Gaming games with easy japanese language

[dysan]

I've started learning japanese this week...and I mean REALLY learning this time!
I've already got some of the hiragana down,haven't started katakana or kanji but I'm really determined this time!

so I was thinking that after I learn all the hiragana characters maybe I could try playing a japanese game on my ds while holding a dictionary next to me...I'm guessing that that could be a good way to learn to actually read a few words.

bear in mind that my level of japanese is basically nonexistent...I wouldn't even call it a level...I want the absolute easiest to read,easiest to understand vocabulary.

I've heard that golden sun ds is a good place to start...maybe pokemon too? I'm guessing pokemon will have easy vocabulary.

also,I just made this thread in the ds section thinking that because the ds is kinda more of a "children's console" there would be games with easier words in them,if I'm wrong,then by all means,you're free to recommend wii,ps2 or pc games

 

[Chaossaturn]

I don't really think that playing games is the best way to learn Japanese intill you have a really good understanding of it. If you must play game's try my Japanese couch for DS but I would really recommend you try a audio cd program such as Pimsleur's Japanese, which In my opinion is the best self tort way to learn Japanese.

 

[Issac]

Well, Pokémon is all Hiragana (and some Katakana I guess) so in that way it's a good way to start for you. However, I think you need some more language structure down before trying. So that you know what are words, and what are particles etc.
わたしのおとうさんのくるまはすごいです。　what are words and particles and what not here?
私のお父さんの車はすごいです。　now it is somewhat easier to see that some parts are more advanced (and easier to find in a dictionary, and to know the exact meaning of, since hiragana alone will make you depend on context a lot more to figure out).
another way that'd be easier for you to read I guess would be:
わたし　の　おとうさん　の　くるま　は　すごい　です。　(or: 私　の　お父さん　の　車　は　すごい　です。).
Now it'd be even easier. But I'd rather pick up some easy to understand Manga, with furigana. That is: It will all be written in Japanese as it normally would, but above each kanji there will be hiragana of how it is pronounced. It will help you find in a dictionary much much better!

Also, check out some of the info in Densetsu's Japanese FAQ It's great!

 

[proctology]

Get the Famicom version of Maniac Mansion. All hiragana from what I recall, and you'll learn lots of nouns/some verbs and basic sentence structure (subject-object-verb).

 

[dysan]

japanese coach...I gave that a try once but it didn't really keep me motivated enough and I stopped pretty early...I'll give it a try again one of these days though

easy to read manga you say...I wonder which ones fall into that category...I tried reading a few children's books that only have hiragana...it was kinda awkward...I used an online dictionary to search for the words by typing in their romaji but half the time it came up with nonsense,the stuff that did make sense though felt pretty good

could anyone recommend some ridiculously easy mangas to read and maybe a good dictionary?

I also have the rosetta stone with japanese language...I should give that a try as well and learn some words I guess

 

[proctology]

Get JWPCE. It's a Japanese word processor with Jim Breem's excellent Japanese-English dictionary + kanji lookup and other useful features. Also, if you haven't already, enable the language bar/IME on your OS so you can type in Japanese. Lang-8 is a good website for practicing your skills - you write blogs in Japanese (or any other language you're studying), and native speakers correct any mistakes you've made (and you can help out people that are learning English).

I wouldn't recommend My Japanese Coach...I'm intermediate and tried it for vocabulary practice, but even after scoring perfectly on the intro test, it still tried to teach me basic hiragana, and I didn't feel like grueling through it. Definitely learn hiragana/katakana as early on as possible, with those and furigana you can learn just about anything. Good luck!

 

[Issac]

Oh I don't know... pokémon manga? Most manga has furigana (hiragana and katakana next to the kanji) just that I think something aimed at younger audiences might have easier words as well.
All hiragana, as you say, can come up with rubbish since you several words have the same reading.
one example:
hashi
はし
You don't know what that is, and then you look it up online, and it all becomes strange.
With kanji:
箸
橋
Both of these are hashi. And reading some manga, one or the other of those kanji would have "はし" written on the side.
Why is this helpful? Well, now you can find the right meaning in a dictionary. The first hashi is "chopsticks", the second hashi is "bridge".
So without kanji to guide you, the character MIGHT suggest that they should go over a chopstick to the other side.

 

[dysan]

With kanji:
箸
橋
Both of these are hashi. And reading some manga, one or the other of those kanji would have "はし" written on the side.
Why is this helpful? Well, now you can find the right meaning in a dictionary. The first hashi is "chopsticks", the second hashi is "bridge".
So without kanji to guide you, the character MIGHT suggest that they should go over a chopstick to the other side.

wow...that is like...so...needlesly inconvinient...

bet they did that on purpose

 

[Issac]

once you know kanji, it's actually very convenient

 

[ferofax]

I don't really think that playing games is the best way to learn Japanese intill you have a really good understanding of it. If you must play game's try my Japanese couch for DS but I would really recommend you try a audio cd program such as Pimsleur's Japanese, which In my opinion is the best self tort way to learn Japanese.

Any interactive program is good for nailing down reading and writing kanas. Pimsleurs, on the other hand, sounds like it's just teaching you canned phrases. Or for the most part, that's how it sounded to me.

I did learn how to read because of my intense desire to understand a few Gameboy games I had back then (Momotarou Dentetsu, a Super Robot Wars, and SD Gundam Lacroan Heroes). I played with dictionary and notebook at hand, jotting down those nasty kanjis until I nailed a few commonly used in RPGs.

 

[Sora de Eclaune]

Have you tried any of these? I would assume these have easier Japanese:

• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
• Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7tsu no Shima no Daibouken -- Story mode only
• Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Dororon Yokai Daikessen! -- RPG mode only
• Okaeri Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Osouji!
• Shonen Kinenden Tsumuji

The two Zelda games have some kind of feature where, if you tap a character, it'll show it in a different writing system. At least in the Japanese version, anyway. Tsumuji also looks like it might have the same feature.