LEARN JAPANESE

I’ve had some comments and questions asking how I study Japanese with the Genki textbook. I thought I’d break it down in writing, and try to explain my method.

始めましょう！～

Hi guys! Today I will be talking about Japanese homophones and when to use them. These are the ones that I used to have a lot of trouble with, but there are a lot more so I encourage you to research/study more homophones.

　1.　あつい

暑い　“used when talking about the weather (temperature)”

熱い　“hot to the touch” or “full of enthusiasm”

厚い　“to be thick”

　Examples

今年の夏は特に暑いですね。

     This summer is especially hot.

このスープは熱すぎて食べれない。

     This soup is too hot to eat.

サリーは桜のセブチへの熱い思いに心を動かされた。

     Sally was moved by Sakura’s enthusiasm towards SEVENTEEN.

このシャツの記事はすごく厚いね。

     This shirt’s fabric is very thick.

　2.　あう

会う　“to meet someone”

合う　“to go together/match” or “to come across something”

　Examples

京都でお気に入りのYouTuberに出会った。

     I bumped into a YouTuber I like in Kyoto.

この色は肌色に合わない。

     This colour doesn’t complement my skin tone.

一生に一度の大チャンスに巡り合った。

     I came across a once in a lifetime chance.

　3.　あたたかい

暖かい　“warm weather”

温かい　“warm to the touch” or “having emotion/empathy”

　Examples

この部屋は暖かいですね。

     This room is warm.

のどが痛いから温かい飲み物を飲みたいな。

     I want something warm to drink because I have a sore throat.

とても心温まる話でした。

     It was a very heartwarming story.

　4.　あし

足　“a foot or feet from ankle outwards”

脚*　“legs from the waist down” or “something that serves a similar purpose”

　Examples

そのアイドルの足はめっちゃでかいね！

     That idol’s feet are really big!

私の脚が長かったらよかったな。

     I wish my legs were long.

椅子の脚が壊れてますよ。

     The chair leg is broken.

*While there is an official distinction between “足” and “脚”, there are many cases in which “足” is used to write “脚”. This is because the kanji is easier to write!

　5.　はやい

早い　“early”

速い　“fast”

　Examples

早起きだね。

     You wake up early.

佐藤さんって脚速い。

Essentials

Rikaisama - Pop-op Dictionary - based on Rikaichan Yamasa.cc - Learn Handwritten Stroke Order Anki - Spaced Repetition Software Japanese Stack Exchange - Ask Questions, Get Answers Dictionary Codes and Meaning - ex: v4k, vi Chinese and Japanese Characters Mnemonics - Stroke Orders, Lists, Study Sheets A better Japanese font for Windows web browsers Verb Conjugation Chart - gaoshukai Similar Kanji Lookup

Dictionaries

Jisho.org Tangorin - English⇆Japanese Online Dictionary Honyaku Star - Simple and Fast Dictionary | No ローマ字 | Specifically for Translators JLect - Japanese Dialect Word Search TMdict - vocabularies from games, books, anime, and other works by Type-Moon.

Kanji Alive_ Web App - Kanji Lookup, Stroke Orders, Examples, Picture Mnemonics Kanji Dictionary - 漢字辞典 Etymologies - A comprehensive, illustrated dictionary with etymologies, pictographs & definitions in English and Japanese More Eymologies - Traditional & Simplified CH/JP Oichan’s Dictionary - CN/JP/EN Dictionary Proverb Dictionary - Dutch, English, and Japanese

語源由来辞典 - Etymology Dictionary 平明四字熟語辞典 - 4-Character Idiomatic Compound Dictionary 故事ことわざ辞典 - Proverb Dictionary 日本語俗語辞書 - Colloquial Language Dictionary 日本語コロケーション辞典

IT用語辞典 e-Words - Internet and Technical Terms 三省堂 Web Dictionary - Sanseido Weblio - 辞書 - Main Dictionary Weblio - シソーラス - Thesaurus Weblio 翻訳 - Translate alc.co.jp - Another Great Dictionary goo.ne.jp - Goo’s Dictionary kotobank.jp - Uses yahoo.co.jp dictionary with a nice Interface Tatoeba - Example Sentences Tsukuba Corpus 複合動詞レキシコン - Compound Verb Lexicon Yamasa.cc - Learn handwritten stroke order kotoba.ne.jp - Extremely useful once you learn its capabilities Excite.co.jp’s Dictionary with Pitch Accent

Software

Houhou SRS - Dictionary + SRS Tagaini Jisho - Dictionary on each OS zKanji - Another Dictionary + SRS Capture2Text - Get Text from Manga and Other Images JGloss - Automatically annotate Japanese text with readings and translations KanjiTomo aard OmegaT - Translation Memory Tool Foreign Language Text Reader Learning With Texts Language Tool - Proofreading/Spellcheck Program Lingoes - Dictionary & Translation StarDict Wakan - Dictionary App for Chinese and Japanese

Thesauri

Goo.ne.jp’s Thesaurus 類語同義語辞典 - Quasi-synonym/synonym Dictionary

Learning the Language

Wanikani - Learn Kanji Through Spaced Repetition (Paid Subscription) Japaneseclass.jp - Vocabulary and Kanji Kapibara - Apps and Materials U-biq - Japanese study Japanese Stack Exchange - Ask Questions, Get Answers Tae Kim’s Guide - Site for Complete Beginners Chinese and Japanese Characters Mnemonics - With much more material Japanese Parts of Speech - 日本語 Japanese Linguistics - General Terms, Parts of Speech, Particles, etc - General Linguistics Loanwords - gaoshukai.com Esaura - Q&A site dedicated to J<->E translation. Lang-8 - Write Journals, Get Corrections from Natives (All Languages) Japanese Reading Practice with Tanaka Corpus Tips on Japanese JLPT Study Materials JLPT Vocabulary Lists HiNative - Q&A OnomatoProject - Practice Japanese onomatopoeia (擬音語) and mimetic words (擬態語) with examples and illustrations!

Grammar

Imabi - Lessons From Basic to Classical Japanese | Everything You Need for Grammar Kanzen Grammar - Sentences broken down in detail JGram - Japanese Grammar Database Renshuu.org - Over 600 entries for Grammar Jtest4you Auxiliary Verb Chart

Radicals

Kanji Radical Names - 仮名 and ローマ字 214 Traditional Radicals - From Kanji Alive Radical Names in Japanese - with kanji used More Kanji Radicals

Kana

Rapid Recognition Trainer for Hiragana and Katakana Multiple Font and Stroke Magnifier Kana - Anomalous Cursive Syllabary

Advanced Learning

Mistakes & Differences Guide Different Kanji With Same Reading and (Usually) Meaning Slight Different Meanings Read Your Level

Reading Material

Aozora Bunko - Japanese Project Gutenberg Bauddha.net - Similar to Aozora Children’s Reading Material - Fairy Tails Reajer - Bilingual Texts & Frequently-updated Language Blog

Manga & Light Novels

Comico - Manga & Light Novels Mangabox Vomic - Manga with Voice (Mac users download VLC web plugin) Kadokawa - Free Comics

Light Novels

Tueee 小説を読もう！

Anime

AniChart Anime List Hummingbird - MAL Alternative Anime Recommendation Finder

Crunchyroll - Watch Anime Legally Japanese Subtitles

News

SmartNews - Japanese Smartphone News App SANSPO.COM（サンスポ） NHKニュース and NHK Easy Version 朝日新聞 - Asahi and Children’s Edition Japan Times Japan Today MATCHA and Easy Japanese Version - Japan Travel Magazine Metropolis Magazine | Japan’s Number 1 English Magazine Tokyo Weekender - English Magazine Yomiuri, Children’s Edition, and English Edition Easy News - Newsinslowjapanese.com Nikkei Sankei

Japanese Sign Language

ITEC More Lessons

Dialect Study

JLect - Dialect Word Search Osaka-Ben Kansai-Ben Kansaiben.com Kansai-Ben Word List

Pitch Accent

U-Biq Pitch Accent Diagram Excite.co.jp’s Dictionary with Pitch Accent OJAD Online Japanese Accent Dictionary

Recommended Books

White Rabbit Japan - Buy Things From Japan - A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar - A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar - A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar - Dictionary of Misused Japanese - Kanji Dictionary - 1006 Kanji Picture Dictionary - ALC’s Japanese for Business: Business Etiquette

J-LIST - Buys Things From Japan - Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan - Bilingual - Encyclopedia of Japan - Bilingual

Amazon - The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary: Revised and Expanded - Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese Dictionary (Kodansha Dictionaries) - The Kodansha Kanji Dictionary - The Original Modern Reader’s Japanese-English Character Dictionary - The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary

Culture & Life

AFA Channel - Japanese Pop Culture Video Channel Becomming Legally Japanese - Information on Naturalization Danny Choo - Culture Japan Japan-guide - Your Guide to Japan Japan Subculture Research Center - Yakuza and other cool culture information Just Bento - Blog About Bentos Just Hungry - Japanese Food & Recipes néojapanisme Spoon & Tamago - Japanese Art, Design, and Culture What Japan Thinks - Surveys of Japanese People Niponica - Free Multilingual Magazine in HTML, PDF, or E-Book Nippon.com - Your Doorway to Japan

Music

JPop Asia - Asian Music Videos, Top Charts, Lyrics, & Forum Kasi-time - Lyric Search Utamap - Another Lyric Search utaten - Lyrics with Furigana Lyric Get - Copy Lyrics on Restricted Japanese Lyric Websites

Information

JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test Information JNTO - Japan National Tourism Organization JET Programme - Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Japanese Language Schools - List of language schools in Japan Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language

Scholarships

JASSO - Japan Student Services Organization Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program - U.S. Citizens

Work

GaijinPot - Jobs and Other Information Japan Today Jobs - International Jobs in Japan Kansai Flea Market - Jobs, Classifieds Metropolis Classifieds O-Hayo Sensei - The Newsletter of (Teaching) Jobs in Japan White Companies - Information

Wanikani Extensions

KaniWani - Reverse WaniKani Duendecat - Sample Sentences from WaniKani Progress WaniKani to Anki Exporter

Misc

omg no! don’t stress yourself out like that anon!!

okay, i’m going to be real with the japanese language learning community: you all are doing waaaaaaaay too much when it comes to kanji.

there. i said it.

learning kanji does not have to be a headache!

i spent the first 6 months of my japanese learning “career” (for lack of a better word) trying to figure out the best way to learn kanji because every website and book was like “here’s the kunyomi, here’s the onyomi, now learn them both” but the fine print of that learning method says “you’re going to f*cking struggle”

but then i started realizing that kanji i read all of the time, i didn’t even “properly” study like those articles said. i didn’t know the kunyomi and onyomi for 行 for ages, but i knew it was read いく in 行く and こう in words like 旅行 and 直行. because i learned those words in context and on their own.

a few months after i came to japan, i started asking japanese people how they learned kanji and every single one of them answered the same way: they learn through vocabulary. i once asked my boyfriend how he learned kanji in grade school, and he said that they were basically given a kanji, and then they were given a list of vocabulary that included that kanji. they then memorized the vocabulary and grew to know the kunyomi and onyomi readings.

which, spoiler: kunyomi and onyomi is not always an accurate measure. lots of compounds use the kunyomi, some of them add dakuten (as in ちゅうごく instead of ちゅうこく in 中国), and others add っ (as in ちょっこう instead of ちょこう in 直行). this really isn’t something you can just magically guess.

but it’s important to remember that everyone learns differently. i don’t learn individual kanji – i learn kanji within various vocabulary words. i make sure to get as much exposure to the various ways a single kanji can appear within a larger compound, so 高 is not just a single kanji, but it is 高い and 高校生 and 高価.

i do, however, think it’s important to understand the meaning of a kanji. this can help you decipher the meaning of a word you don’t know yet. for example, 高価 (こうか) means “high price.” 高 means high and 価 means price. knowing their meaning individually can help decipher the meaning.

in this way you can argue that yes, knowing the individual readings of these two kanji makes guessing the reading of this word easier, but 価 can also be read “ke"! you can’t guarantee an accurate reading all of the time, but with more and more exposure to individual kanji, you will be able to tell.

which brings me to my main point: learning kanji is an individual experience. i, personally, think that learning onyomi and kunyomi readings for 2,000+ jouyou kanji is a HUGE WASTE OF TIME, but there are a lot of people out there that do this methodically and know lots and lots of kanji and vocabulary. i, personally, need kanji in a larger vocabulary word in order for it to stick, and my brain just catalogues the various readings away. that’s how my brain works and learns, but it’s not how everyone else works and learns. 

it’s important to find what works for you.

that being said, if you’re just starting out i highly recommend Jakka. it’s a website meant for japanese grade school teachers and has tons of grade school kanji material broken up into their appropriate grades. japanese school children are expected to learn and master a certain amount of kanji + vocabulary each grade level, so if you’d really like to learn like a child, learn like the school children do! (the website is in japanese but fairly simple to navigate.)

You can read about Tanabata here

Star Festival, Tanabata　七夕「たなばた」

Milky way　天の川「あまのがわ」

Orihime　織姫「おりひめ」

Weaving　機織り「はたおり」

Hikoboshi　彦星「ひこぼし」

Cattle herding　牛飼い「うしかい」

To marry 　結婚する「けっこんする」

To slack off 　怠ける「なまける」

Divine punishment 　罰「ばち」

Punishment (regular)  　罰「ばつ」

To pull apart 　 引き離す「ひきはなす」

Once a year 　年に一度「ねんにいちど」

To allow  　許す「ゆるす」

Magpie  　カササギ

Yukata  　浴衣「ゆかた」

Tanzaku, Paper strips　 短冊「たんざく」

Wishes　 願い事 「ねがいごと」

Bamboo 　竹「たけ」

Bamboo grass　 笹「ささ」

Bamboo decoration　 笹飾り「ささかざり」

To decorate 　飾る「かざる」

Origami 　折り紙「おりがみ」

Folded stars 　星飾り「ほしかざり」

Paper kimono 　紙衣「かみごろも」

Crane　鶴「つる」

Purses　巾着「きんちゃく」

Streamers　吹き流し「ふきながし」

Nets　投網「とあみ」