Yeah, I still do forget a lot of words since I don't use them much. I've been reading a lot of novels lately though, so some of it is coming back. I still have to have a dictionary close at hand, however the only one I have is a English to Japanese, so all the answers I find are in Japanese :shock:
Ask our reporter in Japan!
- Thread starter Paul
- Start date
- Status
Hey Chris, i'm pretty new to the forums, and i'm so excited that i can talk to someone who actually lives in JAPAN yayayay, i'm so hyper now 
I have soooo much to ask but i don't know what to ask lol.
Anyways, just 2 questions to start with.
1. Do you get UK tele on Japanese TV? (like do yo watch Eastenders every week) (this would obviously be on a special channel for foreign people or something)
2. I really want to learn Japanese, and go and live over there someday (possibly) (or maybe just travel and see everything!). Is there a 'best' way to go about learning it, and could you give me some important things to remember with the language (and are the sentances actually backwards :shock: )
Thanks,
Dan
I have soooo much to ask but i don't know what to ask lol.
Anyways, just 2 questions to start with.
1. Do you get UK tele on Japanese TV? (like do yo watch Eastenders every week) (this would obviously be on a special channel for foreign people or something)
2. I really want to learn Japanese, and go and live over there someday (possibly) (or maybe just travel and see everything!). Is there a 'best' way to go about learning it, and could you give me some important things to remember with the language (and are the sentances actually backwards :shock: )
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks for being so excited I hope I can be of help
British TV shows
I don't watch any of them. A few years ago they had the COMPLETE run of RED DWARF on NHK in the middle of the night for a few weeks- usually about 4 episodes every night. It was quite nice to watch but the dubbing was crap- probably because I was used to them talking in English and also due to my HATE of voice actors. They also did the same with the old Sherlock Holmes series from the 80's. I know there is a "BBC Japan" chanel on SkyPerfect TV (similar to SKY in the UK) that has Blackadder on and loads of other shows but, I can't be bothered to subscribe to SkyPerfect. Besides I'd probably only ever watch Blackadder. I hate soap operas so, I'm glad that I don't have to put up with stuff like Eastenders/Coronation Street/Brookside and the like. When I went back to the UK on holiday last year (well, the first and ONLY time I've been back in 5 years) I managed to avoid most TV.
The stuff I like here is mostly comedy, no sitcoms here though thank God they are non-existant, I like "manzai" (Japanese stand-up comedy). And of course the TV I love the most has got to be Korean TV drama's I know what people say about them being all the same, but I like those tragic-romance stories. I watch about 6 hours of Korean TV every week. I've been learning Korean for a while now, so it's even more fun to watch them in the original language with none of them voice actors or subtitles.
If you like to sit down and be on edge most of the time and probably cry, I'd recomend Korean dramas to anyone!
I'm off to Seoul again on Tuesday!!!
Sentances and Language
No, the sentances aren't backwards, the structure is different to English thats all. If you did a direct translation into English and didn't change the order of the words you'd more than likely get something that sounded like Yoda.
I'm not so sure about what the best way to learn Japanese is, since I never actually learned it, just picked it up as I went along. But, as I said above I'm learning Korean at the moment and what I found good was not just talking to people (as it's the best way to learn any language) but to first learn the alphabet- especially the SOUNDS of the alphabet. DON'T write Japanese words in English to remember them. Otherwise you'll end up with a REALLY bad and irritating accent (the kind Japanese people LOVE to make fun of) From the start I never used English, always Japanese whenever I e-mailed my wife or friends etc, even when I made a shopping list. Thats probably why I sound like a Japanese person talking, not a forigner talking Japanese, which is good because I hate the way some forigners talk in Japanese (I'm a bit of a language Nazi). Learning Hiragana and Katakana is SO easy, and once you can read/say them correctly you'll find it a lot easier to speak and hear them. Since Japanese have only ONE sound for each Vowel and Consanant (the are only about 50 phonetic sounds in Japanese, English has over 100 :shock: ) it makes it a hell of a lot easier to understand AND be understood yourself.
Another good thing is, watch a lot of TV. It's not really possible to learn a language from just wathing TV, but if you use it as part of your study resources it can be useful. For example, you can hear the correct pronounciations of words and listen to the sentance structure, learn mannerisms etc...
Ask some more questions! I get borded sitting over here sweating my arse off in the summer heat drinking spirits and going "gaaaah" (don't ask). I HATE the summer here :cry: Can you believe it!? 33 degrees celcius all bloody night!!!
I hope I can be of help British TV shows
I don't watch any of them. A few years ago they had the COMPLETE run of RED DWARF on NHK in the middle of the night for a few weeks- usually about 4 episodes every night. It was quite nice to watch but the dubbing was crap- probably because I was used to them talking in English and also due to my HATE of voice actors. They also did the same with the old Sherlock Holmes series from the 80's. I know there is a "BBC Japan" chanel on SkyPerfect TV (similar to SKY in the UK) that has Blackadder on and loads of other shows but, I can't be bothered to subscribe to SkyPerfect. Besides I'd probably only ever watch Blackadder. I hate soap operas so, I'm glad that I don't have to put up with stuff like Eastenders/Coronation Street/Brookside and the like. When I went back to the UK on holiday last year (well, the first and ONLY time I've been back in 5 years) I managed to avoid most TV.
The stuff I like here is mostly comedy, no sitcoms here though thank God they are non-existant, I like "manzai" (Japanese stand-up comedy). And of course the TV I love the most has got to be Korean TV drama's
I know what people say about them being all the same, but I like those tragic-romance stories. I watch about 6 hours of Korean TV every week. I've been learning Korean for a while now, so it's even more fun to watch them in the original language with none of them voice actors or subtitles.If you like to sit down and be on edge most of the time and probably cry, I'd recomend Korean dramas to anyone!
I'm off to Seoul again on Tuesday!!!
Sentances and Language
No, the sentances aren't backwards, the structure is different to English thats all. If you did a direct translation into English and didn't change the order of the words you'd more than likely get something that sounded like Yoda.
I'm not so sure about what the best way to learn Japanese is, since I never actually learned it, just picked it up as I went along. But, as I said above I'm learning Korean at the moment and what I found good was not just talking to people (as it's the best way to learn any language) but to first learn the alphabet- especially the SOUNDS of the alphabet. DON'T write Japanese words in English to remember them. Otherwise you'll end up with a REALLY bad and irritating accent (the kind Japanese people LOVE to make fun of) From the start I never used English, always Japanese whenever I e-mailed my wife or friends etc, even when I made a shopping list. Thats probably why I sound like a Japanese person talking, not a forigner talking Japanese, which is good because I hate the way some forigners talk in Japanese (I'm a bit of a language Nazi). Learning Hiragana and Katakana is SO easy, and once you can read/say them correctly you'll find it a lot easier to speak and hear them. Since Japanese have only ONE sound for each Vowel and Consanant (the are only about 50 phonetic sounds in Japanese, English has over 100 :shock: ) it makes it a hell of a lot easier to understand AND be understood yourself.
Another good thing is, watch a lot of TV. It's not really possible to learn a language from just wathing TV, but if you use it as part of your study resources it can be useful. For example, you can hear the correct pronounciations of words and listen to the sentance structure, learn mannerisms etc...
Ask some more questions! I get borded sitting over here sweating my arse off in the summer heat drinking spirits and going "gaaaah" (don't ask). I HATE the summer here :cry: Can you believe it!? 33 degrees celcius all bloody night!!!
Thanks so much for that Chris, it's really amazing to hear about all that stuff!
But i've listened to anime in Japanese, with the subs, and without, and it's just so hard to hear each phonic, i mean each sentance sounds like one big word. And by listening to people, do they speak as fast? And do you think that i could learn it by lisening to anime in Japanese?
But i've listened to anime in Japanese, with the subs, and without, and it's just so hard to hear each phonic, i mean each sentance sounds like one big word. And by listening to people, do they speak as fast? And do you think that i could learn it by lisening to anime in Japanese?
Red Dwarf was pretty popular in an underground kind of way but not very mainstream, and I doubt if you'd find many people who have even heard of Blackadder. I guess that most of the people who watch forign TV are interested in the country it's from and so thats the only reason they watch it- because it's English or American etc... To be honest I think that BBC Japan will probably dissapear in a few years. Thats the way Japanese people are. A few years ago Mr Bean was MASSIVELY popular, now it's hardly even mentioned at all (probably a good thing). Japanese people get hooked on something an masse for a short time then get bored of it VERY quickly. It can be really irritating. I'm not sure how the humour travels since I only ever really watched RD , which was funny but no-where near as good as it is in English. Probably because comedy is filled with cultural stuff and in-jokes that are not impossible to translate but almost impossible for them to be understood by the listener. It's the same for Japanese comedy, at first I didn't have a clue, but now I understand all of it and find it just as funny as a Japanese person. Also the "sit-com" style is very alien to the Japanese audience- they don't exist here. So maybe thats another thing that could be a charm-point or a minus-point, I'm not really sure. Sometimes I don't even know why they even bother to translate some stuff- especially forign stand-up comedy. I remember seeing Eddie Izzard on TV a LOOOOOOOONG time ago, VERY rare, and it was about as funny as a best friends funeral.
Stuff like that really shits the bed, and would be better just left in the original language with no subtitles either. And I won't even start on the scum that is called voice actors. God, I hate them SO much!
Anime Japanese
We had a big debate about this a few months ago somewhere on the forum and it was very interesting to hear everyones points of view. I don't think it's possible to learn Japanese through watching anime or reading manga, however. I do think that it can be used as a tool for learning. Since it's probably the only way most people living abroad have a chance to hear Japanese spoken it can be very useful for, as I said beofe, hearing the correct pronounciations and understanding sentance structure. Other than that? Forget it. I was actually asked by a publisher early last year to write a text-book on learning Japanese. I declined because it would probably be about 4 pages long (including pictures, a foreword and a thanks list).
I would also stay away from most textbooks that are available at the moment since they are almost always old (like from the 80's or something) or written by middle-aged professors who are so out of touch with the language that you'd end up sounding just like a middle-aged professor and be shunned by society (that is taking it bit too far but you probably get the point).
If you're going to buy a textbook, find out when it was first written- not the publishing date as they can be a little misleading and search for the writers name on the net to find out how old they are. You don't want to be sounding like those, now famous, middle-aged professors. Can you imagine what it would be like to meet a Japanese person in their early 20's saying stuff like "Good afternoon old chap, It's awfully stuffy today isn't it. My aunie Gertie always says hot summers are such a devil. Oh do put that vacume cleaner away, it does terrible things to ones ears...".
It would be best to learn in Japan, or at a school in the UK that has a Japanese person as the teacher.
Stuff like that really shits the bed, and would be better just left in the original language with no subtitles either. And I won't even start on the scum that is called voice actors. God, I hate them SO much!
Anime Japanese
We had a big debate about this a few months ago somewhere on the forum and it was very interesting to hear everyones points of view. I don't think it's possible to learn Japanese through watching anime or reading manga, however. I do think that it can be used as a tool for learning. Since it's probably the only way most people living abroad have a chance to hear Japanese spoken it can be very useful for, as I said beofe, hearing the correct pronounciations and understanding sentance structure. Other than that? Forget it. I was actually asked by a publisher early last year to write a text-book on learning Japanese. I declined because it would probably be about 4 pages long (including pictures, a foreword and a thanks list).
I would also stay away from most textbooks that are available at the moment since they are almost always old (like from the 80's or something) or written by middle-aged professors who are so out of touch with the language that you'd end up sounding just like a middle-aged professor and be shunned by society (that is taking it bit too far but you probably get the point).
If you're going to buy a textbook, find out when it was first written- not the publishing date as they can be a little misleading and search for the writers name on the net to find out how old they are. You don't want to be sounding like those, now famous, middle-aged professors. Can you imagine what it would be like to meet a Japanese person in their early 20's saying stuff like "Good afternoon old chap, It's awfully stuffy today isn't it. My aunie Gertie always says hot summers are such a devil. Oh do put that vacume cleaner away, it does terrible things to ones ears...".
It would be best to learn in Japan, or at a school in the UK that has a Japanese person as the teacher.
Miaka-chan
Stand User
I hope you don't mind me adding a little something about the pronounciation of words?
I only know a few words, but I know how to pronounce Japanese and the easiest way in my view, is by singing along to the songs. It may sound weird, but they're easier to understand than the actual dialogue in an anime and if you look at any fansubs, they have a karaoke version of the lyrics, which helps you to know when to enunciate each word and it helps you pick up on the strange ways of pronoucing letters (n's and the vowels are the most peculiar!!).
DaNiMé you could try it for yourself and see what I mean!
I only know a few words, but I know how to pronounce Japanese and the easiest way in my view, is by singing along to the songs. It may sound weird, but they're easier to understand than the actual dialogue in an anime and if you look at any fansubs, they have a karaoke version of the lyrics, which helps you to know when to enunciate each word and it helps you pick up on the strange ways of pronoucing letters (n's and the vowels are the most peculiar!!).
DaNiMé you could try it for yourself and see what I mean!
Singing along to songs is a great idea
Most of the bands around now, especially the rock bands can be a bit hard to pick out what they're saying- even for Japanese people (e.g. The Mad Capsule Markets stuff a few albums ago and almost everything by Wrench). I'd recomend Asian Kung-Fu Generation or The Yellow Monkey.
Most of the bands around now, especially the rock bands can be a bit hard to pick out what they're saying- even for Japanese people (e.g. The Mad Capsule Markets stuff a few albums ago and almost everything by Wrench). I'd recomend Asian Kung-Fu Generation or The Yellow Monkey.
I got back from Seoul yesterday and died about 4 times because I was so tired (alright, a bit of an over-exaggeration). Seoul is probably my most favourite city- good food, great booze, lovely ladies (yes, I am married but I still have eyes). I always go to a bar which is run by Won bin's sister and this timw- I actually MET Won Bin ("Brotherhood" film)!!! He's just as cool as he looks on TV and in films, a top bloke :!:
I was hoping to meet Kwon Sang-woo, who's my favourite actor ("Volcano High"movie, " Stairway to Heaven" Tv, "Sad love song/sad sonata" TV). He's the coolest hunk in Asia (no, I'm not gay ) If I'd met him though, I'd probably have a heart attack or a stroke or both.
I was hoping to meet Kwon Sang-woo, who's my favourite actor ("Volcano High"movie, " Stairway to Heaven" Tv, "Sad love song/sad sonata" TV). He's the coolest hunk in Asia (no, I'm not gay
) If I'd met him though, I'd probably have a heart attack or a stroke or both.
Miaka-chan
Stand User
Sounds like you had fun Chris, you sound like a fan girl/guy Do you get to see Korean etc dramas regularly on TV in Japan then?
Do you get to see Korean etc dramas regularly on TV in Japan then?Yeah, I watch them almost every day At the moment I'm really into "Sad love song" and "Towards the sun" (Both Kwon Sang woo) and I'm also watching the repeats of "Stairway to Heaven" (also KSW) even though I've seen it before and know it all to death
I do turn into a bit of a poof when I watch Korean TV. The ladies are a mostly lovely too though- see my avatar for proof
At the moment I'm really into "Sad love song" and "Towards the sun" (Both Kwon Sang woo) and I'm also watching the repeats of "Stairway to Heaven" (also KSW) even though I've seen it before and know it all to death I do turn into a bit of a poof when I watch Korean TV. The ladies are a mostly lovely too though- see my avatar for proof
Charter_Mage
Pokémon Master
Yeah it's the same for me, it all sounds like one long word, though what surprised me was that the Japanese words i do learn seem so much slower than the rest and they really seem to jump out. I'm really rubbish at languages, i'm pretty sure i have one of those laughable Japanese forigner accents when i say anything, singing is a good idea, the words defiantly seem clearer.DaNiMé said:
Also i have to say that Kwon Sang-woo really is quite good looking, might have to try and watch some Korean tv
Becks is still popular here, but no-where near as popular as he was during the World Cup and for a while after. English football doesn't get as much attention as the Spanish or Itallian leagues, mainly because there aren't any Japanese players in the Premiership. Thats the way Japanese people are- if theres a Japanese player playing for some forign team everyone seems to start supporting that team. You see them on the sports news even when they're just bench-warming.
Most of the Japanese players are crap, except for Ono, and Nakamura Shunsuke, Nakazawa is alright too. The J-League is probably one of the most boring leagues in the world, so that might be why people like watching the overseas teams.
There are still the hard-core Beckham fans, but like Japanese people almost always do, most of them will move onto something or someone else in a few more months.
Football is still FAR behind baseball in popularity and until a few Japanese players get into English teams, English football will be almost unheard of in Japan.
When Beckham was at ManU and just after the WC they were showing ManU games on TV, after he left for Real- no more ManU games. When Inamoto was a Fulham we had to endure Fulham games if we wanted to watch Premier League. Hardly a crowd-puller.
I know there are a few games aired on satelite/cable TV. But, I never watch them. I wish they'd start putting MOTD on. The only show dedicated exclusively to forign football at the moment is Futbal Mundial, and I don't give a crap personally about how Football is developing in some poor African country or how some old fart is teaching kids how to play in South America.
Singing is quite a good way to learn since Japanese has a very rhythmical flow and melodies always stick in your head more then sentances do.
Yeah, I told you, Kwon Sang-woo is quite a hunk. He looks so cool in "Sad Love Song" but I know I'll end up in tears at the end, thats the way most Korean dramas end, with someone dieing or some other shocking end that makes you go "bloody hell!!!".
Most of the Japanese players are crap, except for Ono, and Nakamura Shunsuke, Nakazawa is alright too. The J-League is probably one of the most boring leagues in the world, so that might be why people like watching the overseas teams.
There are still the hard-core Beckham fans, but like Japanese people almost always do, most of them will move onto something or someone else in a few more months.
Football is still FAR behind baseball in popularity and until a few Japanese players get into English teams, English football will be almost unheard of in Japan.
When Beckham was at ManU and just after the WC they were showing ManU games on TV, after he left for Real- no more ManU games. When Inamoto was a Fulham we had to endure Fulham games if we wanted to watch Premier League. Hardly a crowd-puller.
I know there are a few games aired on satelite/cable TV. But, I never watch them. I wish they'd start putting MOTD on. The only show dedicated exclusively to forign football at the moment is Futbal Mundial, and I don't give a crap personally about how Football is developing in some poor African country or how some old fart is teaching kids how to play in South America.
Singing is quite a good way to learn since Japanese has a very rhythmical flow and melodies always stick in your head more then sentances do.
Yeah, I told you, Kwon Sang-woo is quite a hunk. He looks so cool in "Sad Love Song" but I know I'll end up in tears at the end, thats the way most Korean dramas end, with someone dieing or some other shocking end that makes you go "bloody hell!!!".
subedii said:
Most Japanese see what happened at Nagasaki and Hiroshima as a tradgedy. There is a museum in Hiroshima that is full of rather harrowing pictures and artifacts, like the steps to a building that has the shaddow of a person imbedded into it after they were hit by the blast. Many people think that the museum shouldn't be in Hiroshima but in somewhere in America, since American people don't realise the extent of what they have done.
Japanese people don't think they were as evil as they have been portrayed in various forms of media related to the war. There isn't any of that "we were bad" feeling. I won't even touch upon the problems that are going on about the school textbooks unless someone wants to hear more that is. Besides, after any war, the loosers are made to be the bad-guys, despite war crimes happening on both sides.
I think my wife summed up what a large proportion of young Japanese people feel about stuff like the Kamikaze pilots etc, "idiots". The feeling of national pride has almost evaporated, except during sports events now.
My father in law was a child during the war and he has told me a lot of stuff about what it was like living then. He remembers the great Tokyo fire bombings, and seeing the impressions of peoples hands, melted into the stonework under bridges where people had hoped to find cover. Watching the bombers coming over and seeing bombs drop down and explode in the distance.
When he talks, he reminds me of how my grandparents used to talk about the war. My grandmother was in her 30's during the war and the way she told stories is almost the same as the way my father in law tells them. There's no, "the other side were all bastards" point of view, just the "war is war, no soldier wants to do it, it just happens".
Until a few years ago, since the war unto the war in Afghanistan, the Japanese constitution stated that all military could only be used as a "self defence force" (jieitai). Then, when the war in Afghanistan started, the prime-minister changed the constitution so the the Jieitai could go into war-zones. They now have a few thousand troops in Iraq.
This was very unpopular with the Japanese people, and though of as very un-nessecary, more than likely bowing to American pressure.
Since Japan joined forces with the US and UK as a military ally (most probably because they want a seat on the U.N Security Council- something that China and Korea are very strongly against). they have been seen as an enemy of Islam and more than likely has become a target for future terrorism like what has happened in the US and now in London.
This change has probably dented Japan's image as a peaceful country on an international scale (most countries in Asia are not happy at all- again, the stuff with the school textbooks is also to blame).
Also, the Jieitai have no real battle experience, and it will be interesting to see how they cope under their first real attack when it does come. They would be better staying in Japan and protecting the coast from N. Korean drug-smugglers and stuff like that. Besides, the threat from N. Korea is a lot more dangerous and a lot more important than whats happening in Iraq (They actully DO have nuclear weapons and God knows what else). Iraq always has been a pointless war anyway. It's probably just going to end up the same way as the Vietnam and Korean wars ended up- with a well-beaten America giving up and going home to forget. Japan should do just the same, only now, before any reprisals from Islamic sects.
Charter_Mage
Pokémon Master
I think it has been pretty much the same here, the UK bowing to American pressure to join the war, and Tony Blair wanting to remain close allies with a strong millitary force like the US.
I'm really interested in the text book thing since i always wonder about the different perspectives countries give on wars etc in text books
I'm really interested in the text book thing since i always wonder about the different perspectives countries give on wars etc in text books
The textbook situation is to do with Japanese school history textbooks saying nothing or almost nothing about Japans wartime aggression.
There is nothing about the forced prostituion of Chinese and Korean women, the labour camps, mass excecution etc... The information that IS written about things like the Rape of Nanjing is VERY watered down, basicly saying that "many people died".
The Chinese/Koreans and other counties in Asia, want the Japanese government to admit their war crimes and publish their history books "correctly". There have been large demonstrations in many parts of China and Korea this year, asking for the Japanese to appologise, even though they have done so- 14 times in the past. They also complain about the Prime Ministers visits to the Yasukuni shrine- the shrine dedicated to Japans war dead (including Hideki Tojo and other "war criminals"), most Japanese people dissagree with the visits also, which will probably lead to and end to the primeministers rule at the next election.
What the Chinese and the Koreans are forgetting about is the genocide of over 100 Million Chinese who were killed during THEIR Cultural Revoulution in the 60's, and the Chinese oppression of Burma. Lets also not forget the Billions of dollars of support the Japanese government have given to China, and the thousands of factories, owned by Japanese companies employing Chinese and Korean people in their countries.
The school textbook problem will probably never be resolved. Why should other countries have the right to say what countries teach? ALL countries twist history into what they define as "true" and all countries have done stuff they don't want their people to know about.
I guess its all about perspective.
There is nothing about the forced prostituion of Chinese and Korean women, the labour camps, mass excecution etc... The information that IS written about things like the Rape of Nanjing is VERY watered down, basicly saying that "many people died".
The Chinese/Koreans and other counties in Asia, want the Japanese government to admit their war crimes and publish their history books "correctly". There have been large demonstrations in many parts of China and Korea this year, asking for the Japanese to appologise, even though they have done so- 14 times in the past. They also complain about the Prime Ministers visits to the Yasukuni shrine- the shrine dedicated to Japans war dead (including Hideki Tojo and other "war criminals"), most Japanese people dissagree with the visits also, which will probably lead to and end to the primeministers rule at the next election.
What the Chinese and the Koreans are forgetting about is the genocide of over 100 Million Chinese who were killed during THEIR Cultural Revoulution in the 60's, and the Chinese oppression of Burma. Lets also not forget the Billions of dollars of support the Japanese government have given to China, and the thousands of factories, owned by Japanese companies employing Chinese and Korean people in their countries.
The school textbook problem will probably never be resolved. Why should other countries have the right to say what countries teach? ALL countries twist history into what they define as "true" and all countries have done stuff they don't want their people to know about.
I guess its all about perspective.
Exactly. ourown country has a lot of embarrassing incidents as a result of our colonial past.Chris said:
on a completely unrelated note, how do you type Japanese characters onto a computer? do you use a keyboard with a different number of keys or is it a more elaborate system that uses multiple keys? i know it's a trivial question but it's something that i've always wondered about. :/
Keyboard
We use a 106-key keyboard. It's almost the same as keyboards in the UK except for about 4 keys. One is to the left of the "1" key, and is used for quickly changing between writing in romaji (English) and Hiragana. There is also one to the left of the "space bar" and two more to the right of it. They all do stuff similar to each other and I'm really not sure why they are there and what they are used for :?:
There is also a floating toolbar that is usually on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Tha shows what style you are using (romaji/hiragana) and can also be used to change between the two and also into katakana. It also has a user dictionary that you can imput special kanji etc into, a kanji look-up section, and some other not very useful stuff.
When you type in Japanese, you type it the same as you would in English, then press the "space-bar" and you can change it into the kanji you want from a list that comes up in a toolbox.
Mobile phones are a little bit different. You can select whether you want to use romaji/hiragana/katakana, then type it in. The keys have hiragana letters on them as well as smaller ABC letters. e.g.
1= /.: etc
2= Hiragna a,i,u,e,o and ABC
3= Hiragana ka,ki,ku,ke,ko and DEF
They go on like that except for the:
* which is for putting the two dashes or the circle in the top right corner of hiragana/katakana to make "ka" etc into "ga" etc
And on my phone the # makes the hyphon-like lines and ?! etc.
When you type on a mobile you press the "down" button and it changes the hiragana into kanji when needed.
We use a 106-key keyboard. It's almost the same as keyboards in the UK except for about 4 keys. One is to the left of the "1" key, and is used for quickly changing between writing in romaji (English) and Hiragana. There is also one to the left of the "space bar" and two more to the right of it. They all do stuff similar to each other and I'm really not sure why they are there and what they are used for :?:
There is also a floating toolbar that is usually on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Tha shows what style you are using (romaji/hiragana) and can also be used to change between the two and also into katakana. It also has a user dictionary that you can imput special kanji etc into, a kanji look-up section, and some other not very useful stuff.
When you type in Japanese, you type it the same as you would in English, then press the "space-bar" and you can change it into the kanji you want from a list that comes up in a toolbox.
Mobile phones are a little bit different. You can select whether you want to use romaji/hiragana/katakana, then type it in. The keys have hiragana letters on them as well as smaller ABC letters. e.g.
1= /.: etc
2= Hiragna a,i,u,e,o and ABC
3= Hiragana ka,ki,ku,ke,ko and DEF
They go on like that except for the:
* which is for putting the two dashes or the circle in the top right corner of hiragana/katakana to make "ka" etc into "ga" etc
And on my phone the # makes the hyphon-like lines and ?! etc.
When you type on a mobile you press the "down" button and it changes the hiragana into kanji when needed.
If you want to read a bit more about the textbook issue take a look at this BBC article that came on today.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4724669.stm
There is also stuff in the "See also" part to the right of the screen.
There is also stuff about the Island dispute. The Dokdo/Takeshima thing that I personally think that the island should belong to S. Korea since it's so close to the country. Can you imagime France claiming the Isle of Wight(dubious spelling) as French territory??!??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4724669.stm
There is also stuff in the "See also" part to the right of the screen.
There is also stuff about the Island dispute. The Dokdo/Takeshima thing that I personally think that the island should belong to S. Korea since it's so close to the country. Can you imagime France claiming the Isle of Wight(dubious spelling) as French territory??!??
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