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Core Japanese language learning resources for JLPT N3

Kim — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:00:00 +0000

What Japanese learning language resources will take you from JLPT N4 to N3? Continue your studies with these textbooks, native materials, and websites.

I wrote a comprehensive list for N5 and N4 in an earlier blog post and I still use many of the materials mentioned in that post. To progress to the next level, I have added some N3-ish textbooks and materials. I will give you tips on how to learn at this stage from my personal experience. My learning method will not be suitable for everyone, but you will understand why I do it this way if you know my reasons for learning Japanese. If your goal is different, you can still use the resources in this list for the reading comprehension part of your journey.

Personal Story
Japanese Textbooks
More Kanji Focus
Kanji and Vocabulary Dictionaries
Japanese Grammar
Reading Practice
Final Thoughts and Learning Method

Personal Story

Just a few months after I wrote the N5 and N4 language learning materials post, the unexpected happened: I suddenly took my Japanese language studies more seriously and made it to the next level. I am now ready to pursue the N3 language proficiency level.

And by pursuing N3, I mean achieving a language proficiency comparable to what is tested on a JLPT N3 exam. I don’t plan to take any tests because I have no need for a certificate that proves my Japanese level. My reasons for learning the Japanese language are as follows.

Being able to read Japanese literature from the source. I want to experience complete immersion; something I can only achieve by reading books in the original language. Moreover, not every book by authors I am interested in will be translated. The number of books with English, Dutch, German or French translations increases every year, but the choice of those that make it to my bookshelf is unfortunately not up to me. Time to change that.
The wow feeling of mastering another language and being able to decipher a text that most people can’t make sense of.
Understanding at least the easy parts of conversations in Japanese TV shows. It’s always nice when you can still follow what’s going on if you look away from the subtitles.
And the main reason – my personal pet peeve and a source of lifelong frustration – making sense of the Japanese menu in restaurants in Japan. I have visited Japan twice, first in 2015 (Highlights of Japan) and then again in 2019 (Kyushu and Yakushima). On my first trip, it was really hard to order anything at all because there were no English-language menus in the offbeat places I visited and the restaurant staff often didn’t speak English at all. Google translate was the way to go then. On my second trip, even some of the offbeat places suddenly had menus in English, but they were often shortened versions of the full Japanese menu. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciated these menus, but they led to some frustration. So I vowed that on my next trip to Japan I would be able to read the Japanese menu. Covid made sure I had plenty of time to work on it. Although I haven’t made any plans yet to master reading Japanese handwriting. Step by step.

In the past few months I finished Genki 1 and Genki 2, my Japanese textbooks in Korean and made my way through Basic Kanji Book Vol. 1. The above sounds like I went incredibly fast, but that’s not true. I did half of Genki 1 in 2015 and then did the same half again in the summer of 2021. Last summer I also read Tae Kim’s grammar and memorized the first 150 or so Kanji/Hanja for both Japanese and Korean. So I already had some passive knowledge that helped me move through the material faster. Now I find myself in new territory and I am excited to continue my learning journey. I’m moving full speed ahead to reading novels with full furigana or only furigana for the more difficult Kanji. With a few secret glimpses into novels without furigana: Yoko Ogawa’s The Sea (海) and Osamu Dazai’s Run, Melos! (走れメロス), I’m looking at you.

Japanese Textbooks

For N3, Tobira Gateway to Advanced Japanese is the way to go. Some consider this a big step up from Genki I and II because the texts are longer. I, however, found the change very refreshing. If you’ve been practicing with reading Japanese texts at the N5 and N4 level – either Japanese Graded Readers or something more difficult such as Harry Potter – the wall of text won’t scare you. I actually find most texts easier because the same grammar point can appear several times in a longer text.

In this textbook, you will find a wide variety of texts, ranging from informational texts to conversations, and from formal language to informal language. Following the texts is an overview of the vocabulary and grammar used in this chapter and some exercises. It is up to you to decide whether to study the vocabulary and grammar before or after reading the texts.

You can buy the supplementary Kanji book (Tobira Power up your Kanji) for more Kanji practice. In this book, you will learn about 800 Kanji: the 297 that the book assumes you already know and 503 others introduced in Tobira Gateway to Advanced Japanese. If you use other materials to learn Kanji, for example Wanikani or Basic Kanji Book Vol. I and Vol. II, the first few chapters will go smoothly because you already know many characters. This does not mean that these chapters are not useful: practicing writing kanji with different materials will only help you to memorize the Kanji. For me, it is absolutely necessary to write the Kanji as well, because only then do I look at the Kanji closely enough to be able to distinguish them from similar characters when I encounter them in texts.

More Kanji Focus

In my previous blog post about N5 and N4, I mentioned that I had quit Wanikani. However, after focusing on grammar for a while, I again found myself needing the SRS system that Wanikani uses to help you learn Kanji. I was off to a rough start because I was welcomed by the 12 levels of vocabulary I had learned 7 years ago, but after a month I regained control and started making progress again. Thanks to Wanikani and Basic Kanji Book Vol. I (see next), I was able to start reading native Japanese materials at a better speed than before.

In Basic Kanji Book Vol. I and Vol. II, you’ll find writing exercises and repetitions that help you memorize the Kanji better. What I like about these books is the grouping of Kanji: they are often grouped by meaning. This is very helpful if, for example, you have trouble remembering which Kanji for place/room/building is used in which words.

For me, it’s not a problem anymore since I own the books, but I still wonder if the high price of the books makes them worth buying. The main issue is that Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 cover about 250 Kanji each. I appreciate them as another way to practice what I have already learned, but maybe they are not necessary because you can practice the same Kanji through other sources.

Kanji and Vocabulary Dictionaries

I still use the same resources as I did for N5 and N4 because I chose books and apps that cover all JLPT levels from the start.

I have a Kanji dictionary (Kanji dictionary that Japanese children use in elementary school) that I value very much because of its depth. This book might not be for everyone because it does not contain any English so the initial learning curve before you can use it comfortably is very steep. I quite like this book as it helps with immersion and forces me to read Japanese. Also, it is very comprehensive and gives more information than books meant for foreigners. If you do prefer a book in English, check out Kanji Dictionary for Foreigners Learning Japanese 2500 N5 to N1.

Whenever I come across a Kanji or vocabulary word I don’t know and my paper dictionary is nowhere near, I look it up in the WWWJDIC dictionary app (for Android) on my phone. In this app, you can sketch the Kanji and get the meaning, stroke order, and words in which it is frequently used. I have tried many other apps, but I keep coming back to this dictionary. Unfortunately, this recommendation is not of much use to those of you without Android phones. Although I prefer to use physical books for many other things, I always look up vocabulary on my phone because it is faster and more flexible.

In the Obenkyo app (Android), you can look up Kanji by JLPT level and find out all the basic information you need to learn about this Kanji. It also has tests that will help you remember them.

Japanese Grammar

The Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar series consist of A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.

These books give the best general overview of Japanese grammar. Since you are now studying at N3 level, it is time to move to the Intermediate book. This is the book I would buy if I didn’t already have a Japanese grammar book in Korean.

I supplement my grammar book with two free online resources that go into more depth explaining individual grammar points.

The first is Imabi. For each grammar point you look up, you can read about usage, spelling, contractions, and many example sentences. At this level, there is probably more information than you can use, but this does mean that this resource scales very well. If you are low on funds, try this free online resource first! The only downside I could find is that it might take a while to figure out which lesson you need to read. The grammar points are broken down into skill levels, but that doesn’t mean the lesson you are looking for is where you expect it to be.

Another useful free online resource is Wasabi’s Online Japanese Grammar Reference. This grammar resource is less comprehensive than Imabi, but what it does very well is group similar grammar points together based on their usage. For example, you can study the grammar for quotation or judgments and make progress in learning the nuances of each form.

Reading Practice

When I was at N5 and N4 level, I read Shirokuma Cafe and Japanese Graded Readers. I also own some other manga of which I occasionally read a few pages. I have now switched to Japanese books for children and young adults. I will share my book selection, but feel free to choose anything else that interests you. The basic idea is as follows: find a book with an uncomplicated story that uses furigana and another book with less furigana and a bit more complicated sentences. After N3 you can choose your first book without furigana.

For the first book, I chose the full furigana edition of Tenki no Ko (天気の子). This is a light novel that was also made into a film. Since almost all the kanji are accompanied by furigana, you can start reading it after N4 level. The sentences are easier than in Harry Potter (see the next paragraph) and the words used are common in everyday life. Even before I started Tobira Gateway to Advanced Japanese, I could understand the story without looking up words. Of course, I will look up many words because I want to learn vocabulary, but I will also do reading sessions where I do not look up words. You can find the furigana edition of 天気の子 on Amazon JP (physical), Book Walker (digital) or Verasia (physical).

My choice for a book with less furigana is the translation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I bought this one in a Book Off store during my Japan trip in 2015 and I was quite happy when I discovered that it contains a lot of furigana, although less than Tenki no Ko. What’s good about choosing Harry Potter is that I know the story very well, but the downside is that the subject matter presents you with a lot of (magical) words you haven’t encountered yet. The grammar is easy enough, even though you won’t understand every nuance. I’m going pretty slow right now, but I’ll make faster progress when I master the basic vocabulary for this subject matter. Do be careful when buying a Harry Potter book online: many editions are without furigana. This hardcover edition is of the full book with lots of furigana (often the first time you come upon new words, though not for every Kanji). You can check out other hardcovers with this type of design if you prefer one of the other Harry Potter books.

Another great resource is Book Walker; a seller of Japanese ebooks and manga. You can view the first 10-50 pages of just about any book you look up. Not only does this provide a good reading exercise of many different styles, you can also assess whether a book is appropriate for your current skill level or if you’d be better off waiting until your Japanese level improves.

What I am working towards

The two books mentioned above I translate more than I read. A natural follow-up for these are the short story collections by Yoko Ogawa (The Sea (海)) and Osamu Dazai (Run, Melos! (走れメロス)). I also read that Sayaka Murata and Otsuichi are very readable for Japanese language learners. So I’ll keep these in mind for my N2 level reading material. While studying Japanese at N3 level, I will try to read a few pages of these books to measure my progress.

When you can read a book without furigana you are well on your way to mastering Japanese.

Final Thoughts and Learning Method

As you can see I am focusing on reading comprehension and my JLPT N3 resource list is geared towards that. If you are learning Japanese for the same reasons then this list will help you. I would recommend everyone to switch to reading native material at this stage and to let the sentences in Japanese literature guide your learning journey. The textbooks should take a back seat here and help you become aware of grammar patterns or nuances that you would otherwise be unaware of.

As you read, you strengthen your vocabulary, grammar and kanji knowledge. Nothing is better for memorizing than to encounter words and patterns in the wild. If you come across a word or pattern you don’t know, read up on this item in a grammar book or a (kanji) dictionary with examples of common usage. This is then your study topic for the day.

You don’t have to look up everything you come across, instead it’s better to pick your battles so that the story stays interesting. If you get distracted, that’s fine too. Your way forward is by mastering more kanji, vocabulary and grammar. That means spending time immersing yourself in real texts.

I’m curious to hear about your Japanese learning journey in the comments below. Do you have any tips for other readers?

The post Core Japanese language learning resources for JLPT N3 appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Japanese language learning resources for JLPT N5 and N4

Kim — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 15:00:00 +0000

What are the best Japanese textbooks and other resources for learning basic conversation, grammar, kanji, and pronunciation at N5 and N4 level? Get a headstart learning Japanese with these language resources.

This overview of Japanese textbooks and other resources is meant for those studying JLPT N5 and N4. For those of you studying JLPT N3: take a look at Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese, which will probably be my next textbook. When – if ever – I reach N3, I’ll compile a list of resources for that.

Best Japanese textbook: Tobira 1: Beginning Japanese
Free Japanese textbook: Irodori – Japanese for Life in Japan (new recommendation)
Best Japanese grammar handbook: A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Best Kanji resources: Dictionary, apps and book
Useful Japanese vocabulary resource: Synonyms / antonyms / homonyms / kanji readings book
Best Japanese vocabulary dictionary: WWWJDIC
Best free Japanese reading material: Todai and Tadoku
Free learning materials for Japanese school kids: Happylilac
Best (free) online course for learning Japanese: Irodori

Best Japanese textbook: Tobira 1: Beginning Japanese

Among those starting out with Japanese, the most popular books are Genki (I and II), Minna no Nihongo and Tobira. I used Genki I, but I think the other methods would work just as well. Tobira (one of the go-to textbooks for N3) has recently published its own N5/N4 book: Tobira 1: Beginning Japanese. Looking at the Tobira’s sample pages, I think I would prefer Tobira over Genki if I were to begin my Japanese learning journey today because I like the layout, explanations and content.

Some thoughts about Genki I

What I like about Genki – an integrated course in elementary Japanese:

The pace is good and you learn many new things in each chapter.
It uses hiragana / katakana / Kanji from the start. Although there is romanization of hiragana and katakana in the first chapters, I recommend learning these scripts through another resource before you start with Genki.

What I like less about Genki – an integrated course in elementary Japanese:

The new grammar you learn is usually not paired with similar grammar points. For someone who enjoys learning grammar, this is not very pleasant.
You need another resource to keep up with the Kanji. Most Kanji have furigana, but at some point you want to stop looking at the furigana and learn to recognize the Kanji.
Many of the exercises are intended for classroom use, but you can do most of them on your own.

What other books do I use?

I mix Genki I with Korean textbooks for learning Japanese (일본어 초급 단숨에 따라잡기 and the 중급 version). Since Korean and Japanese are more similar than English and Japanese, I find it much easier to have Japanese compared to the former. A comparison to English requires a lengthy explanation because the sentence structure is so different, but for a comparison to Korean, it is often sufficient to mention the grammar or vocabulary in the other language. The Korean textbooks are more concise with fewer exercises and I go through the basic material much faster. For those of you who know intermediate Korean, I recommend Korean textbooks for learning Japanese.

Also read: Best Textbooks for Learning Korean

Free Japanese textbook: Irodori - Japanese for Life in Japan (new recommendation)

Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan is a free Japanese textbook series for people who are living in Japan, or who will be living in Japan in the future. It teaches Japanese for different daily situations in Japan, including working, shopping, having fun, eating, and interacting with other people.

This method consists of three textbooks including mp3 up to and including A2 level. You can also download bundled grammar notes, kanji reading exercises, tips for living in Japan, and word lists.

It looks perfect for self-study: you can do the exercises on your own, all the materials are available and the books are pleasant to look at. When I continue my Japanese self-study I will work through some chapters from Irodori.

Best Japanese grammar handbook: A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

The Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar series consist of A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.

These books give the best general overview of Japanese grammar. Of course, you only need the basic one to get started.

A free resource to get you started is Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese. This is a very comprehensive guide to basic Japanese grammar. It is easy to read and follow and perfect for getting you started with the basics. There might be some errors in the guide, but none too bad if you use it at this level.

What other book do I use?

I use a Japanese grammar book in Korean (일본어 문법 학원으로 끝내기) for reference. As with the textbooks, I really like the ordering of the Korean book; it seems more natural to me. There is less explanation in this book, but at this level it is enough.

Best Kanji resources: Dictionary, apps and book

There are many online resources for learning Kanji. Many years ago, I started with Wanikani, a tool that helps you memorize the meaning of Kanji. Although it did what it promised (and is very addictive!), I noticed that I was focusing too much on recognizing Kanji and neglected studying grammar, conversation and vocabulary. So I chose a less addictive Kanji training method to support my Japanese learning journey, namely the Obenkyo app.

In the Obenkyo app (Android), you can look up Kanji by JLPT level and find out all the basic information you need to learn about this Kanji. It also has tests that will help you remember them.

Whenever I come across a Kanji I don’t know, I look it up in the WWWJDIC dictionary app (for Android) on my phone. In this app, you can sketch the Kanji and get the meaning, stroke order, and words in which it is frequently used. I have tried many other apps, but I keep coming back to this dictionary.

Then I got to the point where my Kanji knowledge was lagging behind my grammar and vocabulary and I needed to focus a little more on Kanji. I looked at many learning methods, but was never satisfied with the scope of the books as they often focused on a small amount of Kanji. I wanted a book that would last me a long time and I ended up buying a Kanji dictionary that Japanese children use in elementary school. I quite like this book as it helps with immersion and forces me to read Japanese. Also, it is very comprehensive and gives more information than books meant for foreigners. If you do prefer a book in English, check out Kanji Dictionary for Foreigners Learning Japanese 2500 N5 to N1. As you can see, I prefer very complete resources over guided learning methods.

How do I learn Kanji?

If I stumble upon a Kanji I don’t know or keep seeing a particular Kanji I want to know more about, I look it up in a dictionary and study its stroke order and frequent usage. From there I look for similar looking Kanji to learn how to tell them apart and search for homonyms to also study those as well. The book in the next topic will help you tell Kanji readings apart.

These days my learning is guided by chapters from textbooks and reading above my level in the Todai news app, manga or Harry Potter.

As soon as I master N5 and N4 level, I will however buy Tobira’s Power Up Your Kanji for better memorization.

Useful Japanese vocabulary resource: Synonyms / antonyms / homonyms / kanji readings book

I have not yet reached the point where I make vocabulary my main focus. For now, grammar and Kanji take precedence in my study sessions.

I did buy a book about synonyms, anonyms and homonyms, because I wanted to have a good overview of some words that I have a hard time telling apart. It’s a great book for that purpose, as you can read in my review.

Whenever I want to practice vocabulary the ‘easy way’ I turn to Memrise or Anki.

Best Japanese vocabulary dictionary: WWWJDIC

I must admit that this recommendation is not of much use to those of you without Android phones, but WWWJDIC is the vocabulary dictionary I like best. Although I prefer to use physical books for many other things, I always look up vocabulary on my phone because it is faster and more flexible. In this dictionary app, I can sketch the Kanji, type in Japanese or type in English.

Best free Japanese reading material: Todai and Tadoku

As soon as I know the very basics of a language (studying N5) I start reading in that language. For this purpose, the free Todai Easy Japanese News app (Android or iOS) is perfect because it helps you with all vocabulary and grammar you don’t know. If you pick a news article that is heavy with N5 material, you can get started right away. When your Japanese improves, you can change the settings to receive less help with the things you have learned.

Tadoku.org is a great resource with free short stories that you can download as pdf. I can’t think of a reason not to use it.

If you prefer physical books, check out Japanese Graded Readers. They are quite expensive though and I would not buy level 0 as you can easily find free resources online for this level. Level 1 and 2 can be interesting though and after that you can switch to real Japanese sources.

When you are close to mastering N4, you can take a look at some free manga in the Manga Zero app (Android or iOS). Most manga will be way too complicated, but there are some easier ones that you can use to challenge yourself. For manga, you can also take a look at Shirokuma Cafe which you can read at N5 level.

Free learning materials for Japanese school kids: Happylilac

At happylilac.net you can download free language learning materials that are used in Japanese elementary school and middle school. The website and materials are in Japanese, but once you know where to find the resources you like, it is easy to navigate. Another option is to have Chrome translate the website for you.

What’s really fun about this website is that it also contains learning materials for other subjects like math and science. But you’ll probably focus on the Japanese language material. I especially like the worksheets for reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary. Answers to the worksheets and tests are also provided.

Best (free) online course for learning Japanese: Irodori

Irodori not only offers free textbooks, it also has a free online course.

That’s it: a book or resource for every category to help you learn Japanese at JLPT N5 and N4 level. What is your favorite Japanese textbook or resource?

The post Japanese language learning resources for JLPT N5 and N4 appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Review: Korean Hanja Bible for Teachers

Kim — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Do you like characters? In this Korean Hanja dictionary, you can look up 2355 Hanja and find out what Korean words they are used in.

Why learn Hanja (Korean characters)? It’s not about the Hanja themselves, but about creating understanding. By learning which characters a Korean word of Chinese origin consists of, you will learn new words faster. Let’s take 정 (正) as an example. This part means “correct” and you can find it in words like 정확하다, 정각, and 부정. If you know that correct is a possible meaning of 정 (not the only one), you can sometimes guess the meaning of words you encounter for the first time. You can also infer these meanings by looking at many Korean words, but this is less efficient.

As a Korean language learner, you don’t need this rather expensive book at all. This Hanja Bible is only for those with an (unhealthy) academic obsession with characters and languages (like me!). In this book, you will find an overview of all these characters that are hardly used in everyday life, except for the occasional character in the newspaper (like north 北) and the characters for big (大), middle (中) and small (小) in markets. Hanja is used more in academic books, but most non-Koreans are unlikely to read them. Thanks to the invention of Hangul, Korean is quite easy to read.

Content

Let’s take a look inside.

Hanja

In this Hanja Bible you will find 2355 Hanjas arranged by school level, spread over 1227 pages. The Hanja for the lower levels are more detailed than the later ones. This is only natural because the last few hundred characters in the book are less common and occur only in a few words such as place names.

For each Hanja you see:

The shape of the character plus a drawing of the stroke order and the number of strokes.
The radical.
The Chinese character it corresponds to and the Pinyin. If only they’d included the Japanese characters and pronunciation this book would have been perfect.
The pronunciation and meaning of the character. For 正, this is listed as 바를 정 and 정월 정, where the first words indicate the meaning and the second words indicate the pronunciation. These descriptions help you talk about the characters and distinguish them from other characters pronounced 정. The meaning is further illustrated in a short text box that often includes English translations of the examples.
A list of Korean words in which this character was used as the first or second character. These examples include the Korean word in Hangul, the Korean word in Hanja, the separate meanings of both characters used in the word, an English translation, and a Korean explanation of the meaning.

The design of the entries is very pleasant and you can easily find the information you are looking for. The use of red, black and gray ink, the indents, squares and bold formatting is excellent. The book is quite large, so you will not carry it with you everywhere, nor will you use it anywhere but at a desk. But the positive side of this is that the book has a lot of information and the font is large enough that you can read the text from a distance and tell the characters apart.

Addendum

In the first part of the addendum, you can read more about the origins of Hanja and how they are constructed. This section helps teachers explain the material to their students. What may be more interesting for Korean language learners is the second addendum which explains different ways Hanja can be combined to make Korean words, whether it is a verb plus a noun, an adverb with an adjective, or some other combination. The third addendum lists the four character idioms (사자성어) both ordered by school level and alphabetically.

Since this book is aimed at teachers, most of the information in the addendum is intended to be imparted in the classroom. However, the following sections are also incredibly useful for foreign language learners: they address common mistakes made by Hanja learners.

The fourth section contains some characters with more than one pronunciation. Remember how the negative (不) before a word can sometimes appear as 불 or 부? Don’t worry, it doesn’t get as bad as it does in Japanese.
The fifth section then explores the characters with multiple pronunciations some more by listing the most common mistakes made by not using the correct alternative meaning.

Section six is perhaps my favorite addendum because it lists characters that are very similar and are often confused with one of the others. A perfect study tool to help you finally tell these characters apart. If you are also learning Japanese or Chinese then it will be very helpful if you improve your character recognition skills in this way.

Indexes

At the very end of the book you find two indexes (sections seven and eight):

Hanja ordered by school level
Hanja ordered by pronunciation

Both indexes list the Hanja’s pronunciation, character shape, school level and page number. You will use the second index the most because it is perfect for quickly finding characters and also for studying a specific morpheme. If you want to know what meanings to expect for words containing the 정 element, you can study the thirty characters pronounced 정. Don’t let this number discourage you: not all of them are used often.

Interested?

Are you interested in learning more about Hanja at a more academic level? Then this resource is perfect for you. If you are a casual learner, then you can safely ignore this book. You can buy the Hanja Bible for Teachers from Gmarket.

Also read: Best Textbooks for Learning Korean

The post Review: Korean Hanja Bible for Teachers appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Review: Japanese Kanji Dictionary for Elementary School Kids

Kim — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

The New Rainbow Elementary School Japanese Kanji Dictionary (Japanese title: 新レインボー小学漢字辞典　改訂第６版　小型版) is a great resource for Japanese language learners. You’ll learn more about Kanji in no time.

Use this Kanji dictionary to look up Japanese characters and study their many meanings and readings, as well as the idioms in which they are most commonly used.

Japanese level

As this book is intended for Japanese elementary school students, it is 100% in Japanese. You can start using it (with a dictionary) if you are studying for the JLPT N4 level. The grammar used in the explanations is simple, the sentences are short, and the kanji mentioned in the explanations have furigana.

And by “start using it” I really mean start using it. At first, you look up the Kanji to find out about their pronunciation and words in which they are often used, so you can look up the Kanji in another dictionary app. Later, you can use the dictionary to study individual Kanji to learn more about their meaning and usage.

This dictionary contains 3150 Kanji including the 1026 Kanji that Japanese kids learn at elementary school and the most common Kanji for personal names. As a Japanese learner, you can comfortably use this dictionary for a very long time.

Content

Let’s take a look inside.

Finding Kanji

The Kanji are ordered by radical and the radicals are ordered by stroke number. You look up characters by determining the radical of the Kanji and then counting the strokes of that radical. The book will often help you if you are trying to look up a character under the wrong radical as it lists references to some other characters that fall under a different radical but contain the element you are looking at. Every radical entry begins with a brief index of the characters included in that section and their page numbers. At the top of the page, you can see the other radicals with the same amount of strokes, which helps you navigate within that section of the book.

Indexes

You can use the above method if you are fairly sure about the radical of a Kanji or if you are just exploring what’s out there. In most cases, you will look up a character in one of the twelve indexes at the beginning of the book.

部首 – An index of the radicals. This index also shows the alternative shapes of the radicals when they are found on the side
音訓 – Pronunciation: this index also lists the stroke count and learning level (elementary school year, personal name or extra character)
総画 – Stroke count: this index also lists the radical and learning level (elementary school year, personal name or extra character)
学年別 – School year
コラム – This index shows where you can find highlights about words with the same reading but different kanji
漢字グループ – This index shows where you can find highlights about Kanji groupings (references to other kanji that deal with the same concept)
故事成語 – This index shows where you can find highlights about idioms derived from historical events or classical literature of China
四字熟語 – Four character idioms (Yojijukugo)
句 – Idioms that often appear in junior high school entrance exams and newspapers
Plant names (植物名) and animal names (動物名)
国字 – Native Japanese characters
なりたち – Naritachi: drawings of how the character came to be and explanations of the elements a Kanji consists of that helps you memorize their meaning

For Japanese beginners, the first three indexes are most useful. The others will be interesting when you reach an intermediate level and want to study Kanji in more detail.

At the end of the book, you can find more information about the different elements of a character and how they help you to guess the sound or meaning.

Kanji explanations

Common Kanji are explained in more detail than Kanji that are used less frequently or only appear in a few set expressions. You can see the stroke order with some visual and textual hints for the tricky parts. One or more meanings are given for all Kanji. Look at the examples of compounds in which the Kanji occur to explore the readings and expressions. I can assure you, there is usually more information than you need.

When relevant, more information is highlighted about ambiguity, Kanji groupings, naritachi and the other interesting things listed in the indexes. These highlights are clearly marked with colorful headings and often contain pictures.

You can read more about using this dictionary in the manga book that discusses the indexes and layout (included with the dictionary).

Opinion

Design

The new full color edition looks good and is easy to navigate. I can find the information I am looking for at a glance. The only downside is that the font is rather small, though that goes for most Japanese dictionaries I have seen.

Using the dictionary

This Kanji dictionary has a steep learning curve. If you start using it as early as N4, you will need another dictionary to look up the words in the explanations. Even if you know enough grammar to read the sentences, you won’t be able to make full use of all the features until your vocabulary is at a higher level.

If you are not used to looking up characters, it will take you a while to master the book. Once you get the hang of using the indexes, you will find what you are looking for in no time.

I use this dictionary to look up readings, but also to study a few characters at a time. The Kanji groupings and ordering by radical are especially helpful in this regard, as it helps me tell the characters apart, which can be quite a challenge.

Before I bought this Japanese Kanji dictionary, I also considered another dictionary that orders the Kanji by elementary school year and uses more pictures and color to explain the meanings. It looks nicer but is not as suitable because there is much less information in the book. On the other hand, the ordering by school year is great if you are using the dictionary as a textbook, studying the easier and more commonly used characters first. It is also less overwhelming because it has less text and fewer words you may not know.

Japanese or English Kanji Dictionary?

Why not use an English dictionary? Because you will never get the same in-depth information as you would with native sources. I considered Kanji Dictionary for Foreigners Learning Japanese 2500 N5 to N1, but the sheer amount of information I would not have had if I had bought it… I am very happy with my purchase because I love the challenge. As soon as I have a basic understanding of grammar, I switch to native material. It is so rewarding when you find that you can read your first sentence without looking up words.

Since you are studying the Kanji in Japanese, you also get some reading practice as a bonus. You will see that once you drop the English textbooks in favor of Japanese textbooks, your Japanese will improve much faster. It’s hard at first, but more rewarding in the end. Books for Japanese elementary school children excel at captivating their audiences and – let’s not admit it – foreign adults as well.

Interested?

Get your copy of the New Rainbow Kanji Dictionary (Japanese title: 新レインボー小学漢字辞典　改訂第６版　小型版) from Amazon.co.jp. International shipping costs and import taxes may be high, but for me (shipping to the Netherlands) it was still cheaper than ordering it elsewhere. At Amazon, you can also find more pictures of the content.

A good supplement to your Kanji learning journey is another book by the same publisher about synonyms, antonyms, homonyms and Kanji readings. Check out my review of this Japanese textbook.

The post Review: Japanese Kanji Dictionary for Elementary School Kids appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Japanese textbook for synonyms, antonyms, homonyms and kanji readings

Kim — Wed, 12 May 2021 14:00:00 +0000

The Japanese language has many words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and/or spelling. Use this textbook to study the Kanji and readings.

Are you learning Japanese? Then this book is for you. This dictionary of words that you need to learn to tell apart is great for studying but can also be used as a reference book.

The Japanese title is: 小学生のまんが言葉の使い分け辞典 [同音異義・異字同訓・類義語・反対語].

Let’s break it apart:

小学生のまんが言葉の使い分け辞典: Dictionary (辞典) for the proper use (使い分け) of manga words (まんが言葉) for elementary school students (小学生). While manga is used to explain the different meanings, this book is not aimed at reading manga.
同音異義: homonyms and homophones, meaning words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings and/or spellings
異字同訓: words with different Kanji that have the same Japanese reading and a similar meaning (but different nuance)
類義語: synonyms, meaning words with different pronunciation and spelling that have almost the same meaning
反対語: antonyms, words that are opposite in meaning to each other.

Japanese level

As this book is intended for Japanese elementary school students, it is 100% in Japanese. You can start using it (with a dictionary) if you are studying for the JLPT n4 level. The grammar used is simple, the sentences are short, and the kanji have furigana. When you are at this level (or close to n3), you can use this book to study a few pages at a time to better understand the nuances of the words. After n3, this dictionary can still be very useful as a reference book. The index at the back of the book gives a good overview of homonyms/homophones, useful words with different kanji readings, and the most common synonyms and antonyms.

Content

Let’s take a look inside.

The book is divided into four parts. Every part starts with a short manga story explaining what you will learn from this part. The characters make puns that illustrate why it is important to understand the different meanings and readings of Japanese words.

Part 1: same reading, different kanji

The first part is the biggest and contains 119 pages of words that have the same pronunciation but are written with different kanji. While the meanings are often similar, all words have very specific uses. Every page in this part discusses one pronunciation with two or three readings. The manga next to it illustrates some of the meanings. Both verbs and nouns are discussed.

Example: 開ける, 空ける and 明ける are pronounced as あける.

The first one, 開ける, is commonly used for opening doors, windows, stores, or your mouth. Its antonym is 閉める (to close). And you need to keep an eye on ひらける, which is another reading for 開ける but expresses a different meaning.
空ける can be used when you empty the contents of something (on a plate) or when you make time for something.
明ける can mean that it gets bright outside. Its antonym 暮れる (くれる) means that it gets dark. You can also use 明ける to talk about a new year starting or a period ending.

Part 2: similar words with different nuances

This part discusses words that appear to have the same meaning (and often have the same English translation) but are used in different situations. Each page contains two examples with explanations. 34 pages in total.

Example: 時刻 (じこく) and 時間 (じかん). Both can be translated as time, but the first points at an exact moment in time and the second can be used for a timespan.

Part 3: antonyms

In this part, you will find 44 pages filled with antonyms (two pairs per page). Here you will build on the knowledge gained in the previous chapters, or, if you pick pages at random, you can use the explanations in the other sections to further your understanding. The same information can be absorbed in many different ways. You can search for あつい in part one and find an explanation that focuses on the readings of the kanji, or in part three and read more examples of あつい and its antonyms. In the latter case, you will see:

厚い meaning thick <–> 薄い (うすい) meaning thin (for objects)
暑い meaning hot <–> 寒い (さむい) meaning cold (weather)
熱い meaning hot <–> 冷たい (つめたい) meaning cold (to touch)

Part 4: same kanji, different reading

In the last part of the book, you can find examples of kanji that have different readings depending on the context. This list is not exhaustive (17 pages, three per page), but it will get you started.

Example: 風車 can be read as ふうしゃ meaning windmill or かざぐるま meaning pinwheel (the toy).

Opinion

Useful content

This dictionary is ideal for studying the Japanese language. The sentences in the book are easy enough and a beginner – lower average student of Japanese should be able to understand the grammar. There are enough examples so that you can understand some of the nuances and begin to understand what meaning and word is used in what situation. The chapters provide a high-level overview and are not overwhelming for those who have only recently started learning Japanese. This also means that this book is not a good resource for the advanced learner, as it lacks the details that someone at that level needs. The publisher, Gakken, focuses on the most common words: words that are essential in basic conversations.

Entertainment

Aside from the useful content, this book is also a lot of fun. The puns are funny if you’re in the right mood, and the manga is entertaining to read. However, it is not a manga book: the manga is secondary to explaining the principles. There is no overarching story, only fragments that focus on imparting knowledge.

Reading practice

Because you are studying the concepts in Japanese, you get some reading practice as a bonus. You will see that once you drop the English textbooks in favor of Japanese textbooks, your Japanese improves much faster. It’s hard at first, but more rewarding in the end. Books for Japanese elementary school children excel at captivating their audiences and – let’s never admit it – foreign adults as well.

Interested?

Get your copy from Amazon.co.jp. International shipping costs and import taxes may be high, but for me (shipping to the Netherlands) it was still cheaper than ordering it elsewhere.

In the same order I also bought a Kanji dictionary for elementary school kids, which I will review later, and three parts of しろくまカフェ (Shirokuma Cafe manga). They’re also great for Japanese learners at beginner level or lower intermediate level.

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Learn These 8 Advanced Korean Grammar Points before Reading Your First Novel

Kim — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Advanced and uncommon Korean grammar points that you should know as an intermediate learner of the Korean language. Very useful when you start reading novels!

It is tempting to start reading a real Korean novel when you’ve only just started to learn Korean. As a beginner or lower intermediate Korean language learner, you have probably studied lots of grammar, but you are as well-versed as your textbook or grammar book decided to teach you.

Upon starting to read novels that aren’t meant for young kids, you’ll come across many more grammar points – some more frequent than others – that can prevent you from understanding the nuances of the story.

Below I’ll explain some grammar points that I wish I had known before I started reading. Some of them were not easy to look up (and took time away from reading), and other endings kept confusing me because they looked so similar to grammar points I did know.

Still, the biggest challenges are offered by the stacking of ending upon ending. When you’re just starting out, be happy with capturing the general idea of the sentence, and aim for a full understanding of the nuances when you return to the book after reaching a more advanced knowledge of the Korean language.

Also read: Where to watch Korean stories and songs for children?

Grammar points

1) -구 instead of -고

The ending -구 is a written substitute for -고 and reflects how the ending -구 is pronounced in many areas. In the first example below you will also see 같애 for 같아. In the second example you can see the use of 니 that is more commonly written as 네 or 너의, and -대루 for -대로. All this has to do with the everyday pronunciation of Korean.

Examples from 종이밥 by 김환영:

그리구 어떨 땐 껌 씹는 것 같애. “And sometimes it’s like chewing gum.”
으이구. 니 맘대루 해라. “Aigoo. Do as you please.”

2) -소/-오 instead of -아/어요

If you have ever seen a Korean historical tv drama, you’ll have come across this ending. -소 (after consonants) and -오 (after vowels) are used in 하오체. This is a Korean speech level that is very common in historical tv dramas and in books. In manhwa, you’ll often find this ending as well, for example when deities are speaking among each other.

It is a polite ending that a speaker uses to pay respect to the listener without humbling himself. You can compare this ending to the textbook ending -아/어요.

Examples from 해리 포터 혼혈 왕자 by JK Rowling:

걱정할 것 없소. “It is not something to worry about.”
다시 만나서 반갑소. “Let’s meet again.”
그렇소. 물론이오. “Yes, of course.”

3) -곤 하다 versus -군

-곤 하다 is used to express an action’s repetition. This can either be that someone has a habit of doing something, but also that a person never does something. This grammar point is in the last chapter of Korean Grammar in Use Intermediate, but I wish I’d learned this grammar point before starting my first real Korean novel as I came across it very frequently.

Example from Korean Grammar for International Learners:

기회가 있을 때마다 그 친구를 만나곤 했어요. “I used to meet that friend whenever I had the chance.”

Try not to confuse this ending with -(는)군 / 구나 / 군요 which is used to express surprise.

Example from 해리 포터 저주받은 아이 by JK Rowling:

고맙군, 친구. “Thank you, friend.”

4) -자꾸나 and -자

Let’s compare the above -구나 to -자꾸나. -자꾸나 is similar to the ending -자 that means “let’s”.

Example from 해리 포터 혼혈 왕자 by JK Rowling:

“자, 그럼 호그와트에서 다시 보자꾸나, 해리. “Okay, let’s see each other again at Hogwarts, Harry.”

5) -느니 versus -(으)니

-느니 means “rather than” or “instead of”. It is used to indicate that the second clause is preferable to the content of the first clause. When -느니 is used twice it indicates a choice or a deliberation on which option is better.

Example from 해리 포터 저주받은 아이 by JK Rowling:

죽일 수도 없는 사람을 죽었느니 살았느니 할 수 있는 거요? “Can you live rather than kill someone that you can’t kill?”

Don’t confuse -느니 with -(으)니 that implies a result (“since”, “and so”) and can be compared to -(으)니까 in one of its uses.

6) -길래 and -기에

The ending -길래 is used to signify that the content of the preceding clause is the reasoning for what is said in the following clause. You’ve probably come across -기에 already: both patterns are interchangeable.

Example from 세가지 소원 by 박완서:

그러고 나서 얼마 안 있다 슬기가 잊어버리고 안 가지고 온 준비물을 가지고 슬기 엄마가 학교에 오신 적이 있길래 선생님은 혹시나 슬기 아빠가 슬기에게 너무 무심한 게 아닌가 걱정이 되어 넌지시 그 그림 얘기를 하셨습니다. “It’s not long after that, that Seulgi’s mother came to school with the supplies she forgot and didn’t bring, so the teacher hinted at the painting because she was worried that Seulgi’s dad might be too indifferent to Seulgi.”

7) -다니 versus -더니

You use -다니 to express that you are surprised about something and can hardly believe it. The disbelief part of the meaning makes this ending different from the exclamatory -(는)군 discussed above or -네요 that can be used to express surprise when you learn something new.

-더니 on the other hand is used to express some past experience that is relevant to what is said in the following clause. This past experience can either be the cause of what follows or simply a recollection used as an introduction to express an observation or the result of changes that happened over time. What is important is that this past experience is something the speaker directly experienced or witnessed.

Examples from 복원가의 집 11 의뢰 71 by 김상엽:

심지어 왕실의 친척인 진씨 일족을 건드리다니. “He even touched the Jin clan, a relative of the royal family.”
왕실에 충성적인 척하더니 전쟁 준비를 하고 있었다 그건가? “He pretended to be loyal to the royal family and was preparing for war. Is that it?”

8) -끼리

This ending means “among” or “between” and is often used after nouns referring to persons. It often bears a nuance of exclusivity: the persons mentioned and no one else.

Example from 해리 포터 저주받은 아이 by JK Rowling:

쟤랑 볼드모트 아들은 저희끼리 놀게 내버려 둬. “Let him and Voldemort’s son play amongst themselves.”

Did you come across any grammar points that you chose to ignore when you first started reading novels in Korean?

The post Learn These 8 Advanced Korean Grammar Points before Reading Your First Novel appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Where to watch Korean children’s stories and songs online?

Kim — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Learn Korean with songs and stories for kids. This way you can start improving your Korean language skills with real content as an intermediate learner.

Every language learner – be it Korean or another language – reaches a point where he or she is temporarily stuck between an intermediate and advanced level. This is a plateau that is hard to escape. Textbook stories start to bore you, but real Korean tv shows and movies still confuse you. Does this sound familiar?

While it is getting easier to follow Korean tv shows with English subtitles, you are not maximizing your full learning potential by doing this. If you want to take it one step further, you can watch Korean tv shows with Korean subtitles. This is possible at Netflix and Viki. Viki has a handy learning mode, but for it to be effective you have to choose a language you don’t know as the second subtitle. Otherwise, you can just lazily guess the meaning from the translation. It is better to force yourself to only listen to and read Korean.

There is one other source that you can consider for your Korean learning material and that is Korean tv shows and videos for children. While using this resource, you can both experience the joy of being able to understand a story, and the frustration of not being able to 100% understand what a 3-year-old can understand without effort.

You can find stories and songs for kids on YouTube or a portal like Naver. Below I will share with you a mix of cartoons, songs, and fairy tales.

Korean stories and songs for kids

1) Kebikids YouTube Channel

The Kebikids (깨비키즈) YouTube channel contains many short clips about many different subjects. Not all videos have embedded subtitles (it is mostly the songs those containing songs do), but the auto-generated close caption can be of some help here (not completely accurate, but you’ll get the gist of the sentence).

While the Kebikids website is a bit easier to navigate, the YouTube channel is easier to access as you don’t need to create an account.

In the example below, you can learn all about the cold noodles dish Naengmyeon (냉면) while practicing your Korean listening skills.

2) Genikids YouTube Channel

At Genikids (지니키즈) you will find many more videos. The videos on this channel are often slightly – or an hour – longer than those on Kebikids. At the bottom of the page, you can find the GeniSchool History channel that can be very educational to Korean kids and foreigners alike.

3) Naver Junior Portal

Naver Junior is an amazing resource. On the Naver Junior portal, you can find a huge amount of videos including videos from Kebikids and Genikids. The fairy tales read out loud (읽이주는 돈화) are quite interesting.

4) Hello Jadoo YouTube Channel

At Hello Jadoo TV (안녕 자두야) you can watch cartoons and songs, many of them quite easy to follow.

5) Stories at Yes24

Yes24 is a portal like Naver. The stories on Yes24 are more advanced because the images don’t illustrate the meaning as well as the images in cartoons do. I used to really like this resource, but lately, I have been having some trouble streaming the videos.

6) Wekiz song YouTube Channel

A good YouTube channel for Korean nursery rhymes is wekiz song.

7) SkySea.TV YouTube Channel

On the SkySea.TV (하늘이와 바다의 신나는 율동 동요) channel you can find sing-alongs of Korean children songs.

8) Korean Fairy Tales on YouTube

The Korean Fairy Tales channel offers, as the title suggests, fairy tales retold in Korean. I recommend using this channel for listening only. Alternatively, you can block the English subtitles (scroll your screen in the right way) for better immersion.

This is only a selection of what’s out there. With the increasing popularity of the Korean language, many more resources are created every day.

What is your favorite YouTube Channel for stories, songs, and fairy tales in Korean?

The post Where to watch Korean children’s stories and songs online? appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Language use in blog posts for the best reading experience

Kim — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

A writer of blog posts has many signaling devices at his or her disposal. The layout is one, language use another. Some practices are statistically proven to resonate better with an audience, increasing the daily visitors your blog gets. But should you use all these proven tools just because they work, or instead, stay true to yourself?

The short answer: they help you on your road to success so if that’s your goal, use them.

My answer: some of them annoy me when I visit other blogs and websites. So I might be destroying my road to success, but I will create something that feels successful to me. Something that makes me proud when I look back at it ten years from now. And who knows, my strategy might work in the long run. I write for you, my readers, but I write for myself just as much. I target the person that I am because I also am a reader of WheretoKim. I am the researcher, the author, the reader, and the one getting inspired to experience more.

So, dear Kim, this is what I do(n’t do) to improve your reading experience.

1) Avoid words that trigger me in a bad way

My number one: I try to avoid words that annoy me when I read them myself. For example: quirky. This word actually tempted me to write this particular blog post.

I don’t want to shout too much by saying this is the ultimate, best, only [fill in the blanks] you will ever need. I know it is a good marketing practice, but when I see such headlines I often skip the search result. If your content is good you won’t need these words. You will however attract many people, perhaps more than I do with my blog posts. (Do look at the title of this blog post haha)

2) Use synonyms

I try not to repeat myself too much even though I like to talk about charming and picturesque views. That’s also how I would describe many of the places I visit, because, let’s face it, why would I be there otherwise. But I can’t describe every place I blog about like that. Who would take me seriously after following me for a while?

This is a hard one because it means I can’t express how visiting that place felt. Synonyms could help, but they would not be as on point as the two words I mentioned before. These words simply resonate with my feelings more than their synonyms that carry slightly different nuances.

3) Call for action

Should I end a post with a call for action or a summary of the post? If you are like me you’ll scroll up again to reread the paragraph that interested you the most, and not end your visit after reading the last paragraph at all. That’s why I am lazy with my call to actions… who are they for? Feel free to use what you read in a way that works best for you. You will know better than me what to do with it. I strongly believe in that.

4) Optimize for SEO

SEO aka the struggle between keeping a text readable and making it effective. At times my posts are SEO-optimized and at other times they optimize my mood and satisfaction instead (aka bad SEO). I should strive for SEO optimization so I can reach more people – and I will eventually – but right now I am happy with what I have written so far.

5) Encourage reading over scanning

Optimizing a post both for people only scanning a post and those reading it completely can be such a challenge. What helps here is to use signaling keywords to draw attention to important information. I like headings and short paragraphs, but I am less convinced about making words within a paragraph bold. Yes, it helps to call attention to something and it makes scanning the text easier. But do I want to stimulate scanning?

Not really, so while I occasionally make words bold (in some posts it just feels right), I often do not. Travel itineraries are an exception: here I make the highlights of a day bold to help you get a better grasp of what the itinerary is about, so you can easily decide whether it is for you or not.

6) Keep the end goal in mind

With my choice of words, I seek interaction with my readers. If you are responding to what you read – with that I don’t necessarily mean commenting to my posts, though that is also possible, but rather that you feel inspired, curious to know more, or are about to take action based on what you read – then I have succeeded. And sometimes I reread my own blog posts and respond to them in the same way as I hope you do.

Who do you write for? Or more importantly, why do you read?

The post Language use in blog posts for the best reading experience appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Milestones to ace when learning Korean

Kim — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Learning a language like Korean – a language that can be very unlike your own – provides a rewarding challenge. And with every challenge and success come milestones. Have you aced all milestones below? Are you stuck anywhere and need help? Let me know in the comments below.

1) When you finally understand how to use 것

This was my biggest hurdle as a beginner. 것 was literally everywhere and it seemed like the new uses just kept piling up until it suddenly clicked one day. Going forward I understood Korean sentence building. This was the magic key and still feels like my greatest achievement.

2) Mastering 것

After understanding how to use 것 in sentences you’ll come upon the next challenge: not forgetting to write the rest of the word group first. Even if your mind is aware of the fact that the other words should come first, your hand is not. The alternative is to come up with even more challenging sentence structures to fix your mess in an elegant way.

Did you master 것? Time to start using it many times in a single sentence. 것s within 것s. Good luck!

3) Escaping the dictionary

That first time that you can read a whole paragraph or page without a dictionary. It helps when you avoid onomatopoeia and mimetic word heavy texts with words like sparkling (반짝반짝) and smiling brightly (방글방글).

4) Guessing a word from the context

Now you can learn new Korean words from real texts!

5) Laughing out loud because of a word

Try reading fantasy. Magical terms rock. For example, 지팡이 for wand: 지팡이를 겨누어 (“he aims his wand at…”) sounds so charming.

6) Reading Hangul quickly enough to follow subtitles

Romantic comedies are your savior here. Maybe one step back: realizing Hangul is an alphabet and no longer identifying the frequent ㅇ with anything artificial and IT related. Don’t you agree that some words look like a computer chip? Think of the dots and lines…

7) Grasping 은/는/가/이

I’m not quite there yet, but am slowly making my way towards this one. I hang onto the thought that I can just drop them if the topic and subject of the sentence are clear (to me haha).

8) Korean abbreviations

Just when you thought you could follow conversations, they start shortening their sentences. Though if I analyze the way I speak my language, changing sounds and merging words to speak quicker: my speaking style is not Dutch-learner – and grandparents – proof at all.

9) Saying yes and no: 네/아니요

Brainbreakers. If you would affirm the truth of a negative question with ‘yes’ in your language, do remember to do the opposite in Korean. Do not follow your intuition. Yes?

It is easy to understand when listening to the conversation but can be quite hard when speaking.

10) Finding your nemesis everywhere

That one word that you just can’t seem to remember. You don’t want to know how many times I had to look up the word owl (부엉이) in Harry Potter. Seems like a word you would remember considering its frequency, right? I still can’t remember it.

11) Guessing genders

How are your guessing skills? Do you intuitively know if a person is male or female after reading his or her name? In my head, most personal names remain gender-neutral. And just when I think I know one, it is uncommonly used for the other gender.

12) Tense pronunciation

That moment when you thought you could hear the difference between ㄷ/ㄸ and the like only to find out that the ㄷ gets tense after certain consonants. Now you have to study the pronunciation rules once again.

What are your biggest challenges when learning Korean?

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5 Easy Practical Korean Conversations to try on your trip to South Korea

Kim — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Easy Practical Korean Conversations you can try in everyday situations on your trip to South Korea. Make Koreans understand you in no time.

Perfect Korean sentences contain more words, but that is not what you’re going to use at your first attempts at conversation. What you need are the practical parts of the sentences, the triggers, so to say, which will help Korean people understand you if your pronunciation is a bit off.

My tip for you: stick to the basics. You can make your sentences pretty towards the end of your trip. Focus on communicating and getting your message across. It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand you the first time, just try again with the next person you meet. The less English they speak, the more willing (or adept at) they are to understand your Korean phrases.

And if nothing works, you can always resort to pointing and raising your eyebrows. The universal non-verbal language.

These practice conversations are meant for those who already have some basic knowledge of Korean. The expressions used are based on what I have heard Koreans say around me in all these situations.

1) Asking the price

이거 얼마예요? (igeo eolmayeyo?)
이만 삼천원 (iman samcheon-won; 23000)
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida)

Let’s break this down word by word.

How much is this thing? If the object is further away you can replace 이거 by 그거 (far from you near the listener, for example behind the counter) or 저거 (far from both of you). 얼마 means ‘how much’ and 예요 comes from the verb ‘to be’.

Pay attention to the first words of their response. This will be the number you need to process in your head. You can slowly repeat the number out loud to give yourself time to think. The shopkeeper can correct you if you didn’t hear it right. This might be hard at first, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few days. In the example: two (이) times ten thousand (만) and three (삼) times thousand (천) won (원). Pay attention to 만, 천, 백 (hundred) and 원 so you can chop the number into pieces.

Be polite when thanking the seller with 감사합니다. Unless you have a five-year-old kid in front of you in which case you can be less formal and say 고마워.

2) Buying tickets

세명 주세요 (semyeong juseyo)

At a ticket booth, you can order tickets by telling the salesperson the number of people in your group. For me, it was 세명 as I usually bought three tickets. For two it would be 두명. Add 주세요 for more politeness.

They’ll respond with the amount you need to pay, but it might be easier to find the individual ticket price at the information board near the counter. You can also just hand over one or more 10k won bills if you are lazy.

3) Saying how big your group is when entering a restaurant

They ask: 몇분? (myeotbun?)
Your answer: 두명 (dumyeong)

They’ll politely ask you how big your group is using the polite people counter 분. When replying you use the less polite counter 명 as the more formal one shouldn’t be used when talking about yourself.

4) Ordering food

4a) Full order

불고기 하나 순두부 하나 소주 하나 밥 두개 주세요 (bulgogi hana sundubu hana soju hana bab dugae juseyo)

This is just an example. If you say the above you will order one bulgogi, one sundubu, one soju and two bowls of rice. You can also point at the menu and say 이거 하나 for every picture or menu item you point at.

Of course, you can use more words to create a more textbook sentence (like using 하고 or (이)랑 in between), but this already works great wherever you go.

In theory, you should use different counters for bowls of food (그릇), glasses (잔) and bottles (병) etc. but make it easier for yourself and just use the general counter 개 for everything.

If you’re with two other people and they ask if you want three bowls of rice (세개) you can say 두개 if you only want two.

Also read: Best Textbooks for Learning Korean

4b) Asking for something else

불고기가 없어요 (bulgogi-ga obseoyo)
삼겹살 있어요? (samgyeobsal isseoyo?)

They might reply to your order by saying a menu item is not available (없어요). You can then reply by asking if they have something else – even something that’s not on the menu – with 있어요 in order to replace your original order.

Even when you visit a fish-only restaurant, you can always try asking for meat. Many restaurants can serve bulgogi, samgyeobsal, or tteokgalbi on the side.

4c) Confirming your order

네 / 아니요 (ne / aniyo)

Servers at a restaurant will often repeat your order to you. You can reply with 네 if it is correct or 아니요 if it isn’t.

4d) Adding something to your order

저기요 소주 하나 주세요 (jeogiyo soju hana juseyo)
네 (ne)

You can add another item to your order by first calling for attention with 저기요. Once they are at your table, or if it is quiet at the restaurant you can just ask for the extra item as soon as they look at you. They’ll confirm your order – in this example one soju (소주 하나) – with a short 네 or by immediately bringing it to your table.

5) Saying where you’re from

Country answer: 네덜란드 (nedeollandeu)
How long does it take to fly from your country to South Korea: 열 시간 (yeol sigan)

It helps if you formulate your answer and look up the words before the first Korean person has a chance to ask you this question.

Nearly every day some random person would ask me where I came from. Too unprepared to answer with a full sentence … (or rather too scared to raise their expectations) I would answer with the name of my country 네덜란드 (Netherlands). This was usually followed by an expression of ‘wow, that’s far’ and the question how long it takes to fly to South Korea from there. Ten hours (열 시간); that’s how long it takes in the most optimal direction.

Looking back at my trip, these were the Korean conversations I had most often. And with that I mean nearly every day, all five of them, sometimes multiple times a day. If you master these five situations, you will gain enough confidence to speak Korean on your trip to South Korea.

The post 5 Easy Practical Korean Conversations to try on your trip to South Korea appeared first on Where to Kim?.

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