The most basic thing you can do to improve your comprehension is to listen to characters’ names being spoken in Japanese. It may seem odd to you, but names will actually sound very [...]]]> This guide is especially intended for Japanese learners who watch anime, but practically anyone can learn from this advice, as well.

Start with Names

The most basic thing you can do to improve your comprehension is to listen to characters’ names being spoken in Japanese. It may seem odd to you, but names will actually sound very different from how they’re spoken in English (or other languages).

For example, Edward Elric becomes EDOWA-DO ERURIKU. Think that’ll sound the same in Japanese as in English? You’re probably in for a surprise!

Also, watch out for Japanese words that were originally English. For example, AISU KUREAMU. What do you think that is? Yes, it’s an English word. It’s “ice cream”! When you listen for words like this in anime, you’ll start getting a feel for how things sound in Japanese. This is really the most difficult barrier to penetrate at the beginning.

Try to work out how your own name might sound in Japanese. The names of your friends and family. This is an interesting exercise, and useful too.

Once you know how words are pronounced in another language, you can basically figure out anything you hear as long as you have a dictionary!

So work on honing your ear. It is very important.

Focus on Words you Know

When you’ve learned a few words and started watching subtitled anime, it’s easy to stress out and think:

“I’ll never be able to understand the entire thing! They’re speaking so fast! How on earth is that long dialogue supposed to translate to that puny English sentence?!”

Instead, slow down. What you should be doing is…

1. learning one commonly spoken word at a time
   
2. seeking out specific instances of the word you know, while ignoring what you don’t know
   

Example: Say you know that boku (“I”) is a common word. You think it might be easy to hear it being spoken. So put on an anime that you won’t mind listening to a few times and just go through the whole thing listening carefully for the word you’re looking for, boku. Try to find a scene in the anime that you have a feeling they’ll probably say the word.

The purpose of this is twofold.

1. One, by listening carefully just to hear one specific word or phrase, you’re actually listening carefully to everything being spoken. You’ll develop an ear for the language much faster by paying attention all the time.
   
2. Secondly, it’s much more confidence-boosting to think, “There! I’ve heard them say it! Now I know at least one more word!” rather than: “Geez, I can’t even figure out a single word in this entire dialogue! It’s impossible!”

Transcripts

If you can, try to get your hands on entire transcriptions of the dialogue for the anime you’re watching. A transcription is a line by line script of what each character says, along with some brief descriptions of action and place.

Transcripts can be found, with some effort. (Probably only for the more popular ones, though. So don’t spend too long trying to find one if the series you’re watching isn’t that well-known)

If you do find one, they can be unimaginably helpful, especially for those just starting out. If you happen to find one actually transcribed in Japanese characters (not romaji), save it for later because this makes excellent reading practice, too!

Intermediate Stages

Once you start getting good enough at Japanese to distinguish the various sounds with precision and accuracy – harder than you might expect! – then you’ve graduated to the next level. Congratulations!

How to continue building on your knowledge:

• listen to entire sentences
• pick out each individual word you hear
• look up all the ones you don’t know in a dictionary, or type them into Google and see what you get
• try to understand the sentence as a whole

Watch Anime WITHOUT Subtitles

As a test, you should now challenge yourself by watching anime without subtitles (“raw” files).

They can be hard to find, but try to locate a few (even if they’re not your favourite anime) and watch them when you feel you’re up to it.

If possible, try to watch it the first time all the way through without pausing or going into your dictionary at all. Just enjoy the story and try to follow along as best as you can.

Next, go through again and make note of all the words, phrases or sentences that you can clearly grasp. This is your moment of triumph.

Lastly, if possible, find a version that has subtitles or is dubbed, and go through to check your accuracy.

Not only is watching a completely raw anime good practice for your Japanese comprehension skills, it’s also an incredible confidence booster. (If you wait until you’re ready for it, anyway)

Transcribing & Translating

The final step, the final mark of proficiency, is to be able to make your own transcriptions from the Japanese dialogue (or even translations, if you’re really up to it).

First, find something easy that you know you can handle. Don’t go overboard. Pick an anime where they talk slow and there aren’t too many complicated concepts. Maybe even an anime geared towards children.

Then carefully transcribe every word you hear. Sometimes you have to listen to the same phrase or sentence about a dozen times to get it just right! Be patient! Have faith that you’re doing some great learning here!

If you really can’t figure out what they’re saying, you should probably Google your approximation. Google will tell you if you’re on the right track or not. Or, if there are subtitles or you sort of know what’s going on, Google the Japanese translation for the English words that you think are likely being spoken.

Next, with the help of a dictionary, write down the meaning of every word you’ve transcribed. If you’ve made a mistake, it usually becomes obvious at this stage.

Finally, connect the words using what knowledge you have of grammar. Make your own English sentences. Always try your best – don’t just put in a big blank if you don’t understand. It’s better to make a blind guess than write nothing.

If you have the subtitled version of the anime, go over it now and see whether your translation matches up.

Repetition is Key

Most important to your studies is to find anime you really like watching. If you know some of the words, watch it over and over again until you’ve memorized the dialogue. If you don’t know any words, watch the anime until you get it.

Repetition is very important. Once you’ve found an instance of a word you know, listen to it as many times as possible, one after another. It might sound crazy, but it really helps. The more times you hear a word or sentence being spoken, the more your knowledge of its sound and meaning is reinforced.

Wrapping Up

These are just about all the general tips I have at the moment for learning Japanese from anime. I’ve gleaned these through about 7 years now of watching anime with the intention of learning from it. I hope this helps you in some way.

Good luck with your studies! ^o^

If you want to learn a language, it isn’t always a smooth ride. You have to have some serious, personally compelling reasons for wanting to do it – reasons that will sustain you through [...]]]> Passion is above all the most important factor in learning any language – or achieving any goal in life, for that matter.

If you want to learn a language, it isn’t always a smooth ride. You have to have some serious, personally compelling reasons for wanting to do it – reasons that will sustain you through months or even years of study, research and practice.

What do I mean by compelling reasons? Here are some actual reasons I’ve heard from real people (they’re just examples, though!):

• you love some specific person who speaks the language and want to impress them or get closer to them
• you love people from that culture in general
• you want to travel freely in the country(ies) where the language is spoken
• you love the aesthetics of the language: the way it sounds spoken, or the look of the characters that make up the writing
  
• you find the culture and history associated with the language fascinating
• for many Japanese learners, it could be your love for things native to Japan and a wish to understand them in their original context: Japanese anime, Japanese manga, Japanese games, Japanese music, Japanese TV shows and movies…
  

What were my reasons? Pretty much all of the above combined, plus a few others.

My Personal Obsession

I was really quite obsessed with learning Japanese. I’ve always loved language, but with Japanese it was a whole new level of love. It basically began with the realization that there was so much out there that I wanted to understand so badly but couldn’t. Just because it was encoded in a language I didn’t know.

This included games that had no English translation, the songs I heard in anime, and especially Japanese fan sites where I found absolutely gorgeous fan art the likes of which I’d never even imagined. Sometimes the artists would write lengthy commentaries full of little emoticons that seemed like they would be so interesting, if only I could understand what they were saying. There were forums where I longed to join in the conversation. There were also fanfiction and other various fan creations written in Japanese that I felt like I was just dying to be able to read.

Some five or six years ago, good dubbed versions of the anime I wanted to watch were a rarity. At the same time, it was also much harder to obtain quality subtitled versions. Sometimes it was so bad that even with the subtitles you couldn’t understand what was really going on in the anime. All of this was just another burning motivation for me to learn this language that now seemed so essential to my everyday life.

The last reason, the one that gave me real pressure to succeed, was one of pure practicality and circumstance. For high school, I needed a second language at a sufficiently advanced level in order to graduate. I’d had about 5 years of continuous French classes (mandatory for Canadians) before I decided I just wasn’t getting into it, dropped the course, and immediately started learning Japanese – all in one fell swoop.

I wasn’t horrible at French either, far from it. I enjoyed studying the language, and because I had the advantage of living around it (everything in Canada is printed bilingually), I had a surprisingly vast vocabulary.

But the simple fact was, 5 years of French classes had given me just about nothing to work with. Little knowledge, and even less passion. Sadly, the level of my French ability was about the equivalent of what my Japanese would become just two months later.

Passion: The Real Ingredient of Success

My point is, without passion to learn you go nowhere. It’s the same for every subject of study. You won’t go far on a weak ambition. It just won’t happen.

You need passion to learn a language. Actually, it’s really all you need. If you can’t find any really personal reason for wanting to learn the language, it’s almost a certainty that you won’t achieve the level of fluency you hope for.

On the other hand, if you’re so in love with Japanese that simply hearing it spoken sends shivers down your spine, then you’ll probably find it to be smooth sailing all the way through.

So… go out there and find something to be obsessed with! Find something Japanese that makes you burn with passion and shiver with excitement! Dream of visiting the country, dream of connecting with the people, dream of finally being able to read that manga or understand that song without anyone’s help!

Once you’ve found your compelling reason, you just won’t be able to help but learn the language.

I know that using anime to learn Japanese is a very controversial topic.

Obviously, you cannot learn everything about a language by doing one thing alone. Of course, if you watch anime, you won’t learn to read or write Japanese characters, and your [...]]]> First, we should probably dispel a few myths.

What you can’t learn from watching anime

I know that using anime to learn Japanese is a very controversial topic.

Obviously, you cannot learn everything about a language by doing one thing alone. Of course, if you watch anime, you won’t learn to read or write Japanese characters, and your speaking ability won’t improve at all.

Watching anime will boost your listening comprehension, but imperfectly, too. There are several reasons for this:

• Anime characters tend to have certain ways of talking… not necessarily the most realistic
• Their speech is slower and clearer than in real life (try watching the Japanese news for a bit of a scare)
• “Ums” and “ahs” are generally cleansed from anime dialogue

There are other limitations you may never have even thought of. For example, in real life, people speaking Japanese tend to use certain body language, gestures, and facial expressions to accentuate their points, which may not be represented in anime.

Clearly, the Japanese anime/TV/movie/music fan misses out on a lot.

What you can learn from watching anime

• vocabulary, common phrases and expressions
• how the language sounds naturally; the natural rhythms and cadences of the language
• correct pronunciation/intonation
• general sentence construction
• distinctions between pronouns, suffixes (-chan, -kun), “levels of formality” in speech, and other things difficult to grasp out of context
• with supplementary reading on grammar and armed with a good dictionary – nearly anything!

Honestly, I think naysayers of learning Japanese through X (X typically being anime) are being a bit overly pessimistic. Perhaps they tried it and failed, I don’t know. Perhaps they learned it “the hard way” and shudder at the thought of anyone actually having fun while learning the language.

All I can say is, with the right attitude anything is possible. This applies to learning a language as well.

As long as you’re willing to put in the hard work required – i.e., actually looking up words in the dictionary, reading up on grammar, Googling anything and everything you don’t understand, reading and listening to indecipherable Japanese news, etc – I think watching anime is an excellent and superbly fun way to improve your Japanese.

Happy learning!

The apologies listed here are not just slight variations of the same [...]]]> There are far too many ways to apologize in Japanese. Even I, with my fascination both for the language and for apologies, find the sheer volume of apologies rather unnecessary. But of course, this is why we learn Japanese! It’s strange and interesting! ^o^

The apologies listed here are not just slight variations of the same phrase, such as “I’m sorry” and “I’m really very sorry.” Actually, every apology listed here has a totally different meaning and origin, and often can be used only in certain situations or by certain people.

Common Apologies

• sumimasen すみません

Most common apology. Means both “excuse me” and “I’m sorry.” Can be used in both formal and informal situations.

Past tense: sumimasen deshita すみませんでした.

The literal meaning is “It cannot be excused.”

Other variants: sumanai, suman, sumanu

• gomen nasai ごめんなさい

In casual situations, can be shortened to gomen (often gomen ne).

Unlike sumimasen, this is always used as an apology, never as an “Excuse me.”

It is a somewhat serious apology, but not used with superiors.

The literal meaning is “Ask for your pardon.”

• moushiwake arimasen 申しわけありません

A formal apology used with superiors.

Past tense: moushiwake arimasen deshita.

The literal meaning is “I have no excuse.”

• shitsurei shimashita 失礼しました

A formal apology, though less “heavy” than moushiwake arimasen.

Means both “excuse me” and “I’m sorry.”

Present tense: shitsurei shimasu! (“Excuse me, I’m coming in!” Used when entering a person’s place)

Short form: shitsurei (casual)

The literal meaning is “I have done something disrespectful.”

Also means “I will be leaving/Goodbye” (when exiting a person’s house/room/office)

Overly Formal Apologies

• owabi moushiagemasu お詫び申し上げます

Less formal: owabi shimasu / owabi (“apology”).

The literal meaning is “I humbly offer you my apologies.”

• osore irimasu 恐れ入ります

Think of this as more “Excuse me” (as in, “Excuse me, but I’m afraid I have to ask you to…”).

The literal meaning is “I am filled with awe/embarrassment (in your presence).”

Rude Apologies

• warui わるい (warii わりぃ)

Comes from the word for “bad,” warui 悪い.

Past tense: warukatta わるかった (“It was my bad”)

Short for ore ga warui (俺がわるい): “It’s my fault/It’s my bad.”

Casual and only used with familiars.

• suman すまん

Comes from sumimasen, mentioned above. Just a short, rougher way of saying it.

Various “Thanks/I’m sorry” Apologies

• osewa ni narimashita お世話になりました

“Thank you for your hospitality/generosity.” Literally means something like, “I have burdened you.”

sumimasen and warui are also commonly used in this “Thanks for helping me out/Sorry for troubling you” kind of way.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting” Apology

• omatase shimashita お待せしました

Means, “I have made you wait.”

Fights, battles and conflicts in general are  a very central part of most anime, manga and video games. I’m sure you’ll be able to hear at least one of these words in just about every episode you watch, especially if it’s some kind of shounen genre or action, fantasy, sci-fi, [...]]]> Today’s theme is… FIGHTING related words!

Fights, battles and conflicts in general are  a very central part of most anime, manga and video games. I’m sure you’ll be able to hear at least one of these words in just about every episode you watch, especially if it’s some kind of shounen genre or action, fantasy, sci-fi, etc.

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, by the way. Just too many life-related things bothering me at the moment. And laziness. Laziness is always a big problem for me. But right now, I’m back in business! I think you should be able to expect more posts from me in the coming days, too.

1. TATAKAI/TATAKAU = a fight or battle (noun)/to fight (verb)

Example: “shin no tatakai wa… kore kara da!” = “The real battle… begins now!” Yeah, it’s from Super Smash Bros. Melee; Roy (one of my favourite characters ^^!) says it if you win a fight.

2. KENKA = fight, quarrel

Example: “saikin kanojo to kenka bakkari” = “Lately I’ve been fighting a lot with my girlfriend.”

3. SHOUBU = fighting match

shoubu is the kind of fight you have to determine who is the winner, who is the better.

4. KACHI/KATSU = victory (noun)/to win (verb)

Example: “konkai wa boku no kachi da ne!” = “It’s my victory this time, isn’t it?” Another victory quote from SSBM. This one’s from Marth.

5. MAKE/MAKERU = defeat (noun)/to lose (verb)

Example: “makeru wake ni wa ikanai nda!” = “I mustn’t lose!”

“makerarenai!” = “I can’t lose!” (both mean approximately the same thing)

6. KOROSU = to kill

Example: “omae wa korosu” = “I will kill you.” I believe Heero from Gundam Wing says this quite frequently, lol.

Variation: “bukkorosu” = “to beat to death”, to “seriously” kill someone

7. YARU = to kill, to do someone in (in some contexts only; normally this just means “to do”)

Example: “yachimae!” = “Kill them!”

8. KOUGEKI = an attack, an offensive

kougeki is often used to indicate a “move” in fight scenes and games. “tokubetsu kougeki” = “special move”

9. NIGERU= to escape/to run away

Example: “hayaku nigeru nda!” =”You’ve got to get away, quickly!”

10. DAIJOUBU = all right, safe

Example: “daijoubu desu ka!” = “Are you all right?”

Today’s theme is… INSULTS (slangy ones)! Or other bad, rude, or otherwise harmful and offensive words you might commonly hear in anime! This post is a little silly and is meant to be taken [...]]]> I’m actually totally addicted to playing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for DS right now, so… looks like it’ll be another quick-post today!

Today’s theme is… INSULTS (slangy ones)! Or other bad, rude, or otherwise harmful and offensive words you might commonly hear in anime! This post is a little silly and is meant to be taken in a light-hearted fashion. Please don’t try to use these words.

1. BAKA = stupid

Example: “baka domo me!” = “You damn idiots!” (domo gives you plural, me can be attached to almost any word that refers to a person/people to show contempt for them)

Variations: baka yarou (stupid guy), bakageta (foolish), baka mono (stupid person/people)

2. KUSO = shit

Example: Can be used as an exclaimation, a noun, or an adjective. “kuso gaki” = “damn kid!”

Vairations: kusotare (something like, “piece of shit”)

3. HETA = incompetent

Example: Hetalia, the popular and sort of controversial short anime series, is “heta” and “Italia” (Italy) combined, because the character Italy is hilariously stupid and incompetent.

Variations: hetakuso (useless, incompetent person)

4. AHOU = dumbass, idiot

Example: “omae ahou ka!” = “You a dumbass or what!”

5. BOKE = foolish, airheaded person

Example: When someone’s fooling around or acting stupidly in a way that they don’t usually, their friends might call them “boke!” Not a very harsh word.

6. BUSU = ugly woman

Example: When someone wants to really offend a girl, calling them stupid, uncool, useless, etc, just isn’t enough. “busu” is probably one of the worst things to say to a girl.

7. DASAI/DASEE = uncool

Example: When a guy screws up something or does something in a non-cool or non-manly fashion, other guys say/think, “dasee na.”

8. UZAI/UZEE = annoying, fussy, depressing

Example: “maji uzai nda mon!” = “Man, it’s just such a drag!”

9. BUTA = pig

Example: “kono buta!” = “You pig!” Basically the same usage as in English – for fat, ugly, gross, perverted, etc, people.

10. GERO = vomit

Example: “gero ga deru hodo” = “so much it makes me wanna puke”/”until I vomit”

Today’s theme is… VERBS! To be more precise, verb expressions (those commonly found in anime). Because they’re commonly found in anime, most of these phrases are used very casually only. Use in [...]]]> Yep, making these is strangely addictive. Hope they’re not too boring ^^; I’ll be getting back to more regular sound clipping sooner or later.

Today’s theme is… VERBS! To be more precise, verb expressions (those commonly found in anime). Because they’re commonly found in anime, most of these phrases are used very casually only. Use in “real life” at your own risk.

1. YATTA! = I/we did it!

Example: Shouted out loud when a character wins a game, race, defeats an enemy, etc.

2. SHIMATTA! = damn it!

Example: Often said out loud in the heat of the moment when someone makes a serious mistake or lets something bad happen to them unexpectedly. Not for when someone stubs their toe or loses a game/fight/etc.

3. HOTTOITE/HOTTOKE! = leave me alone/get lost!

Example: The first expression is a slightly softer or more pleading tone than the latter. First might be used when someone has suffered a loss or is in a bad mood (“please leave me alone”); second would be when someone just doesn’t want to be bugged, period (“get lost!”)

4. KOI! = come!

Example: “kochi e koi!” = “get over here!” Used towards an enemy or otherwise inferiorly-treated person.

5. DAMATTE/DAMARE! = be quiet/shut up!

Example: When another character really should not be saying whatever they’re saying.

6. ~ SHIRO/SHINASAI! = do ~! (loosely)

Example: “ii kagen ni shiro!” = “cut it out!” (lit. “do it moderately”)

Another example: “kakugo shiro yo” = “prepare yourself!”

7. MATTE! = wait!

Example: “chotto matte!” = “wait a second!”

8. SHINE/SHINJIMAE! = die!

Example: When going for the killing blow.

9. OKOTTERU = to be upset (at someone/something)

Example: “mada okotteru?” = “are you still mad?”

10. CHIGAU! = no! You’re wrong!

Example: Often shouted out loud when someone is accused of something they didn’t do or said to be something they aren’t.

Today’s theme is… TIME related words!

1. ITSUMO/ITSUDEMO = [...]]]> I’m finding making these list type posts kinda fun and easy to make when I’m short on time. (Cutting clips from anime is actually more time/labour-intensive than one would think! ^^;) It’s also kind of a challenge for me to think of 10 words relating to a theme.

Today’s theme is… TIME related words!

1. ITSUMO/ITSUDEMO = always

Example: “itsudemo anata no soba ni iru yo” = “I’ll always be by your side” (classic cheesy romantic phrase)

2. JIKAN = time (more related to the hour)

Example: “mou sono jikan ka?” = “It’s already ‘that’ time already, eh?”

3. TOKI = time (more related to occasions)

Example: “sono toki wa sono toki de” = “I’ll deal with it when the time comes!”

4. HI = day

Example: “ano hi mita sora” = “the sky we saw that day” (actually the opening line of one of my favourite anime endings, “Uso” by SID for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ^^)

5. YORU = night

Example: “yoru ni shinobikomu” = to sneak in the night

6. IMA = now

Example: “ima wa tada koko ni itai” = “right now I just want to be here”

7. SOROSORO = soon

Example: “sorosoro jikan desu” = “It’s just about time now” (a very common phrase)

8. KAKO = past

Example: “kako ni mayou” = to lose one’s way/wander in the past (something I’ve probably picked up from one too many anime openings)

9. MIRAI = future

Example: “mirai ni mukau” = to look to/face the future

10. ATO = after (can also have meaning of “more”)

Example: “ato juppun nemurasete” = “let me sleep ten minutes more”

I’ll throw in a bonus word just for fun:

11. YATTO = at last

Example: “yatto mitsuketa!” = “I’ve finally found it!”

There are two types of adjectives in Japanese. i and na. What’s the difference between i and na adjectives? Well, i adjectives all end in i and are used in basically the same way as adjectives in English: that is, if used to describe a noun, they don’t require anything else [...]]]> Today’s theme is… i adjectives!

There are two types of adjectives in Japanese. i and na. What’s the difference between i and na adjectives? Well, i adjectives all end in i and are used in basically the same way as adjectives in English: that is, if used to describe a noun, they don’t require anything else to precede the noun being described. You just put the adjective and the noun together one after the other.

na adjectives on the other hand require na to be inserted between the adjective and the noun being described. For example, ookii na inu means “big dog.”

Also, i adjectives can be inflected to become adverbs (example: sugoi = sugoku) and also have a past tense (example: warui = warukatta). na adjectives don’t have inflections.

1. SUGOI = great, awesome

Example: Sometimes used adjectivally: “sugoku ureshii” = “extremely glad”

2. II (also YOI) = good, fine

Example: “ii ko” = “good boy/girl”

3. WARUI= bad

Example: Common phrase used in anime with fight scenes: “waruku omou na yo” = “Don’t think badly of me”/”It’s nothing personal”

4. HAYAI = fast/early

Example: Also used in anime during fight scenes: “hayai!” = “He’s fast!” or “hayasugiru!” = “Too fast!”

5. OSOI = slow

Example: “osoku natta” = “I became late” = “I’m late”

6. CHIKAI = near

Example: “chikai tokoro” = “a place close by”

7. TOOI = far

Example: “tooi omoide” = “faraway memories”

8. KAKKOII = cool, good-looking

Example: You can also say “kakkowarui” which means just the opposite.

9. AOI = blue (technically, blue, green, or just a pale shade in general)

Example: “aoi sora” = “blue sky”

10. AKAI = red

Example: “akai hitomi” = “red eyes”