I've just started learning Japanese semester. I find katakana harder to remember than hiragana. And I've just started learning kanji and my writing is atrocious.

So far, I can hold like a very basic and boring coversation. Like introducing myself, saying what uni I go to, what year I'm in, my major. I keep watching Arashi stuff in the hope that the language will just rub off on me, but no luck. Must study harder!

I don't know a word in Japanese so I need subs just to understand what they are saying. But I hope that you won't be minding me asking a few questions here since I'm very much interested in learning Japanese.

I know nothing, not even a word of Japanese, and where I live, there's no place that can offer classes to teach you and no one that I can learn from, so I will be teaching myself, I would like to start learning how to speak it first, is this a good way to start?
I know that there are 3 things that you must know, hiragana, katakana and kanji, whats the difference between them and which one is the best one to start with for learning how to speak?
Can anyone recommed me a site that I can start of with?
How did everyone who taught themselves start off? Can anyone advice me please?
Also, while I was searching online, I keep coming across programs that you can download to help you lear Japanese, is this useful?

Sorry about all these questions but I've been thinking for a while now and it's about time I actually stopped thinking and actually started learning :P

Thank you for any help!

Thx for the links...


I am just learning japanese myself ( self study )... So it is sometimes hard to learn if you only use by watching japanese dramas...

i'm taking japanese 1 in high school right now.
and my teacher sucks. so i didn't really learn ANYTHING in class.. xP

I learn Japanese in high school. Our teacher talks weirdly and has a horrible accent ^.^;;
Currently this would be my second year learning Japanese... and practically everything we've learnt, I already knew from primary school (yes, I learnt Japanese in primary school, but I suck! I had no interest in it back then, and I never paid attention Now, I really regret it...)

i didn't study japanese....
usually learn by anime and drama...
but i can survive a little only without subtitle

I don't "officially" study japanese,but I try.

My family spent 4 years in Japan years ago.
So,I try my best to learn.

I have books which help a lot.
And also from watching doramas and animes.
Watching NHK helps loads too

I can only speak..maybe a little over survival japanese.
But I'm not so good with grammar

hi, my sch offers japanese classes but it's very basic and i learnt nothing out of it.
And i really cant study japanese on my own as i think i will get lazy and i dont like reading up so i'm most probably going to take classes outside soon as my area do provide.

But the problem is, because there's so many places around me that have japanese classes, i just can't choose one which i think is trustworthy for the fees, not especially when one of my friend who took one of the classes and his teacher is actually someone from china teaching japanese and not fluently. Nowadays, it's just hard to find teachers that are native and good in japanese. Even my sch teacher that taught in japanese is not a native, she just stayed in Japan for 5 years before coming back which is why she's teaching basic japanese over in my sch.
She even said, if you want to fully learn japanese, you should go to japan to take language class there and you will learn it way more effectively.

Ah i just want to understand japanese!

*no offenses to anyone(: *

I have been learning!!
Right now, I am taking classes ^^.
My highschool doesn't offer it unfortunately, though.
So, I study by watching shows with subs, and reading the dictionary that my uncle bought me. It's so much fun! But also really hard!! I hope to keep at it for a while and I am planning to go to a college that offers it so I can further my education in it.

i will take japanese literature for my university.
i really love japan~

i've never been to japanese lesson before.
and now im waiting for the result of University of Indonesia where i applied for japanese literature.

wish me luck minaa~

EDIT :
huahhh. i didnt get japanese literature. i got german literature.
but its okay~

Maa, i've been learning japanese myself...
But recently my mom asked if i would take Japanese as an O Level subject...
So i thought i'll need a proper school to go..

Any help? (O.O)

im learning japanese now. well its self study. but only the basics. i bought a book and i try to read it. im not really good. still learning though.

I've just finished my first year of Japanese. Although I don't know lot's of kanjis, I can have a basic conversation, the kind of: "how are you?" I'm doing this I want that... this sort of thing.
As my level is soooo basic, I try to improve by listening to japanese music and watching jap. news, dramas and, of course, Arashi's shows!

I'm studying Japanese at university right now(well right now it's vacation). Just finished my first year and with pretty nice grades I think. It was a very busy year, but I become so happy if I watch something and I understand it, even if it's just a little.^^
We also get subjects like history and culture, so that's fun too.
I really have to repeat all the Kanji I learned this year in the summer...or else I'll forget most of them.