Culminating Blog Reflection

This Japanese class that I have taken has affected me quite a bit! I have gained many things in taking it and the results are very pleasing! I am glad that I was able to take this class as part of my Capstone Project, as I have always wanted to do so anyway! However, all things must come to an end. Unfortunately this is the end of me taking this class, as the Capstone Project is coming to an end. Thus, I reflect upon what I have done, what I have gained, and what challenges I have faced and perhaps even overcome.

Learning another language always requires critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Throughout this class, I have thought critically about the syntax of the kanji. Like English, or any language for that matter, Japanese has its form of grammar. As I have mentioned before in my previous blog posts, the order in which words are placed and their values create meaningful sentences if done correctly. For example, in Japanese, a simple sentence like "Sushi wa umai desu." is composed of a subject and a predicate, "Sushi," being the subject and "wa umai desu," being the predicate. This sentence can be further broken down into "Sushi," being the noun of the sentence, "wa," being the verb of the sentence (in this case it means "to be" or "is"), and "umai," being the adjective (meaning "tasteful") that describes the sushi. This is similar to how English is, having a subject and predicate in a sentence which can be further broken down similarly to what has been said above. Although, Japanese does have its differences from English. For example, Desu is a copula, a word that links a subject to a predicate and is often used as "it is," or "to be," in English. However, as one may notice from the sentence previously stated, desu is stated at the end of a sentence. Also, one may take notice that wa also means "it is." This is one of the many things that make Japanese different from English. To form grammatical sentences, one must think critically. Further more, since the Japanese culture has deep roots in the ideals of respect and honor, one must also think critically about the words one uses so as not to offend anyone. This ultimately leads to the issue of communication. We as humans are social creatures; we communicate everyday, be it in written, verbal, or physical form. Throughout this class I have learned how to communicate through the usage of all forms. I have learned that, in Japanese culture, bowing is a form of respect. This is a physical from of communication, the conveying of respect. Also, I have learned that Japanese also has its own form of honorifics, which is also a form of respect in verbal or written form. For example, one may tease a friend by adding the honorific, "-chan," (meaning cute). Although, this all depends on the person's opinion. They may like it, feeling that it is a complement, and thus the honorific will not be insulting. Also, there are many more honorifics, especially those of rank and business. This is similar to English, as there are also many honorifics. Learning to speak Japanese, however, requires collaboration between teacher and student. The teacher must be willing to teach the student and the student, in return, must be willing to fulfill the teacher's requirements. Learning another language is not so simple and thus I needed my teacher, my mentor in this case, to collaborate with me and teach me how to write kanji and speak Japanese. Although, I did have the fundamentals learned on my own personal free time beforehand. Furthermore, to reduce the difficulty of learning Japanese I needed to collaborate with my classmates. I sometimes assisted them with topics or ideas that they did not understand and, in return, they did the same for me sometimes. Collaboration was also needed to practice our speaking. We created many sentences and, since language is a form of expression, in other words, a form of art, we got creative with our ideas and began using more vocabulary to add some flavor to our sentences.

Thanks to this class, I have gained a wonderful experience by hearing about my classmates' reasons for taking the class as well as their experiences. Their personal stories delighted me. Learning about the Japanese language and culture has enlightened me even more so than I could ever hope to imagine. I have gained relationships from a variety of people doing a variety of things. One may even call this a network or connections to which I can ask for help or help those I have connections with. This will help me socially and personally in the future as I build even more relations. Furthermore, taking this class has helped me communicate even better with my friends from the other side of the world in Japan. For that, I, personally, am extremely grateful to my mentor. I have gained more knowledge on how to speak Japanese more properly as well as increased my vocabulary. To me, this is priceless. As a person, I feel that I have grown in a way that I could have never done without my mentor. I have become more social, more appreciative, and more motivated to communicate with more people in a variety of ways. After all, language is the key to the world.

Although, there were some difficulties along the way. Learning another language is never easy. The language one may be learning may be quite different from the language they already understand. Writing in another language may also be difficult. Furthermore, it is not easy to present or communicate in such a way that one may be out of their comfort zone, in other words, making mistakes is embarrassing and the fear of this embarrassment makes it difficult to learn another language. I, personally faced these challenges. Japanese is quite different from English. Luckily, I understand Cantonese and thus I had a much easier time with Japanese, as Japanese and Chinese are similar and, in fact, Japanese uses Chinese characters. However, my understanding of Cantonese did cause some misunderstandings. For example, in Cantonese, the usage of the term "ma," is quite broad and can mean many things, such as "but" or "mother." In Japanese however, it has a different meaning and is more defined. This caused my confusion. Thankfully, this was clarified by my mentor. Furthermore, although writing in Japanese is similar to writing in Chinese, writing in Japanese was different and I have not written in Chinese for many years. I had a difficult time writing in Japanese, however, all I could do was put in my best effort. This effort paid off as I began to write in Japanese better than I had ever done before. I was afraid of making mistakes and I came to despise making mistakes. However, I tolerate it and learn from them. Taking this class has reinforced this ideal. I now take more risks in the process of my growth as a person, despite my position on making mistakes. Although, it is still embarrassing to make mistakes. All one can do is put at least 100% into everything they do and not be afraid to take risks in order to grow not only mentally, socially, and physically, but as a person in general. This is the growth mindset that I adore. Thanks for following me in my adventure in learning Japanese!

Day 19: March 12, 2015

Today, we reviewed about asking for prices and essential terms for traveling in Japan.  We also reviewed how to say cheap/inexpensive and expensive. In addition to that, we reviewed how to say, "isn't it?" The word for a regular, small store is "mise," the word for supermarket is "suupaa," the word for shopping mall is "mooru," and the word for convenience is "konbini." The word for hotel is "hoteru." The word for inn is "ryokan." The word for restaurant is "resutoran." We learned that "-ya" is a "_____ store." For example, "ramen ya" is a ramen store. NOTE: the use of "____ ya" is not limited to food (Ex. "hon ya" - a book store). Also, a koohii ya, a coffee shop, is more traditional and professional with freshly brewed coffee every time. "Eki" means station. "Toire" means toilet. "Onesen" means hot spring. "Sentoo" means public bath but, literally, it translates to paid water. "Ooedo suupaa sentoo" means Great Tokyo Bath Tub. "Ooeda" is an old term for Tokyo. One major note for onsen is that you may be declined entry for having tattoos because that essentially symbolizes gang relations (The Yakuza). Starbucks is called "Sutabaa." Peet's Coffee is called "Piitsu." Kentucky Fried Chicken is called "Kenta." McDonald is called "Makudo (Osaka/Kyoto area), Makku (Tokyo area), or Makudonarudo (full/formal name)," depending on the area. "MosuBaagaa" is the Japanese fast food version of McDonald. The word for bar is "baa." One could also use "nomi ya" for a place to drink more Japanese alcohol. Although, an "izaka ya" is basically a food cart restaurant. However, the Ginza district should be avoided because everything is expensive there. To say the floors of a building we use "__#__ kai." NOTE: special exceptions apply. We ended with a show and tell of pictures and videos.

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 31.95 hours

Day 18: March 5, 2015

Today we learned about tourist attractions. We learned about the Takeshita Dori, a street. We also about Meiji Shrine. We also reviewed how to ask fr the price of an item. Along with this, we reviewed how to say this and that. After that, we reviewed how to say prices with numbers. We learned that next week would be the show and tell week. During this class, we would share pictures and experiences in Japan. I am excited for this day! Although, it may be difficult to explain some things.

-Time logged: 1.00 hours
-Total time logged: 30.45 hours

Day 17: February 26, 2015

Today we reviewed the use of "no." We then reviewed words that point. After that, we reviewed foods. After that, we reviewed places and countries. Then we reviewed some majors, family words, phrases with money, and other various day-to-day expressions. Then we reviewed how to say languages. Then we reviewed the use of "wa." When asking for someone's name, one must use the "o namae," as opposed to simply, "namae," in order to be polite. Then we reviewed how to say the numbers over 100. I think learnng the number system will be difficult. However, having a challenge makes things worthwhile.

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 29.45 hours

Day 16: February 19, 2015

Today, since it is the day of Chinese New Year, we learned that shinen omedatoo means happy new year. We use gozaimasu after omedatoo to be more polite. We can also say akemashite omedatoo, ake meaning open or start. We can also say shinen akemashite omedatoo.We also learned that oomisoka and is the first day of the month. The new year is celebrated on January 1 to January 3 and this time period is called san ga nichi. Also, like the Chinese tradition, adults give children otoshi dama, a white envelope filled with money for the New Year. These envelopes are for luck and congratulations in general, however. The envelopes should be new except when giving them to someone who got sick recently. Doing otherwise would make you look bad. We also reviewed the use of "no." This term signifies possession. After that, we learned that shinbun means newspaper. We also covered the existence of various counters as opposed to saying simple numbers.

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 27.95 hours

Day 15: February 12, 2015

Today, we reviewed how to say the time in Japanese. We also learned that, "maa maa desu" means, "so-so," in Japanese. We also learned that Emperor Hirohito had a habit of saying, "aaaaa so desu ka."   This means, " aaaah is that so?" We then reviewed how to say he days of week. We learned that, on Valentine's Day, only girls give chocolates to boys. We learned about the various chocolates for various occasions. There is giri choko, an obligation all chocolate for co-workers. Ther is also tomo choko, chocolates for friends and lovers. There is also fami choko, for the males of a family. There is also sewa choko, chocolate for those who take care of you. Finally, there is honemei choko, homemade chocolate for those you have a crush on. A month after Valentine's Day, the boys return the favor by giving the girls  more expensive chocolate. This is day is called White Day. We also learned that the Japanese word for cuisine is, "ryoori ."

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 26.45 hours

Day 14: February 5, 2015

Today, we reviewed Japanese greetings again. We also reviewed the Japanese number system. For example, in Japanese 12 would be 10 and 2. 4 and 9 are special cases in regards to time. Shiji, 4 o'clock is formal and is usually not used in everyday life. Yonji is how 4 o'clock is said. For 9, however, the only way to say 9 o'clock is said as kuji.  When using am and pm, gozen and gogo respectively, they go before the number. So, for example, 9 o'clock pm is "gogo kuji." To indicate the half-hour, we say, for example, "nanajihan," with han meaning half. I'm still anticipating the learning of katakana. Perhaps I might study it myself and get ahead!

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 24.95 hours

Day 13: January 29, 2015

Today, we reviewed Japanese greetings. We learned that "Ee," pronounced as "Eeh," is acceptable as an informal/casual way to say "hai," meaning "yes." Also we noted that having the "O" when asking, "O-genki desu ka?" is a formal or polite way of asking, "Are you well?" We also learned that we could reply to this with "Okage-sama de," which essentially means, "Thanks to everyone's help." Literally, however, it means something along the lines of "Shadow person's doing." The meaning is derived from the fact that a servant of a Japanese lord would stand in the lords place as a safety precaution. This was because, like our president, there are those who would plot his assassination. I hope that we will start learning katakana next session. I am truly excited to learn katakana. I predict that it will be difficult to memorize. However, I welcome a good challenge.

-Time logged: 1.50 hours
-Total time logged: 23.45 hours

Day 12: January 15, 2015

Today, after a long break we reviewed Japanese greetings, honorifics, and the pronunciation of kanji. We learned that New Years in Japan is similar to the way the Chinese celebrate New Years. However, the Japanese celebrate with the food called mochi. On Valentine's Day, the girls in Japan give gifts to the boys in Japan. Although, the boys do return the favor and give a gift to the girls in March. A new term we learned was "chotto matte." This means "wait" or "hold on." This term, there will be a total of 8 classes. I am excited to learn more Japanese, despite all the challenges I may face. I can't wait to begin writing katakana and sentences in hiragana. What will be challenging is the memorization once again! I have also completed an article about my experiences as well as my fellow exchange students' experiences in Japan!

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

Here is something my mentor brought back from Japan and gave to the class:

Here is an overview of the article:

-Time logged: 3.55 hours
-Total time logged: 21.95 hours

Day 11: December 18, 2014

Today, we reviewed the syntax and use of different particles or subject and topic markers. "O (を)" is a direct subject marker. However, "o (お)" is not used as a direct subject marker. Similarly, "wa (は)" is used as a topic marker and not "wa (わ)." The Hiragana used will be "ha (は)" and would still be pronounced as "wa." "De (で)" is used as a location marker.  "No (の)" is used for indicating  possession.


Examples:
Toshokan de zasshi o yomimasu. (I read a magazine at the library.)
Anata no uchi de zasshi o yomomasu. (I read a magazine at your house.)


We also learned about the particle "ni (に)" which is a direction marker that basically means "to." Although,"e (へ)"  [not "e (え)"] can be used instead of "ni" in this case.
However, "ni" is also a time marker and "e" is not. Thus, some textbooks recommend that "e" be used as a direction marker to avoid confusion.

Examples:
Amerika ni ikimasu.
Amerika e ikimasu.


We noted that some words sound very similar to each other but have different meanings, such as oji-san (uncle), ojii-san (grandfather), and ouji-sama (prince).

We learned how to use tokidoki (sometimes), itsumo (always), zenzen (never), and amari (not very much). Note: Zenzen can also mean absolutely.

Examples:
Itsumo mizu o nomimasu.
Mizu o itsumo nomimasu.

This was the last class of this year, The next session will begin on January 15th. In the meantime, I will be writing an article about exchange student experiences that will be sent to Japan and, for now, here is the work that was given that I will continue doing over the break.

My work so far:

 


My notes:



-Time logged: 2.00 hours
-Total time logged: 18.40 hours

Day 10: December 4, 2014

After returning from a restful Thanksgiving break, here is day 10. Today, we reviewed how to conjugate "u" verbs. For example, we have the plain form of the verb nomu. We can then conjugate this verb to its dictionary form, nomimasu. With this, we can change the verb to its negative form, nomimasen.
We learned that the Japanese nicknamed Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shuwa-chan, to shorten his name.


We learned that "de" is a location marker. We also learned that when writing "o" as a subject marker, in kanji, it is written as "を." Also, writing "wa" as a subject marker is actually written as "ha (は)." We were reminded that the traditional way to write in kanji is top to bottom and right to left. Writing periods in kanji looks like this: "。" Also, there are no gaps in writing kanji. We are able to write whole sentences in kanji now. I am still improving but I am excited to be doing this!

Here are my notes:

Here is my practice work that I have done so far:

-Time logged: 1.52 hours
-Total time logged: 16.40 hours

Day 9 November 13, 2014

Today, we learned some u/ru verbs. They were okiru (to wake up), neru (to sleep), yomu (to read), taberu (to eat), nomu (to drink), miru (to watch), hanasu
(to talk), kiku (to hear), suru (to do), iku (to go), kuru (to come), and kaeru (to return). All these verbs are conjugated in dictionary form. Their base forms are formed by simply removing the ru or u. The dictionary form is informal. However, the present affirmative form is formal and is formed by removing the ru or u and replacing it with masu or the "-i" form and masu after it. However, suru and kuru are irregular. Thus, we have the present affirmative form of suru as shimasu and kuru as kimasu. As for the negative forms of the verbs, it is simply formed by replacing masu with masen. We also learned the stroke order of ra (ら), ri (り), ru (る), re (れ), and ro (ろ). We lerned that the period, in Japanese, is "。" I am excited about learning to write a sentence in Japanese. The most challenging part of this will be writing the kanji. Hopefully we can learn Katakana too! Also, I will be starting to work on a letter/message/article with my fellow exchange students to send to the South San Francisco Rotary Club which will also add to it and then send to Japan, as done annually by the various Rotary Club after a student exchange to constantly improve experiences. Look forward to it!


Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

-Time logged: 1.64 hours
-Total time logged: 14.88 hours

Day 8 November 6, 2014

Today, we learned about kono (この), sono (その), and ano (あの). Kono means this, sono means that, and ano means that but it is something far away. Also, when the noun or subject is mentioned earlier, one does not need to restate it. For example, one might say, "Kono pen wa anata no desu," instead of, "Kono pen was anata no pen desu." Also, when responding to, "Kore wa anata no pen desuka," one might say, "Iie, anata no pen ja nai desu," also one might say, "Iie, anata no ja nai desu,"

 because it is assumed that one is referring to the pen. Further more, we learned that koko (ここ) means here, soko (そこ) means there, and asoko (あそこ) means there but far away. We also learned the stroke order for ya (や), yu (ゆ), and yo (よ). We learned that to write things like kya (きゃ), nyo (にょ), or chu (ちゅ), we add ya, yu, or yo after kanji. It is simply phonetic as a soon realized. For example, kya would be, in romaji, kiya (きや), as shown above. We learned that ya means arrow and  that yu means hot water. We also learned how to write Pikachu (ぴかしゅ). We also noted that chu (ちゅ) means to kiss. We learned that maru means circle and batsu means wrong, symbolized by a O and an X respectively.

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

-Time logged: 1.67 hours
-Total time logged: 13.24 hours

Day 7 October 30, 2014

Today, we learned how to say today, yesterday, the day before yesterday, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. Kyoo means today. Kinoo means yesterday and ototoi means the day before yesterday. Ashita means tomorrow and asatte means the day after tomorrow. We also learned how to say the days of the week. Sunday would be Nichiyoobi, Monday would be Getsuyoobi, Tuesday would be Kayoobi, Wednsday would be Suiyoobi, Thursday would be Mokuyoobi, Friday would be Kinyoobi, and Saturday would be Doyoobi. Yoobi are the days of the week. Nichi means sun or day, getsu means moon, ka means fire, sui means water, moku means wood or tree, kin means gold, and do means soil or earth. We learned that the past tense of desu is deshita, with ta making the word past tense. As an example for the past tense, one could say, "Kinoo wa Kayoobi deshita." As an example for the present tense, "Kyoo wa Mokuyoobi desu." We learned that "ano ne" means "you know what?" We learned that kore means this, sore means that, and ano means that which is far away. We also learned that dore means which one. We learned the stroke order for ma (ま), mi (み), mu (む), me (め), and mo (も). It was a bit challenging to write some of the hiragana but writing them is fun and I look forward to the next set.

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

-Time logged: 1.60 hours
-Total time logged: 11.57 hours

Day 6 October 23, 2014

Today, we learned to use "nee" which basically means "isn't it?" For example, I could say, "Genki desu nee?" This means "doing well right?" We also learned that students of an elementary school in Japan are called "kodomo" because they are seen as young children. We also learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger is nicknamed "Shuwa-chan" in Japan. I found this funny because "chan" is an honorific that means cute and it is feminine.We learned the stroke order for ha (は), hi, ( ひ), hu [also known as fu] (ふ), he (へ), ho (ほ), ba (ば), bi (ば), bu (ぶ), be (べ), bo (ぼ), pa (ぱ), pi (ぴ), pu (ぷ), pe (ぺ), and po (ぽ). Learning to write Hiragana is difficult because I have to memorize the stroke order as well as the characters in general. Learning them in order will be essential to forming words later on. I find this challenge fun and interesting. Learning a new language is fun in general! I look forward to being able  to write my own sentences in Hiragana as well as Katakana. Our time learning Hiragana is nearing its end.

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

As a bonus, here is where I am taking my classes:

\-Time logged: 1.67 hours

-Total time logged: 9.97 hours

Day 5 October 9, 2014

Today, we learned that we can use "mo" to say "also." For example, when one says, "Watashi wa kookoosei desu," another may say, "Watashi mo kookoosei desu." One could also say, "Watashi mo," when speaking casually. We also learned how to say, "Yes, it is so," which is, "Hai, sou desu." We learned how to say how old one is with the term "sai." We learned about the honorific, "-kun." It is only used for boys and is used when speaking casually. It is not used when referring to one's self like all other honorifics. We also learned the stroke order of na (な), ni (に), nu (ぬ), ne (ね), and no (の). We did receive more calligraphy, however, we did not get to learn the stroke order. It was still challenging to memorize all the terms we received before. I look forward to learning more hiragana.

Here are my notes

Here is my work:

\-Time logged: 1.59 hours

-Total time logged: 8.12 hours

Day 4 October 2, 2014

Today, we learned new vocabulary but, mainly, we learned how to use "no" （の）. "No" is basically translated to "of" and is used for ownership or belonging to. For example, we can say, "Watashi no namae wa Justin desu." This would mean "My name is Justin." However, we can also say, "Anata wa Nihongo no sensei." This would mean "You are a teacher of the Japanese language." We incorporated the use of "wa" as well. For example, you could say, "Mearii-san no senkoo (which means "major") wa nihongo desy." We also learned that becoming 20 years old allows you to drink alcohol in Japan. This age is called "hatachi" or "ni-jusshi." The term for fourth year student is also special, it is "yonensei" and not "yonnensei." We learned how to say the names of some countries. the people of those countries, and the language of those countries. The use of "no" was challenging because I am also learning Italian. In Italian, the term "di" has, essentially, the same meaning as "no." However, the syntax of the subject and the noun being owned or belonging to the subject is opposite. This caused me to become confused because I was so used to the syntax in Italian as opposed to the syntax in Japanese. Although, I did get the hang of it and I should be fine now. I'm look forward to the next calligraphy worksheet!

Here are my notes:

Here is my work:

-Justin Tse

-Time logged: 1.67 hours

-Total time logged: 6.53 hours

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