Gaming Learn Japanese with a DS?

[Inunah]

I've tried a lot of the ways to learn Japanese with a DS, but none of them are working. I don't like My Japanese Coach, as it expects you to have instant memorization, and I can't find any more that are playable without knowing Japanese. Help!

EDIT: I've tried various homebrew, but they either don't teach in a way I understand or they flat out refuse to function correctly.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

You can't learn Japanese with a DS.

Empty your pockets and go buy some textbooks or pay for some lessons.
You could always try online Japanese lessons, as well.

 

[Schizoanalysis]

Rosetta Stone Japanese might help

 

[Inunah]

I've already tried Rosetta Stone and online courses... And there isn't any way for me to get textbooks or classes.

Nothing has worked so far, but in all the time I've played Japanese games on my DS, I actually memorized a few things.... (The symbols for yes/hai and no/iie. But that's as far as I've gotten other than the 2 symbols I learned in My Japanese Coach... Mi and Su. *Sweatdrop*)

So I've resorted to the DS for learning Japanese, since I seem to actually learn something with my DS, even if by accident......


Blah... Usually, the only way I can learn enough of a language to even crudely converse is through a formal class (Like, a class you physically have to be in).... Of which doesn't exist where I am. All we've got here is Spanish... Or some distance learning thing where you basically just learn from the interwebs.

EDIT: Found a game called Mind Your Language: Learn Japanese... Imma try that, but I doubt it's anything different from My Japanese Coach.
EDIT 2: Nevermind, they say it's just as bland as My Japanese Coach. Well damn. My Japanese Coach was fucking boring, I couldn't sit through more than a few lessons.... Need something entertaining, damnit!

 

[Schizoanalysis]

Just sit down with a printout and learn the katakana and hiragana.
It's not easy, but others have done it. It can be done.

I did Chinese at highschool. I had to sit down and learn all those characters. We had no DS games back then. It was just hard work.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

Get some Japanese penpals and ask them to help you with your Japanese as you learn.
It kind of seems like you're asking for an easy way out rather than working hard to learn, however you can. Free online courses are better than nothing, at all and certainly better than learning by DS games cause it'll help you with grammar structure, Kanji and let's you know wtf it is you're looking at.

I can also assure you that "Mind your Language" isn't going to help you with what you need to know for Japanese.

 

[Schizoanalysis]

I can recommend flash cards.

Just write what you want to learn on flash cards, with the translation on the back, and drill it.


It is boring, but it will work, sooner or later if you keep at it.

 

[jurassicplayer]

My best suggestion is to amass an enormous stash of anime with both Japanese and English subs (not English dubbed) and then watch all of them again and again...tons and tons of anime...and you will learn it eventually.

Second best solution is to get a hiragana and katakana table to memorize and then watch regular subbed anime (a lot easier to find than with Japanese subs...). Then the remaining problem are the characters that count for several phonetics...which then I would say to amass a lot of Japanese video games with voice acting and then listen to all of it while following.

Of course, I have never done anything I have just said, but meh any anime watcher can tell you that you will eventually know what they are saying if you keep watching. Then again, I'm sure you already know that xD.

Best part about my suggestion is that you can convert anime to a video watchable on the DS...which may or may not be useful.

 

[gamefreak94]

EDIT: Found a game called Mind Your Language: Learn Japanese... Imma try that, but I doubt it's anything different from My Japanese Coach.

Its worse they expect you to know grammar right away. My Japanese Coach is a whole lot better, just use cheat code to get all places unlocked, then just play grammar part of the game. But you should get a text book, check the internet. Please don't tell me you are learning japanese so you can read manga, watch anime without subs/dubs, play games(Unless you are taking game designing into a job considerations and plan on working with japanese imported games.) Also you must be pretty dedicated to learning japanese.

 

[Inunah]

Blah... I give up...

-Rosetta Stone didn't help...

-Online shit doesn't EVER help because it always ends up written in a way that doesn't click in my brain...

-My Japanese Coach was too fucking boring for me to be able to stand for more than five minutes at a time, and by the time I quit I'd have forgotten what I just learned...

-I almost had to repeat senior year because the teacher giving the credit-by-exam forced me to use flash cards and they made me too bored and sleepy to remember half of it... So flash cards are a definite no.

-I tried the printout thing years ago, no results even with vigilant studying 30 minutes per day every day for a month..

-Classes are out because there aren't any classes for anything around here unless you'd rather learn Spanish.

-Anything that requires money and cannot be pirated is out because I don't see $6 (Yes, that is ALL the money I have) getting me anything in the near future.

 

[Inunah]

EDIT: Found a game called Mind Your Language: Learn Japanese... Imma try that, but I doubt it's anything different from My Japanese Coach.

Its worse they expect you to know grammar right away. My Japanese Coach is a whole lot better, just use cheat code to get all places unlocked, then just play grammar part of the game. But you should get a text book, check the internet. Please don't tell me you are learning japanese so you can read manga, watch anime without subs/dubs, play games(Unless you are taking game designing into a job considerations and plan on working with japanese imported games.) Also you must be pretty dedicated to learning japanese.

Actually, I probably won't ever be getting to Japan in my lifetime, so learning Japanese would only benefit my ability to read manga, watch anime, and play games... Since I don't have the attention span for translation and whatnot.

And fuck dedication. I've been dedicated to learning Japanese for years now and all I know is Konnichiwa, moshi moshi, arigato, hai, iie, ohayo, ninja, and samurai. And I've tried EVERYTHING.
...So dedication is thrown right out the window now... Blah, this makes me want to ram my skull into a brick wall until I die of an aneurysm.

 

[Schizoanalysis]

...every day for a month..

Yea, a month won't cut it. It takes years and years. Just the way it is.


Learn German, that is easier. It is almost like English. Japanese is nothing like English, and is much, much harder.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

You just don't have any dedication or patience to learn.

Japanese takes years to learn, there is absolutely no way you can learn it all within days, months or even one single year.

If you don't have the time to learn it, chances are, you won't learn it.

 

[Inunah]

You just don't have any dedication or patience to learn.

Japanese takes years to learn, there is absolutely no way you can learn it all within days, months or even one single year.

If you don't have the time to learn it, chances are, you won't learn it.

But not even memorizing the hiragana for fucking KA?
I stared at that fucking thing trying to memorize Ka for as long as I had that sheet of paper, and I never learned it.


...Hell, I made up a fucking language about a week ago and haven't even thought of it since I made it, and I still know that better than I do Japanese!

 

[Schizoanalysis]

Staring won't help.

You have to write it. Again and again.

Take this from someone who has learned them. Just write them again and again, and drill them with flash cards.

It can be done. Unless you are severely dyslexic or something, then maybe not.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

But not even memorizing the hiragana for fucking KA?
I stared at that fucking thing trying to memorize Ka for as long as I had that sheet of paper, and I never learned it.


...Hell, I made up a fucking language about a week ago and haven't even thought of it since I made it, and I still know that better than I do Japanese!

I'm still not seeing your point.

People memorize things quicker than others and some slower than others, it's a matter of patience and dedication.

You said it yourself, you don't have a very good attention span.
Without patience and dedication, you could never learn Japanese.
Even if you're forced to learn, because you lack the desire or patience, chances are you won't memorize anything.

The best way to learn Japanese is to write the symbols, as the poster before me stated. Staring and trying to memorize each stroke will not help, whatsoever.
You have to write them to memorize each character.

 

[Inunah]

It can be done.

>.> According to your tips, no it can't. I don't have the patience for flash cards or any of that bullshit. If I learn something, it's gotta be vibrant and engaging like a child's toy or I'll instantly forget what I've just seen/wrote.

It doesn't help that I have such an attention span that I get bored with games after a few days and need new games at least once a week.

...I need like a personalized lesson plan or some bs.

EDIT: Fuck this bullshit, I'm outta here. Everyone's always gave me the same bullshit learning techniques that have NEVER worked, so it's hopeless to try.

 

[Schizoanalysis]

ADD?

Then give up. It won't be easy. But then, things worth doing are rarely easy.

Can I ask, how old are you?

 

[Inunah]

ADD?

Then give up. It won't be easy. But then, things worth doing are rarely easy.

Can I ask, how old are you?

No, I don't have ADD. My mom thinks so, but I don't think so.

I'm 18, why?

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

Yes, acting like a child and throwing a tantrum will indeed, help you learn Japanese.