こんにちは (Konnichiwa) everyone!

Welcome back to my Japanese learning journey! This week was packed with activities focused on laying a strong foundation in vocabulary and grammar, and I also had my first experiences using Japanese in real conversations. Here’s a detailed look at what I accomplished this week.

Kana Practice

Kana is nothing but the Japanese Characters that make up the language. These are the very foundation of the Japanese Language especially writing if we talk about. If you want to know more about the Japanese Writing System and the Kana in general. You can check out my last week’s post, where I am talking about the Japanese Writing System and how to memorise the characters.

Last Week’s Post - Week 2: The Struggle to Memorise the Japanese Kana Characters

I dedicated a significant portion of my time to practicing kana, the essential building blocks of the Japanese writing system. I used the Anki app for spaced repetition, which has been incredibly effective for memorizing the characters and their associated sounds.

• Practiced writing and recognizing hiragana and katakana characters.
• Used flashcards in the Anki app to reinforce memory.
• Learned words and phrases corresponding to each character, enhancing my vocabulary and pronunciation.

Exploring Resources and Books

I did some research to find the best resources and books for learning Japanese. Here are a few that stood out:

• Genki Series: This is actually a set of two books called Genki - I and Genki - II. These books are designed to be beginner friendly and are highly recommended books because of the values they provide.
• 100 Survival Phrases Course: I found an excellent free resource that offers a course on 100 survival phrases in Japanese. It’s perfect for beginners and anyone looking to quickly acquire practical language skills. You can find the free course here - https://www.japanesepod101.com/lesson-library/before-you-travel-to-japan-survival-phrases
• Minna no Nihongo: This Book is also very popular and well structured. This book is entirely written in Japanese and I think in this book there is no romaji or English to support.
• Remembering the Kanji: People are recommending this book for studying the Kanji characters. But, I am not sure about it. I need to further investigate on what value it provides.

I decided to follow the structure of Genki, which is a highly recommended textbook. It covers essential grammar, vocabulary, and cultural insights.

Learning Basic Greetings and Phrases

By following along with the Genki - I, this week I focused on learning common greetings and phrases that are useful for making new friends and engaging in simple conversations. More specifically I went through all kinds of daily greetings that is used in Japan and some common phrases that classmates can have.

The above image has most of the common greetings used by Japanese People. I am trying to avoid Romaji as much as possible, and use Hiragana and Katakana instead because this will allow me to read and write Hiragana and Katakana more naturally.

I will also attach some more phrases and words that I learned in the comments below.

Getting Started with Grammar

The first step into grammar are the particles. Particles are nothing but the connectors that connect phrases to the rest of the phrases in the sentence. This week, I went through some of the particles and learned how they are used in a Japanese Sentence.

The Particles: は (wa), の (no), か (ka)

Understanding the role of particles in Japanese sentences is crucial. This week, I began learning about three fundamental particles:

• は (wa): Marks the topic of the sentence. Example: 私は学生です (Watashi wa gakusei desu - I am a student).
• の (no): Indicates possession or a descriptive relationship. Example: これは私の本です (Kore wa watashi no hon desu - This is my book).
• か (ka): Turns a statement into a question. Example: これは何ですか (Kore wa nan desu ka - What is this?).

I followed along with the Genki Book for this as well. And I feel Genki - I is a well structured book and until you get the sense of what to do next on your own. This book is the life saver.

Engaging with Native Speakers

I installed a few language exchange apps, such as Hello Talk. I had the opportunity to type and exchange common greetings with native Japanese speakers. Although the conversations were brief, it was a fun and motivating experience.

Apps Used:

• Hello Talk: A great platform for connecting with native speakers and practicing real-life conversation skills.

Looking Ahead

This week was both challenging and rewarding. The extensive kana practice and learning basic grammar have set a solid foundation for future lessons. Engaging with native speakers was a highlight, and I look forward to improving my conversational skills.

Goals for Next Week:

• Continue following the Genki 1 textbook.
• Start learning more complex sentence structures.
• Expand vocabulary with a focus on verbs and adjectives.
• Engage in more conversations with native speakers to build confidence and fluency.
• Start learning kanji in an organised manner.

Last Week’s Blog - Week 2: The Struggle to Memorise the Japanese Kana Characters

Until next week, happy learning!

ありがとうございます (Arigatou gozaimasu) – thank you very much!

Feel free to share your thoughts or struggles with memorising kana characters in the comments below. Let’s support each other on this journey!