Day 3 September 25, 2014

Today we learned about more basic Hiragana. We learned how to write ta（た）, chi（ち）, tsu（つ）, te（て）, to（と）, da（だ）, ji （ぢ）, zu （づ）, de（で）, do（ど）, sa（さ）, shi（し）, su（す）, se（せ）, so（そ）, za（ざ）, ji（じ）, zu（ず）, ze（ぜ）, and zo（ぞ）. We also combined these along with the ones we learned in last week's class to make words such as sekai（せかい）, which means world. We also learned how to say phone numbers in Japanese after we reviewed how to say the numbers and time in Japanese. We learned basic sentence structure as well with the simple template of "X" wa "Y" and "X" wa nan desu ka, wa meaning is. We also learned to use  "ne," which practically means "right?" What was challenging at the moment was the memorization of the basic Hiragana kanji. It will only get tougher if these are not memorized and it was slightly challenging to write the kanji in an acceptable way, according to my standards. I also received an answer to my question of how does one reply to "gochisousama deshita," which I asked because my host mother replied with something I could not quite grasp. The answer was "osomatsusama deshita," which practically means, "It was nothing." This has been on my mind for the past few months and I am extremely happy to finally receive an answer. I could not figure out how to actually spell it in romaji but I knew how it sounded like. My instructor, Mrs. Satoko (whom I will refer to as Satoko-sensei or Satoko-san, as she has requested the students to do so), declared that she was happy with  how observant I am. She said that she was impressed that I noticed that my host mother had said "osomatsusama deshita" after I said "gochisousama deshita" and she said all the host mothers were surprised and impressed that we, the exchange students, demonstrated proper Japanese etiquette even though we were not taught that by them. This conversation reminded me of the great time I had in Japan. It made me sad yet happy, it was a complicated feeling. Now, the next step is to get the calligraphy memorized and look forward to the next class. I am looking forward to it!

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

つづく (Tsuzuku = To be continued)

-Justin Tse

-Time logged: 1.67 hours
-Total time logged: 4.86 hours

Day 2: September 18, 2014

Today, we learned how to write basic vowels and other things in hiragana （ひらがな）. We also noted that katakana (ｶﾀｶﾅ) is typically only for foreign words. We were taught the stroke orders for each basic kanji in hiragana and how to spell each in romaji. Hiragana and katakana are types of Japanese calligraphy while romaji his japanese calligraphy in Roman characters.
We combined the kanji to create more complex words. However, these combinations are still fairly basic.  Along with learning of these types of writing, we learned the meanings of the combination of the basic words. It was challenging to write the calligraphy to the best of my ability. However, to me, it was fairly calming and I enjoyed writing. We also began learning how to say the time on a clock in Japanese. Although, I still need to absorb the information I received  beforehand. I was asked by a member of the SSF Rotary Club to compile a message from all of the exchange students and I'm looking forward to doing it. I'm extremely excited to learn more but, for now, here are my notes:

Here is my work:

じゃあね!

-Justin Tse

-Time logged: 1.60 hours
-Total time logged: 3.19 hours

Day 1: September 11, 2014

Although the first post was a bit late (posted on the 19th), I'm glad to say that this blog portion of my Capstone project has officially begun! 始まるよ! Let me explain my Capstone project, I will be learning Japanese from my mentor, Satoko Tsujimoto Piett. She is a professor of the Japanese Language at Laney College. I will be collaborating with my classmates as we learn Japanese together. Although Japanese is a difficult language, I believe I can grasp the concepts and learn the language because of my knack for understanding the syntax of languages. The problems I will face will include the understanding of syntax, the understanding of the stroke order when writing in Japanese, and communicating fluently. Although, I will still need to do more than just understand the language. I will probably be doing volunteer work related to Japanese or Japan in general. I predict that my efforts will one day build strong and friendly relationships with Japan. This is a goal I will strive for. Follow me on this wonderful experience as I complete my Capstone project. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I will! Here are my notes from today:

We learned basic phrases in Japanese culture. It was fun and at the end, we advocated for what we wanted to learn.

-Justin Tse

-Time logged for this session: 1.59 hours
-Total time logged: 1.59 hours