"
Konnichiwa!
Welcome to Japanese 101 +More. This is our first podcast and to start things
off, I am going to take some time to talk about what is so special about
Japanese and why millions around the world want to learn it. Learning Japanese
and falling in love with it has inspired me to create this podcast, and the
website with the help of a few wonderful friends who share the same passion. I
am going to try to keep it as light as possible so that you do not get bored.
The main aim of this podcast is to make it more fun for you to learn Japanese.
Are you ready? Yoshi!
Japanese
is the language that is primarily spoken in Japan. When I say ‘primarily,’ I
mean to say that knowing only English might not really take you places in
Japan. Sure you will be able to survive, but you will need to know Japanese to
really get into the scene, if you know what I mean.
Today,
more and more people are wanting to learn Japanese and while most folks start
out with anime as their main source of inspiration, there are others who start
out because they love the language or because they need to learn it for
business purposes.
However,
there are many reasons for people to learn Japanese. Learning a new language is
like falling in love; you can never truly point out as to why you fell in love
with that person when suddenly asked.
So if
you ask me why you should learn Japanese, I am not going to give the usual
pointers that say ‘You will get a better appraisal at work,’ or ‘You can talk
to Japanese people,’ and I’m definitely not touching the part where you
can watch anime without subtitles. Why YOU would want to learn Japanese is
something that is unique to you and you alone can answer that question.
BUT, if
you ask me questions like ‘Is Japanese as tough as the rumors say?’ or ‘Is it
the same as Chinese or Mandarin?’ or ‘Does it sound funny?’ I sure CAN answer.
Whether
Japanese is tough or not...well, that depends on how you approach the language
and alter yourself while trying to learn it. Sure, you see statistics and facts
saying that Japanese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, but
if you ask me, I personally find it to be a naturalistic language that is quite
easy. If you keep believing that it is almost impossible to learn Japanese
because it is tough, that is the only thing that will remain in your mind and
would make your learning quite uncomfortable.
When
you perceive Japanese as a language like any other that can be learnt with good
practice and understanding, you will surely learn to love it in no time at all.
There
is a two hardbound rules to remember:
Rule
one: Japanese and Chinese are not at ALL the same. Japanese has two scripts
called Hiragana and Katakana that have EVOLVED from Chinese characters a very
long time ago. We have a third script called Kanji which ARE basically Chinese
characters whose readings are borrowed into Japanese. Other than that, there
are no other similarities and thus Japanese is a completely different language.
So if
you see people randomly talking about Japanese and poking fun at it while
comparing it to Chinese or Mandarin, do not let that affect your studying. That
is their opinion and you have your opinion. Have faith in what you believe and
keep learning.
Rule
two: is that you cannot really learn Japanese from anime. There are many people
who claim that they have learnt Japanese from anime, but once you get to hear
them talk, you will come to know that it’s not the sort of Japanese that you
would want to use while conversing in real-time situations.
The
Japanese used in anime is the brash, everyday language and it is not the best
option to learn from. However, it would be really
nice if anime can be used as a companion while learning Japanese. I personally
have learnt so much more from anime than what I have learnt from my textbooks.
But again, please remember that anime-Japanese and textbook-Japanese are nearly
two different worlds.
---
Every
language in the world reflects the culture and traditions of the country where
it originated from, or where it is being widely spoken and Japanese is no
exception to that.
Many
Japanese students wonder why their teachers deviate from what is written in the
textbook and talk about everyday life in Japan, how things are done in Japan,
or why the teachers talk so much about the four seasons. I, too, did not have a
clue about it when my teachers would talk about Japan and not Japanese to the
point that all of us in class would forget where we left off in the lesson.
But now
I understand that it is VERY important for Japanese students to know all that
as learning Japanese makes it necessary to know the country’s culture and
traditions. Japanese is sometimes direct, and is subtle and sneaky most of the
other times and in order to properly understand all the contexts of Japanese,
you need to know how things work in Japan.
With
all that said, I am hoping that you might have a fairly basic understanding of
Japanese and why you would want to learn it. A friend told me that learning
Japanese is actually fun, but that it requires a lot of concentration, practice
and most importantly, interest. Well, Rini-chan couldn’t be more right! Keep
her words in mind and also remember to have fun because only then can you look
at Japanese as a new friend you are about to make. Put your heart and soul into
learning it, keep an open mind and you will do great! Love the language,
respect it and it will love you right back.
So, I
have managed to cover a few topics in this initial podcast and I might have
missed many other topics that you would have wanted to hear and I apologize for
that. Just tell me what you would like to hear in the comments section and I
will try to cover that as best as I can. I am also planning to invite guests to
talk in the future podcasts of Japanese 101 +More so you will hear more about
learning Japanese from a very diverse range Japanese students. We’ll do our
best to keep you entertained and refreshed while you are learning what
is said to be a “very difficult language.”
There
is a good number of sources out there that can help you learn Japanese. Our aim
here is to do the same, but in a lighter perspective. I, too, am a Japanese
learner and I am always looking out for sources that can teach me Japanese in a
fun manner. That is why I decided to churn out this podcast as a companion to
the Japanese 101 +More website because there are always things that can’t be
understood from text and videos alone; some things are best understood when
explained.
Suppose
that while you are learning Japanese and suddenly have a doubt and none of the
text sources help you understand it, you would have a problem finding a person
to TALK to you and clear your doubt. When you listen to my podcasts, try to
listen to them on the go and study Japanese at the gym or at the supermarket or
even on the way to work or school, when you are bored or just wherever you feel
like it.
While
you are listening to the podcast and referencing the website, please let your
friends know about us on social media. There are many people who are actively
involved in the contribution of the growth of this website and podcast, and
they deserve to be acknowledged for all their hard work.
Well
then, thanks so much for listening to the first podcast of Japanese 101 +More.
Please feel free to write your suggestions or views in the comments section so
that we can know what you would like to hear about. Please do subscribe to this
podcast if you do not want to miss out on all the goodness that’s going to make
learning Japanese a truly awesome experience!!"
