Japanese Language - Revision history

Wija at 13:04, 16 August 2008

Wija — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:04:53 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 13:04, 16 August 2008
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	There are many resources available for people interested in learning to speak and/or write Japanese. Please see the following related articles if you are interested:		There are many resources available for people interested in learning to speak and/or write Japanese. Please see the following related articles if you are interested:
	* [[Learning Japanese]]		* [[Learning Japanese]]
-	* [[Japanese ~~learning~~ software]]	+	* [[Japanese language software]]
-	* [[Japanese ~~learning~~ books]]	+	* [[Japanese language books]]
-	* [[Japanese ~~learning~~ podcasts]]	+	* [[Japanese language podcasts]]
-	* [[Japanese ~~learning~~ websites]]	+	* [[Japanese language websites]]

Wija at 21:30, 15 August 2008

Wija — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:30:28 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 21:30, 15 August 2008
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-	'''Japanese''' (日本語) is a language spoken mainly in [[Japan]] and in Japanese communities abroad.	+	'''Japanese''' (日本語) is a language spoken mainly in [[Japan]] and in Japanese communities abroad.

	==History==		==History==
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	==Spoken Language==		==Spoken Language==
-	Spoken Japanese includes fewer sounds than English - thus, Japanese pronunciation is generally easier for English speakers to learn than, say, German (which contains sounds not in English spoken speech). There are many regional dialects of Japanese that are distinct to native Japanese or to the trained ear. For example, the Osaka accent is markedly different from the Tokyo accent.	+	Spoken Japanese includes fewer sounds than English - thus, Japanese pronunciation is generally easier for English speakers to learn than, say, German (which contains sounds not in English spoken speech). There are many regional dialects of Japanese that are distinct to native Japanese or to the trained ear. For example, the Osaka accent is markedly different from the Tokyo accent.

	==Grammar==		==Grammar==
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	For foreigner speakers, the toughest thing to learn is often the honorific system, or [[keigo]]. In Japanese, you use a different sentence and verb structure depending on who you are talking to and whether they are your social superiors, inferiors, or equals - or whether the person is a stranger, a child, or a close friend.		For foreigner speakers, the toughest thing to learn is often the honorific system, or [[keigo]]. In Japanese, you use a different sentence and verb structure depending on who you are talking to and whether they are your social superiors, inferiors, or equals - or whether the person is a stranger, a child, or a close friend.
		+
		+	==Learning Japanese==
		+	There are many resources available for people interested in learning to speak and/or write Japanese. Please see the following related articles if you are interested:
		+	* [[Learning Japanese]]
		+	* [[Japanese learning software]]
		+	* [[Japanese learning books]]
		+	* [[Japanese learning podcasts]]
		+	* [[Japanese learning websites]]

Neko at 14:46, 19 October 2006

Neko — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 14:46:05 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 14:46, 19 October 2006
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-	~~The~~ Japanese ~~language~~ is a ~~very fun~~ language ~~to learn~~. ~~Since they have a different alphabet than ours~~, ~~sometimes it is fun to find pictures in the alphabet~~, ~~called~~ "~~kana~~"~~. The~~ Japanese ~~have 3 different alphabets~~. ~~Two~~ of ~~them are kana~~, ~~but~~ the ~~last one~~ is ~~made up~~ of ~~1760 Chinese~~ characters the ~~Ministry~~ of ~~Education chose~~ for ~~everyday use. Right now I am learning the first 103~~ "~~kanji~~" (~~chinese characters~~) ~~for the Level 4 Japanese Language Proficency Test~~. ~~Many~~ of ~~them~~ are ~~easy~~ to ~~learn and especially~~ the ~~ones for 1~~, ~~2, 3~~, ~~river, and mountain~~. 1 (一) is ~~1 horizontal line, continuing with 2 (二~~) and 3 (三). ~~River (can't type it in)~~ is ~~three vertical lines of equal length~~ and ~~mountain (山) looks like that except~~ the ~~middle line~~ is ~~highest making it look like~~ a ~~mountain~~.	+	'''Japanese''' (日本語) is a language spoken mainly in [[Japan]] and in Japanese communities abroad.
		+
		+	==History==
		+
		+	==Written Language==
		+	The written language consists of three kinds of characters: [[kanji]], [[hiragana]], and [[katakana]]. Japanese can be written "western" style (horizontally left to right, then top to bottom) or in traditional Japanese style (vertically top to bottom, right to left). [[Kanji]] consists of thousands of sometimes complex written characters which were adopted from the [[Chinese language]]. Their meanings were altered over time, so the same kanji can have a completely different meaning and pronunciation in Japanese and Chinese. [[Hiragana]] is a phonetic system of 46 characters developed in the 9th century, and is exclusively Japanese. [[Katakana]] is a separate phonetic system consisting of 46 characters, and is used mainly for words "borrowed" from other languages. [[Hiragana]] and [[katakana]] together are often referred to as [[kana]].
		+
		+	==Spoken Language==
		+	Spoken Japanese includes fewer sounds than English - thus, Japanese pronunciation is generally easier for English speakers to learn than, say, German (which contains sounds not in English spoken speech). There are many regional dialects of Japanese that are distinct to native Japanese or to the trained ear. For example, the Osaka accent is markedly different from the Tokyo accent.
		+
		+	==Grammar==
		+	Spoken Japanese relies heavily on context. The subjects of sentences are often left out of sentences entirely, as they are assumed to be understood by the context of the conversation. Plurals and singulars are basically the same ("I have a dog" or "I have dogs" is "犬を飼う"), as are present and future tenses of verbs ("I go" or "I will go" is "行く").
		+
		+	For foreigner speakers, the toughest thing to learn is often the honorific system, or [[keigo]]. In Japanese, you use a different sentence and verb structure depending on who you are talking to and whether they are your social superiors, inferiors, or equals - or whether the person is a stranger, a child, or a close friend.

Pokopenian at 15:53, 1 October 2006

Pokopenian — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 15:53:38 GMT

New page

The Japanese language is a very fun language to learn. Since they have a different alphabet than ours, sometimes it is fun to find pictures in the alphabet, called "kana". The Japanese have 3 different alphabets. Two of them are kana, but the last one is made up of 1760 Chinese characters the Ministry of Education chose for everyday use. Right now I am learning the first 103 "kanji" (chinese characters) for the Level 4 Japanese Language Proficency Test. Many of them are easy to learn and especially the ones for 1, 2, 3, river, and mountain. 1 (一) is 1 horizontal line, continuing with 2 (二) and 3 (三). River (can't type it in) is three vertical lines of equal length and mountain (山) looks like that except the middle line is highest making it look like a mountain.