Hello everyone! I currently studying for JLPT N2 and I was wondering whether anybody would be willing to offer any advice or know where I can get past/practice papers from please? Internet or book based is fine! (Although I would like free resources ^-^'). I've done a few searches but most sites just redirect me to the official site. I would greatly appreciate and words of wisdom you guys can offer!

I'm not sure if this is the right place to do this, but I am looking for someone I can practice my oral Japanese with during the summer a couple times a week. I have taken two semesters of it so far and would like to make sure I don't forget everything.

Hi. This might be a little off topic, so I apologize in advance... I want to order a textbook from Japan that comes with a CD Rom. Does anyone know if there will be issues playing it on an American Apple computer? I know there are different region codes for DVDs, but I'm finding mixed information about CD Roms. Anyone out there know the answer? Thanks!

So today I started a new community (crazytunaroll) as my new Japanese only blog and I wanted to post about it here because I only have one person on my own friends list who understands Japanese. I've started this blog as a way to practice my Japanese over the summer and thought it would help other people do the same by reading and leaving comments (I may also open posting up to a couple of other people to do posts as well, but I haven't completely decided on that yet - please leave me a comment if that is something you would be interested in doing).

I've been studying Japanese for 4 years now, but I don't anticipate the posts being overly complex or long - they should take people far less time to read them then it took me to write them xD Currently my goal is to do 2 or 3 posts a week.

Hi guys~ Running into some more translation woes with this manga I was tackling last time.

( Lines and stuff below the cut )

Thank you so much to anyone who can help!

Could someone please translate this short passage for me?

"One rainy evening, I was walking along a block in my neighbourhood. An older lady stopped e to ask for directions. She had at least 10 blocks to walk and she did not have an umbrella. She walked along side of me as I told her how far she had to go to reach her destination and when we came to my street where I was to walk off in another direction, I gave her my umbrella. She was so surprised an thanked me. I told her that she is very welcome. I love doing things like this. All I could think of was that "If she was my mom I would have wanted someone to do the same for her". I smiled all the way home."

I would really appreciate the help :)

Every time I walk into a store over here they say "いらしゃいまセ” to me. HOW DO I RESPOND TO THIS OH GOD HELP!

I have to translate this sentence into Japanese: "You are not allowed to use your flash (on a camera) at the aquarium"

I'm quite puzzled...help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, everyone.

Next month I'm finishing my N4 classes and I was thinking about continuing for N3 self study. The problem is I don't know which book to pick. Any recommendation would be awesome. Also, I'm going to Edinburgh in two weeks, anybody know where can I find any quality Japanese stuff in Edinburgh?

I will be taking an entry level Japanese course starting in a couple of weeks. The course text and packet is Yookoso!, 3rd edition. Does anyone have an old copy of the text book and lab book to sell? I don't care if either are marked in or have answers supplied. Also, we are supposed to by the 8-CD set, but it seems unbelievable to me that I have to buy CDs. Are they the same as the free audio program at the publisher's site?

Hey there, japanese! For a project in a class I'm taking about translation, I chose to translate a couple pages of a manga into English, and I thought I'd run my final-ish version by you guys to see if it a) is accurate and b) sounds at all natural.

The manga is Saint Young Men by Hikaru Nakamura, and if you haven't heard of it, all you have to know is it's about Jesus and Buddha being roommates in modern-day Japan. I've posted the text and my translation below; I don't think you need images to get what's happening, but please let me know if you do and I'll scan them in.

( My translation under the cut~ )

Corrections? Suggestions? General questions/comments? Please let me know! :D

I found a bunch of translations for social worker on ALC, but I'm curious what term someone would use in everyday speech to say "I'm going to see my social worker today" - if it helps, I see her for talk therapy.

皆さん！ちょっと願書の質問がありますが。

I'm a PhD student, filling out some forms to be a visiting scholar in Tokyo this summer(!). My form-fu is unfortunately weak, and I want to know if I'm doing parts of it right.

At one point, one of the forms asks:

申請者　所属・職名　

This means to

(a) put down the university and department with which I am currently associated
(b) put down my current status (student, faculty, etc.)

yes?

The first one is easy. However, I only know the word 大学院生 for `graduate student'---however, I should probably put down PhD student or PhD candidate, as I assume they would like specifics. Can anyone help a sad applicant out?

どうもありがとう。

Hello, community! I come here today asking for some help identifying some characters in a manga I've been working on translating. I don't have any problems, except for some pages have handwritten parts that are just really hard for me to read.

I'm not asking for translations. Just help identifying some characters, or getting a second opinion on what I think they are. (Though if you want to throw in a translation, I'm not opposed to it. ;D) I've used underscores in my text to signify what I'm having trouble with for each.

( A number of images below the cut )

Thank you so much to anyone who can help, and sorry that there is so much!

EDIT: A huge thanks to everyone who commented! I think I've got it all figured out now. Thank you so much!

I've been studying Japanese now for roughly 10 years and my skill level should be around the JLPT 1 and 2 mark ... it's not though. I've been on the plateau for a very long time now and I haven't felt like I've had a break through since I left Japan in 2005. There are a few basic grammar points that I still struggle with and I've tried and tried to wrap my brain around them but to no avail. Can anyone help?

I have no grasp on the させる verb forms. I'm still unsure how to use them and in what context. I believe they can demonstrate potential and can be used to make a passive sentence. It's embarrassing that I still don't get this!

What is the purpose of である? When I've asked people about this they say it's just a change in register and it's used in newspapers and reports. Can anyone make this a bit clearer? I'm not sure when to use this, or what meaning, if any, it adds to the sentence.

(on a different note, I'm doing an oral report on the Japanese film industry and if anyone knows of good links or search terms I could use I'd love to hear them! thank you!)

I'm reading a manga set in a hot spring, and on the very first page, after it lists a couple of names for hot springs, it goes on to say, "いい湯だなってババンがバン。" I get that the first part is about the water being nice, but what in the world is that second part? I googled it, and it shows up fairly often, but mostly in the title of blog entries, where I can't really get a sense of its meaning from context. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

This screen doesn't give me points for selecting an option, so I'm baffled about what it says.

What's the difference between the sentences:

今日は朝ご飯を食べないで会社へ行った &
今日は朝ご飯を食べず会社へ行った

Hello! I was wondering if anyone would help me out with a few lines of this manga chapter I'm translating? Nothing too complicated, just a few things I'm having a bit of trouble phrasing right.

( Lines and context under here )

Hello, community. I am reading an email from a penpal of mine in Japan, and I've stumbled across a sentence that I'm having trouble with.

もし私がアメリカに行く事があれば、案内をしてくれますか？

Is he asking that in the event that he decides to travel to America, would I be willing to show him around?

We were discussing travel, and he said that he had not been to America before. So I'm assuming that that is what the question was, but I was also thinking that he might have meant just telling him about places?

Thanks!

Hi there. I just want to ask for some book recommendations. I'm currently in the middle of finishing Genki II: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (this one: http://www.amazon.com/An-Integrated-Approach-Intermediate-Japanese/dp/4789007413) (revised version is here: http://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Approach-Intermediate-Japanese-Textbook/product-reviews/4789013073/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending). I was wondering what book I should pick up next to continue my Japanese studies.

It seems that a lot of people are recommending An Integrated Approach  to Intermediate Japanese after the Genki series. I was wondering if it really is the best book to use next since I will have to order it online in order to get a copy.

Also, I've been seeing Intermediate Japanese: Your Pathway to Dynamic Language Acquisition by Michael Kluemper and Lisa Berkson (its this one: http://www.amazon.com/Intermediate-Japanese-Pathway-Language-Acquisition/dp/0804840601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334716976&sr=8-1) in our local bookstore here in the Philippines lately. Is it also a good book to pick up? or would An Integrated Approach  to Intermediate Japanese be a better book to continue with?

And another thing, for those who are studying Japanese on their own. Are verb guides a good investment? I also saw The Complete Japanese Verb Guide (this:L http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Japanese-Verb-Guide/dp/0804834245) in our local bookstore. It looks useful but I'm just wondering if its an accurate book (with no errors and all) before I actually buy it. Is this a good book to have as a partner in my studies?

Thanks in advance. I'm sorry for bombarding you all with these questions, especially since I can always just read the reviews from Amazon. But the thing is, I'm a bit skeptical about reviews from online shops. You never know if its really real or... just fabricated or something.. if you know what I mean... >__<

edit: Thank you everyone for the really great recommendations and advice. I've decided not to go for An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese. I'll be picking up the Sou-Matome N3 books after finishing Genki II. Hopefully, it all works out. As for grammar books, I might go for the Handbook of Japanese Grammar. And if I can pick up on my Japanese by the end of the year (or start of next year), I might invest on this or this. :D

Again, thank you! :D

What am I saying here?

So I'm trying to translate this:



But I'm not quite sure if I got the meaning right. So far I'm gathering the first half is explaining that there are children who will have to take up compulsory education. But the second half, I'm not too sure. Is this person saying that the 保護者 (could that even refer to parents?) can also take responsibility to ensure that they get education, and thus it does not become compulsory but obligatory? Did I understand it right?

Hi everyone!

I want to ask how i can say in japanese that i will be a radiohost but i feel like アナウンサー is not the proper word. How can i say will be hosting a radio show in japanese? is there another word besides アナウンサー?

Hello. I found myself unable to formulate on Japanese simple thing like "Hope to <verb>".
E.g. hope to pass exam, hope to see you on vacation, hope to learn japanese etc.
Is したい really best and the only possible form? In phases like "hope to receive letter from you", when hope affects other person, such form doesn't sound right to me.
Please explain.

Hello! I have a question.

I posted in my blog a video of a spanish artist and i recieved this comment.
ほースペイン語の歌ですかｗ
スペイン語はﾎﾝﾄ何言ってるかさっぱりです

the さっぱり part is what i dont understand. What it means? is he saying that he doesnt understand the song? or is the song plain? i dont think he meant is "refreshing"

the dictionary says: さっぱり (adj-na,adv,n,vs,adv-to) (1) (on-mim) feeling refreshed; feeling relieved; (2) neat; trimmed; (3) plain; simple; (4) (See さっぱり分らない) completely; entirely; (5) not in the least (in sentence with negative verb); not at all; (n) (6) completely ignorant; not doing at all;

Hi, minasan, I have added new pages for my site.
If you are interested in Japanese culture, please visit my video collection page at http://vodpod.com/megumisan
If you want to try Japanese word crossword puzzule, please visit http://island.geocities.jp/nihongogumi/crossword.html

I hope you like them.
arigatou.

I'm on L.15 of Genki II, and I must admit I'm having a bit of a hard time with using sentences to qualify nouns. So, I need help with translating a few sentences. Especially since I have a quiz on this tomorrow、and I need to make sure I'm doing this right.

Just to be in the same page, an example of what i mean:

The movie I saw with my friend last week was very interesting.
先しゅう私と友達が見たえいがはとてもおもしろかったです。

So, like that. These are the ones I need help on, or perhaps corrected because I'm not sure if I did it right, including particles I used . When correcting, please use hiragana , I don't know too many kanji. Thank you.

Who is that tall man standing over there?
あそこに立ているせいが高い男の人はだれですか。

This is the watch my father gave me for my birthday.
これはたんじょうびにちちが私がくれたとけいです。

The book that is on the desk is mine.
これはつくえの上にある本私のです。

I met a person who graduated from Tokyo University. [this part is underlined in my work book, as the qualifier]
私がときょう大学をそつぎょうした人会いました。

I have a friend who has been to Russia.
私がロシアに行ったことがある友達があります。

The dish I ate yesterday was delicious.
これはきのう私が食べたりょうりはおいしかったです。

I am looking for a person who can speak Chinese.
私が中国語を話せる人をさがしています。

I am requesting some assistance.

I am currently living in Japan with a very poor understanding of the language. I am studying, but it is a slow process, especially since I lack a conversational partner at this time. Anyway, I am asking for a couple of key phrases that should help me along. I submit the following request:

How would I say the following, correctly, in Japanese?
"How do you say ___ in Japanese?"
"Did I say that right?"
"Sorry, I'm illiterate."
"What does this say/What Kanji is this?"

I thank you for your time.

Hey all. :) So I've got to write a presentation for my Japanese class, the prompt being 「○○の楽しみ方」. I figure it should be something like a list of commands: 1) do X, 2) do Y, etc. My question is what kind of command form would be best to use. 〜なさい doesn't seem right as it feels like I'd be saying "you have to do this right now", but 〜て下さい doesn't seem to work either; it's not a request. Can anyone weigh in on this? Thanks. c:

I really have a tough time reading kanji when they're tiny and squashed up like this:

( Everything under the cut... )

Thanks for all the help!

hi there,,,
i'm here for asking advice about a good ones japanese kanji phylosophy book or the history of kanji, and any good book related to bunpou (itameru,atatameru,etc ~meru),
the uses of japanese sub-like thing on japanese variety shows....

thanks in advance

sorry for my bad english
XP

Is anyone able to read the second kanji in this picture? I've been trying for a while now, with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

you know im using ameblo and i recieved this message from somebody
よかったら絡んで下さい

is this person asking me to be his friend? im asking because i have recieved some erotic emails before and i just want to know this is not the case but im confused and i dont understand the usage of 絡む (to entangle; to entwine; (2) to pick a quarrel; to find fault; (3) to be involved with; to be influenced by; to develop a connection with;)in this sentence.

Sorry for my ばか question but i dont get what よかったら絡んで下さいmeans.I just want to be sure im not going to be friends with a perv.

P.S : what means ちょくメール? i was asked: ちょくメールはできますか？
and i dont understand.

Hello! I've been trying to translate and read children's books in my spare time to keep up with my Japanese, and I was a little stuck on how to best translate a certain phrase:

"As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be"


I was thinking "私がいなくなるまでに、あなたは私の宝物だ。" but I'm pretty sure there must be a less awkward way to phrase it. Any help would be appreciated :)!

What do these things say?

Need a little help, hopefully from someone with a native-speaker (or close to that) ear!

I'm attempting a translation of an audio clip and have been successful with 99.5% of the task, except for ONE word which I cannot for the life of me make out from content or context, so if someone would be willing to give this a listen and let me know if they can make out the word at 7/8 seconds, I'd be extremely grateful! It's a very short clip, only about 10 seconds, and if more context is needed, please let me know.

Download it here. TIA!

I'm having a manga give away since I have... little to no room already.

Comment here if you want them, first come first serve. You would only have to pay the mail (right now I'm only accepting paypal). Contact me over messages if you need more details!

Please notice I live in argentina. Also, if there are any argentinians out there, would you like to trade?

( These manga are free--------- )

I've been practicing my reading so as to better recognize kanji (and katakana since I'm still pretty weak at reading them) and put to practice what I learned years ago when taking Japanese in college for several years. Recently, I came upon two sentences with kanji that I can't seem to understand the contexts of very well and was hoping to get some help. I've tried everything (even obscure searches online), but haven't found anything that makes sense to me. I hope someone will be able to help. I'd really be thankful!

穀告書は明日提出するからさ
The first three kanji in this sentence I can't seem to grasp. I understand it's a document or report, but the first kanji seems to throw me off. I'm understanding it as grain or crop (cereal?), but that wouldn't make much sense to say crop report?

( Understanding 万 in the context of this sentence... )

Thank you for your help!

Hi there! I have a simple phrase I want to say in Japanese but I have no idea how to word it properly. How would I say: "I didn't know he liked takoyaki to that extent" or "I didn't know he liked takoyaki that much"? Also, how do I say: "The takoyaki he made tasted bad"?

So, I'm still working on that game.  And in this scene the main character is running away and meets some troops.  He has the option or running away with I can see is the "めんどくさいから逃げる" part, but what does "やってやる" mean?  I don't understand it other than a really emphatic way of saying he's going to try doing it.

Here's the full line:  ＜選択肢：「やってやる！」or「めんどくさいから逃げる」→「やってやる！」を選択＞

I'm back again, with more questions about things that have me stumped while trying to translate a comic from Japanese into English.

( Questions under the cut )

Thanks in advance for all your help! (again and again...)

Hello, everyone! A friend of mine asked me what these kanji mean, and with the help of WWWJDIC I think I've figured out the others, but the fifth kanji beats me up:



(Just to make sure, the first one is 今, right?)

And then, another pic. With calligraphy I'm afraid I'm no good whatsoever... ( Read more... )



And now that I'm posting... I've got another, sillier question... but I just can't help it. I mean, Genji Monogatari Hello Kitties? I... just... want. xD Does anyone happen to know if there's a place that would sell these internationally - preferably with a website also in English, as my Japanese is... actually there is no such thing as "my Japanese". Just... hoping against all odds.

Thank you very much~! Arigatoo gozaimashita.

Hi everyone!

( なんだけど meaning? )

( What JLPT level is expected for working in Japan? )

Thanks in advance :)