12 comments

1. Is ことばのパズル もじぴったんアンコール -Switch game for Nintendo switch good for beginners?

2. Brand new here, about a week into learning the hiragana.

   I noticed that in some computer fonts the characters for [さ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_(kana)) and [ち](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_(kana)) appear almost as perfect mirror images. But in their proper written forms, sa has a “gap” in the loop, while chi does not. I found some older discussion about that gap [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/71amjs/a_question_regarding_%E3%81%8D_and_similar_hiragana/) and quickly lost my excitement about the possibility of writing the sa with the loop by hand.

   But then I kind of wondered the same question in reverse. Which might not make much sense, but… why doesn’t the “proper” form of chi have a gap in the loop like the proper form of sa? I know I’m working in the wrong direction with the logic behind this Q, but I also think that both do have a sort of loop even when writing by hand (it’s just that you are supposed to pick the brush up during the loop for sa). So, why did they decide to pick the brush up during the loop for sa, but not for chi?

   As a left-handed person who sucks at handwriting, it sure would be nice to just loop (unbroken) both of them. If anything sa feels nicer to loop than chi. But maybe that’s because of my left-handedness. And maybe that’s why they don’t break the loop for chi, because that feels more natural for a right-handed person? Or maybe it’s just completely random like a lot of history.

3. Can someone evaluate my study routine? Is this enough to go from beginner to N4? Any suggestions?

   – Genki 1 and 2 grammar playlist on yt by Tokini Andi
   – Kaishi 1.5k deck on Anki
   – Jlab deck on Anki
   – Wanikani

   I also know people talk a lot about immersion, but at my level it’s too frustrating, so I’m hoping the above will get me to a decent level to start immersing.

4. (Person lists their roles in company, followed by:)

   なんだか大量のカタカナが並んでいますが、要は小高さんからのお願い(むちゃぶり)を実現すべくせっせと働く妖精的な存在です。
   それはもう本当に色々な『お願い』がありました…妖精も楽じゃない。

   My attempted translation:

   (That is a) lot of katakana lined up, In short, (I) diligently work like a fairy(?) to implement Kodaka-san’s (unreasonable) requests. There were really all sorts of requests… even as a fairy(?) it wasn’t easy.

   My main questions:

   Is fairy correct here? It seems very strange.

   What is もう doing in それはもう本当に

   Any corrections appreciated.

5. How many moras in 今日? Sounds like one to me but maybe it’s two. I’m interested in the formal definition of a mora rather than asking for help in how to pronounce this word.

6. I think the hardest thing about learning this language is that you have to be pretty deep in before your satisfied.

   Like if I put in even a few hours into most skills I can be mediocre/bad at them but still enjoy things easily enough.

   Japanese or any foreign lang. on the other hand requires you to know a hell of a lot before you can casually enjoy your skill.

   If you get to the point where you can hear and understand 10% of whats being said you basically understand nothing though it still took a long time to get there.

   If you get to the point where you can hear and understand 30% of whats being said you basically understand just the topic and will have only a vague idea of what might be going on being wrong more often than not. To get here still took a long time compared to the last check point.

   If you get to the point where you can hear and understand 70% of whats being said you probably know whats going on only half the time and are still frustrated by large blocks of not knowing what is said.

   If you get to the point where you can hear and understand 90% of whats being said you can probably follow most things pretty ok but are going to still be frustrated that you are consistently running into unknowns and misunderstandings.

   From here its just a matter of slowly understanding more and being confused less often. It wouldn’t likely be until 99% that you don’t feel worried you missed something important and it will not be until 99.97% until word lookups become rare and you go through reading sessions without a dictionary pulled up.

   This is all to say that as a hobby this is truly daunting as its built on the premise that if you smash your head into the mountain long enough you will eventually dig a hole through it. Which is to say that one needs to place a lot of faith in themselves.

7. I probably need to own a notebook, right? I’ve been avoiding it because after looking at kanji I’m like no way.

8. Hi, could I get some comments on the piece I wrote? My proficiency level is low so it is probably pretty bad

   満月ある
   月光は窓から
   死のように
   白くて寒い
   寝室は空っぽ

9. Hi, could someone explain the usage of のこと in this sentence? Without it, would the meaning change? Thank you 🙂

   降りる人のことを待ってから電車に乗ります。

10. Is the “GENKI Japanese Readers Box1 First Half of Beginner Level [Set of 12 Books]” exactly the same as the integrated course books or different? And how big are the 12 books compared to the integrated course books?

11. I need some help with a correction to my journal entry. These are the corrections I got and I want to double check that I understand the nuance.

    my original entry: タウンにはつのポケモンが手に入れにかけました。

    my translation: She left home to obtain her first pokemon in town. (home is the context of the prior sentence)

    correction #1: タウンで初めてのポケモンを手に入れるためです。

    my translation: She came to town because was obtaining her first pokemon.

    correction #2: タウンではじめてのポケモンを手に入れようとしました

    my translation: She was about to obtain her first pokemon in town.

12. https://preview.redd.it/6hglbp4o0epe1.jpeg?width=2296&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04117eb023efe657ecae5ecb3fac1573700dc12d

    How do you read “あ-か”?