Job Discussion Forums

NorthofAmerica · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 187 Location: Recovering Expat

I am really considering buying a DS but still can't committ.

I see a lot of Kanji trainers and stuff on it as well as dictionaries even. Are these trainers really any good? Can a dictionary on it come close to taking the place of an electronic dictionary? I don't even have a dictionary right now.

Any information from anybody who has experience using the DS for Japanese study would be helpful, especially the programs you used.

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

Those Kanji games vary in quality, but some are actually quite useful.

Use them in conjunction with a good textbook (that way you can set the difficulty level appropriate to your educational "age") and have a read. Great way to learn idioms and problems and the kanji that go into them. Some even have haiku etc.

Or forget the kanji and just play Zelda instead!

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

My husband and I both have DS's and my husband claims that he uses his to study Japanese (I use mine to play tetris). He usually does for a while but ends up printing off the guide and using that. He said that most of the characters used on the game are Hiragana and Katakana so he can read alot of it in the beginning, but it takes so much time that he gives up. I have also looked into finding games that help Japanese but the only ones I can find is ones for Japanese people wanting to learn English, they say that their is not a game out yet that is for English people learning Japanese.
I would say buy it because it is not so expensive and it can fill long plane rides to the states and long train rides to work...and it may just help your japanese.
cheers!

zignut · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 33 Location: Bay Area, CA

What are the names of some of the better language trainers? Sounds like something to do on the bus.

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

Gurdeep Rivenvald III · Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 27

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

I just bought mine last week. I also boght the GENIUS Dictionary and Mario vs Donkey Kong. I dictionary is great. Just write in Kanji, Hiragana, Katana, and English as well as type. Mario is pretty fun too. But I am not learning much Japanese with that.

NorthofAmerica · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 187 Location: Recovering Expat

Okay, it is pretty much settled. I am going to buy a DS this week.

You say the GENIUS dictionary works well? Any other recommendations for dictionaries or kanji practice?

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

Buy a book, a learner's kanji dictionary. It takes a long time to look up kanji, so you tend to remember them so that you don't have to look the same thing up again. If it's easy, then you are less likely to memorize them as you go.

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

Does anyone know if American games play on the Japanese devices?

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

Yes they do.
Only the PSP and DS though (and PS3). Everything else is region protected.

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

Excelllent

thermal · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 60

Does anyone else know of games that have the hiragana reading for kanji like zelda?

I'm getting a lot of good Japanese practice playing it. Can be annoying though, sometimes I just want to play but spend my session entering all the words I don't know into my electronic dictionary.