Posts Tagged learning Japanese

February 21, 2006 – Give an octopus

Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on June 17, 2016

Learning a foreign language can be a daunting, intimidating task. I have sympathized with my students who have struggled to learn the many terrible irregularities in the English language, the whole time clinging to a belief that Japanese makes a lot more sense. That is until today’s Japanese lesson.

In my Japanese lesson I learned that “tako wo ageru” can mean both “fly a kite” and “give an octopus”. The difference is easy to spot when reading, but verbally they are the same.

Any language which can confuse these two very different concepts is not for the faint of heart. Seriously.

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November 1, 2005 – Homework?

Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on November 1, 2015

Today I had my first Japanese lesson with the teacher provided by the city of Mishima. My sensei is a very pleasant middle aged woman who is easy to talk to. My lesson was 90 minutes, and we managed to speak almost exclusively Japanese. It was a great first lesson, and I am looking forward to the next one.

Unfortunately she gave me grammar homework. Boo homework!

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November 5, 2004 – Japanese Lesson after work

Posted by Barniferous in Shizuoka, The Penpal on November 5, 2014

The Penpal’s office is conveniently close to Mishima NOVA, my new branch. After work we met up near the station and practiced Japanese. I learned the verb ending “need to do”, which is incredibly useful.

In the Greater Tokyo area, most of the teachers don’t study Japanese because it is possible to get by without it. As you get away from the major cities, it seems like more teachers are actively studying Japanese. I am hoping that this will make it easier for me to study and improve my language skill.

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