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by Rick Martin, Japan

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Tech tools for Japanese study

Dec 4, 2008 11:04

In my last post I mentioned that I was busy studying Japanese and that I wouldn't have much time for anything tech-related until my Japanese test was finished. Well, that's not entirely true. You see, my Japanese study is very much dependent on tech. Here's a short list of my Japanese study toolkit:

Anki
Anki is an SRS, or a Spaced Repetition System. I've been using it ever since John Biesnicker recommended it as an alternative to Genius (Mac only) which I had previously been using. It's essentially a flash card program that shows you the cards you don't know first, and saves the easy ones for another day. Some pre-made decks can be found here. Get Anki here.

Nintendo DS
I'm a big fan of the Nintendo DS and its super-awesome double touchscreen. And besides being a top-of-the-line gaming console, the DS is a great learning tool as well. Ubisoft's My Japanese Coach is a great way to get started studying Japanese. Once you can read a little, give Rakubiki Jiten Dictionary a try as well.

Japanify your computer
Ok. This is a toughie. Change OS and software to Japanese. I'm pretty much using a completely Japanese system right now. I'm much pretty confused most of the time, too, but I figure in the long run that it's going to be to my benefit. Download Japanese Firefox as well, and then most Web services that you use will be in Japanese, too. Get on Japanese iTunes as well, and check out some Japanese language podcasts. Don't worry if you can't understand everything. As long as you learn something, you'll be fine. Yeah, it's messed up, I know. But Ganbatte, eh. (That's what a Canadian in Japan sounds like, if any of you were wondering...)

Internet TV
I've been using Hulu and some Chinese YouTube-ish sites like youku and tudou. Of course, sometimes these sites are going to tell you the content is not available in your area, but there are always ways to circumvent that. If living in China taught me anything, it was how to circumvent stuff.

Kanji Study Tools
ReadtheKanji.com and SpeedAnki.com are my Web tools of choice here. You could very well use Anki, but I use these sites instead as they're just as easy.

The X Factor
I'm a lazy student. The biggest problem for me when I study is trying to keep away from Twitter or tweaking my various Web pages. If you need a motivational boost, go check out AllJapaneseAlltheTime.com. It's funny and very well-written, and will give you a much-needed kick in the pants when your mom is not around to do it. Yes, I know it's just some dude writing about his Japanese study experience. But if you are studying Japanese, I consider this an essential read.

Conspicuously absent from my list are any mobile phone study tools. Once I get myself sorted with a decent mobile phone, I'll be sure to add a few. So many neato phones, and so little time to browse... What's a gaijin to do?

So how about you? Got anything to add to the list?

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attilam

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attilam says...
Hey, cool article! Learning on my own, I'm also very much dependent on tech.

I had a look at AllJapaneseAlltheTime.com, can't believe I didn't have it in my bookmarks!

I've also started Japanifying my Mac, it's amazing how many menus are in katakana, which makes the transition that much easier :)

As for some resources: I use Livestation to watch Japanese TV, nicovideo.jp for videos in general.

As online learning resources I use edufire.com, iknow.co.jp and lang-8.com frequently. All of these sites have quite good communities and great resources to learn from. Oh and for grammar have a look at guidetojapanese.org.

As for mobile apps, there's loads of them for the iPhone, and many of them free (like Kotoba!, which is a dictionary based on Jim Breen's EDict).

Dec 08, 2008 04:21

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chrisgaunt

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chrisgaunt says...
Nice article! I'm also thinking of Japanifying my computer but I'm not quite ready yet.

Been writing about my own study methods and using online tools at www.nihongonotes.com. Might be of use to you in your own studies.

The iPhone apps are really good. I'm using "Japanese Flip" at the moment.

Dec 08, 2008 17:24

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2nihon

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2nihon says...
Thanks for this article. I hadn't thought about Japanese Firefox, but I'm off to do that right now.

Unfortunately, I can't completely Japanify my system yet, as I would have to purchase the Japanese version of WinXP and reload to do that. I haven't heard if Vista requires the same pain, but it wouldn't surprise me. I think Macs don't have this problem.

In this international world, region lock makes no sense any more. I should be able to make my computer whatever language I want it to be.

Dec 10, 2008 07:13

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RickMartin

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RickMartin says...
@2nihon No, Macs are ok, as you can just change the option without a total reinstallation of the OS.

@chris Thanks for your nihongonotes link. Very useful.

@attilam Will certainly be checking out nicovideo, as watching Japanese tv always seems to make me hungry. Need to find an alternative with less cooking shows!

Dec 11, 2008 14:35

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About Rick Martin

After a few years in China studying Mandarin and watching the Chinese Tech scene, Rick Martin has escaped to Japan and is loving every minute of it. When he's not working on his pet projects, 2JPN and DS Ninja, he can usually be found exploring all things tech in the land of the rising sun. Drop him a line on Twitter, Facebook, or contact him via Email.