My Blog http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog Just another WordPress site Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:14:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 Too much for a non-Japanese person’s mind… http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=14 http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=14#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:12:50 +0000 admin http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=14 Continue reading →]]> A few days ago, I encountered a new kanji: 樹木 “jumoku”. My wife told me it meant “tree”. I asked her what the difference was between that kanji, and the simpler one (木) , “ki”, that also means tree. She explained: “We use jumoku usually only with another kanji”. I asked her to give an example: “Well, we might combine it with 木 (ki, = tree). “Okay”, I said, “what does it mean when you combine jumoku with ki?” She anwered: “It means “tree”.”

I think you’ll understand why I burst out laughing (although she didn’t). How in the world is a non-Japanese ever supposed to understand the logic behind such things? I think for the time being, I will forget about jumoku, and stick with the simple 木.

]]> http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=14 0 My battle with Kanji http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=10 http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=10#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:01:02 +0000 admin http://www.language-learning-tips.com/blog/?p=10 Continue reading →]]> Anyone who has begun to learn Japanese quickly realizes that the greatest hurdle to be overcome is that of the “kanji”, namely those pictograms of which you have to memorize 2 or 3 thousand just to be able to read a newspaper. The truth is, the thought of investing hundreds of hours in such a task sickens me. Nonetheless, I figure that if I just practice a few of them every day, I might be able to gradually get to know them. I’ll be reporting on how it goes, right here in this blog!

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Hi all! Since I often receive emails from visitors to language-learning-tips.com, with requests for advice from me (requests that I ALWAYS answer, by the way), I thought it only proper that I finally enter the second decade of the 21st century, and put up a blog. Questions, comments? As long as they have serious intention, feel free! (which is not to imply that humor is not welcome, for it certainly is!)

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