Anyone here learning Japanese in uni? (1 Viewer)

[Snowe]

Hey everyone I should of taken Japanese in highschool but never too late!! Anyway anyone else taking Japanese in Uni? If so how many hours do you have per week and what textbook you using?

Also for any person in highschool who posts which textbook you guys using?

I'm learning it at UWS and its 4 hours a week. We're using the Minna No Nihongo. We've got like 3 books the main one in all Japanese, the translation book and the exercise book. However we also have to buy this Kanji book called Kantaro later, but I think this will last us for the whole yr so at least we don't have to buy another bunch next sem!!!

Also I borrowed this Japanese Grammar Book. Its got 52 lessons where when you finish it all you can pretty much read anything with the help of a dictionary of course. Its called An Introduction to Modern Japanese. Theres two of them one is green with grammar notes and examples and the other is red with exercises.

 

[holy priest]

I do Japanese in high school, but I dont use any textbooks - OHS(correspondant) student. But I do know a few good textbooks. The Alfonso Japanese textbooks are good to use but not if you need practise in kana, though the layout makes learning easier. One other one that I would recommend though, is the Japanese for busy people range. If you do get it, get the kana version. The first book seems to cover the beginners course [could just be the yr 9/10 course but i haven't done it] but with less kanji. The second book advances on the first book and has about 200 and something kanji. Layout is aesthetic.

I also know that continuers students will tend to use the 'wakatta' books. Beginners students like me would use 'A first course in Japanese'. But dont get a first course in japanese. It may be useful, but the font is bad [typewriter style] and the pictures are stick thingys. Not that aesthetic though useful at times.

Another useful thing to know is that there isnt a too great leap between continuers and beginners Japanese courses. I hope I've been helpful, and Good luck!

 

[Kazuya]

Hi,

I'm studying Japanese from scratch like you Snowe. I do it at UNSW however. Here it's 5 hours a week (2 x 2 hr tutes and 1 lecture) + 1 hour self study, during which you can go listen to audio/do homework/bludge etc.

We use Nakama 1 which is quite a nice book and has some interesting culture info in each chapter. It seems to focus on oral communication, which is a good thing i guess, but sometimes it would be useful to have a few more examples or more detailed explanations of the grammar...i guess i can just ask here if i don't get some stuff. Anyway, is that the case with your textbook?

I don't think we learn any kanji this session, and our sensei said we don't need a dictionary yet.

Overall it's been great so far, the staff is excellent and the students are very friendly.

 

[Snowe]

Hmm Kazuya the one we have has grammar as well as well as culture. The other one is all in Japanese which I thought was crazy at first but its really good since it forces you to learn and recognise the hirigana,katakana and Kanji.

 

[babydoll_]

I did Kazuya's course last year, I'm a 2nd year student doing 2nd level Japanese. I started from scratch. The 1st year sensei is really good but the 2nd one doesn't teach the same way and I liked the 1st year sensei better. The book I use is NAKAMA2 which is a continuation of the 1st year book, I reckon it's pretty good. During the lectures we learn about culture and stuff too, although if you want to learn about things more specifically there are specific classes you can do, e.g. there's a class all about manga etc.

 

[Wenn QQ]

I'm doing Jap as my electives in Mc Uni. We've got 3 books:
- the notes by the lecturer; (this is the one we use most of the time)
- Kantaro200; (for Kanji) and
- Nihongo Kana (for writing general Hiragana and Katakana)

 

[mushroom_head]

i'm also doing japanese studies@ unsw... level 3 since i did jap during high school. It's not too bad apart from the fact that there are so many quizzes and presentations worth only 2% each. There's HEAPS of kanji u havta learn and are expected to know
We have 3 hours of tutes and a 1 hr lecture each week and use the book "nihon o hanasou"

 

[OZGIRL86]

in highschool we used the kimono textbooks and workbooks

 

[Gaki]

i do japanese in high school, and we've been using "mirai" textbook and workbook, since year 11. but in year 10 we used "kimono".

 

[angy_elic]

I do japanese from high school at UOW, and you get to go straight to second year. We have 5 hours of class per week, which is good because you get to know everyone well. We used the textbooks Situational FUnctional Japanese and Basic Kanji.

 

[poloktim]

I did Japanese in high school. However, due to issues at the uni, I started from scratch again (which was ok, it corrected a few of my deep bad habits).

In first year UOW you use Situational Functional Japanese I/II. Second year (straight from HSC) you'd use Situational Functional Japanese III. The kanji text in first year is Basic Kanji Book Volume One (includes two hundred and fifty-one kanji). In second year you complete Volume One rather quickly, and move onto Basic Kanji Book Volume Two (contains two hundred and forty-nine kanji).

I'm in angy_elic's class, too.

 

[karnevil]

wow i can't believe how long it is since i posted on bos; this place was where i spent my life procrastinating during the HSC sheer boredom made me come back and have a peek

aaaaaaanyways.... after doin continuers and extension for the 2003 hsc, i'm now 2nd year at UTS doing a double business/international studies degree.

I spent a year (2004) doing only business subjects without japanese, so i've re-entered the game at level3 this year. The majority of what we're doing this semester was covered in the HSC but it's a fantastic refresher course, and learning japanese from a native speaker is 100 times more useful and accurate than what i learnt in high school.

Also, the main sticking point in Uni is KANJI - for example to enter at level5 i would need to know about 350 kanji!! so i gota study kanji prety much every day to keep learning new ones....

to anyone even considering studying language at uni i cant recommend my course highly enough... you can tack international studies onto any degree at UTS (except architecture i think), which means you study two years of the language and culture, then you spend a year over there later in your degree. The uni pays for flights and your tuition fees in Japan, but you still accrue a HECS debt while you're away. You're also responsible for all your living expenses while you're away. I'm going in 2007 and I absolutely can't wait!!

thats all from me for now. hope this gives you guys some ideas

 

[mushroom_head]

hehe... i was about to do Business/international studies@ uts....
but changed my mind.

 

[daiana]

i'm doing 3rd yr level jap at unsw, and using 'nihon wo hanasou'. that isnt so fabulous, personally

i think wakatta is VERY good

as well as that, you guys should all consider getting a grammer dictionary! my lecturer recommended: "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese grammer" by Seiichi Makino + Michio Tsutsui. Good clarifications. For those eager ones, the Intermediate version is also available.

"Effective Japanese Usage Guide" is also great!

kanji kanji kanji... cant stress enough the importance of it!

i've heard from many places, that after studying Japanese for 3 yrs, you should be fluent. Can anybody agree? i surely can't. ...mada mada ne....