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Tania's Guide To:MJC L1

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Tania's Guide to:

My Japanese Coach

Lesson 1 - Basic Words



See What You Know :meditate:
....Try & see how much you know so far before starting, it's okay if you didn't know any of these. :aww:

こんにちは。 私はタニア先生です。 *ahem* Sorry, just wanted to make for first step into my guide be in Japanese, xD. I said 'konnichiwa. watashi wa Tania sensei desu.' which translates to "Hello. I am Tania-(of being your instructor/teacher)." If you have studied some basic Japanese before you'll notice a few things about my sentence/translation(s). 1. It's in hiragana, katakana, & kanji. 2. When I translated it to romaji (the Latin lettered version of the sentence), that the 'wa' character, (は) is ACTUALLY a ha. And 3., I called myself sensei, which means teacher or instructor of some sort. Well, I actually don't want to be considered a teacher at all since I couldn't famine the idea, so just consider me a friend or just Ms. Tania in kind of an informal way. Such as 'chan' for girl, or 'san' for mr./mrs./ms. But not as a teacher (sensei) or a superior (sama). But I don't want to bore you with this little, "see what you know" review I'm just gonna get started with the tutorial already. *You can find the rest of my introduction in the description*

By the way, no need to worry if you have the My Japanese Coach game or not, this guide can help teach you Japanese even without the game, it would be more helpful pronunciation & spelling(characters) wise, as well as portability wise, but you don't need to rush out and get the game. ;)


Tania's Character Key :ninjaplot:
...."What does that mean? Oh, there it is!" (๑◕ܫ←๑)

:bomb: | Reminders
「 」 | Romaji
Underlined Words | Titles & Links
:star-empty: | [Beginner Hint] Hints understandable to people who have: basic knowledge of many romaji versions of words / seen lots of Japanese-themed artwork / have studied basic Japanese words with romaji
:star-half: | [Higher Level Hint] Hints understandable to people who have: more advanced knowledge in Japanese characters or pronunciation
~ | A marker that tells you to extend the previous sound.
- | A marker that tells you to pause/go on to another character (or separate from the previous one)
[ ] | Pronunciation boxes
:target: | In-Game info, warnings, & tips
@タニア (@ Tania) | My thoughts or experience on the topic
:bulletred: | Info about future lessons
:bulletorange: | Info about future chapters

:bomb: If you don't think that are at the highest level for the hints then skip the higher ones, they'll confuse you now and trip you up, come back to it when ready.


MJC's Lesson / Vocabulary :ninjabattle:
....How the vocabulary is introduced to you in the game. (*☉౪ ⊙。)

Now then, shall we start? In the game you open up to your first lesson, Basic Words which is what the lesson is about really. You first meet your 'sensei,' Haruka, who takes a big bow and starts off the lesson immediately. She shows you a list of five words that she claims to be very basic and are said all the time. Here you go.

(:bomb: When you see a period in the romaji version of the word, that means it's a different syllable. When writing in romaji don't use the periods, it's just there to help you remember the pronunciation. I came up with it myself, hope those periods help~)

Good 「ii」 いい
Bad 「da.me」 だめ (駄目)
Yes 「hai」 はい
No 「ii.e」 いいえ
Hello 「kon.ni.chi.wa」 こんにちは (今日は)

(:star-empty: Yes, it is correct to write the romaji of 'Hello' as 'konnichiwa' or 'kon'nichiwa.' The reason there's an apostrophe between the two N's is because usually in Japanese when there are two of the same characters it just makes that sound longer *Ex. kawaii [kah-wah-eee]*, but in 'konnichiwa' it's 'kon' then 'nichiwa,' instead of 'konn' then 'ichiwa.' The apostrophe is there to help distinguish that. I used to get confused why that was there too* -unless you already knew ;)-)

Then you get your next set of five words, and here they are!

Goodbye 「sa.you.na.ra」 さようなら
This 「ko.re」 これ
That 「so.re」 それ
Thank you 「a.ri.ga.tou」 ありがとう
I (formal) 「wa.ta.shi」 わたし (私)

(:star-half: Have you noticed the 'ou' in 'sayounara' & 'arigatou' don't have 'you' & 'tou' separated from the U? Wonder why? Lemme use the character 'yo' as an example; 'yo' [yoh] ends in an o, & the vowel u is one of the most silent, *Ex. Desu [deh-ss]*. Together it just extends the 'yo' character. *Yo [yohh] / Yoo [yo~hh] / You [yohh-ooh], -very silent 'ooh'-* When you speak at a normal Japanese speed then most U's are either very quiet or lost. Try listening to the differences here, be sure to listen to them separately at first.)

And that's all. Yeah, you can leave now. Just kidding, in the game that's pretty much it for the lesson, but you need to play mini games to earn mastery points to know you mastered the material and are ready for the next one, but even then it isn't much helpful. ^^; Of course you can play the mini games so many times that you have them memorized, but then when you go on to the next lesson you'll probably forget most of the last, so here's where my tips/hints come in.


Tania's Gameplay Info :ninjastar:
...."HOW DO I PASS THIS GAME!? / Why don't I have all my Mastery Points!?" ( ̄(エ) ̄)

:target: In this part of the game the only two mini(practice) games you have are 'Hit-a-Word' & 'Multiple Choice.' 'Hit-a-Word' is actually 'Whack-a-Mole' except you have to get all the GOPHERS that have word you're looking for. It says the word in Japanese with the English version written on the top screen, you must hit the gophers with the correct romaji or else you lose points, so if you don't hit the right one or not enough to get 60% passing you don't get Mastery Points for that word. You have to get at least 60% on a word 5 times to master it & only have 7 seconds to get at most 100%.
As for 'Multiple Choice,' it's basically a timed test, you have 50 seconds to answer your 10 questions, you have four choices. It shows you the English word then if you select the correct romaji you hear it pronounced in Japanese.
:bomb: I'm not trying to scare you away, ok? These mini games are really fun, easy to get used to, very helpful, & addictive! cX

---------------------
Tania's Study Help :yakuza:
...."I just can't seem to remember this one! / Uggh, I keep getting these confused!" (♥ó㉨ò)ノ♡

OK, now for all of you not playing MJC right now or need more help mastering the vocabulary, let's get started!

:bulletred::bulletorange: One of the best things to do so far is to NOT practice remembering the Japanese characters yet! I had to learn that myself the hard way. The best option is to just focus on remembering the romaji and not the characters. Right now, (if you are just a beginner), there's no point in remembering those yet, you might not know which character is what & it will make the whole practice VERY confusing, believe me. Your next lesson is Pronunciation it will really help figuring out the differences between many English Japanese words, and how the Japanese pronounce it. After that you can go back here & practice pronunciation, but not until maybe lesson 17, Kana 5 in Chapter 4 should you try to memorize any vocabulary in Japanese hiragana. (Lesson 24, chapter 5 for katakana) So DON'T worry about it yet, by then it'll be very easy. :happybounce:

@タニア) When I tried to study using the kana characters it was so horribly hard and made me hate practicing, which is sad since it's the beginning of the game. I had made flashcards to help me study and well... It just didn't work, at all. I didn't write the stroke order correctly, since I didn't know it yet, and didn't know what each 'symbol' meant, it was just scribbles to me. But when I started to practice with romaji it was SO much easier, it looks like English, you can easily recognize the sound, & it became fun. :nod: *In the description you can also find some easy &/or challenging study games & ideas*

Now then for memory tips on the vocabulary. :la:

:star: When it comes to 'good' or 'ii' I remember it because when I think of good things I get excited and usually make silly sounds like 'yee~!' or a squeal. So when I try to think of 'ii' I think of 'Yippee!' x3
:heart: As for 'bad' or 'dame' I remember it since it sounds so low & negative compared to 'ii.' I also think of the word 'damn' since it sounds and is spelled similarly and both mean negative things.
:star: 'hai'  is a word almost everyone knows, it just sounds so cheerful, positive, & agreeing.
:heart: I like to remember 'iie' since it sounds so cute. It sounds like someone is saying "Umm... No." The 'ii' sounds like you're thinking about it, and they the flat 'e' sounds like a flat 'no.' But that's only when you say it slow, when you say it normal speed it sounds like a sarcastic 'yeah.'
:star: 'konnichiwa' is another one of those really commonly known ones, it just has that certain ring to it like 'hello.'

:heart: Again, commonly known word. I've seen 'sayounara' in lots of shows I saw when I was younger. It also has a ring to it like 'konnichiwa.'
:star: 'kore' & 'sore' are so simple since they only have 4 letters each just like 'this' & 'that.' They are also spelled similarly, they only change one letter! Cx
:heart: 'arigatou' is also kind of easy since it sounds like an honest and polite word like 'thank you.'
:star: Umm... I don't have much on 'watashi,' but one way I remembered was because it ends in an 'I.'

I know many of these might not apply much to you, or aren't too helpful, I understand that. I was only trying to give you some ideas , the best way to practice these is by actually using them. These are commonly said words so it isn't too hard, 'konnichiwa,' 'sayounara,' 'arigatou,' 'hai,' & 'iie' can be practiced with friends or family. The rest can be practiced throughout your day; say if you do something wrong, "dame," point back & forth from one place to another, "hai, iie, hai, iie," or, "kore, sore, kore, sore," very simple, funny, & fun~! One of the best places to practice would be here on DA, in messages, comments, journals, chats, descriptions, ect!

I hope that helped and that you enjoyed that lesson! Try to not cram everything in all at once & be sure you remember it completely before starting any other lessons~! Arigatou~ Sayounara~ :hug:
:pointl::pointl: First Lesson | :pointl: Previous Lesson || Lesson List || Next Lesson :pointr: | Last Lesson :pointr::pointr:

:pointl::pointl: First Chapter | :pointl: Previous Chapter || Chapter Index || Next Chapter :pointr: | Last Chapter :pointr::pointr:

:pointl::pointl: First Unit | :pointl: Previous Unit || Unit Glossary || Next Unit :pointr: | Last Unit :pointr::pointr:

Tania's Introduction: Continued...
x3 Thanks for taking the time to read the rest of my intro, I just wanted to get some things out of the way. I'm not a teacher, instructor, interpreter, or tutor of any sort. I'm a 15-going-on-16 girl born & raised in Virginia with long Hispanic heritage on both sides. I'm not Japanese, get OK grades, and am going to be a Sophomore this fall so don't think I'm a boring, naggy, by-the-book teacher. I'm a teen trying to have fun by helping others learn a language I adore & am LOVING every minute SECOND of it, the more I 'teach' the more I learn. So I hope you have fun with me and learn to enjoy & adore Japanese just as I do! :love:


Next Lesson: Pronunciation
In the next lesson you'll learn about pronunciation differences so it's going to be a very easy quick lesson for you, :sarcasticclap: And since it's only about pronunciation there won't be much to discuss or practice with so it should be up very soon~


Extras / Links
Okay, right now in the game your title is "Baby," you've just completed lesson 1 and now are going on to lesson 2, are you excited? Hope so~ Just so you know your current unit is "Tokyo," & your current chapter is "Tokyo." Each chapter has 5 lessons, but some get cut off into other units, and I'm not sure how many chapters are in each unit are since I've only gotten to 2, but unit one has 6 while unit 2 has barely 3.

:pointr: Come to my "My Japanese Coach" gallery for all the lessons, info on units, chapters, & lessons, links to my My Japanese Coach on Amazon, the unit indexes, & my other Japanese galleries. :magnify:

:pointr: Want to know what the newest updates are, or what I'm planning for when? Come and check out my new 'Updates' page! (Lolz I am planning to update this, the last time I used it was in August) :magnify:

:pointr: Still want to know more about My Japanese Coach, why/how I make these or some broad comments on MJC maybe even some suggestions to my lessons? Come & give/ask them in my "FaQs & Help" page. :magnify:

:iconkikibow1plz::iconkikibow2plz::iconkikibow3plz::iconkikibow4plz::iconkikibow5plz::iconkikibow6plz:
:bulletred: Unit(s) Glossary ~ [link]
...*Here is the glossary with all the info on each unit, then chapter, then a list of each lesson.

:iconmv1plz::iconmv2plz::iconmv3plz::iconmv4plz::iconmv5plz::iconmv6plz::iconmv7plz::iconmv8plz:

:bulletwhite: I Love Japanese ~ [link]
...*Here's the group that inspired me to make these lessons, you can find other deviations with different lessons, & other deviants who would love to practice with you.
:iconkikibow1plz::iconkikibow2plz::iconkikibow3plz::iconkikibow4plz::iconkikibow5plz::iconkikibow6plz:

Study Games
Here are some games you can make/do by yourself to help you study~ |OK, I have the links fixed, so get studying! xD|
Study Level | Find what Lv. you are at so far to find the best game for you.
:star-empty: |Just started studying & already recognize most of them.
:star-half: |You know all of them pretty well.
:star: |You have them all memorized but really want to challenge yourself.
:star::star: |If you already know your kana & the romaji for these words try it in kana instead of romaji.

:bulletred:Flash Cards | Flash cards are very fun and easy to study with! There are also many different ways you can use them to study, I'll give you some examples based on Lv.
.....:star-empty: Shuffle - When you have the words fairly memorized you can then shuffle them and practice. When you got the romaji fairly down then you can switch the order. If you had the English side facing you the first time, then have the romaji facing you.
TIME: VARIED (Maybe 3-7 or 8-10mins) | CHALLENGE: Complete under a min.
.....:star-half::star: Speed Shuffle - When you think you're ready you can challenge yourself by trying to guess the answers at a much quicker rate that increases speed every two games. Even more challenging is to mix the order up, as in some of the cards are on the English side and the rest are on the romaji side.
TIME: VARIED (Maybe 2-6mins) | CHALLENGE: Complete under 30-50secs. (Mix: under 30secs-a min)
.....:star: Flipside Match - Note: This game will require two sets of Flash Cards, colored ones are highly recommended| In this game you should have one deck of one-sided romaji cards while the other deck is in English. You need to have both decks marked on the back so you know which cards are romaji and which are English, (if they are colored then just make sure both are different colors). To set up shuffle the decks together with their back sides facing you, then place them all face-down on a flat surface. To play you need to flip over a card then try to find it's match somewhere in the pile. (To take up less space you could try only using half of each deck-make sure they have their pairs)
TIME: 5-8mins | CHALLENGE: Complete under a min-3mins.

:bulletwhite: Crosswords | Crosswords are very quick & fun to do, I've made a few at Discovery.com for you to try, I have uploaded them to my SkyDrive so when you open the link click the 'Download' button with the W on it so it opens up in Word, because it won't print from the original page.
.....:star-half: Puzzle #1.1 - In this puzzle you are searching for the English word with the romaji & Kana as the hints. :magnify:
.....:star::star: Puzzle #1.2 - In this puzzle you are searching for the English word with the Kana as hints. :magnify:
.....:star-empty::star-half: Puzzle #2.1 - In this puzzle you are searching for the romaji ver. of the word with the English ver. as the hints. :magnify:
.....:star: Puzzle #2.2 - In this puzzle you are searching for the romaji ver. of the word with the Kana ver. as the hints. :magnify:
TIME: VARIED a min-3mins or 5-7mins | CHALLENGE: Complete under a minute.

:bulletred: Spelling Practice | Hmm... There are MANY different ways to try this in romaji & Kana. Spelling practice is very helpful toward your studies into proper spelling & grammar so be sure to try ONE of these~!
.....:star-half::star: Konnichi-Wha? - Note: This game will require you to print out two sheets of paper & to cut out Kana characters, PLUS flashcards with all the English vocabulary & a clock or timer nearby :magnify:| After printing out these Kana characters you must cut them each out, then flip them over & write their matching romaji which I have added below. When you are done with that you need to put all of the 'cards' in a pile to set aside. Next have your flashcards shuffled with only the English side up in a pile. To play you need to randomly draw a card and find all it's romaji and put them together, you must keep doing this till you complete all your deck. Try to see how many you can find under 6mins. Warning - Be sure you're using the correct 'wa' for konnichiwa.
-The reason you must do these on the back of the Kana is so you get more familiar with what it looks like, & you won't need to make another set for the next level-
TIME: 6mins | CHALLENGE: Complete under a min/keep beating your previous score.
.....:star::star: Konnichi-Wha? Lv.2 - Note: This game will require you to print out two sheets of paper & to cut out Kana characters, PLUS flashcards with all the English vocabulary & a clock or timer nearby :magnify:| After printing out these Kana characters you must cut them each out, unless you already have a set from last game, then just erase the romaji. When you are done with that you need to put all of the 'cards' in a pile to set aside. Next have your flashcards shuffled with only the English side up in a pile. To play you need to randomly draw a card and find all it's kana and put them together, you must keep doing this till you complete all your deck. Try to see how many you can find under 6mins. Warning - Be sure you're using the correct 'wa' for konnichiwa.
TIME: 6mins | CHALLENGE: Complete under a min/keep beating your previous score.

[Sorry for the shortage of games xD I have a few other ideas, but I must get started on the next lesson, hope these help. I came up with them off the top of my head, I didn't search or anything, just randomly came up with fun games, I'll try to have some pics posted of how it should look soon, enjoy~]


Credits
This was written for & encouraged by the #ILoveJapanese group.
This was cheered on, highly supported, reviewed, & helped by =Ravyre
Thanks go to Nintendo for creating the Nintendo: DS
Thanks go to Sensory Sweep Studios for developing the 'My Coach' series
Thanks go to Ubisoft Entertainment for publishing the 'My Coach' series
Thanks go to my little blue DSi for still working 2 summers after we met
Thanks go to DeviantArt for making this so easy to share with you~
© 2011 - 2024 789lol
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dxm8975's avatar
Hello, it might sound rude to ask you but do you actually teach Japanese at school or in online lessons including "MJC", or you only know some basic phrases/words of the language ?