JapanLive - Little Stories from Japan

 So you want to learn Japanese? First advice, don't believe the services popping up on Instagram and Tik-Tok or wherever that you can learn Japanese in a month. That is absolutely unrealistic. They only say this that you subscribe to their paid programs. It is a long way until you will be able to say that you can speak Japanese. You can use Gemini or ChatGPT to get help in learning. "How to do" * Start with the basics. * Learn the Japanese writing systems. For a good overview see Wikipedia article on  Japanese language Japanese writing system Hiragana and Katakana Kanji If you have read these articles then you probably understand that you will have to go a long way. But a famous proverb tells you to just start and not to be overwhelmed by its length. " A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ".  * Learn basic characters, grammar and vocabulary. * Practice regularly. So, what are basic characters? Hiragana Katakana Kyoiku kanji, followed by Joy...

So you decided to learn Japanese? Good idea. May I give you some small tips and tricks over the next few weeks? They are not really ordered but important nevertheless. The best is you subscribe to this blog or you come back sometimes and click on the tag link " Learning Japanese ". Writing Kanji needs a lot of training. You need to write, write, write. You must learn the order in which a Kanji is written and you must develop a feeling what looks good and what doesn't. So again my recommendation: "you need to write, write, write". Kanji can contain many strokes - really many - up to more than 30 even. Admittedly, the higher the number, the less they are in use - but still, you will have to learn to write Kanji with 20 strokes or more. If you write with a really broad pen, you cannot write Kanjis which are clear and which show distinguishable strokes. So you better choose a pen which writes (extra)fine lines. Personally, I like to use fountain pens. And for...