Comments on: News #13 - Sakura is Here! http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/ Learn Japanese with Daily Podcasts from Tokyo Whether you are Japan-bound or a seasoned speaker, our lessons offer something for everyone. We incorporate culture and current issues into each episode to give the most informative, both linguistically and culturally, podcasts possible. For those of you with just the plane ride to prepare, check our survival phrase series at Japanesepod101.com. One of these phrases just might turn your trip into the best one ever! Yoroshiku O-negai Shimasu! Thu, 17 May 2012 00:56:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Rhonda http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2821 Tue, 28 Mar 2006 00:38:11 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2821 Hi all... Been busy at work (and getting ready to help the students with the J2 final) so I'm behind on the lessons (which makes me cranky!). :twisted: But I wanted to pop in since I noticed that Laura-san mentioned going to San Jose for a bookstore. Laura-san, if you are close to San Jose, CA, and would like to talk to someone who has been through Japanese 1-3 at DeAnza (local college), you can e-mail me: rhondavb@gmail.com. I might be able to help some? I'll catch up soon and be less of a lurker! :wink: Hi all…

Been busy at work (and getting ready to help the students with the J2 final) so I’m behind on the lessons (which makes me cranky!). :twisted:

But I wanted to pop in since I noticed that Laura-san mentioned going to San Jose for a bookstore. Laura-san, if you are close to San Jose, CA, and would like to talk to someone who has been through Japanese 1-3 at DeAnza (local college), you can e-mail me: rhondavb@gmail.com. I might be able to help some?

I’ll catch up soon and be less of a lurker! :wink:

]]> by: jay http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2810 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:40:29 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2810 robert-san, Yuno Soumachi! I get it :) robert-san, Yuno Soumachi!
I get it :)

]]> by: Nathan http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2801 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 16:48:56 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2801 Nate-san, The pleasure is all mine :grin: Nate-san,

The pleasure is all mine :grin:

]]> by: Nate http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2800 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 16:47:01 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2800 Nathan-san, Thanks for keeping us straight out here. Especially, me who is just beginning my adventure in Japanese. Arigatou gozaimasu. ネイト Nathan-san,

Thanks for keeping us straight out here. Especially, me who is just beginning my adventure in Japanese.

Arigatou gozaimasu.

ネイト

]]> by: steve http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2790 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 14:15:47 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2790 Justin-san...yes anything like Doraemon or even Anpanman and of course some One Piece are all good. I have a hard-book manga of a couple of Studio Ghibli films. It is good to find something with some simple kanji as well. Personally it is Katakana that I find the hardest. So I ten to avoid anything with lots of katakana...which is not a good thing really as I need to learn. But if you must have childrens books, then maybe it is best to buy books that teach Japanese. I really wish I could find the books I borrowed once, in a book shop. They were great. They taught sentence structure and kanji. Justin-san…yes anything like Doraemon or even Anpanman and of course some One Piece are all good. I have a hard-book manga of a couple of Studio Ghibli films. It is good to find something with some simple kanji as well.
Personally it is Katakana that I find the hardest. So I ten to avoid anything with lots of katakana…which is not a good thing really as I need to learn.
But if you must have childrens books, then maybe it is best to buy books that teach Japanese. I really wish I could find the books I borrowed once, in a book shop. They were great. They taught sentence structure and kanji.

]]> by: Justin http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2788 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 14:05:00 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2788 I'm not going to bother correcting that awkward post... I don't think it's too hard to figure out... :roll: Well... I forgot to mention the Kodansha bilingual comics. I don't have any, but I want some. They're translated into English with the Japanese text in the margins. A Google search could find you some pretty easily, I think. Oh yeah, and there are lots of sites with Japanese folktales on the Internet all in hiragana. I found them from the chuukyuu lesson when Natsuko read the story. I'd post a link, but.... I gotta go. :smile: I’m not going to bother correcting that awkward post… I don’t think it’s too hard to figure out… :roll:

Well… I forgot to mention the Kodansha bilingual comics. I don’t have any, but I want some. They’re translated into English with the Japanese text in the margins. A Google search could find you some pretty easily, I think.

Oh yeah, and there are lots of sites with Japanese folktales on the Internet all in hiragana. I found them from the chuukyuu lesson when Natsuko read the story. I’d post a link, but…. I gotta go. :smile:

]]> by: Justin http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2787 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 13:58:20 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2787 If you're in the intermediate level, I recommend the comic Doraemon. If you're not used to casual language, it might be a little hard at first, but once you get used to it, it's pretty fun if you have a good book to read. It's also nice to have a comic that's already tranlated into English, though. If you’re in the intermediate level, I recommend the comic Doraemon. If you’re not used to casual language, it might be a little hard at first, but once you get used to it, it’s pretty fun if you have a good book to read. It’s also nice to have a comic that’s already tranlated into English, though.

]]> by: Laura http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2783 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 12:42:00 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2783 Thanks, everyone. It's coming much clearer. My grammar book is probably more accurate than it seems - it's my attempt to compress something I don't really understand down to two lines that is at fault. I really like the emphasis-before/emphasis-after rule of thumb. I agree too that trying to reason something out from a set of rules and exceptions is not the best way go, and that it takes time to develop an intuitive sense. Thanks for all the resource suggestions, everyone! Laura Thanks, everyone. It’s coming much clearer. My grammar book is probably more accurate than it seems - it’s my attempt to compress something I don’t really understand down to two lines that is at fault.

I really like the emphasis-before/emphasis-after rule of thumb. I agree too that trying to reason something out from a set of rules and exceptions is not the best way go, and that it takes time to develop an intuitive sense. Thanks for all the resource suggestions, everyone!

Laura

]]> by: Jason http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2771 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:51:04 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2771 Technically, "wa" is the topic particle, and "ga" is the subject particle. The difference between the two is subtle and difficult to explain. I understand the details to a point, but after a good while I kinda just developed a sense of when to use them. I don't depend on what slim grasp of the details I have to decide when to use which. And that's what I'd suggest you do, because I really think trying to grasp the details at this point is just going to drag your studies down. And I agree with the others that the book's explaination is just bad. Don't put too much stock in it. My ex-Japanese teacher took like 10-15 mintues to explain it to us one time. But she ended saying not to worry about it that much. Technically, “wa” is the topic particle, and “ga” is the subject particle. The difference between the two is subtle and difficult to explain. I understand the details to a point, but after a good while I kinda just developed a sense of when to use them. I don’t depend on what slim grasp of the details I have to decide when to use which. And that’s what I’d suggest you do, because I really think trying to grasp the details at this point is just going to drag your studies down. And I agree with the others that the book’s explaination is just bad. Don’t put too much stock in it. My ex-Japanese teacher took like 10-15 mintues to explain it to us one time. But she ended saying not to worry about it that much.

]]> by: RobGillon http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2769 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:05:42 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2769 Laura-san - Just to add to what Nathan said, I can also see what your grammar book is trying to say, but it's not saying it very well, and it's coming across as not only confusing, but also kinda wrong. Like I said before, check out that website I gave you, and Japanese for Everyone is a really good grammar book if you'd like it. And of course this is a great resource here at Japanesepod101! :wink: Laura-san - Just to add to what Nathan said, I can also see what your grammar book is trying to say, but it’s not saying it very well, and it’s coming across as not only confusing, but also kinda wrong. Like I said before, check out that website I gave you, and Japanese for Everyone is a really good grammar book if you’d like it. And of course this is a great resource here at Japanesepod101! :wink:

]]> by: steve http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2768 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 07:48:17 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2768 Laura-san. I think you are best finding a second hand Japanese book shop. There is one about 1 hour 10 minutes drive away from where I live, which I go to sometimes. I buy books there for about £1 (one pound) Childrens books are a fun way to learn, but my word of warning is this....being childrens books means they also use a child like language. So there will be some words you may not find in your dictionary and also some words that will not really benefit your learning of Japanese. But, I like trying to translate Japanese childrens books. Laura-san.
I think you are best finding a second hand Japanese book shop. There is one about 1 hour 10 minutes drive away from where I live, which I go to sometimes. I buy books there for about £1 (one pound) Childrens books are a fun way to learn, but my word of warning is this….being childrens books means they also use a child like language. So there will be some words you may not find in your dictionary and also some words that will not really benefit your learning of Japanese. But, I like trying to translate Japanese childrens books.

]]> by: Nathan http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2766 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 06:13:02 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2766 皆さん、 どうもありがとうございます！ Thank you very much, it's great to be a part of such an awesome team! I no longer have to worry about having any free time!! :wink: Just kidding, I love it! :grin: Laura-san, I think I can understand what your book is trying to say about wa vs. ga, but I think that can be a little misleading. For instance, in normal conversation, the wa may only be used with the topic the very first time it is brought up, so it would not already be part of the conversation. The way I like to look at wa and ga is as importance markers. Ga tells you that the word coming before it is the important part, while wa tells you that the words coming after it are the important part. This is why ga is used with question words and their answers... the important part is the question word or answer, because that's the part you want to know. This is also why wa is generally not used a lot in conversation... it introduces the topic, and then you don't need to mention the topic anymore because you both know you're talking about it. Keep in mind, though, that both of these have alternate uses as well (e.g. ga being a conjunction, wa being a comparitive marker). But like others have mentioned, don't worry too much about wa vs. ga for now :grin: 皆さん、

どうもありがとうございます！
Thank you very much, it’s great to be a part of such an awesome team! I no longer have to worry about having any free time!! :wink: Just kidding, I love it! :grin:

Laura-san,

I think I can understand what your book is trying to say about wa vs. ga, but I think that can be a little misleading. For instance, in normal conversation, the wa may only be used with the topic the very first time it is brought up, so it would not already be part of the conversation.

The way I like to look at wa and ga is as importance markers. Ga tells you that the word coming before it is the important part, while wa tells you that the words coming after it are the important part. This is why ga is used with question words and their answers… the important part is the question word or answer, because that’s the part you want to know. This is also why wa is generally not used a lot in conversation… it introduces the topic, and then you don’t need to mention the topic anymore because you both know you’re talking about it.

Keep in mind, though, that both of these have alternate uses as well (e.g. ga being a conjunction, wa being a comparitive marker). But like others have mentioned, don’t worry too much about wa vs. ga for now :grin:

]]> by: Cindy C　　　 シンデイ－ http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2765 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 05:40:30 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2765 Laura-san, I recommend the book Teach Yourself Beginner's Japanese Script by Helen Gilhooly if you wish to learn more Kanji and have more practice with hiragana and katakana. It teaches just over 100 of the most common kanji and introduces you to their radicals and components. I don't remember the word for many of the kanji, but I do remember the meaning of several. Together with the furigana I can figure out more and more of them. The lessons found here have helped me the most with reading, speaking and comprehension. They are the most fun, and cheapest too. I have found the cheapest books to be on ebay in the used books under learn Japanese, shipped media mail here in the US. Best of luck to you. よろしくおながいします Laura-san,
I recommend the book Teach Yourself Beginner’s Japanese Script by Helen Gilhooly if you wish to learn more Kanji and have more practice with hiragana and katakana. It teaches just over 100 of the most common kanji and introduces you to their radicals and components. I don’t remember the word for many of the kanji, but I do remember the meaning of several. Together with the furigana I can figure out more and more of them.

The lessons found here have helped me the most with reading, speaking and comprehension. They are the most fun, and cheapest too.

I have found the cheapest books to be on ebay in the used books under learn Japanese, shipped media mail here in the US.

Best of luck to you.
よろしくおながいします

]]> by: robert http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2764 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 02:28:41 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2764 Hi minasan - You guys are doing a really great job, I am learning so much about Japan--my friends want to change my name to Yuno Soumachi! I told my girlfriend about Shibuya. She laughed, she LOVES that place. I little tid-bit--she said that they call that main intersection in Shibuya "Scramble Junction" because people don't just go straight, but every which way to cross the street. :smile: ありがとう、よろしくお願いします Hi minasan -

You guys are doing a really great job, I am learning so much about Japan–my friends want to change my name to Yuno Soumachi!
I told my girlfriend about Shibuya. She laughed, she LOVES that place.

I little tid-bit–she said that they call that main intersection in Shibuya “Scramble Junction” because people don’t just go straight, but every which way to cross the street. :smile:

ありがとう、よろしくお願いします

]]> by: Laura http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2763 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 02:14:17 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/03/26/news-13-sakura-is-here/#comment-2763 Thanks for the wa/ga link. I think the grammar book was pointing out one way to think about ga vs. wa. Kind of a "sashimi = sushi - rice" explanation (from the beginners lessons ^^). ga = selecting something new (from the set of all things) to bring into the conversation. wa = adding information about something that is already part of the conversation. I know it's more complicated than that though. I read a bit more on grammar and I get the Puss title now! na ga gu tsu o ha i ta ne ko is nagagutsu o hai ta neko Cat Wearing Boots Nihongo ga(?) dai suki da yo! I would say "dai suki da yo", but I used that at work meaning "I love it" and the guy got embarrassed. :???: Laura Thanks for the wa/ga link.

I think the grammar book was pointing out one way to think about ga vs. wa. Kind of a “sashimi = sushi - rice” explanation (from the beginners lessons ^^).

ga = selecting something new (from the set of all things) to bring into the conversation.
wa = adding information about something that is already part of the conversation.

I know it’s more complicated than that though.

I read a bit more on grammar and I get the Puss title now!

na ga gu tsu o ha i ta ne ko
is
nagagutsu o hai ta neko
Cat Wearing Boots

Nihongo ga(?) dai suki da yo!

I would say “dai suki da yo”, but I used that at work meaning “I love it” and the guy got embarrassed. :???:

Laura

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