My Japanese learning journey this semester has been a lot of fun. Fuse Sensei and Kawamura Sensei are excellent teachers. At the beginning of the course, we learned to read and write Hiragana and Katakana. This was one of the most difficult parts of the course, because a single sound can have two different alphabets. Also, I found it interesting that the hardest words to understand in Japanese are Katakana words. I am unaccustomed to hearing English words pronounced in that way. But eventually we became familiar with the alphabet.
The next challenge was jointly learning vocabulary and grammar. The verbs
and adjectives were the most challenging because of the many kinds of Japanese
conjugation. However, through repetition and constant practice I was able to
learn how the sound of verbs and adjectives changed depending on the situation.
The issue of conjugation is hard in most languages. So Japanese is not that much
more difficult. But one has to be very diligent.
Also, one of the things that we have to practice at the start of every class
was telling the day and recalling the days of the week. It’s tedious but very
helpful because you retain the information longer and learn to recall it quicker.
This is a very good technique. Additionally,
there was Japanese homework every day. These exercises helped to reinforce the
fundamentals.
This introductory Japanese class required a lot of effort, but it was worth it, because my Japanese speaking, writing and listening proficiency has increased tremendously. So, I am very excited and plan to take more Japanese classes in the future.
