Japanese in 18 Months? No way!!!

[rpapo]

the stroke start or end isn't always there, it depends on the font. also in handwriting you can't see it with pencil or pens.
the best way is the angle of the first two strokes. when I write them I exaggerate them, and when reading its always very clear. almost like this =/ and ''/, 90° of difference is quite easy to recognice. same with ソ and ン, one is written more like -/ and other like '/

That's fine for your own writing, but I've been 100% dealing with reading. The font used in the printed version of Golden Time works fine for me, but I have to make sure I use a good font when pulling up the text in Notepad or in Word, or things can get confusing. MS Mincho (a serif font) is better than MS Gothic (sans-serif). And I usually have it set to 20 points in Notepad, and in zoomed in Word. My eyes aren't what they once were, and they never were all that good.

[Mystes]

BTW, isn't it against the laws of writing to go from down to up?

[j112]

idk

[rpapo]

BTW, isn't it against the laws of writing to go from down to up?

No worse than systems that write from top to bottom, right to left, like Japanese, or that write from right to left, top to bottom, like Hebrew.

[YoakeNoHikari]

He's talking about stroke order; one is supposed to strictly avoid drawing from down to up for Chinese characters, but I'm not sure where he's seeing that being done.

[rpapo]

He's talking about stroke order; one is supposed to strictly avoid drawing from down to up for Chinese characters, but I'm not sure where he's seeing that being done.

In the difference between ツ and シ, and between ソ and ン. With the proper font, they can be distinguished, especially since the main stroke is written in different directions in each case. When reading handwriting, it can be difficult to tell them apart. And then there's when they're used in furigana, which is often even harder. Zell was simply saying that he simply exaggerates the difference in the minor stroke's direction.

[larethian]

BTW, isn't it against the laws of writing to go from down to up?

Don't know what law, but that's what was taught in my class.

[Doraneko]

BTW, isn't it against the laws of writing to go from down to up?

Was that from your Chinese teacher?

If yes, ask him/her how to write the last stroke of the 冫 radical in the Chinese character of 冰. Quit immediately and find a better teacher if s/he continues to reiterate the same "laws of writing".



Anyway, for those who are going to sit for N1 or N2 in a few days, you may consider trying the 国語 papers of the センター試験 (kind of a joint university entrance exam in Japan). It maybe a bit of an overkill, but if you can pass its contemporary Japanese section, JLPT will be a bliss. As for the 漢文 section, try it only if you are a Japanese/Chinese/Korean or have nothing else better to do.

2011
Questions: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0404.html
Answers: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0381.html

2010
Questions: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0232.html
Answers: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0233.html

2009
Questions: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0105.html
Answers: http://www.dnc.ac.jp/modules/center_exa ... t0106.html

Wish you guys the best of luck then.

[Zell_ff8]

Just did my first N1模擬試験 (I only have 3 with 解説, so I saved them for the very last moment). 模擬・語彙・文法 45/60, 読解 47/60, 聴解50/60.
If I just get those scores this sunday I'll be more than happy ^^

[Mystes]

HOw do you guys classify the verbs' groups?

[j112]

all I know are verbs that are nouns until you follow them with a word like する, and verbs, thats probably why i'm having a hell of a time with verb conjugations, haha

[Zell_ff8]

HOw do you guys classify the verbs' groups?

Just 3 groups.
*Verbs ending in う段 (う、く、ぐ、す、つ、ぶ、ぬ、む、る). The so called 五段動詞 or in western "group 1 verbs".
*Verbs ending in ラ行 like いる、える、れる (mostly 一段動詞). Called in the west "group 2 verbs"
*Irregular verbs, just する and くる ("group 3 verbs")

The thing is that in the west they teach group 1 is -u verbs and group -2 are -ru verbs. Problem is you can't tell the group of verbs ending in る. For example 切る and 着る, both are きる but are different groups (切ります、着ます)

[larethian]

Zell, and any other lurkers who are taking jlpt tomorrow, good luck!

[j112]

good luck hopefully next year I can take the test with you

[iamaidiot]

Got a quick question about the Sword Art Online cover for volume one.(The one you see to the right on the main page.) I was fooling around trying out some of my katakana reading skill and I kept on reading the cover as saying ンード(????)　アート(Art)　オライン(Online) The problem is shouldn't that ン katakana in the beginning be the スォ kana or something similar?