Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Evil Clown]

Has anyone studied Japanese while living here in Korea? What sort of CD ROM programs or study aids can you recommend? Kyobo has one set for Japanese but it's in cassette format only (and 101,000 won!).

Did you get to practice it conversationally anywhere? I hate people approaching me to practice their English so I refuse to inflict the same punishment on the Japanese. Maybe enrolling in a Japanese hogwan for weekend classes would work (ideas?).

[J.B. Clamence]

I recommend the following:

Teach Yourself Japanese (book and cassettes; a good course in learning to speak and understand Japanese)

A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese (a great book for learning to write the three writing systems of Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji [all 1,945 general use charachters are given, together with their pronunciations and meanings). For becoming literate in Japanese, it's really a must-have.

Random House Japanese-English, English Japanese Dictionary (good-sized dictionary with lots of entries. Japanese words are featured both in Romanized and Japanese forms, but alphabetized according to the romanization. Very useful for an English speaker.

Lonely Planet Japanese Phrase Book (for the little things)

I purchased all of the above books at Kyobo in Kangnam. I don't have a very organized program, but it's been working pretty well for me when I have the time to sit down with it. It's a fun and rewarding language to learn. I especially enjoy learning new kanji characters. Have fun.

[Ilsanman]

I gave up. Not only was the language hard, but finding a way to learn it was frustrating.

I joined one hagwon to learn Japanese. They treated me like shit so I quit. Another one couldn't offer me a good time. Another one straight out refused to let me join. I hired a tutor but she lives in Bundang, and it takes too long to meet her, and also too expensive.

[little mixed girl]

i brought over my japanese books from class, and continued self-study over the summer.

the first 2 are in the "genki" series and the 3rd is called "intermediate japanese", all through japan times.
since i'm in the US they are in english, but i think that a person could order the same books in a different country...

[TECO]

Japanese is so difficult to learn - impossible almost.

Unlike anything we've ever heard.

I wouldn't spend any more time/money on it.

Why is Japanese so difficult - never mind tonal languages like Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese!

[The Evil Clown]

OK then. How about Chinese?

The MBA program in which I'm enrolling requires that I choose either Chinese or Japanese as a language option. I just figured Japanese was slightly easier to learn.

What about Mandarin Chinese?

[JacktheCat]

[just because]

[J.B. Clamence]

Japanese grammar may be difficult, but that also depends on your background. I've studied several languages in the past, so I'm open to thinking within the bounds of grammatical systems which are very different from English. It depends on the person.

Also, Japanese is very easy to pronounce. There are only five vowel sounds, and the syllables are very simple, usually just one consonant plus a vowel sound. By that same token, Japanese words are also easy to remember. Chinese; ha, good luck!

[ryleeys]

I'd highly recommend taking Chinese at this one hagwon in Icheon. I've met the 5 Chinese teachers there and they could all put the girls on Sparkle's thread to shame...

[Godzilla]

Go with Japanese. I lived there for 3 years (so that might cloud my judgement) but I never really found the grammar that hard. It's virtually the same as Korean anyway.

Books I'd recommend are Minna no Nihongo or the Japanese for Busy People series. Get the ones that use hiragana, katakana and Kanji as you will need to read and write for the MBA. Reading and writing straight Chinese is a nightmare... especially since the characters were 'simplified' just after the cultural revolution.

[The Evil Clown]

I think I've decided on Japanese. Thanks to all those who answered this post.

I'm currently making up flashcards of the first year Kanji taught in Japanese schools. There are some great internet resources if anyone is interested.

I'll hit up amazon and snag some of those books as well.

I'm practically tone deaf so that rules out Chinese I imagine. I also happen to think Japan kicks serious ass in the entertainment, sanity-retaining department.

[mithridates]

Japanese isn't that hard...you'll probably be able to advance in Japanese just about as quickly as you do at Korean. The best way is probably to go to that coffee shop in Shinchon (kakehashi) or some other place that does exchanges. It's hard to say because I'm not sure what level your Korean is at, and that makes all the difference here.
I am currently studying Chinese in Korea by the way, by myself. Luckily it seems to be on tv all the time now. Actually either one would be fine. Find a way to put in some time every day and then jet off to Japan or China when you have a few days off. The flights there are quite economical and it feels nice to be able to go for so cheap.

[J.B. Clamence]

[Big_Bird]

Mithridates,

how are you studying Chinese? By yourself or taking classes?

I lived there for a while and picked up a few basics, but would love to find a good Chinese class for beginners.