary in English and also makes me hungry. So, yeah, not in 日本語 but it's delicious so that also counts

Japanese Koro mostly for kana reading practice which actually helps you get short serotonin boosts for when you do actually get to read the words correctly

Japanese Quest which plays games in Japanese

⭐️ Japarrot! for fun, animated comprehensible input videos

Let's ask Shogo for culture content

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Matcha Samurai for delightfully unhinged culture content, debunking Japanese misconceptions one video at a time

Namba Tsuyoshi for no narration Japanese walk with me style vlogs, very chill and relaxing

⭐️ NihongoDekita with Sayaka for fun, short grammar content

ShekMatz Japan has videos/playlists where she teaches Japanese in Tagalog, so if you can't understand Tagalog, you'd better skip it

Sora The Troll because why not

⭐️ Takashii from Japan is honestly one of my favorites, even before I started learning Japanese. His interviews are just really good!

Taro's Sewing because my toxic trait is thinking I can sew the cool things they post. Also comes with short Japanese commentary on screen

Tokyo Lens counts as uh, immersion even if it's not in Japanese, but it's in Japan so that counts? Yeah, let's go with that

もしもしようすけ for Japan vlogs/walk with me with Japanese and English subtitles

Yomii Japan Piano if you like piano and the occasional trolling

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a standardized assessment of Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers. Whether you're aiming for N5, the introductory level, or N1, the most challenging one, thorough preparation is crucial for success. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you ace your JLPT exam:

1. Understand the Test Format

Familiarize yourself with the JLPT's structure and scoring system. The test consists of three main sections: Vocabulary, Grammar & Reading, and Listening. Each section has a specific number of questions and allotted time. Knowing the format will help you manage your time effectively during the exam.

2. Set Realistic Goals and Create a Study Plan

Establish achievable goals based on your current Japanese language proficiency and the JLPT level you're targeting. Develop a realistic study plan that incorporates daily or weekly study sessions. Allocate sufficient time to cover all the necessary grammar points, vocabulary, and Kanji.

3. Gather High-Quality Learning Resources

Utilize a variety of effective learning resources to enhance your preparation, such as textbooks, online courses, language learning apps, and practice tests, choosing those that align with your learning style and preferences.

4. Practice Regularly and Consistently

Regular practice is essential for success in the JLPT. Take practice tests frequently to familiarize yourself with the question formats, timing, and scoring system. Consistent practice will help you identify areas for improvement and build your confidence. Focus on Active Learning Techniques

Active learning techniques, such as flashcards, mnemonics, and summarizing key concepts, can significantly enhance your memorization and retention of Kanji, vocabulary, and grammar rules.

Besides, immerse yourself in Japanese, surround yourself with as much Japanese as possible. Listen to Japanese music, watch Japanese movies and TV shows, and read Japanese books and articles. This exposure will improve your listening comprehension, reading skills, and overall language proficiency.

5. Stay Positive and Believe in Yourself

Maintain a positive mindset and believe in your ability to succeed in the JLPT. Your confidence and determination will play a significant role in achieving your goals.

Remember, the JLPT is a challenging but rewarding exam. With dedication, perseverance, and the right strategies, you can conquer the test and achieve your Japanese language proficiency goals.

Goodluck for guys!

Here’s a bunch of kakkoii phrases

私の新しい彼氏、かっこいいでしょ？

Watashi no atarashii kareshi, kakkoii desho?

“My new boyfriend is so cool, don’t you think so?” (colloquial)

おお！新しいボルダリングの靴買ったんだ。かっこいいじゃん！

Oo! atarashii borudaringu no kutsu kattanda, kakkoii jan!

“Hey! I can see you’ve bought a new pair of bouldering shoes. They’re pretty cool!” (colloquial)

皆のかっこいいところ、ちゃんとビデオに撮っておくからね。

Minna no kakkoii tokoro, chanto bideo ni totteoku kara ne.

“Trust me guys, I’ll make sure I get your coolest moments on camera!” (colloquial)

ちょっとクールなデザインがいいかな？

Chotto kuuru na dezain ga ii kana?

“I’d probably prefer a design that’s somewhat cool”. (colloquial)

Two elegant ways of saying cool in Japanese: suteki & subarashii

素敵 suteki is used to express appreciation for someone possessing a beauty of a noble, interior kind, or just good looks, that instills in you a sense of admiration. 素敵 suteki is also used to appreciate something (as opposed to someone) characterized by aesthetic elegance, like a lovely room or a beautiful dress.

素晴らしい subarashii denotes a sense of surprise or excitement for more abstract, ingenious things, like a favorable situation, the quality of a job completed, an idea, a new theory, a technology, etc. It can be used to describe people, but the focus would be on their skills and achievements, rather than their inner/exterior beauty or gallantry.

As a rule of thumb:

use 素敵 suteki if you have to rely on your heart or your aesthetic sense in order to appreciate someone or something, and

use 素晴らしい subarashii if you have to rely on your intellect.

Some suteki and subarashii phrases

吉田先生の演説は本当に素晴らしかったです。

Yoshida sensei no enzetsu wa hontou ni subarashikatta desu.

“Mr Yoshida’s speach was really magnificent”. (polite)

これは素晴らしい機会だと思います！

Kore wa subarashii kikai dato omoimasu!

“I think this is an excellent opportunity!” (polite)

彼は素晴らしい判断力の持ち主です。

Kare wa subarashii handanryoku no mochinushi desu.

“He possesses very good judgment”. (polite)

こんなに素敵なドレスもらっちゃった。

Konna ni suteki na doresu moracchatta.

“This dress I received… it’s so beautiful”. (colloquial)

素敵な彼氏がいて幸せだね。

Suteki na kareshi ga ite shiawase dane.

“You have such a nice boyfriend, you must be so happy”. (colloquial)

Cool as in ‘great, awesome’

When you want to express surprise, incredulity, astonishment or admiration by using an expression that means ‘cool’ in Japanese, you can use one of the following ways.

You can still resort to 素敵 suteki and 素晴らしい subarashii.

素敵だわ。 Suteki dawa.

“How beautiful!” (colloquial, feminine)

まあ、素敵！ Maa, suteki!

“It’s so wonderful!” (colloquial, feminine)

素晴らしい！ Subarashii!

“Excellent!”, “Well done!”, “Cool!” (colloquial, but can be used in a situation that requires polite register, since it’s practically an exclamation)

なんと素晴らしい。 Nanto subarashii.

“Wow…”, “Impressive”. (polite)

Two more words, often interchangeable, are すごい sugoi and やばい yabai.

すごい sugoi means ‘incredible, impossible, no way, so cool’. Often it’s written in kanji: 凄い sugoi. It is also used to express negative feelings about something, in which case it means ‘terrible, dreadful, uncanny’.

やばい yabai is ‘cooler’ in a way, less standard and less formal than すごい sugoi. Younger people often use this word. It has a strong positive meaning, or a strong negative meaning. Positive: ‘terrific, amazing, cool’. Often used when the food is really good. Negative: ‘dangerous, risky, awful, terrible’

*The Tokyo accent will often change the ending to an “e” sound so don’t worry about variation!*

すごい sugoi (least intense, standard)

すごっ sugo

すげっ suge

すげえ sugee

すっごっ suggo

すっげっ sugge

すっげえ suggee (most intense, slang)

やばい yabai (least intense, colloquial)

やばっ yaba

やべ yabe

やべえ yabee

やっばっ yabba

やっべ yabbe

やっべえ yabbee (most intense, slang, can be slightly vulgar if not used properly)

The final little つ tsu (っ) are mute. They are there to indicate that the word has been abruptly truncated, and it’s a little bit like an exclamation mark. In fact, you don’t even need it. すごっ sugo can be written as すご sugo, etc.

Meaning and use of ‘ii nee’

One final way to express cool in Japanese, as in ‘awesome’, is the expression いいねえ ii nee, and its infinite variations. Okay maybe not infinite, but definitely dozens.

いい ii is our old friend, and we know it means ‘good’.

ねえ nee, or even ね ne, is one of those words that don’t exist in English. When you use it at the end of a sentence, you are pretty much certain that your interlocutor (the person you are talking to) agrees with what you just said.

By saying ねえ nee, you initiate the process of openly sharing this feeling of complicity with your interlocutor, so that you both can have a moment of spiritual assonance during which your hearts and minds are harmoniously one.

このお味噌汁美味しいねえ！

Kono omisoshiru oishii nee!

“This miso soup is so nice, is it not!?  <3” (colloquial, friendly)

こんな本読みたくないよね！

Konna hon yomitakunai yo ne!

“We don’t wanna read such a book, do we!” (colloquial, friendly)

Variations of ‘ii nee’

いいじゃん！ Ii jan!

“Good for you!”, “You are lucky!” (colloquial)

いいなあ… Ii naa…

“That’s cool…”, “You are so lucky, I’m a little jealous”. (colloquial)

いいですねえ。 Ii desu nee.

“That sounds great”, “Very good”. (polite)

あら、いいじゃない。 Ara, ii janai.

“Oh, good for you!”, “Lucky you!”. (colloquial, feminine)

いいんじゃね？ Iinjane?

if you've been listening to people speak japanese casually, you've probably heard these conversational sentence-final particles! here i'll go over the difference between the two and then give their usages and example sentences. 行こう！

wait, doesn't じゃない just mean "not"?

you would be right about that! but as with lots of things in spoken language, intonation is key here. compare these two sentences in english:

it isn't pretty. (falling intonation)

isn't it pretty? (rising intonation)

clearly, these two sentences mean different things. they use different intonation, but even more obviously, the words come in different orders—in european languages, that's one of the easiest ways to tell a statement from a question. but as we know, in japanese, questions are made without moving words around; so, intonation alone with have to do the job! now, compare these two:

きれいじゃない。 (falling intonation) = it isn't pretty.

きれいじゃない？ (rising intonation) = isn't it pretty? / it's pretty, don't you think?

thanks to the rising intonation in the second sentence, instead of negation, we get a tag question. so if you're reading instead of listening, watch out for situations where you might have to guess or intuit what the intonation of the sentence is!

the difference between 〜じゃん and 〜じゃない

in terms of their conversational meaning or usage, these two particles are the same. however, in terms of "indexing" and social cues, じゃん is a bit more casual and じゃない can have a feminine tone. compare these sentences:

きれいじゃん？ (casual)

きれいじゃない？ (casual, feminine)

きれいじゃないですか？ (a bit more polite)

these sentences all feel very conversational, but depending on how you want to present yourself you might pick one over the others.

also, it's worth noting that じゃん only has the conversational usage: no matter the intonation, it can't mean "not" in regular statements (as far as i've seen, anyway!).

what's the difference between 〜じゃん／じゃない and 〜ね?

both these sentence-final particles ask for agreement or confirmation, as in these two sentences:

きれいじゃん？

きれいだね。

both of these could be translated as "isn't it pretty?" or similar. however, the tag question denoted by 〜じゃん is stronger than the tag question denoted by 〜ね. in other words, ending with じゃん is more like an actual question than ending with ね.

for example, if you said きれいじゃん？, you might be expecting your conversation partner to have had some expectation subverted. maybe you're looking at modern art, and they had initially expressed a disinterest in modern art; saying きれいじゃん？ leaves more room for them to change their opinion or even to disagree with you.

on the other hand, きれいだね is tantamount to a gentle statement, like you already know your conversation partner will agree with you. you might say きれいだね while overlooking a 絶景 (ぜっけい = superb view) such as 富士山 (ふじさん = mt. fuji) or 琵琶湖 (びわこ = lake biwa). after all, who could ever not find those きれい!

addendum: 〜じゃん with falling intonation

i watch someone on youtube who makes lots of designs in animal crossing, and when she is satisfied with a layout she often says 「いいじゃん！」, meaning "isn't that great!" or similar. but why is she using じゃん if she isn't actually asking for confirmation?

this seems to be an instance of a rhetorical tag question. in particular, the intonation of her いいじゃんs is falling, so it doesn't sound like a question. instead, she's making an exclamation out of a question. this is similar to what we might do in english with an exclamation like "isn't that great!", where we might pitch the sentence as a statement instead of a question. (and, to be totally clear, this person also says 「いいんじゃない？」 a lot too!)

例文 (れいぶん = example sentences)

高（たか）すぎじゃない？ = don't you think that's a bit expensive? この辺（へん）は神社（じんじゃ）が多い（おおい）じゃない？ = aren't there a lot of shrines around here? 疲れて（つかれて）いるんじゃない？ = aren't you tired? (don't you just want to go apeshit?) 全然（ぜんぜん）辛く（からく）ないじゃん？ = it's not spicy at all, right? やればできるじゃん！ = you can do it if you try! だから言った（いった）じゃん！ = it's like i already told you!

summary

in summary, 〜じゃん／じゃない are casual conversational particles you can use to make a tag question like "isn't it?" or "don't you think?", and they tend to have a rising intonation. of course, there are complications and exceptions to everything in language, so keep your eyes peeled and you'll definitely see more interesting usages of these particles!

as always, feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions/thoughts. じゃねー！

the only straight thing about Karan: his priorities 💅🏻

(gifs not mine, credit to the artist)

How does a child learns? Immersion

So you gotta dive deep

Find songs that you like. You don't have to understand, you just have to enjoy the song.

Listen them at least once a day. The idea is for you to get familiar with the sounds.

Once you have already heard them too many times (without getting tired of them) look for the lyrics. In their native language, not a translation.

If you can read in that language, then try reading them. Print them if you have to or write them down (this is better) and as you listen to the song try to sing.

If there's a word/sentence you like because it sounds pretty, mark it.

Once you are familiar with the song look for a translation.

If there's a word you don't know how to/can't pronounce, mark it.

For example, I have a journal in which I write Japanesse Kanji that I find beautiful (whether is because of the meaning or the symbol itself is pretty)

Check those words you have marked with the translation.

While looking for definitions it's better if you find images (so can have an idea of what that word is) instead of a definition in your language (unless is a long/complicated concept).

Movies, you must watch movies in that language. Better if they are from that country. (It can also be a doubled movie, perhaps you could look for one of your favorites)

Watch them with subtitles (in your language) once or twice. Then watch them again but this time without subtitles or with subtitles of said language. (You already know the plot, so you can still understand what's going on)

If you like to read, look for children literature. It's easy and fun.

Keep reading even if you don't understand a single sh*t. It doesn't matter.

Mark again those words you like, don't know the meaning or can't pronounce.

Write at least one sentence every day. It doesn't have to be right, it doesn't have to be long or poetic, you just gotta write.

If you still don't know much about grammar (enough to formulate a sentence on your own) then write a quote from one of those songs, movies or books you read. Again it doesn't matter if you don't understand what are you writing.

If you already know another language, try to learn the new language with that one. For example, I learn german from english instead of my native language spanish.

Videogames. In my experience this is amazing. You have no idea idea how much I learned english just from games.

You have fun playing, engaged with a story, while constantly hearing the language. You don't even have to pay attention at what they are saying, eventually you'll figure it out. It's very intuitive.

And because games, usually, requires that you spend many hours playing you will have a lot of practice without actually studying.

Some games, if you look on the settings menu, even have other languages instead of english. For example I played Assassin's Creed Brotherhood in italian and french and AsC III in russian and japanese (the voice actors are fantastic).

Seriously, videogames are freaking amazing for learning.

The idea of this, is that you can imitate the learning process a child does, while also having fun and enjoying it. Kids learn by making mistakes, by playing with words and by being constantly surrounded with the language. At first, kids have no idea what they are doing, they just repeat what they see and hear. So it's okay if you don't know what are doing, take that pressure off. This is not school/college, this is just you trying to learn a culture. So be kind and patient with yourself.

Hi! So in my quest to find the perfect Mandarin Language Printable, I ended up making some printables that were more universal!

I have two (2) row and three (3) row printables for Latinized languages (or other two row needs) and non-Latinized languages (such as Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, etc.) as well as one three row specific for Mandarin/中文.

There are three different pastel colors: blue, yellow, and a light peach/orange color! And if you have any trouble with seeing a color, or want one in grayscale, please shoot me a message!

You can find them all here! [Google Drive Sharable Link.]

Resources aimed at intermediate-level intensive listening practice or comprehensible input, *not* teaching you vocabulary or grammar.

YouTube:

Mandarin Corner. Tons of content, tagline “content to get you from beginner to intermediate”. Notable for an excellent selection of slow intermediate listening practice videos. 

Slow & Clear Chinese. Slow intermediate listening practice, with read-along characters. 

Easy Mandarin. On-the-street interviews in Taiwan, meant to be accessible for learners.

Audio Books:

Mandarin Companion has audiobooks of quite a few of their graded readers, available for sale on iTunes/Amazon/Audible. (Paid.) 

This project has just started, but here’s an audiobook of the Chinese translation of The Little Prince in podcast format. There’s a decent amount of background white noise, but the audio is still easily understandable. 

Podcasts:

ChinesePod. Tons of resources, paid and free. Beginner content is English/Mandarin, advanced is nearly all in Chinese. I subscribe to their podcasts with my usual podcatcher. 

听故事学中文Learning Chinese through Stories. Various levels (coded through numbers at the beginning of episode titles), super accessible.

慢速中文 - Slow Chinese. An excellent resource, although more on the advanced side. 

ChillChat. This one’s in English and Chinese – accessible upper-intermediate lessons with a learner and a native speaker. I really like the vibe of this one, which is why I’m including it even though it’s not 100% in Chinese. 

鱼淼淼. Bedtime stories for Chinese speaking kids.

Copying texts into a notebook

Choose some short & fun texts, something like fairy tales, local news, wikipedia entries etc. in your target language and copy the text into a notebook, leaving a bit of space at the side. Then go over the text again and mark any words you didn’t know & write down their translation or definition next to the text. Also check for any unknown & difficult grammar you noticed and mark that in a different colour.

By writing in your target language (even if it’s just copying) you’ll get used to the sentence structure and overall grammar of your target language. If you do this regularly, you’ll soon find it more easy to form and produce sentences by yourself!

I’m about to live like a couple with Achi? I can't wait. A married life? How could Karan’s imagination go so wild?