Keeping up your Japanese

[4letterwords]

I have a thousand friggin books on Japanese. Everything from Making Sense of Kanji, Making Japanese Flow, to Making out in Japanese.

I don't have a single book on "How to not forget your Japanese".

My boyfriend called me today (stuck in DC airport, no apparent reason) and I looked up the information online for another flight (weather, time, blah blah blah) and I figured it'd be easier to explain it to him in Japanese given the situation. While explaining to him all this bullshit I stumbled on my words said "umm umm" a couple times and forgotten how to say 天気予報による. To the point where he said "Jeez. Just explain it in English."

Made me so sad. I've only been home a month and I'm forgetting Japanese like it was a weekend homework assignment. A month ago I would have explained it to him without a bit of trouble, now its like I've sent myself back years in conversational ability.

*shoots herself*

I can't go out and hang out with my Japanese friends and I can only see my boyfriend on the weekends because of this stupid injury. How to I keep from losing my Japanese abilities?

[Scott]

Read books, manga. Watch shows/news. All in Japanese, of course.

Flashcards help with kanji, though the books/manga will help as well.

Use Skype and chat with people in Japan, either in writing or by voice.

[羽之助]

Take all your university notes in Japanese.

Note: This is a bitch when you have to review your notes for exams.

[4letterwords]

I dunno. I'm not into Anime, Manga, or Japanese Dramas stuff like that. So watching/reading stuff available in the US is probably out.
Any suggestions on Kanji? Usually they start from square one but I would need the second thousand.
Talking to strangers... hmm. I might give that a shot. Do you ever feel stupid though? I think I'd feel stupid talking to some random Japanese person.

Thanks for the suggestion (s).

[4letterwords]

Take all your university notes in Japanese.

Note: This is a bitch when you have to review your notes for exams.

Out of University this semester, ala surgery. Damnit. That would have been a fun one, too.

[SlickWilly440]

I dunno. I'm not into Anime, Manga, or Japanese Dramas stuff like that. So watching/reading stuff available in the US is probably out.


You just mentioned the tope three things that motivate and help me learn Japanese.

Ideas:
1. Keep a Journal or write stories everyday in Japanese
2. What English TV/Movies and try to translate the dialouge in your head or write it in Japanese
3. Carry on a 2 or more sided conversation in Japanese with yourself.
4. Listen to Japanese music, figure out whats being said

[erbiumfiber]

Go to that site listed on Gaijin Smash:

http://www.japonin.com/classes-and-textbooks.php

They have a conversation class- nothing but conversation. Doesn't look too expensive either. Even the private lessons are not too pricey. My daughter is going to try it to study for the A.P. Japanese exam. I'll let you know how it works out.

Gambatte!

[Chinpokomon]

Um so yeah. No good title today.
Yes, as opposed to the other gems you've come up with.:cop:

Oh, and how to not forget Japanese?
Use it. It's that simple. (Easier said than done, I know)
I got a book that just came out recently called ナットク日本語塾.
It's based on a TV show on NHK hosted by 言葉おじさん, who explains to you why certain words in Japanese which make no sense, are the way they are.

While you may not be into drama, anime, video games, etc., you are into the Japanese language, right?

[4letterwords]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm gonna give some of them a shot.

IRT Chinpokomon: Yeah, I like the language ok.

[Chinpokomon]

http://www.amazon.co.jp/NHK%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%81%B0%E3%81%8A%E3%81%98%E 3%81%95%E3%82%93%E3%81%AE%E3%83%8A%E3%83%83%E3%83% 88%E3%82%AF%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E5%A1%BE-Vol-1-NHK%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BB%E 3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC/dp/4871080722/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/249-1798954-3169928?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174276505&sr=8-1

Shipping will most likely cost more than the book ;)

[mikem]

How about just plain old books? You know tons of people here I'm sure someone would ship you some novels or something? Women's magazines are also plentiful.

Also, it seems like with the sheer variety of manga out there you could find something that interests you?

I've always been fond of video games, but I've kind of forced myself into music, anime, dramas, and now recently manga. It takes a while to filter through the large amount of crap, but it's better than stagnating.

Use the power of the internet! So much is available to you that didn't exist even a few years ago.

[羽之助]

Read Japanese Wikipedia in hiraganical order :D

You could always set your status to "Skype Me" ...

[Scott]

Then get into them, unless you want to read regular books and spend a while digging through dictionaries.

I mean, Japanese media is the best way to stay immersed in Japanese language if you've got nobody to talk to. If you don't like any media, then you're kind of screwed.

[Azrael]

Sign up for Mixi. Join some communities and try reading/replying in some of the message boards. And make your diary entries in Japanese.

Oh, and I'll take the liberty of editing your thread title if you don't mind.

[4letterwords]

Thanks?

Oh and I"ve been a mixi member for months. It's the only blog I keep, mind you. Nearly all of my entries are in Japanese... maybe I'm just trying to make excuses for why my Japanese is deteriorating?

[b4k4ni04]

@羽: All my notes in Japanese... oh goodness. I get to study for my Japanese final thrice instead of once.. Well, if i pass Japanese and fail all my other classes can I come back here and blame you >>;? .. pretty please?

[羽之助]

Oh no. I passed all MY exams quite well, so the onus is on you to do the same. Hehehe.

Be prepared to get curious if hesitant remarks from your profs, though.

[koku]

I just let it go to hell. If I do go back, and "re-learn" all the stuff you forget in the first few weeks, I wonder what I'll think when I realize sooner or later I'll be done with the next study abroad session, and I'll be back at square 1.


Ah, I guess I'll just let it go to hell.

[mpz]

Use the power of the internet! So much is available to you that didn't exist even a few years ago.
God bless the Internet. It has changed the landscape of language learning so much, leveled the playing field even. If you told somebody in 1995 that "pretty soon you'll be able to read as much Japanese text as you want, watch Japanese TV programs, write and chat with real Japanese people for free and learn Japanese pretty well without ever having to go to Japan" they would have thought you were crazy. In the old times you probably really had to go to Japan to become fluent. Now it's not necessarily so, although it's of course the best way if the choice is available to you.

It is now so ridiculously easy to build an environment where you can hear Japanese every day, even if you're not living in the country.

[mikem]

It is now so ridiculously easy to build an environment where you can hear Japanese every day, even if you're not living in the country.

The evil part is the the converse is also true. It's way too easy to build an environment where you can hear, read, speak, use nothing but English even though you live in Japan. :bang:

[koku]

Maybe I'm really lazy as far as finding recourses on the internet, but I think being in Japan for a long time straight, and watching a lot of anime/japanese drama, reading some manga and trying to skype random Japanese people doesn't compare at all.

I'm probably just too lazy. That could be it.

[4letterwords]

Maybe I'm really lazy as far as finding recourses on the internet, but I think being in Japan for a long time straight, and watching a lot of anime/japanese drama, reading some manga and trying to skype random Japanese people doesn't compare at all.

I'm probably just too lazy. That could be it.


I agree with you. Which is rare. :frypan:

[koku]

I change my mind to sometehing totally different.


:box: Okay, you caught me. We agree on something. Let's not push our luck, mmmk?

[b4k4ni04]

Oh no. I passed all MY exams quite well, so the onus is on you to do the same. Hehehe.

Be prepared to get curious if hesitant remarks from your profs, though. Things would probably be easier if i wasn't an engineering student. As 2/3'rds of my notes are eqn's and whatnot, and I REALLY don't think that writing the other 1/3, theorems and definitions, in my notes in Japanese is going to help me when it comes time to study :/..
However, I look forward to attempting this, in a class it could potentially be practical in :3.

[Masa the Masta]

I change my mind to sometehing totally different.


:box: Okay, you caught me. We agree on something. Let's not push our luck, mmmk?

My senses indicate that a nuclear reaction is eminent. The only thing that would offset the balance to the point of destroying the world would be if PLF is wrong, Chinpokomon admits to being a Japanophile, or Az allows the grabbing of authentic negro...you know.

[Chinpokomon]

My senses indicate that a nuclear reaction is eminent. The only thing that would offset the balance to the point of destroying the world would be if PLF is wrong, Chinpokomon admits to being a Japanophile, or Az allows the grabbing of authentic negro...you know.
I've always called myself a Japanophile.
Of course, I think you're all Japanophiles for just being on this board, though.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

:( Pure sad.

[koku]

I've always called myself a Japanophile.
Of course, I think you're all Japanophiles for just being on this board, though.


You just saved the world, man. You have no idea.



Thank you.


You damn Japanophile.

[羽之助]

Asiaphile?